Bananas For Bourbon

Crave-ably Healthy Veggie Wrap

2012-02-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Healthy eating (and on the flip side unhealthy eating) seems to ebb and flow. It can be affected by the season, the weather, and especially holidays. December was cookies and prime rib and champagne. January was green smoothies and citrus salads and new gym memberships. Now it’s February and the juice cleanses are over. Wings were consumed. Red velvet is everywhere. Sees is booming with business. We might have overindulged with our sweethearts. I know I did!

I’ve noticed one of the keys to keeping myself in check is watching how extreme I let those ebbs and flows get. I’m too delicate to handle crazy yo-yo’s in my body. And by delicate, I mean panic attacks on the scale, inconsolable by Husband. And by panic attacks and inconsolable, I mean about a half a second of whining while Husband drops the obligatory, well-rehearsed “I’m sorry”, thinly veiling the fact that he’s not really listening to me. (I never blame him. Thankfully, he’s well used to my crazy.) In other words, I prefer to balance mostly healthy eating with regular small indulgences, rather than hard, fast weight loss and weight gain. And really, I think the key is how you approach that mindset. If I were drinking beet juice and bland chicken soup for a week, then I’d be hard-pressed to resist that giant bowl of macaroni and cheese I’d been craving that entire week. Because when you’re eating foods you don’t enjoy, you think about the foods you’re denying yourself that much more, right? I know I do!

A diet shouldn’t feel like diet. In fact, the word diet should denote the foods you have a tendency to stuff into your facehole, rather than being defined by the foods you pointedly do not stuff in your facehole. It’s a small distinction, but one that makes a big difference. Last week, I told a friend who was lamenting her bland bowl of chicken & vegetable soup (and craving bacon in its place) to nevermind the bacon. If she was going to eat soup, she should make it good soup and then eat the heck out of that soup. Sure, the grass is always greener. Get over it! Instead focus on being happy to eat what you’re eating. Feeling sorry for your dinner is a cop out. Food doesn’t have to be a gazillion grams of fat and tetragillions of calories to be something to savor. If you’re soup is bland, try adding gobs of hot sauce and cry tears of ~~pain~~ triumph when you power through it. Or maybe just a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten it up if masochism isn’t your thing. Say you made a salad of carefully chopped fruits and vegetables, every color of the rainbow represented, and while beautiful to behold, you still feel like a bit of a rabbit chomping grass. Try sprinkling in just a few goodies - crumbled goat cheese, a handful of sliced almonds, toasted pepitas. The added protein will make it more filling too. Or experiment with making your own vinaigrette. They are quick, simple, and with all the fancy oil & vinegar options out there, as varied as your imagination! Your side of steamed brown rice? Try sprinkling on some salty seaweed or add some fresh ginger while it’s cooking to boost the flavor. Adding coconut milk in place of some of the cooking water is my favorite!

Break the cycle of denying and indulging. Instead choose healthy options every day, prepare them with love - not necessarily time, just consideration - and when faced with your result look it straight in the plate and say “I am going to eat the heck out of you and love every minute of it!” Now that’s eating mindfully.

Take this simple veggie wrap. Sure, it looks pretty ho-hum. It sounds pretty ho-hum too. But let’s look closer. I used a whole wheat lavash sold by my favorite local market (I heart you forever, Jimbo’s!). It’s just flour, yeast, salt, and water. Or something like that. It’s soft and airy and slightly chewy with a nutty flavor - totally different from a Mission flour tortilla. I made my own hummus. Only because I like making hummus. But really because I'm cheap and dried chickpeas are cheaper. They also sell pretty awesome hummus pretty much everywhere nowadays. This is the wonderful world we live in. My hummus had roasted garlic and a ton of roasted tahini. I’m a sucker for both. At first I thought about adding cheese, but decided avocado would be better. The creamier texture and richer fat flavors were just right. This level of health food must take flavor and texture punch wherever it can be got! I used baby spinach and sprouts. Not lettuce. I’m not much for the crunch of lettuce in wraps, and it’s too watery. Sprouts taste so wonderfully grassy. Wonderful might not be the word that springs to mind when you think of something tasting “grassy”, but my mind was a pasture-raised bovine in a past life, apparently, because grassy sprouts make me swoon. It’s all about balance, really. Grassy sprouts in the same bite as creamy avocado? Good stuff. I went a little crazy and sliced up some of my favorite local fresh tofu. Plain. Because it gives me something silky to sink my teeth into. Because apparently good quality tofu does have a bit of flavor. And it’s quite tasty.

Substitution potential on this wrap are out of bounds. Tortillas for lavash. Arugula for spinach. Black bean, white bean, or lentil purees instead of traditional hummus - or a flavored hummus. Baked, marinated, or spice-rubbed tofu. Leftover shredded chicken. Canned tuna or salmon. The possibilities are endless.

But wait! I have yet to mention the best part. This wrap would be a sad story indeed without the piece de resistance. The pickled red onions and carrots. The acid. The crunch. The life of this wrap. I used to pass-over recipes that called for pickles. How complicated! Not so. Can you make ramen noodles on the stove? Then you can make pickles. Err, with a few more ingredients, and a bit more chopping (unless you buy pre-cut!). It’s just a matter of time. Stewing time. Not stove time.

So to recap, this simple encasement of bovine-approved greenery, pulverized and fermented legumes, luscious Aztecan fertility fruit, and mouth-puckeringly preserved roots is not food you dream about cheese pizza while eating. O-ho no. Before taking your first bite, behold its glory and say “I am going to eat the heck out of this puppy!” I know I did!

But, you know, with small, slow bites. Mindful eating, people.

Crave-ably Healthy Veggie Wrap

1 whole wheat lavash
1 handful fresh baby spinach leaves (~1/2 cup)
½ cup hummus
¼ avocado, sliced
½ cup sprouts
3 oz. firm tofu, thinly sliced (optional)
1 small handful pickled red onions & carrots (see recipe below)

Lay out the lavash in a hamburger orientation. (As opposed to hot dog, naturally.) Down the center of the lavash lay out a flat layer of spinach leaves. Over the spinach, spread the hummus in an even layer, then top it with the avocado slices. Spread the sprouts along the side of the hummus. Lay the tofu over the top, if using. Top everything with the red onions and carrots. Roll up the wrap and enjoy!

Note: I don't recommend cutting the wrap in half, and it tends to lead to more spillage than it's worth.

Quick Pickled Onions & Carrots

adapted from Simply Recipes

2 medium red onions, halved and very thinly sliced
2 large carrots, julienned
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup white distilled vinegar
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

In a medium saucepan, heat the vinegars, sugar, water, and salt over medium heat until the salt and sugar has fully dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Place the onions, carrots, and bay leaf in a seal-able container and pour over the cooled liquid. The onions and carrots should be fully submerged in the liquid. Cover the container and refrigerate at least 8 hours, and up to a week. The onions and carrots will soak up more pickle flavor and break down in texture the longer they marinate.

Browned Butter Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Spiced Bourbon Pumpkin Glaze

2011-12-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

Because everyone else is doing it. That's an acceptable reason to do something, right? All the predictions of what 2012 will bring got me thinking. It always does. I’m always wrong. Let’s move on.

Julie’s Grand Food Trend Predictions of 2012!
[Let’s be honest, this list is grand as in lofty. My lofty notions of what I wish 2012 would bring. One can dream, right?]

First off, I just need to say that macarons are not a new trend. They’re an old trend. They are not the new cupcake. Cupcakes are not out. Both are delicious, infinitely adaptable to many flavors, and portable - and thus will remain around until people decide they hate sugar. Cakepops, pies, donuts, and any obscure French pastry may join alongside them, but they will not replace them.

Already trendy vegetables will find new ways of staying on peoples' plates. Kale chips and roasted Brussels sprouts are so 2011. They’ve officially been introduced to the masses. Now that the initial shock has passed that these past-maligned veggies are as tasty as they are nutrient-dense, we’re ready for new ways to eat them. Less approachable ways. Like raw! Massaged kale salads and shredded sprouts slaws I’m looking forward to seeing you on a restaurant menu or two! One can dream...

Quick pickles. 2011 was the year of savory canning. We discovered we could mass-produce not only blackberry jams and dill pickles, but also our own tomato sauces, and pickles of the non-cucumber variety. And kimchi? That was a craze all its own. While acidic, fermented foods are fabulous in their funkiness, who has time for all that? Tossing crunchy raw veggies with a quick salt/vinegar/sugar solution produces quick and refreshing results to liven up richer dishes.

Approachable game. Game meats are nothing new, but I’ve traditionally seen them at nicer restaurants, setting their menu apart by offering something beyond just the same ol’ proteins. I’m all about fine dining on squab leg and venison loin, but I think we’ll see more rabbit burgers and wild boar meatloaf - more casual restaurants using game to reinvent the classics. Because, inextricably, the classics are always boring and need reinvention yet we are unwilling to let them stray too far from our forks.

Exotic spices are no longer very exotic. You know smoked paprika has arrived when you can buy it in the big bulk container at Costco. And that’s a great thing because smoked paprika makes a lot of dishes more yummy, and I go through it, well, in Costco quantities! Finding cardamom used to be such a treasure hunt, I would covet the lone jar I was able to locate, only breaking it out for the most appropriate of flavor pairings. Now each spice company not only sells garam masala right alongside the curry powder, but I’m thinking we’ll see ras el hanout and zaatar in the near future as well.

Food trucks and craft breweries are reaching critical mass, a girl can only ~~get ripped off~~ eat and drink so much, but they are another trend that’s not going anywhere. I foresee the not as well executed places falling on hard times while the real gems will be just fine. After all, both of these trended so hard in the first place because of crazy internet buzz. People will still buzz about the places that are worth while. And yes, sour beers are the new IPA. Glad I’ve finally started developing a taste for them.

I have no idea what the next diet fad will be, but vegan and gluten free have proven to be such a profitable marketing scheme for food companies, I’m sure something will pop up. Perhaps something as simple as sugar-free? Sugar is the latest evil, after all. But I just don’t see that happening. It’s also an addiction. While I might disagree, the world at large would argue that eggs (runny eggs!) are not habit forming. Nor is sourdough bread. Supposedly. If I had my way, the next fad would be “reasonably sweet”. I’m all for sugar, just not in the ridiculous quantities we use currently.

That’s it! My wishlist for 2012. Can we get on this, people? Take to the interwebs! #hashtag things! If we can get runny yolks on rabbit burgers at Applebee’s by September, I’ll learn to brew killer beer at home and give you all a bottle. Promise.

This whole exercise was really just to distract from the fact that I’m posting a recipe with nothing more than ~~this grainy Instagram picture~~ a couple of shoddy pics I shot on my iPhone. The holidays have really thrown me for a loop and come 8pm on a Tuesday night I am decidedly unwilling to break out the fancy camera to get the money shots while I drool all over the floor in anticipation of stuffing my face with the confection in question. Sorry.

The confection in question contains really amazing things that will make you drool everywhere too. Browned butter. It’s very 2011. It makes things buttery (obbbbviously), with a nuttier flavor. You know how I love the nutty flavor. … Please resist the dirty joke I just opened myself up for. We have cake to talk about. Pumpkin cake. Oh yes. We’re not over the pumpkin yet are we? Good. Because it’s delicious. I know come December 1st, every fiber of my being screams for gingerbread flavored anything. But this cake is very heavy on the spice. Including ginger. Not pepper though. Good in gingerbread, but cardamom is best when it comes to pumpkin. And of course it has bourbon. The smokey flavor goes swimmingly with the browned butter. Bourbon, browned butter, and pumpkin. In a cake. You can forgive the picture now, right?

And let’s not forget the glaze. I love glaze on a bundt cake. The way it oozes over the cake when you first mix it. Watching it harden into a shiny shell, like it’s protecting something precious. Because it is protecting something precious. Unless you mixed up the salt and sugar. Then it's not so precious anymore. Then there's the panic that sets in when it slides right off the cake because you didn’t thicken it enough, as you hurry to scoop it up and re-pour it so you can get adequate glaze coverage. Oh yeah, that’s another reason I didn’t take any beauty shots. Thicken it right, people. You won’t want any paltry coating of this glaze. I used the remaining few tablespoons of the canned pumpkin puree in the glaze to boost the pumpkin oomph. And of course more bourbon. Oomph indeed! With the maple syrup and spices, I wanted to eat just a bowl of glaze. I might have licked a scoop or two off my finger, but you'll never know for sure.

So here’s to pumpkin, a food that will always be trendy. And delicious. And remember to always brown your butter.

…

Please resist the dirty joke I just opened myself up for, and instead tell me what you'd like to see hit it big in 2012.

Browned Butter Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Spiced Bourbon Pumpkin Glaze

Cake adapted from Sprinkle Bakes

For the cake:
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter
8.5 oz. (2 cups) AP flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp salt
7 oz. (1 cup) granulated sugar
7.5 oz. (1 cup) firmly packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup Greek yogurt, room temperature
3 TB bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 TB bourbon
1 TB maple syrup
2 TB pumpkin puree
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg (optional)
pinch of fine sea salt
1-2 TB milk, if needed

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter turns a rich, golden brown, swirling or stirring often so it doesn’t burn. Keep a watchful eye. It goes from brown to black very quickly. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl and let it stand until cool but not solidified.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and bourbon until well combined. Whisk in the browned butter until it’s well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until it is just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and cool it completely on a cooling rack.

For the glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, bourbon, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree, until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. Add the spices and salt and whisk to combine. Add the milk (if needed), a small amount at a time, until the glaze is thin enough to pour and drip, but thick enough to stay mostly on the cake. Glaze too thin will pour right off the cake. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar until your desired consistency is reached.
Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cake. Give it a few minutes to set up, then slice and enjoy.

Pumpkin Ravioli Surprise

2011-11-13T14:38:00.001-08:00

My Ode To Dough:

Here’s how my crazy brain works: rather than a measure of your skill in the kitchen, I think a recipe’s degree of difficulty is more like your investment in making it from scratch vs. just buying it. Muffins, pancakes, and cookies are totally worth making at home because they’re easy and taste a thousand times better. But a rustic ciabatta loaf? I can hear my mom in the back of my mind saying “why go through all that work when you can just find a good bakery where they make it better than you anyway?” Because let’s face it - bread is hard. Your yeasts can be temperamental and sluggish. Your gluten can be obstinate and unpliable. Your environment can cause changes in moisture absorption and and rising times. But you don’t have to be a bread-whisperer or anything. It’s a matter of practice in some cases - like getting a feel for working the dough, and knowledge in others - like learning that when you use water that’s too warm you kill all your yeasts. Oops!

So why do I waste my time? Because it’s fun and rewarding! Because I like knowing there’s nothing in my bread except flour, water, salt, and yeast. And because I don’t always have access to a good bakery! So while I won’t say bread isn’t an undertaking, I will say if it’s something that interests you, you should give it a go. It takes time to perfect, but not necessarily prone to disasters of epic proportions. The trick is finding someone to walk you through it. This is where Nicole of the wonderful Pinch my Salt comes in. She’s posted a plethora of bread recipes, always with great step by step pictorial instructions and lessons to learn. Essentially, she makes bread baking a whole heckofalot less scary.

Back in September Nicole posted a day by day set of instructions for how to create your own wild yeast sourdough starter. From scratch! Using just water, flour, and a little pineapple juice to start. In case you’re wondering the pineapple juice is used because the acidity helps the right kind of bacteria to grow, which is what the wild yeasts come to the party to eat. Err, or something like that...?

I love sourdough bread. I love that tangy, sour flavor. I love the smell. And Husband has a special soft spot for it too. We’re both Bay Area natives, after all. It’s in our blood or something. But sourdough starters scared me. Sent me for the hills. Arms flailing. All that. Even after I conquered my fear of yeast, this blob of gloppy mess gave me pause. But there was something about the bubbles and the way the blob would climb up the jar a little more each day. It was like a pet, but one you wouldn’t feel too bad about accidentally killing. Tamagotchi! And on top of that, Linda from Salty Seattle was posting her usual food porn featuring sourdough recipe (linguine with chocolate lamb ragu? omg!) after sourdough recipe (sourdough pumpkin beignets with pork belly? Hello!). Those two trouble-making ladies have since gotten together and declared this month in the name of Doughvember.

Good thing I had already decided to take the plunge and my starter was already under way! I am now the proud owner/parent of my very own sourdough starter. I grew/birthed it myself! It did take a couple of tries, and it was touch and go there for awhile, but I think we’ve ultimately reached a delicious understanding. I feed it - it feeds me. Here are some lessons I learned in my failed and almost failed attempts (most of it either wisdom directly from Nicole or online resources pointed out to me by Nicole - she rocks!):

It’s easier to create a starter with whole wheat flour instead of refined flour because the sugars in the whole wheat provide more food for the yeasts to feed off of.
If your starter is a bit sluggish at the get-go, it can be helpful to stir it once a day or so, just to redistribute stuff.
After day 5 or so, when you’re feeding it twice a day, it helps to move to a scale. Measure 8 oz. of starter and mix in 4 oz. flour and 4 oz. water. And make sure your water isn’t too hot or cold or you’ll kill/scare away your yeasts.
When you’re ready to move your starter to the fridge, cover it in plastic wrap with a few holes poked in it. That way the yeasts can breathe, but the blob won’t dry out.
When adding your starter to recipes, 1 cup of starter can replace approximately 1 cup of flour and ½ cup of water in the recipe.

My favorite recipe to use my extra sourdough starter so far has been these sourdough crumpets from Chocolate & Zucchini. They take literally 10 minutes to make, start to finish (7 minutes of that is letting your pan heat up), making them invaluable for a quick weeknight meal accompaniment. It helps that they’re flipping delicious too - like a tangy, savory pancake. I’ve also tried throwing a little starter in pumpkin muffins and cream cheese biscuits, to great success. It really just adds a hint of something extra.

I ended up making Salty Seattle’s sourdough pasta recipe. I would recommend halving it, unless you truly have an army to feed. Half was plenty for the chocolate lamb ragu I made (recipe coming!), and after making pumpkin ravioli for dinner last night, I still have a small dough left for a rainy day. I wasn’t going to blog the ravioli. It was an experiment. I didn’t even really expect it to turn out edible. But thank goodness it did because I had no backup dinner standing by, and now I can tell you all about the magic of egg yolks inside pasta dumplings. Oh yes, these raviolis featured a raw egg yolk placed in the center of a filling with pumpkin, pistachios, sage, shallots, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Every good thing, right? It was like hiding all the magic of a poached egg inside for a nice surprise. I cooked the ravioli long enough for the yolk to cook to about the point of a poached egg. It’s hard to judge because you don’t know how done it is until you eat it, right? I did a test run before I cooked the rest, just to be sure. I would recommend it. But one fork-pierce and out runs the yolky goodness! It’s heaven. Pure heaven. Who needs marinara? The pumpkin and pistachio filling was a sweet accompaniment that actually paired wonderfully with the richness of the egg and the slight tang of the pasta dough (remember, it’s sour!).

So while my lame ineptitude prevented me from having the foresight to get a money shot of these babies - the one where you see yolk running from the center like an erupting volcano - I did remember to write down the method to my madness, so you can give it a go and see the insanity for yourself. You’re welcome. Doughvember, for the win!

PS: Why yes, I am addicted to instagram. Feel free to follow me at bananasforbourbon!

Pumpkin Ravioli (with an egg yolk - surprise!)

Makes 8 raviolis (these are rich, so I would say that’s more than 2 portions)

~ ¼ batch of this recipe for sourdough pasta dough
1 large shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6-7 leaves of sage, minced
1 TB olive oil
pinch of kosher salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup white wine
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup pistachios, lightly toasted and cooled
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
lemon juice (optional)
8 egg yolks

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots with a pinch of salt and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two to soften. Add the pepper and nutmeg and stir to incorporate. Add the wine and bring it to a simmer. Once the wine has reduced by about half, or a little more, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
In a food processor, finely grind the pistachios. Add the pumpkin puree, Parmesan cheese, and the cooked shallot mixture. Process until the mixture is smooth. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Add a little lemon juice if it needs some brightness. Add the mixture to a ziplock bag (or pastry bag if you want to be fancy), and cut the corner so you can pipe it.
Roll out the pasta dough into very thin sheets. I don’t have a roller, so I did it by hand. You’ll need about a 4 inch square to work with. Pipe the filling in a circle, leaving about an inch-wide circle of open space in the middle (about the size of your egg yolk). I didn’t measure, but I’d say it was about 1-2 TB of filling. Basically, you want about ½ inch of thickness and ½ inch of height for the filling, or about the level with the yolk. Carefully place an egg yolk in the middle of the filling. Place a sheet of dough on top and gently press around the filling, sealing it as tightly as possible. Then press a little firmer to make sure the dough it good and sealed. Cut out the ravioli with a glass, a biscuit cutter, or just a knife. I opted for about ¼ - ½ inch between the edge and the filling. Repeat this for as many ravioli as you want to make.
In a pot of gently simmering water, add the ravioli. Make sure the water doesn’t boil too hard, or you raviolis could fall apart, and make sure it’s not set too low or once you add them, it’ll take too long to come back to a boil. Boil the ravioli for 4-5 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks.
Remove the ravioli from the water, and add them to whatever sauce floats your boat. I did a simple olive oil drizzle (with good olive oil), since the yolks are essentially all the sauce you need, but I’m sure tossing them with some browned butter and sage would be divine too.

Halloween Trifle

2011-10-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

I’m going to drop some embarrassingly honest Julie history on you.

A few years ago I ate out pretty much every meal except breakfast. My gourmet kitchen offerings back then? Something along the lines of 2 cans of chili dumped in a bowl with a package of shredded cheese, sour cream, and a jar of salsa, microwaved until melty and disgusting and enjoyed with a giant bag of blue corn chips. No joke. We called it nachos and boy was it ever delicious. Generally, we were happier to pay someone else to prep our plates, so we’d stop at Rubios or Panera. I’d order something one might consider on the healthy side - by comparison to some of their other offerings - a burrito bowl, or a cup of soup and half sandwich. But let’s be honest, I couldn’t say no to just one fish taco on the side, or a stop at Maggie Moos next door for ice cream.

I never exercised with any regularity. I couldn’t run for 5 minutes, let alone a mile. Even the sensation of my heart rate in the proper cardio zone had me asking my doctor if I had exercise induced asthma. Oh, you mean it’s supposed to feel like I’m gonna keel over and die? Ick! There were bouts of motivation where Husband and I would trek out to the gym for a couple of hours - once or twice a month at our best - and eke out some semblance of a workout. But wouldn’t you know it, I only ever put on pounds. Maybe it’s because we’d always stop at Jamba Juice on the way home from those workouts?

I admit, I was a victim of the Chili’s quesadilla explosion salad - the one that famously caught flack when they started posting the nutritional stats on their website. The “healthy option” many of us were outraged to learn actually had 1200 calories. But let’s not blame Chili's for my dissatisfaction with the scale. The choice of where to eat and what to order was all mine. In the end, my seemingly good habits were bad habits, and my bad habits were downright disgustingly awful habits. No wonder every shopping spree had me wondering why the clothes kept getting smaller and smaller!

So what changed? Looking back, everything. But not all at once. I didn’t wake up one day and say to myself "From this day forward I will change all my habits." Heck no! When did it change? I can’t even pinpoint how long it’s been since I lost that first pound. It was so gradual and non-purposeful. Has it really been almost 3 years? I started reading a food blog or two. I tried a recipe here and there to pretty good success. I started going for walks, and playing around on that new-fangled Wii Fit. I did things that required a small, doable change. And when I got comfortable with that routine, I did a little more. Can you believe just being a little more mindful of the choices I made and being a little more realistic about what those choices meant would get noticeable results? How noticeable? Well, I lost that first pound. The hardest pound of my life.

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts by food bloggers I follow talking about their struggles with balancing food obsession and a healthy lifestyle. It really got me thinking about my own weight loss journey, and looking back, my food obsession and weight loss developed hand in hand. Go figure.

Now that I eat salads heavy on vegetables and light on dressing (and no cheese quesadillas on top), I can work in a little dessert without totally undoing my day. Like cookies. And mousse. And curd. All together in a trifle. I had never made a trifle. I would even go so far as to say I didn’t think I was much of a trifle person. But I take it back! Trifles are as awesome as the delicious components that are their makeup.

This trifle came about so very randomly. I got a bag of oranges four CSA shipments in a row. I was overwhelmed with oranges! But I didn’t want to just juice them. I wanted to really use their orange essence in something that would showcase their awesomeness. Because oranges are awesome. Sweet. Acidic. So I decided to make a curd. Despite the unfortunate name, curds are delicious. They’re bright and tart; sweet and creamy. But generally not something to enjoy alone. They’re a great accompaniment.

Accompany what? Chocolate, of course! I originally considered pudding, but Husband requested chocolate mousse. Good call. So glad I listened. The light as a cloud, bittersweet mousse contrasted so nicely with the heavier, creamier sweet yet tart curd. And this curd was all about the orange essence. I didn't just use orange juice, you see. I reduced it first. So I could get as much orange flavor out of those babies as possible! And if you have to ask if I boozed it up, do you even know what blog you’re reading? I opted for Grand Marnier in the chocolate mousse to compliment the orange curd, and bourbon in the orange curd because I love the dimension the smokiness adds.

The flavors together were wonderfully indulgent, and the layers of orange and deep brown made me think instantly of Halloween. But I wanted a crunch element for texture, and what’s a Halloween treat without pumpkin? I love pumpkin! It pairs great with chocolate and orange. So I made the crunchiest cookie I could think of: biscotti! Pumpkin biscotti to be exact. It’s crunchy yet slightly crumbly texture was perfect for crumbling in between the chocolate mousse and orange curd layers, or leaving whole and dunking.

Who needs chili reminiscent of dog food in nachos when you can have this? Definitely a small change for the better.

Any personal Halloween confections being made in your house this year that are strictly for personal, non-treat-or-treater enjoyment?

Halloween Trifle

Makes ~8 individual trifles, depending on your container, or 1 big one

4 cups chocolate mousse (recipe below)
3 cups orange curd (recipe below)
8-10 pumpkin biscotti (recipe below)

In a 4-6 oz. glass container (like a glass mug or jar), spoon in a layer of chocolate mousse, about 2 TB. Add a layer of orange curd, a little shy of 2 TB. If you want the biscotti crumbled directly into the trifle, crumble about ¼ of the cookie over the orange curd. Continue layering until you reach the top of your container, ending with a chocolate mousse layer.
Repeat for as many containers as you would like to prepare.
Alternatively, if you are doing one big trifle, just follow the same procedure, but increase the quantities until you have an inch or so for each layer (or however you prefer it!).

Chocolate Mousse

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Makes 6-8 servings

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 70%)
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup dark-brewed coffee
¼ tsp of sea salt
4 large eggs, separated
⅔ cup, plus 1 TB sugar
2 TB Grand Marnier (or bourbon)
1 TB water
½ tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, melt together the chocolate, butter, coffee, and salt, stirring frequently. Once smooth, remove it from the heat to cool down.
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
In another bowl set over the pot of gently simmering water, whisk the egg yolks with the ⅔ cup of sugar, liquor, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and thick, like runny mayonnaise. Whisk constantly so the yolks don’t curdle.
Set the bowl with the egg yolk mixture in the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick (it will make thick ribbons when you bring your whisk out of the bowl). Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. It might look broken at first, but just keep mixing, and it’ll smooth out.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand if you have the stamina), beat the egg whites with the salt on medium-high speed until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff (don’t over-beat!), then add the vanilla and mix on low to combine.
Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then in two increments, fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume. It’s ok to have a few white streaks.
Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

Orange Curd

Adapted from Ina Garten

Makes about 3 cups

4 oranges, at room temperature
¾ - 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from the 4 oranges above)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
¼ cup bourbon (or Grand Marnier)
⅛ tsp sea salt

In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice to a rapid simmer and reduce until you have ½ cup of liquid. Set aside to cool.
Remove the zest from the oranges with a vegetable peeler or zester, no pith please. Put the zest in the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced and evenly distributed among the sugar.
Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar/orange zest mixture and beat on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, a few minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, then add the reduced orange juice, liquor, and salt. Mix until combined.
Place a mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set aside. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, until it is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (~175 degrees if you have a candy thermometer). Be careful not to overcook, or it will curdle. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it through the strainer set over the bowl. Refrigerate the curd until fully cooled, a few hours. It will thicken further as it cools.

Pumpkin Biscotti

adapted from Simply Recipes

Makes about fifteen cookies

1 ½ cups of flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
½ cup of pumpkin purée
1 TB bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, bourbon, and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a rough stir to incorporate the ingredients. The dough will be crumbly.
Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough until it is uniformly mixed. It will be a little on the sticky side. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, form the dough into a large log, about 1 inch tall and 15 inches long. Bake for 22-28 minutes, until the center is firm to the touch.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Let the biscotti cool for 15 minutes and then, using a serrated knife cut into pieces about an inch wide. Lay the cookies flat on the baking sheet and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Let them cool completely.

Fall Vegetable and Beef Bolognese

2011-10-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Fall is here. Almost. I’m ready for warm stews and casseroles. Almost. I’m ready to stop eating anything that doesn’t involve a whole can of pumpkin. Getting there. But it’s also still sunny and warm out. I’m still hanging on to the late summer peaches and plums. And does zucchini even have a season in San Diego? Seems like I can get it locally and cheap year-round. Fine by me! So I made this sauce. It’s warm and comforting like I’ve been craving, but I don’t even have to turn on the oven. Because this sauce is made, for the most part, in my crock pot. How about that? Don’t use that thing nearly enough. With my uber-busy new schedule, this recipe is definitely one I’m remembering when it’s Wednesday night and I haven't got much in the way of food for Thursday.

This sauce is a bolognese. It’s got beef (but you could totally use turkey, chicken, or bison if you want to be fancy). It’s got milk and wine, which sounds weird, but actually makes the meat flavor more succulent and delicious. True. Besides the tomatoes, it’s chalked full of other vegetables. Because I’m me, and I up the veg. Always. It all bubbles away all the live long day or night and when it’s done it’s chunky and meaty and savory. I would argue one doesn’t even need to serve this on anything besides a spoon headed for my mouth.

But I didn’t serve it that way. I didn’t serve it over spaghetti either. Or penne. Or bowtie. Not even spaghetti squash, though I’ve done that before and I highly recommend it. I had red potatoes and an idea. I roasted those suckers until they were cooked through. Then I carefully smashed them flat, about ½ inch thick. Then I heated some olive oil in a skillet, and fan fried my roasted/flattened potatoes until they were golden and crispy on the outside and soft and wonderful on the inside. Then I topped those suckers with my bolognese. Then I ate them. Well, the ones Husband would let me get to. Men really are all about steak and potatoes at heart, aren’t they?

But that explains the funky pictures. That and the fact I was photographing my lunch container for the next day. But don’t let the funk fool you. This sauce is just what the don’t-leave-me-late-summer-it’s-almost-fall season calls for.

Fall Vegetable and Beef Bolognese

adapted from The Kitchn

Makes about 8 servings

1 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 medium eggplant, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
⅛ tsp nutmeg
a few pinches of kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup white wine or dry sherry
2 28 oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (juices reserved)
1 cup reserved tomato juices
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped for garnish

In a large saute pan or pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and let it sit, undisturbed for a few minutes until it browns. Flip the beef over and break it into pieces using a wooden spoon or spatula. Once the other side has browned, remove the beef from the pan and set it aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, celery, and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the eggplant, mushrooms, and zucchini, and cook until their water releases and evaporates, another 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and then add the nutmeg, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and another pinch of salt. Add the beef back into the pan and any juices that have accumulated, and stir to combine.
Stir in the milk, bring it to a simmer and cook until the milk has reduced completely and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer again until reduced completely, about 10 minutes.
In your slow cooker, add the beef mixture, the chopped tomatoes and one cup of the reserved tomato juices. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
In the last hour of cooking, make sure the cooking temperature is set to high and remove the lid to allow any excess liquid to evaporate and reduce the sauce. Stir every 15 minutes or so, until the sauce is chunky.
Serve over pasta or smashed roasted potatoes, and garnish with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Sautéed Swiss Chard and Mushrooms with Chicken Sausage

2011-08-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy. Life is a whirlwind. Confession: I am a homebody. A shut-in at heart, though not in practice. I like spending my evenings quietly with my husband and my dog, my days in simple, solitary tasks that allow for personal reflection. But I’m a complicated woman. Local breweries throw parties, my favorite restaurant tempts me with wildly amazing new burgers (a lobster-crab patty and a wagyu beef patty together, and that was only half of what all came on it! Words cannot describe...), wineries want me to come pickup the wine I’ve ordered while pouring me glass after glass of their wares, family visits and the sights must be shown. People I know inexplicably want my company more often than I’m able to give it. I can’t say no to any of it. I’ve been having fun. Why is fun so durn tiring? It’s all I can do to bake a batch of cupcakes to research recipes and flavor combinations for my nephew’s second birthday cake. That’s happening. Remember last years? I’m really excited to share it with you when the time is right. Oh, and did I mention I’m changing jobs? Again. I’m scared. It’s new and challenging, but also old and familiar. And completely crazy and unexpected. Hopefully it’s the right decision. We never know until we know, right? So life is a whirlwind. But it’s also full of love, fun, and opportunity. It’s exciting and engaging. And most importantly, there are cupcakes.

With all the libation partakage, face-stuffing, and uncharacteristic socialbility, it can be hard to maintain one’s girlish figure. It’s a constant...I want to say battle, but that’s not the right word. I’m not at war with my body. It’s more like I need to keep constant vigilance! I’m at war with my fatty fatty fat fat. If I let my guard down, it’ll sneak in and squat. Not cool. So even though I despise waking up at 5am to fit in a decent workout before work, I despise forgoing drinks and dessert far more. Even though some days I want to quit my run at mile 3, I push on to mile 5 and follow up with a couple sets of burpees and jack-knives because I want to have a good time out with my friends, and not feel guilty if I don’t order a shamefully made salad that will ultimately leave me feeling hostile towards the establishment. Burpees are the bane of my existence. My motivation is my lifestyle. I like it. I want to keep doing what I’m doing. But I like my body too. I’m healthy. I feel good. My clothes fit. It’s all about the choices we make and the priorities we set, right? Finding that balance.

One way I offset my weekend escapades is to cook as deliciously healthy as possible during the week. You know, cook vegetables. The stuff most restaurants seem to stubbornly shy away from except in the most fleeting capacity. I get so disappointed when a dish boasts of a protein and starchy side resting on a bed of, say, Swiss chard, and the reality of what’s presented before me is a mere morsel compared to the gluttony of the other components. Proportions people! How about a whole big bunch of Swiss chard? And fungus is uber-healthy. Lots of vitamins and fiber and not much else. And ingestion is supposed to help prevents cancers and other lethalities. Not to mention mushrooms are a huge source of “umami”. Which, since I’m not Japanese and most of my vocabulary is construed as some form of English, I tend to refer to as “earthy”. Wonderfully earthy. So let’s throw a heap of mushrooms in there too. And how about some protein? It doesn’t need to be a giant hunk of meat on top. It can be the flavor base of the dish. The thing that makes it deceptively filling. And if your grocery store happens to sell a fantastic chicken and mushroom sausage behind the meat counter? Well I think you should tell Mr. Meat Counter Man to pack you up a couple of links!

As a quick weeknight meal, this simple saute of Swiss chard and mushrooms and chicken sausage was a pleasant surprise. One of those meals I didn’t plan, didn’t expect to be anything exceptional, and upon tasting, immediately ran to write down the recipe while it was still fresh in my head so I could make it again and again. One of those meals Husband made lots of quiet grunting noises while eating between expressions of fondness for the dish. It was, unfortunately, not long for this world with such ardent admiration. But I snapped a pic or two and here I am to share it with you.

Besides coming together fast, it’s also very adaptable to what you have in the fridge. I think Swiss chard works best, but collards or kale would do. Cremini mushrooms are a bit more rich in flavor, but button mushrooms are mighty tasty too. I love the flavor of dry sherry and mushrooms, but a dry white wine would be a lovely substitution. No sausage on hand, but a crisper drawer full of bacon? Well it’s not quite the same, but I’m sure it would still be pretty dang tasty. Whatever dry or fresh herbs that tickle your fancy would be nice, but thyme and tarragon fit that bill for me. Freshly squeezed orange juice was all the sweetness and acidity I needed, but a squeeze of lemon juice and a touch of honey could be just the thing. Just promise me one thing. If you do use Swiss chard, don’t throw away those bright and delectable stems! Their color not only adds an enticing hue to the dish, but you paid for a bunch of chard. Why are you going to throw half of it away? Let’s practice root to leaf practices here, people. It’s like celery. It just needs some time and love, but you’ll be glad you did.

Sauteed Swiss Chard and Mushrooms with Chicken Sausage

Makes about 6 servings

1 lb. fresh chicken sausage (I used a chicken mushroom), or any preferred sausage
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped and leaves cut into ribbons
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried tarragon
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry sherry (or wine)
¼ cup fresh orange juice (~ ½ a juicy orange)
kosher salt to taste
2 TB olive oil, divided

In a large skillet (preferably cast iron), heat 1 TB of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once it is good and hot, crumble the fresh sausage evenly into the pan and let it sit undisturbed for a bit to brown. Flip the sausage for the other side to brown, and using a spatula or wooden spoon, break up any large chunks that are sticking together. Once the sausage is browned and cooked, remove it from the pan to a plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, and if it is needed, add the second TB of olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute until it is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the Swiss chard stems and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until they have begun to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until it is softened and aromatic. (This is around the time people in your household will comment on how good it smells)
Add the mushrooms with another pinch of salt, as well as the thyme, tarragon, and black pepper. Cook the mixture until the mushrooms have given off their water, shrunken, and the water has mostly cooked off. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture simmer for a minute so the sherry can slightly reduce and concentrate. Add the Swiss chard leaves and the orange juice and cook until the leaves have wilted and softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the sausage, and any juices that have pooled on the plate, back to the pan and simmer for a couple more minutes so the flavors can fully marry together.

Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

2011-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

If you can believe it, I was never a big fan of mint. When I was a kid I hated anything with the slightest hint of mint. Believe it. You can see where I’m going with this...

It blows my mind how many foods I didn’t like as a child, considering how much I now profess my undying love for them. Forbidden foods that wouldn’t make it past my picky trap as a kid?

Meat (except the ground up, super processed, exceedingly disgusting kind)
Poultry (absolutely none of it)
Fish (except tuna, canned of course)
Avocado (because my sister didn’t like guacamole and I idolized her)
Eggplant
Polenta
Pine nuts
Caraway seeds
Bok Choy
Mint-flavored anything

Those are the stand-outs. I’m sure given inputs from my family, that list would double. Now? Avocado is my fatty fatty fat fat of choice in any application I can squeeze it into. There’s no animal, bird, and swimming creature I can think of that I wouldn’t try and most likely enjoy (except the taboo ones like dolphin!). I love it all. And life is so much easier when you’re a good eater. I am no longer the soup and salad cheap date my best friend’s mom said I was when I was 14. That’s a lie, I totally am. Good soup and salad is the ultimate. Course, nowadays salads aren’t the cheap date entree they used to be. Don’t even get me started.

Am I totally weird in my taste bud 180? Are there foods you hated as a child, genuinely gave a second chance to as an adult, and to this day cannot stand? Odd psychological circumstances not withstanding. I’m curious only because I can’t relate! I know my sister now crushes on guacamole as hard as I do. Husband never had a food he wouldn’t eat growing up. His parents were lucky.

Even though I now have nothing but love for mint, I wouldn’t say it’s high on my list for devoted enthusiasm. Though let’s face it, when it comes to food, I can still scrounge up a fair amount of enthusiasm even for the very bottom. I’ve come to realize it depends on the execution. While on my tour at the Theo Chocolate Factory, we got to try ~~a rather pathetically small portion of~~ a truffle. Husband chose mint. At first I was disappointed by his selection because I knew he’d want to share and have half of my fig & fennel truffle, and what’s so special about a mint truffle? And this is why I should always listen to Husband. My truffle was only just ok, but that mint? Amazing! It tasted like someone wrapped a square of soft chocolate in a mint leaf. In a good way. No mint extract or anything artificial. When we were trying to narrow down our purchases in the store (we started with one of every item sold in the store, and took things out of the basket from there...), we found a section of chocolate that was, well, basically like the remnants section of a fabric store. It was plastic bags full of the odds and ends of chocolate bars. Not pretty, not packaged, but cheaper and just as delicious. And they happened to be the mint flavor that day. Score!

You can see where I’m going with this.

This ice cream was born of a half-eaten bag of mint chocolate bar bits and 5 leftover egg yolks. Of course it was. It’s a chocolate ice cream base, because Husband doesn’t feel like he’s eaten dessert unless chocolate was ~~overwhelmingly featured in every aspect~~ involved. I don’t know why he even bothers. He should just eat a whole bar of chocolate every night. He’d probably complain it needed more chocolate. This is the guy who claims to love garlic, but aside from eating a straight clove, can never seem to taste it. But just chocolate wasn’t special enough for my special chocolate. I wanted to capture and bring out the mint essence. Without the fake stuff.

Pay no attention to that vanilla extract behind the curtain! Not everyone can afford vanilla beans!

Luckily, making mint chocolate ice cream is just as easy as making chocolate ice cream. There’s just the easy added step of steeping fresh mint leaves in the heavy cream while you warm it up. I actually ran out of time while attempting my ice cream base one evening after work, so my cream and mint actually got it on in the fridge, overnight. If you can swing it, the longer you can let them get to know each other, the mintier you end cream will be. But it really needn’t be a 3 day process. I’m confident a few minutes while it warms is plenty for those minty oils to work their devilish ways.

This ice cream turned out so good. So good. Like the kind of good where you take a minute to marvel that it actually came from your own two hands. I finally get mint chocolate. What all the rage is about. It’s the creamy, bittersweet taste from any good chocolate ice cream, plus this amazingly refreshing, fragrant essence of mint. It’s a natural pairing. Like chipotle and chocolate. I majorly heart that too. Essence.

I might be a bit obsessed with essences lately.

I was concerned the mint chocolate chunks from the leftover bars would get lost and wasted, but it was all for naught. Every bite with a chunk was that much mintier and more delicious. Definitely better than just eating it straight up. Would I make this ice cream with only regular chocolate chunks? Heck yes! The ice cream holds its own in the mint department, for sure. And regular chocolate chunks are still a nice textural contrast. Gotta have some crunch.

Give it a try! I hear it’s national ice cream month or something. Though I’m pretty sure every hot day of summer is national ice cream day, whether it falls in June or August. So says my ice cream maker.

PS: Can we just not even talk about these pictures? Ice cream food styling is just beyond me without a real ice cream scoop and cute clear vessel. Pretty pics just ain't happening.

Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
Adapted from Annie’s Eats Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Makes ~ 1 ½ quarts

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
3 TB Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
5 large egg yolks
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 TB bourbon
1 cup good chocolate bar (preferably mint flavored), chopped into chunks

Directions:

Massage the mint leaves in your hands a bit to release the oils, and then combine them with the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Let the mixture warm up and infuse for at least 20 minutes. I let it sit overnight for ultimate mint flavor.
Pull out the mint leaves, and wring them out to get every drop of mint flavor in the cream. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the cocoa powder, and whisk until it is fully dissolved. Once the mixture comes up to a bare boil, reduce the heat back to medium-low and let simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in the bittersweet chocolate and whisk until it is melted and smooth. Transfer this mixture to a medium mixing bowl, and set a fine mesh strainer over the top.
In the same saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and salt and warm the mixture over medium heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. When the milk mixture is warm (not quite to a boil), temper the eggs by very gradually whisking the milk mixture, a little at a time, into the egg yolks, beating constantly. Return the egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and continue heating over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spatula (or 170-175° F on a thermometer). Remove it from the heat, and pour the mixture through the strainer into the chocolate-cream mixture and stir to blend. Stir in the vanilla extract and bourbon.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Once the mixture is well chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once churned, add in the mint chocolate pieces. Store in an airtight container and freeze.

Chocolate Strawberry Ricotta Tart

2011-06-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

I had a thought the other day - yep, just the one. If I could go back in time and talk to my teenage self, what would I say? We’ve all had this thought, right? Though you probably have other thoughts to go with it. High school. Hormones. Literal growing pains. ‘Nuff said.

I would skip the clichéd advice: It gets better. High school is something to be gotten through, everyone hates it. All the things that seem epic today will be so small tomorrow. Because really, we all did get that advice, one way or another, in high school, and it did squat to make it any better. So nevermind that stuff. Here’s what I would tell my younger self:

Own it. Whoever you are, whatever you do, own it. When people say “be yourself”, they really mean, don’t be embarrassed by whatever “yourself” is.
You are as apathetic as you are passionate. Don’t feign apathy for the things you are passionate about. Don’t feign passion for the things you are apathetic about. People will just have to get over that you love Star Trek: TNG and listen to your parents’ Queen CDs, and you could give a rat’s furry tail about conch shell necklaces or Tupac.
You’re tall. Buying pants that fit is a pain in the rat’s furry tail, and all the cute boys are self-conscious about it. Can’t say that ever gets better. But it does mean you’ll end up with someone tall. Go ahead and buy some heels. People will just have to get over it.
Learn to eat! I don’t mean quantity. You’ve got that down. You say you don’t like meat, and a slew of other foods. In reality you do. Now it’s your turn to get over it. Open your mind. And stop picking all the cashews out of the cashew chicken. The family really hates that.
Get your rat’s furry tail in the kitchen – and not to make grilled cheese or Stouffer’s mac and cheese! Look, Mom works hard all day and then comes home to a house full of people whining for attention and wanting things, and still has to get dinner on the table in an hour or all the whining steers towards hunger pangs. You, on the other hand, get home from school to an empty house with, let’s face it, no intention of starting homework so early. You might not realize how much you enjoy cooking just yet, but for how much Mom would appreciate the salad already made, or a pasta sauce already done up, it’s not really about that.
And finally, read more books and watch less television. You’ll be so glad you did.

I’ve got you thinking now, haven’t I? Let’s hear it. What would you tell your teenage self?

What’s this got to do with ricotta cheese, strawberries, and tarts? Nothing! Though I could have been enjoying it in my life a lot sooner, had I listened to myself about number 5. That will just have to do for a segue. It’s my blog, and I can be random if I want to! Now, onto the chocolate graham cracker ricotta strawberry tart!

A chocolate graham cracker ricotta strawberry tart to anyone who can say “chocolate graham cracker ricotta strawberry tart” 10 times, fast.

This creation came about by a need to use up soon-to-go-stale graham crackers (They should sell graham crackers in packs that are exactly enough for a tart or pie crust, so you don’t have to worry about how much you need to grind into crumbs, or whether you have enough left in the box. I’m totally marketing that idea. Don’t steal it, k?), ricotta cheese (because in a moment of utter stupidity I wasn’t sure if 32 oz. was enough for a recipe that called for 2 cups, so I bought 15 oz. more), and strawberries from my CSA box. Because Husband would ultimately be eating it, I decided to incorporate chocolate as well. Lots of it. It just made sense. I considered dotting the tart with fresh strawberries at the end, but a recent failed attempt at strawberry rhubarb pie left me with a need for cooked berry vindication. Always drain your strawberry juices people! Also, when you strain them into, say, a small saucepan and simmer them until they cook down into a lusciously sweet syrup, you’ve got the mighty fine makings of something to brush onto this tart at the end. Yeah, I did that. I shudder to waste one ounce of strawberry essence!

To break it down, the crust is graham crackers and pecans and cocoa powder. Pecans because I ran out of graham crackers (which would not have happened, had the product I mentioned existed!), and also because they’re delicious. Cocoa powder because I wanted the chocolate flavor to really come though, and also because it’s delicious. I didn’t add sugar. I thought the sweetness from the rest of the tart and the sugar already in the graham crackers was plenty, but there’s also a lot of cocoa powder in it, so I could see it being too much for some. I recognize my sweet tooth, while very demanding, is also very susceptible to being overwhelmed. Husband agreed the level of sweet was spot on, but a tablespoon of sugar could be thrown in without any harm.

The filling is my leftover 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese, the usual sweeteners and stabilizers, and melted chocolate. Why is ricotta cheese and sugar so good? I wonder if my sister, who hates the combination of cream cheese and sugar, also hates ricotta and sugar. They’re totally different flavors, but maybe the dislike stems from disconcertion over mixing savory cheese with enough sugar to transform it to a decidedly dessert setting? Creamy, salty, and sweet? It’s a-ok in my book. You’ll have leftover filling. A fair amount. It’s not ideal, but I didn’t want to mess with untested ratios, and it uses a standard 15 oz. container. Not to mention, what are you going to do with just a little extra ricotta? Instead you’ll face a bowl of delicious filling with no home besides your stomach as you try to resist just another spoonful while you wait for your tart to bake and your strawberry juices to reduce. You’re welcome.

My strawberries were tiny, so I didn’t end up using the full 16 oz. package, but I’m confident more regular, American strawberries would yield the perfect amount. The more strawberries, the better I say! This tart takes forever to bake. An hour? What is in there that takes so long to become un-jiggly? No idea. Of course, checking the doneness at 40 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter probably extended the baking time a wee bit. I was so afraid of over-baking! It actually ended up taking an extra 10 minutes or so. But once it was done, and the syrup was brushed over the top, and it had cooled in the fridge…such good stuff. The rich chocolate, earthy yet savory cheese filling, and texture from the crust all contrasted nicely. The strawberries had a lusciously soft bite and sweet flavor, not to mention the syrup essence! The whipped cream on top isn’t completely, necessary, per se, but I did try it both ways, and the airy, creamy element was a definite plus. All in all, we both loved it and I wouldn’t change a thing. Oh, did I mention I infused a good amount of Grand Marnier in there? Yeah, I did that. It was tasty.

Except maybe how many spoonfuls of leftover filling I ate.

Have any tasty creations ever spawned out of your kitchen because of an abhorrence for wasted food? Or a food fail? Are they all the tastier for it?

Chocolate Strawberry Ricotta Tart

For the crust:
6 oz. graham crackers
2 oz. pecans
8 oz. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 tsp orange zest
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 TB sugar

For the strawberries:
1 lb. strawberries, halved and hulled
¼ cup sugar
2 TB Grand Marnier

For the filling:
15 oz. ricotta cheese (I used part skim), room temperature
½ cup honey
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 TB Grand Marnier
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp kosher salt
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers and pecans until they are small crumbs. Add the orange zest, cocoa, and sugar and pulse until it’s mixed. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs are coated.
Prepare a 9” tart pan with baking spray. Press the crumbs evenly around the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes until it is toasted and set. Let cool.
In a large bowl, stir together the strawberries, sugar, and Grand Marnier. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, or until the strawberry releases some of its juices.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix together the ricotta and honey until they are well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until they are incorporated. Add the Grand Marnier, orange zest, vanilla, and salt, and mix to combine. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the melted chocolate, and mix until everything is well combined.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Top the filling with the strawberry halves, reserving the juices left behind in the bowl. The strawberries will sink a bit.**
Bake the tart for about an hour, or until the filling is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While the tart is baking, transfer the reserved strawberry juices to a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the juices to a simmer and cook until it is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes.
Once the tart is out of the oven, either brush or drizzle the strawberry syrup over the top. Cool completely in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving.

*To melt the chocolate, microwave the chopped up chocolate, stirring every 15 seconds until it’s melted.

**If you prefer your strawberries less cooked, and more on the surface of the tart, put the tart in the oven without the strawberries on top. After about 30 minutes, when the filling has set up a bit, remove the tart from the oven, set the strawberries on top of the filling, and put it back in the oven to cook for the rest of the time.

In Which I Talk About Food, Near and Far

2011-06-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Been cooking. Been baking. Nothing I'm ready to share yet. Lame, right? But my mother taught me sharing is caring*, so here we are.

I made this roasted mango salsa from Cara's Cravings. Have you checked out her blog? It's lovely. I used jalapeno instead of habanero because that's what I had on hand. I reserved the ribs and seeds in case I needed some extra spice, but it totally wasn't needed. I had one spicy jalapeno! I don't buy the ones with perfect skin. I buy the ugly ones. They're spicier. I mixed a few tablespoons with a mashed avocado and lime juice. Best guacamole ever. Don't have fresh mango? They sell it frozen at Trader Joe's. That's what I used. Works great.

I was in Seattle last weekend. My friend was not only nice enough to get married and invite me, but he had the consideration to live in Seattle at the time. It's a beautiful city. Wonderful. One of my favorites. And I'm not even a city person, generally. This friend's bride is the maid who caught the bouquet at my wedding 5 years ago. It was nice to be a part of their big day and remind them of that moment.
Husband and I toured Theo Chocolate Factory. It's organic and fair trade. More importantly, it's delicious! It was interesting how the beans from different regions create such different finished chocolate bars. I tried a 91% chocolate bar that was actually quite fruity and smooth. I once tried a 89% chocolate bar in Paris. It tasted like dirt. How did I taste so many different bars without going broke? That would be the overflowing mounds of samples they have dotted throughout their store. Yeah. Go there. You're welcome.

I also made sure to schedule a trip to World Spice Merchants. I spent at least an hour in there. Smelling mixtures in jars. Over and over. Unable to decide between the 20 different blends of Middle Eastern curry. Not even counting the Asian curries. I had to call Husband over to trim my list down to something manageable. The place is amazing, but I'm way to indecisive to handle it without an adult to hold my hand. They give you the option to get your spice blends freshly ground while you wait or whole to grind at home. That's understanding of quality! Alton Brown featured the place in an episode of Good Eats. That's how I discovered it. Thanks Alton!

Even had time to squeeze in a quick wine tasting at Chateau St. Michelle. Their tasting room is so unique. It's a large and open room that is made to look like an outdoor patio. Smart, since they live in an area that gets a tad bit of rain. Beautiful grounds too. The wine was ok.

I'm still dreaming of my time there. It was magical. So was that salsa. I'm still dreaming about it too. I'm glad my friend just gave me more avocados from her tree.

Happy eatings!

*Pretty sure if I ever heard my mother utter that phrase, I would die of shock. After I accused her of being a pod person.

Grilled Shaved Asparagus Pizza

2011-05-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Pardon the bandwagon jumping, I hear it’s great for toning your butt. I’m going to be yet another food blogger talking about shaved asparagus this week. It’s everywhere! If you’ve tried it, you’ll know why – because it’s awesome! I actually shaved the asparagus in question almost two weeks ago, and was only ~~completely copying~~ inspired by one food blog (a certain Kitchen we’re all completely Smitten with) in particular. My dish turned out great. Figured I’d blog it (which unfortunately rates below painting guest rooms and attending anniversary parties at local breweries on the priority scale). Then boom, come Monday morning, shaved-asparagus-palooza! Dang! But none of that matters. What matters is the utter deliciousness of what I made.

That’s not the only bandwagon I jumped on recently. A few weeks ago Husband and I joined the scores of other bloggers who have made the same big, life-changing decision of late. That’s right...we joined a CSA*! Every other week we’ll be getting a big box of fresh from the local farm organic produce. The “get what you get” nature of a CSA gave me pause when we first considered joining a couple of years ago. Another way my confidence in my cooking has progressed – I don’t need a recipe to follow and an iron-clad shopping list to buy from every week. I’m now comfortable with pulling a head of romanesco cauliflower out of a box, knowing I’ve never cooked with it before. In the end produce is produce. Sure, certain flavors and preparations work better than others, but ultimately, if it’s fresh, it’s going to be delicious. And if I’m ever really stumped, I’ll channel my grandmother and throw it into a pot of broth and add things until it is some kind of delicious soup. I’m glad we waited to join. A few years ago, I might have met the bi-weekly pickup with stress and trepidation of how to consume everything in a delicious way before it expired. Now I wake up excited for “CSA pickup day”! It helps that my love of fresh produce has grown to obsessive proportions.

It’s a good thing Husband doesn’t mind being married to a woman whose idea of evening conversation is naming off the different possibilities for dishes using CSA ingredients…

I’m happy to report my first CSA box experience had very little stumpage. Quite the opposite, in fact. I pulled out a beautiful bushel of asparagus and did a little dance (I hope no one was watching…) because I knew exactly how I wanted to use it. Here’s how it went down:

Husband had requested I make grilled pizza of some kind.
The pizza dough recipe I wanted to try required overnight resting, so there were several balls of pizza dough ready and waiting in the fridge.
I had bought some Iberico cheese on a whim at Trader Joe’s. I wanted to try something Spanish and it had a nice soft, yet sturdy feel to it.
I had just read about a shaved asparagus salad that sounded divine.

When I saw that asparagus, everything clicked. Husband might like his bbq chicken pizzas, but he was just going to have to go without. Shaved.Asparagus.Salad.Grilled.Pizza. It called to me. “If you grill it, deliciousness will come…”

Did I mention I made garlic-infused olive oil, then used the oil to brush the pizza dough before it went on the grill, and used the resulting garlic confit on top of the pizza, hidden beneath the creamy melted cheese? That happened.

I also put raw asparagus on a pizza that only cooked for about 2 minutes. Not quite raw, but definitely not cooked. It was sweet! Who knew raw asparagus had a mild sweetness to it? After I had shaved each asparagus spear down to a nub with my vegetable peeler, I bit off that last nubby bit before the woody stem. It was so crunchy and succulent, I knew the salad by itself, which I simply tossed with lemon juice and red pepper flakes, would be fantastic.

The farm fresh asparagus made an interesting and discernable difference. All asparagus spears get woody and tough at the bottom of the stem, but this asparagus was so tender that quite a few spears weren’t woody at all. I was able to use all but the tiniest of partial inches off the bottom. And I have been known to sacrifice almost half a stalk out of fear of the woody end.

I was equally pleased with how my pizza dough turned out. Some extra hydration and the overnight resting allowed the whole wheat flour to properly mellow along with it’s already mellow cousin, AP flour. When I went to start shaping it, it practically melted over my fists and stretched beautifully with just the slighted tug. More relaxed gluten I have never seen. I stretched it super thin, so the quick, high heat from the grill would give it a charred, crispy flatbread consistency. The earthy flavors from char and whole wheat went beautifully with the Iberico and Parmesan cheeses.

The Iberico cheese was a new ingredient to me, and I was so happy with it. It was sturdy enough to grate, yet creamy enough to pair nicely with the Parmesan. Sometimes creamy cheeses can be a little bland in pizza applications. Not this one. I wouldn’t say it’s pungent, but it definitely has a mild grassy earthiness that was a perfect complement to the vegetal asparagus. Milder than goat cheese, but stronger than mozzarella. I think I’m in love.

It sure sounds like a lot of steps – making dough, infusing oil, peeling individual asparagus spears, etc. But that’s the great thing about grilled pizza – it comes together really fast! The actual cook time is almost negligible. “Infusing” something sounds like a lot of work, but really you just throw some garlic cloves in some oil over low heat and mostly forget about it for a few minutes (like, say, while you’re prepping the asparagus). And of course, you can always buy pizza dough. Trader Joe’s even has a wheat option! Because if you’re like me, you balk at eating white breads, yet inexplicably have no qualms with using white flour in cakes, pies, muffins, and every other dessert application. Um, moderation?

This pizza has, after just one go, already carved a special place in my ~~mouth~~ ~~stomach~~ heart. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of this highly unusual rainy season. [At least, it would have been, had the rain not inexplicably come back yesterday.] Dough chewy and blistered, cheeses creamy and walnutty, and a bright, crunchy salad on top to make you feel like you’re eating a real meal. And let’s not forget the occasional bite of sweet, mellow garlic. Oh yes, this was worth every bounce of my happy dance.

Sorry for the pictures, featuring what can only be described as limp pizza. In my rush to get the leftover pizza put away and out of the reach of a certain cohabitating pizza-monster, I may have stacked and smushed the slices into a Tupperware container, forever ruining their structural integrity. Don’t be like me. Just wrap it in foil.

*Did I get ya!? Have you noticed all the bloggers are pregnant right now? Not gonna lie, it’s weirding me out.

Grilled Shaved Asparagus Pizza
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes one 10-12” pizza

1 portion of pizza dough (see recipe below – Note: it’s an overnight process!)
¼ cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch asparagus (~1 lb.)
Juice of ½ lemon (~ 1 TB)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ cup freshly grated Iberico cheese (any soft cheese like mozzarella, goat, or feta will do)

Preheat your grill to medium heat.
In a small saucepan over the lowest heat you can manage on your stove, combine the olive oil and garlic cloves. Let this mixture stew or a good 20 minutes so the flavors can marry. Check on it every few minutes, giving the pan a good swirl, to ensure that the garlic doesn’t brown. We want the flavors to cook out, but not sauté. When it is done to your liking, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
Once the oil is cooled, fish out the garlic cloves (you’ve made garlic confit!). Either chop them into small pieces, or leave them whole. Those babies are going on the pizza. I opted for chopped for more garlic coverage.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus stalks into beautiful ribbons (or hack into ribbon-like bits, if you’re me). You can use the woody ends as a handle and discard it once you’ve shaved down to the nub. In a medium bowl, combine the asparagus ribbons, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
On a pizza peel or large cutting board, stretch your pizza dough to your desired shape and thickness. I did most of my dough stretching on my fists, letting gravity do the work. The gluten in the dough was so relaxed, that it pretty much melted over my hands. I also opted for a very thin dough, since the crispy texture you get from the grill goes best with a thin crust.
From here on out, things happen fast, so make sure you have everything prepped and ready to go – tongs, plates, brushes, etc. at the ready.
Brush the shaped dough with the garlic oil. Carefully (it’s going to stretch, it’s ok, it doesn’t have to be pretty) lay the pizza dough with the oiled side down on the grill. While that side cooks, brush the top of the dough with more garlic oil. Using tongs, peak under the dough after about 2 minutes to check doneness. You want some nice char marks, but you don’t want it to burn. When it’s ready, flip the dough over. Working quickly because this is going to cook fast, sprinkle the garlic over the dough. Then sprinkle the parmesan Iberico cheeses. Then top with as much of the asparagus as you think fits nicely without too much heaping (I heaped quite a bit because I’m like that). Close the lid on the grill and let it cook for 2 minutes. Check the pizza to see if the cheese has melted. If it hasn’t, keep cooking it covered until it melts. Once it’s melted and the underside of the dough is nicely charred, remove it from the grill.
Slice and enjoy!

Note: You can alternatively bake this pizza on a baking stone or sheet pan in a 450 degree oven.

Partial Wheat Pizza Dough
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Makes 6 portions

2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
2 cus bread flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 ¾ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ - 2 cups ice cold water

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flours, salt, and yeast on the slowest setting until mixed. Stream in the oil, and then 1 ¾ cups of the cold water. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If it is too dry, add the remaining water, a tablespoon or so at a time until it sticks appropriately. Continue mixing for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and sticky, and a small piece passes the window pane test (to tell if the gluten has fully developed). The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, but not just tacky.
Transfer the dough to a floured countertop, and portion into 6 equal pieces (I used a scale because I’m anal like that). Mold each into a ball, creating some nice surface tension (Peter Reinhart and I are all about surface tension). Rub each ball with olive oil and seal into ziplock bags. Refrigerate overnight (or up to a few days). Alternatively, you can freeze the dough balls at this point – just thaw them in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use them.
The next day remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before making the pizza (I’d suggest 2 unless it’s a hot day). Leave them in their plastic bags, so they don’t dry out. I like to turn my oven on for literally a minute, then turn it off and put the dough inside. It’s slightly warmer than room temperature, so they wake up nicely.
When you’re ready to shape the dough, on a floured surface, press it gently with your fingers into a round disk. Balance the disk on your fists and gently work the dough apart as evenly as possible. You can also use your hands to stretch it. If the dough is not cooperating, it means the gluten isn’t relaxed enough, and letting it rest for 15-20 minutes should help.
Bake in a 450 degree oven or grill on the barbecue with desired toppings until the crust is crisp and nicely colored.

Note: You can use all AP flour, but you'll want to reduce the water to 1 ¾ cups.

Spicy Apricot Chutney

2011-05-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

I love my neighbor, Julie. Not just because she has my name, but because when we meet a new neighbor, I can introduce us by saying "Wer're Julie."

I love my neighbor, Julie. Not just because she has the most adorable, doe-eyed Beagle I've ever met, but because said Beagle parks her tush outside my house whenever they walk by because "she remembers where she'e been fed." Also, I love that she brings the Beagle when she comes over for the occasional dinner party. Theo likes to have playmates too!

I love my neighbor, Julie. Not just because she works at Costco, but because this year she gave me her free frozen turkey Costco employees are given for Christmas.

I love my neighbor, Julie. Not just because she loved the apricot chutney I served when she came over to help me eat that turkey, but because when I asked her this week what type of ice cream I should make she said "Vanilla ice cream...with your apricot chutney!"

Full disclosure, this was way back in February. Poor Julie has been waiting for this recipe for a long time! I had a few neighbors, including Julie, over for a (huge - true to Costco!) turkey dinner. Just two months after Thanksgiving, I was looking to go beyond cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. And my Indian-flavored turkey dinner was born! I'm a total dork, and apparently had trouble thinking too far out of the box, because I still roasted a turkey. Instead of sage and thyme, I used garam masala, turmeric, and ginger. Instead of mashed potatoes, I made mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon and yogurt. And instead of cranberry sauce, I made apricot chutney!

I was nervous how it would go over. Indian flavors are a bit more...aggressive. And this chutney was spicy, sweet, and so tangy it was positively pungent all at the same time! I was sure a person or two wouldn't be able to handle it. I was most nervous about Julie. She who declares raisins aren't food surely wouldn't go for something so decidedly dried-fruity, and...aggressive.

So naturally, she took one bite, parked the serving bowl right next to her plate, and declared it would be staying right there the rest of the dinner.

And if we were nice to her, she might share with the rest of us.

Then she said I needed to blog the recipe.

Except I didn't have a recipe.

It was my first time making a chutney. Ever. And I kind of just added ingredients, tasting along the way, until it had just the right balance. When it came time to write down the recipe, I had a hard time remembering what all I had thrown in, let along the quantities. Don't you hate it when that happens?

So I made it again. Darn!

This time I paid careful attention and took copious notes. Until once again, I tasted the perfect balance of tangy vinegar against the sweet apricots, the savory aromatics, and the spice from the chiles. The great thing about this chutney is how suitable it is to tinkering. The proportions of vinegar to sugar to soy sauce can be adjusted to suit your own tastes, but I think this recipe yields pretty dang tasty results!

As reward for my efforts, I had an entire batch of chutney to eat to my hearts desire, and as I found, this chutney is great in all sorts of dishes. My favorite was a fast and easy grilled cheese (panini style!) with pepperjack cheese. *drool*

As a topping for all sorts of protein is delicious too. Here, I opted for some simple grilled mahi mahi filets for a quick weeknight meal. Yum!

I don't know about vanilla ice cream though. Sounds a bit weird.

Spicy Apricot Chutney

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 TB grapeseed oil (or canola or olive oil)
pinch of kosher salt
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 serrano chiles, minced (remove the seeds and ribs based on your spice preference!)
1 TB garlic, minced
1 TB ginger, minced
10 oz. dried apricots, chopped (~2 cups)
1 cup white wine
2 TB fresh lime juice
1 TB soy sauce
3 TB white wine vinegar
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion and shallot with a pinch of salt in the olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is softened and reduced. Once the flavors have simmered together for a few minutes, try the mixture and adjust the flavorings as suits you.
Serve with whatever your heart desires!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

2011-04-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

A moment to sit in quiet contemplation and reflection. What a concept. Feels like it's been, oh, a month since I've last had the pleasure. And what do you know? It's been about that long since my last post. Spring always seems to be a busy time. With sunshine and flowers comes holidays, weddings, festivals, parties, and every other fun thing that is supposed to get us through the winter. Of course, having the means once again to participate the these festivities helps immensely. I finally found employment, you see. Ah, the relief of a steady paycheck again. It took lots of sorting out, getting back into the swing of things. Not that the work hours was an adjustment, job hunting was pretty much a full-time gig. Rather, my life was put on hold for almost a year. I didn't realize how much until I was employed again. I can now attend family functions and spring festivals. I can go to the mall when my belt is hanging together by a thread, or I need shoes fit for a nice evening out. I can have nice evenings out! Free time didn't come from my lack of 9 to 5 commitment so much as my self-imposed house arrest weekend after weekend, because let's face it, being social costs money! I've been reconnecting with some good people who were very over due for some Julie time, getting the household in order, and mostly just running around like a crazy person. Trying to fit a square day into a round schedule. Oh, the joys of rejoining society! For reals, it's great to have my life back. Unfortunately, things aren't yet sorted enough that I can promise a weekly blog update like I've so enjoyed in the past. But I'm still in the kitchen, cooking and baking away. Still writing down my recipes, celebrating my successes and failures.

This recipe is from a few weeks ago, when the weather was darn right cold and a thick, creamy soup with big bold flavors was needed for comfort. But of course you know I don't do real big creamy soups. That's why this soup is so great - it's thick and silky, but still light. It has a rich, sweet flavor, but you won't feel gross after eating it. That's just how I roll. Plus, wait till you get a load of the twist!

This soup is all about the garlic. 6 heads, in fact. Roasted until they are all mild sweetness, their spicy pungency a victim of the wondrous sugar caramelization process. It started off a typical Julie soup. I threw in the usual aromatics, herbs, and spices. I used cauliflower to lend a sweet and slightly vege-floral flavor (yaknowadimean?) and silky texture. And of course what's soup without wine and stock? But I wasn't quite satisfied. As I said, I was craving comfort - that stick to your ribs kind of soup - but I didn't want it to actually stick to my ribs. Substance, I craved. I rummaged in the pantry and pulled out some cashews. Then I threw them in the food processor...and turned it on. After making enough racket to send my dog fleeing from the room, the nuts finally resigned to their fate and melted to my will...for nut butter. Cashew nut butter. I stirred it into the soup, and all was right in the world. There was substance, there was sweetness, and there was oh so much lovely roasted garlic.

Husband is really not a soup person. Especially pureed soups. Give him a bowl of stew or chili and he's happy, but puree up some vegetables and he doesn't exactly shoot off fireworks. But he loved this soup. He ate bowls and bowls of it until it was all gone and we were both sad. I should make it again. Or at least go eat dinner. But I'll be back, hopefully very soon!

In the mood for a more seasonally-appropriate soup? You can re-acquaint yourself with my very first post. Mushrooms and asparagus, such a magical combination.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
6 heads garlic, roasted
1 medium onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped (~1/4 cup)
4-5 stalks celery, chopped (~1 cup)
1 TB olive oil
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp celery salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole cashews
5-6 cups chicken stock
fresh chives, chopped finely, for garnish

Chop the top off each head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap them in foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, or until softened. Let cool.
In a food processor, grind the cashews until a uniformly-pureed cashew butter forms. It will take a few minutes. Set aside.
In a dutch oven over medium heat, saute the onion, shallots, and celery in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the black pepper, thyme, celery salt, and cayenne pepper, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scrapping up any browned bits. Simmer the mixture for a few minutes, until the wine has reduced by about half. Add the cashew butter and stir until it is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the chicken stock and cauliflower, bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and soft.
Remove the soup from the heat and add the roasted garlic, squeezing out each clove like a tube of toothpaste. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Garnish with the chives.

St. Patty's Day Cake

2011-03-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

When reflecting back on my greatest culinary successes over the last couple of years, I think the most rewarding ones have been the experiments. The dishes that I went in with a harebrained, what-the-heck attitude, and came out with something to log in the favorites section of my recipe archive (i.e. this blog). It’s more satisfying knowing my creativity didn’t completely lead me astray. Know what I mean? I can still track the evolution of how this cake came to be. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, and I wanted to bake. What? I had no idea. There were no recipes on the tip of my brain that were jumping out at me to bake them. I hunted around my go-to food blogs, printed some possibilities, and brought them to Husband for final approval. Aren’t husbands handy when you’re feeling indecisive? One of the recipes was a chocolate stout bundt cake with a chocolate glaze. Chocolate + booze + Husband = a must make. I was prepping the ingredients when I had a thought. Here’s the creative process in action, people. Check it out:

Me: Hey Babe, what do you think about baking this as a sheet cake instead of a bundt?

Husband: Umm…

Me: That way I could do a frosting with some Bailey’s instead of the chocolate glaze.

Husband: But I like chocolate…but a Bailey’s frosting sounds good too…Hmm…

Me: Oh! I know!!! I could try doing an avocado buttercream! With Bailey’s! And white chocolate!

Husband: Avocado? In the frosting?

Me: Yeah, it does the same thing as butter. Remember Alton Brown did it on an episode of Good Eats?

And with the mention of AB, as is usually the case, Husband was all confidence and trust. If Alton says it’s good, it’ll be good. Did I ever mention I have that show to thank for my Le Creuset dutch oven? Thanks for Kiwi, AB!

And that’s how this cake was born. A lazy day and a lack of dessert in the house. This was a few weeks ago. I’ve made it a total of three times already. We love it that much. I still have dreams about it.

The cake itself is a great recipe. Obviously, I never got around to trying the original recipe, but if a chocolate stout bundt with chocolate glaze is the order of the day, I’m sure this one would be a big winner. A rich, velvety stout goes with chocolate like bananas and bourbon. I was curious whether the quality of beer would make that much difference in the cake, so I used Guinness my first attempt. An admirable baking beer, to be sure, but I’m a bit of a craft beer snob these days (I do live in the city with the most craft breweries per capita, after all), and it’s an everyday beer, if yaknowhatImean. On a later attempt I used Husband’s all time favorite stout he is completely obsessed with at the moment. It wasn’t exactly a side-by-side comparison, since they were made several weeks apart, but I think the smoother, nuttier flavors of the higher quality stout definitely came through in the cake.

But if you’d like the excuse to bake this cake several times in succession (not that you need an excuse besides that it’s delicious enough to make several times in rapid succession), go ahead and forget I mentioned it. It is March, after all. Stouts are cheap!

My cake had a few extra additions from the original recipe. I wanted to up the St. Patty’s Day theme, so I threw in some whiskey…because why not, right? I also added come instant espresso powder and cayenne pepper, just to elevate the flavors a bit more. Supposedly coffee makes chocolate things taste more chocolaty – works for me! - and I also might have a spice addiction. But that’s another post. Sufficed to say, both those additions are completely optional, but as the cake turned out light as a cloud, moister than pudding, but still with all the flavor of a decadent chocolate cake, I’m going to go ahead and recommend them! The best compliment I can pay this cake is to say it wasn't just a vehicle for the frosting. As much as I loved the frosting, I found myself making sure each bite was the perfect ratio of frosting to cake.

Speaking of frosting. Since you’ve been good enough to read all this way, I should probably tell you a bit about avocado buttercream. It’s not a new concept, by any means, but it’s not exactly run of the mill either, is it? So regular buttercream frosting is really made up of two main components – powdered sugar and fat. That fat is usually butter, though I’ve seen it in combination in shortening too. The fat provides the creamy, melt in your mouth texture, and the powdered sugar provides the sweetness and stability. Everything else tweaks the flavor or texture, and it is pretty much optional. Avocados - poor, misunderstood avocados - are on many people’s naughty list because they are very high in fat. But fat is not fat, people! While shortening is grown in a lab with methods I don’t want to know about, and butter, while amazingly delicious, is made up of saturated animal fats, avocados are high in wonderful, plant-based monounsaturated fats. Now I’m not fooling myself into thinking this cake is good for me, but a healthy diet is as much about the minor choices we make in our day as the major ones, right? And if you don’t buy any of that, how about the fact that this St. Patty’s Day cake has green frosting, and I didn’t use a single drop of food coloring! Point for Mother Nature!

I know you’re wondering, so I will allay your fears posthaste. You can’t taste the avocado. You won’t believe there’s avocado even in it. Seriously. Would it be uncouth of me to say you won’t believe it’s not butter? Really, besides making the overall cake a slight iota healthier, and providing a natural and very appropriate greenish tint, the avocado doesn’t really factor in. You could definitely just replace the avocado with an equal amount of room temperature butter (just make sure you let the chocolate mixture cool first, so you don’t melt your butter). No worries. Hey, since there's no butter, I guess this would technically be an avocadocream frosting? And a term was coined...

What makes this frosting delicious is a combination of white chocolate, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and a splash of whiskey for good measure. I don’t know what to say about it other than it is a sweet, smooth, ooey gooey frosting. I added the Bailey’s and whiskey to the white chocolate while it was melting because I was going more for flavor than a punch of alcohol. But don’t worry, it’s not shy. It still has creamy and ever so smoky flavor that warms you up from the inside out, and the white chocolate provides a nice counterbalance of sweetness that is more interesting than just straight sugar. A perfect pair to a chocolate stout cake.

Since it's just an unassuming sheet cake, it certainly isn't winning any beauty pageants. But that's part of its charm. It will fit right in with your corned beef and cabbage.

Have I mentioned I’ve made this cake three times already? I wish I could say I gave most of it away. I gave some of it away. But most of it ended up in my tummy. Ok, mostly in Husband’s tummy. But you didn’t hear it from me.

Got any harebrained kitchen experiment fantabulous success stories of your own?

St. Patty’s Day Cake

aka: chocolate stout cake with white chocolate Irish cream avocadocream frosting

cake adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the cake:
1 cup stout
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
⅓ cup whiskey
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TB instant espresso or coffee powder (optional)
2 cups AP flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
⅔ cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13” baking dish with nonstick spray. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the stout, butter, and whiskey to a simmer. Add the cocoa powder and instant espresso, if using, and whisk until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool a bit.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cayenne pepper, if using. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sour cream together on medium-low speed until they are well blended. Add the vanilla and blend. Add the stout mixture, making sure it is cool enough that it won’t hurt the eggs, and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until it is mostly incorporated, then use a spatula to fold any loose bits of flour into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, smooth it into an even layer, and bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool completely in the dish.

For the avocadocream:
1 cup white chocolate chips (or ~6oz. of a white chocolate bar, chopped)
¼ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 TB whiskey
1 cup avocado flesh (~2 medium avocados), well mashed
1-2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2-3 cups powdered sugar

In a double boiler (or a bowl sitting over a small saucepan of simmering water), melt the white chocolate. Add the Bailey’s and whiskey and stir to combine. Let it cook for a bit if you want the alcohol to burn off a bit, otherwise, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the avocado on medium speed for a minute or so, until it’s smooth. Add 1TB of lemon juice, vanilla, and salt, and mix to combine. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, and mix until it is well combined.
Working ½ cup at a time, with the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar until a thickened, gloppy consistency is reached. Important note: the frosting will thicken more as the chocolate cools, so don’t worry if it’s not firming up like you expect. It’s more important to watch the level of sweetness from the sugar. Add the other TB of lemon juice to balance the flavor if desired.
Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting over the top in an even layer, and enjoy!

Pasta with Roasted Spring Vegetables in Cambozola Sauce

2011-02-21T19:28:00.000-08:00

Let’s start with the giveaway winner. Congratulations...

...drum-rolling...

...Kelly! You win the CSN Stores gift certificate! Congratulations! And who says the person who enters 5 minutes after you post it won’t win? Not I. I’ll be sending your email address to my contact with the company. Stay tuned!

When I researched the best ways to start an exercise plan - what was now all those moons ago - one thing I always saw mentioned was goal setting. Most “professionals” agree that it is important to set both long term and short term goals, the idea being to motivate yourself early with small accomplishments, and to keep the motivation going for the long term. By accomplishing your smaller short term goals, you’ll build up enough muscle, endurance, discipline, etc. to complete your long term goals. Makes sense. And for some people, like Husband, it’s invaluable advice. Results can be slow to show on the scale or on our bodies, but when you have a cold, hard accomplishment under your belt, that can be just the thing to keep you going. Me? I make goals, sure. But I never took much time to structure them or really give much thought to them. I was so overweight that the scale provided me with all the motivation I needed pretty early on. I guess that’s one advantage to to being obese vs. just overweight? Heh.

I’ve been thinking more about goals lately, and I’ve come to realize it’s kind of like the approach you take when applying to colleges. When deciding where to apply you have the schools you’ll probably get into, and probably end up going to. Those are the realistic schools that are “the middle”. But what if by some catastrophe, you don’t get into any of those middle schools? The probability is low, sure, but you don’t want to be caught with no acceptances. Catastrophe indeed! So you apply to a “safe” school or two - schools you know for sure you’ll get into and wouldn’t be completely miserable attending. Even better is when your safe school has rolling admissions. Having that acceptance under your belt does wonders for your confidence when applying to the better schools. And then, of course, you have to apply to a few schools - the ivy leagues - that you don’t seriously think you’ll get into, and never really considered attending, but figured it’d be fun to try on the off chance that by some miracle of paperwork error, they let you in.

What does any of that have to do with goal setting? Bear with me. As I’m writing this, I’ve just come from a local wine-maker’s house. Ever had a pot luck luncheon with a wine-maker? Let’s just say my glass was never allowed to go empty. Let’s also say it was very good wine, and it seemed to evaporate from my glass as soon as wine was poured in.

I expect I’ll be getting an email from my ~~editor~~ sister tomorrow with a few dozen corrections and even more questions of clarification of what the heck I’m talking about.

But I do have a point! And it’s that goal setting should be like applying to college. Shoot for the stars, hope to get there, but at the same time be practical and expect for something a bit closer to earth. When I first started running, I couldn’t even run a mile. So that was my first goal. Run a mile. Did that. Then my goal was to run a mile under 14 minutes. Then 12. Then run 2 miles. Then 3. When I first started out, my long term goal was to be able to run a 5K (aka: 3.1 miles). It sounded so far, but I was confident I could reach it with a little work. And I was right! My next long term goal was a 10K (aka: 6.2 miles). I started getting my runs to 3.5 miles, then 4, etc., etc.. The thought of running over 6 miles sounded crazy, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever get there, but I figured I’d try. And with a little more work, I did it! I just kept pushing back my goals, and eventually meeting them - both short term and long. They were like getting into my safe schools right away and my middle schools eventually. All the while I was secretly shooting for the stars.

I was at the gym once - gosh, maybe almost a year ago now. A neighbor who had seen me running around the area and being a regular at the gym asked me if I was training for a marathon. I scoffed. A marathon!? At that point I wasn’t yet able to run a 10K let alone several 10Ks. I still don’t think I’ll ever be crazy enough to run a full marathon (aka: 26.2 miles). Just can’t imagine doing that to my poor, poor body. But. In just a few weeks, I’ll be running my very first race. A half marathon, no less! Aka: 13.1 miles. I’ve never actually run that far before, but I’m confident I can finish. That confidence actually blows my mind. This time last year I was scoffing at the very idea of running a half marathon, and now I’m actually going to do it. I feel like I just go into Stanford!

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I am far too sauced to think of a not-so-witty segue into this dish. Besides mentioning that the recipe is basically a sauce. So there’s that. Not my best work, I know.

A Facebook friend of mine has been mentioning her current obsession with paninis, and especially her complete obsession with cambozola cheese on these paninis. Always one willing to talk food, I commented on her status, asking what was this cambozola cheese and why was it so special? And then proceeded to Google the stuff, since I’m impatient and a dork. And let’s just say it went downhill from there. Cambozola cheese is described as a blue brie, and that’s exactly how I would describe it too. It’s a triple cream cheese, so it’s rich and creamy like brie, but it’s also made from the blue mold of other blue cheeses, so it does have what I like to call, a bit of stinkiness to it. Who doesn’t like a beautiful marriage of a creamy, stinky cheese?

On a happy, splurging shopping fest last week I picked up a wedge of the cambozola, along with some Brussels sprouts and asparagus. I thought a good cheese with two of my favorite vegetables would be a good way to celebrate my finally landing a job. No biggie. I start tomorrow. I’m breezy.

Who knows what possesses me to cook the things that I cook, but I thought the cheese would go beautifully in a pasta sauce. The creaminess added a wonderful, velvety texture, and the stinkiness added a beautiful dimension to the dish. I could definitely taste it, but it sat in the background and sang me a light tune. Husband came home and tried this pasta, and he of the not very sensitive taste buds concurred. He loved how the flavor came through, and he’s not even big into the stinky cheeses. Another thing I appreciated was that while this sauce is completely heavy on flavor, as you can see from the pictures, it’s not very saucy. There is no puddle of creamy liquid that’s dripped off the pasta to rest at the bottom of the plate. All the sauce is stuck firmly to the food, as it should be. In that sense, it doesn’t feel like a heavily sauced dish. But the flavor is so present, you don’t miss it. By all means, if you like a looser sauce, go ahead and add some cream or milk or chicken broth. Whatever your heart desires. My heart desired this sauce as is, and so did my taste buds.

Think you don’t like Brussels sprouts and asparagus? Ever tried roasting it? Brussels sprouts can be bitter, but roasting them for a long time under high heat with some balsamic vinegar brings out their hidden sugars and really makes them something special. I would highly recommend giving it a try. But if you’re not into it, any vegetable will do. You could throw in some artichoke hearts and peas, or broccoli would be delicious. I used whole wheat pasta, an angel hair. You could use a regular fusilli. That’s the great thing about cooking - just tweak it till you love it!

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables in Cambozola Sauce

Makes ~6-8 servings

½ lb. whole wheat pasta (I used angel hair)
1 ½ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
½ lb. asparagus, trimmed
3 TB olive oil, divided
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 pinches of salt
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TB butter
2 TB flour
2 cups dry white wine
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp ground black pepper
6 oz. cambozola cheese
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 TB fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a roasting pan, toss the Brussels sprouts and asparagus with 2 TB of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Roast the vegetable mixture in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until they are soft and have a nice golden brown color, tossing every about 10 minutes to ensure they brown evenly.
Now would be a good time to get a large pot of water boiling for your pasta. The sauce only takes about 15 minutes, not counting the prep for the mise en place, so might want to wait until the vegetables have a good head start in the oven before starting.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and shallot in the remaining 1 TB of olive oil and pinch of salt until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the black pepper and red pepper flakes, stir, and cook for one more minute.
Now would be a good time to drop your pasta, if you haven’t done it yet.
Clear a space in the pan and add the butter. When it has started to melt down, add the flour and mix them together to form a paste. Let the paste cook for a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add the wine and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let the mixture cook until it has thickened and the wine has reduced by about half, about 3 minutes.
Turn the heat down to low and add the cheeses, stirring until they are fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and roasted asparagus and Brussels sprouts. Stir in the cooked pasta drained straight from the pot, you can use a little of the starchy pasta water if you want to thin out the sauce at all.

Just a Giveaway

2011-02-18T14:40:00.000-08:00

It's that time again, folks! CSN stores is sponsoring another giveaway on this here humble food blog. As you may recall, CSN stores sells, um, everything - from cookware (ahem, my personal fave thing to shop for) to swing sets! So just like last time, one lucky winner will be awarded a one-time-use $35 gift certificate, good at any of CSN’s 200+ online stores.

To enter leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite thing to do with avocados besides guacamole. My very good friend might have an avocado tree that might be in bloom, and she might be the giving sort of person, and so I might have a few dozen (ok, more like 7 or 8) avocados ripening in my kitchen that are going to need a very permanent place in my belly sometime very soon. Please make sure you provide an email address if there isn’t one linked to your profile.

For additional entries, do one or all of the following, then come back and leave a separate comment for each, letting me know the deed is done.

Become a fan of (“Like”) Bananas for Bourbon on Facebook, and if you already are, just say so!
Subscribe to my blog via an RSS feed (just click that “Follow” button in the toolbar on the right), and if you already do, just say so!
Post a link to this giveaway on your blog, and let me know about it.

The rules: open to US and Canada residents only, as that is where CSN store's products ship. The giveaway closes this Sunday, February 20th at 12:01pm Pacific Time. The winner will be selected by a random number generator and announced (and contacted!) sometime after that.

I don't have a recipe fit to print just yet, but don't worry, there are a few in the pipeline. If all goes to plan, you'll be seeing a new recipe and a winner by the end of the long weekend.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bourbon Balls

2011-01-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

This week’s soap box ramble will focus on shopping, and is brought to you by the letter $. Because you have to buy your food before you can cook it, right?

Facing a drastically lower income 10 months ago, I was forced to reexamine my food spending. I admit, prior to my layoff, I was spoiled. I shopped primarily at Jimbo’s out of loyalty and hoping my weekly spending would do it’s part toward keeping the only Whole Foods-like store in my area open. I loved their local, organic produce, their fresh, organic meats, their wide array of whole grain dried goods, and their minimally processed packaged food selection. I also shopped for convenience, valuing my time saved by shopping at just one or two stores a week, rather than hunting down the deals at several stores to save a few bucks. When suddenly faced with an excess of time and a deficit of money, old habits went out the window and I took the opportunity to pick up some new smart-shopper skills. I figure I can pass on a few tips I picked up while tightening the belt - not just how I saved a buck, but how I turned that into an opportunity for eating healthier foods. But first I want to preface this list by saying the very first step is to evaluate the value of your time vs. the money you could save with thriftier shopping. Obviously, if you really take the time to research the price of each product and each store to compare, are willing to hit up five or six grocery stores as opposed to just one or two, and basically able to spend hours a week being the thriftiest shopper you could be, you could save what ends up being oodles of money! But if you’re, say, juggling being a mom, working full time, and a flourishing social life, you’re probably less inclined to care if your bath tissue is 10 cents cheaper at the store across town. There’s nothing wrong with either scenario. The right thing for you is the right thing. Either way, here are some things I picked up along my miserly way that I intend to remember, no matter my food budget situation:

Learn all of the grocers in your neighborhood, not just the big names, and decide at which stores you are willing to shop - In my neighborhood I have Ralph’s, Vons, Albertsons, Stater Bros, Barons, Jimbo’s, Fresh and Easy, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Henry’s, and Costco. That’s too many stores, even for me, so I decided Stater Bros and Barons I was just going to ignore because they don’t offer anything particularly different from the others. Fresh and Easy isn’t actually open yet, so I have yet to evaluate it. Jimbo’s is out of my price range. Costco is a separate beast I’ll get to later. I treat Ralph’s, Vons, and Albertsons as one store (The Megamart, I dub thee). So that leaves Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Henry’s as my main stores (Love them!).
Stop throwing away those weekly ad circulars - I used to curse the grocery stores clogging up my mail box with ads. It was such a waste, since I would throw them directly into the recycling, and I often wished for a way to opt out of having them sent. But they have become the highlight of my Monday evening. Pathetic, but true. First I check Sprouts and Henry’s. They often have similar foods on sale, but always slightly different, or one store will be slightly cheaper than the other. So I make a list of which store is carrying sale items I’m interested in. I made the mistake of not making a list in the beginning and often overpaid because I would forget the cheap apples were at Henry’s while shopping at Sprouts. Then I check The Megamart ads and pick out any extra special deals, whether $.77/lb chicken thighs at Vons, or $2 off Peet’s coffee at Ralph’s, whichever store has the deals I’m interested most in, and that’s which one I end up patronizing that week. It sounds like a big time commitment, but I actually peruse the ads while watching tv after dinner. I’m just sitting around anyway, right?
Be flexible with your menu - One of the reasons I never bothered checking the ads before was because I didn't much care what was on sale. I knew what I wanted to make, and I was going to make it, sale or no. Now I plan my weekly menu around the ads. I’ll often turn to Husband and say “Cauliflower, eggplant, and zucchini is on sale. I’m thinking a vegetable lasagna with a side of roasted cauliflower, does that sound tasty?” Or usually it goes more like, “Broccoli is on sale again, and I already did roasted broccoli 3 weeks in a row. I’m thinking I’ll make a white bean, broccoli, cheddar soup to spice things up.” I admit that I totally plan my meals around what produce is on sale. Hey, it works for me! If you were planning to do pulled pork and chicken is on super sale, maybe you could substitute.
Meat is expensive - And by meat I mean meat, poultry, and seafood. Especially seafood. I nice fillet of salmon hasn't been in my budget for a long time. But even when it’s just a couple of pounds of chicken thighs or some cheap ground beef, meat easily ends up making up half of the total cost on the receipt. If environmental and health reasons weren't enough to practice a meat-lite lifestyle, cost definitely is. I’m not suggesting conversion to vegetarianism or replacing your burger patty with a tofurky substitute. You know me better than that! I’m merely suggesting buying less. Eating less. And learning how to incorporate meat as a flavor rather than the main event of the plate. Remember, it’s not the only form of protein out there.
Produce is cheap - I can buy two overflowing bags of produce for under $20. How much would the equal amount of meat set you back? Hundreds? The trick is to buy what’s in season and buy what’s on sale, though that usually means the same thing. When a crop is in season, the stores get an overflow and they sell it cheap to get rid of it before it spoils. So in summer it’s zucchini and berries, in fall it’s squash and apples, in winter it’s cruciferous vegetables (i.e. broccoli and cauliflower), etc. Some produce always costs more - asparagus, winter greens, persimmons, eggplant. Some produce is always reasonably priced - celery, carrots, onions, bananas, potatoes. But even the “expensive stuff” still only sets you back a few bucks.
The bulk bins are your friend - Don’t fear the bulk bins! Sure, you’re forced to come up with your own air-tight packaging when you get it home, but it’s called $.99 tupperware, and it’s your friend. Dried beans, split peas, lentils, rice, quinoa, millet, almonds, pecans, peanuts, etc. These items are great because, aside from the nuts, which tend to be pricier (but worth it because you don’t typically use more than a cup or so at a time at most), they are dirt cheap and amazingly healthy. You can buy a pound of dried black beans for about a buck. That’s the equivalent of I don’t even know how many cans once they’re cooked. A ton! The trade-off is the time you take into account for soaking and cooking the beans (neither activity requires much active participation from you, it’s more a planning issue). Lentils and quinoa are two bulk bin items I’m never without because they are so fantastic in every way. They are high in protein and fiber, give you the satisfaction you get from eating carbs, but are still low in the glycemic index. They are very budget-friendly, cook up in about 20 minutes, and are very versatile for a number of varying applications. Win, win, win! My Megamart, tragically, doesn’t have bulk bins worth acknowledging, so that’s another reason to scope out the alternative markets in your area, if need be.
Packaged foods often make you pay more for less - There’s two main points here. First, the more hands your food passes through before it gets to you, the less fresh it’s going to be, the more stuff they’re going to add to it to keep it a viable product, the more you have to pay to recoup those costs. You’re not only paying more, but you’re also eating all the preservatives and additives they add to the food to keep it shelf-worthy for all those years. Second, all the pretty packaging itself boosts the cost. That little 2 serving box of cous cous or quinoa is probably something you could get in the bulk bin for a fraction of the cost.
Find the ethnic markets - Once every 2-3 months I have a list saved up of all the ingredients I need to stock up on at my local Asian market. It usually has some combination of soy sauce, rice wine, chili oil, sesame oil, seaweed, green tea, and brown rice. I can buy every one of those items at The Megamart, but for several times the cost, and without the option of selection. The soy sauce aisle at the Asian market? Dizzying. I still have it on my to-do list to find an Indian market in the hopes they have a vast and reasonably priced spice section. Sure, it’s a special trip where you’ll only pick up a few items, but that’s why you go just every once in a while. Treat it like a special occasion.
Join Costco - You might say you don’t need a Costco membership, you’re fine without a 5lb jar or mayonnaise. I would agree, but there is a lot more to Costco than that nowadays. When it comes to certain items, pricing at Costco just can’t be beat. A bag of fresh frozen 4oz. mahi mahi fillets for $4.99/lb - pre-portioned, convenient, and actually very delicious! I go through vanilla extract like crazy, so the huge bottle is actually totally worth it, and it’s such a deal. It’s a great place to buy pantry staples - hot sauce, green chiles, tuna, diced tomatoes, tomato paste. Sure, you’ll take awhile to go through them, but it’s canned, it’ll keep. Their prices on dairy and meats is great, though you have to evaluate your consumption needs. I can’t drink 2 gallons of milk before it spoils, so I don’t bother. But I’ll pick up a whole pork loin, portion it into 1-2lb portions when I get it home, and freeze them for easy use later. And if you’re a booze hound like my, their prices on beer, wine, and hard liquor, if you can find what you want, can’t be beat. You might even be able to share your membership. When I joined in college they let Husband (who was then merely Boyfriend) join my account, even though we weren’t related or married, so we were able to split the cost of the membership. One section to stay away from, however, is the produce section. Their prices can be confusing because they post prices by the package, but if you look in the corner of the price tag you’ll see the price per pound, and it’s generally higher than even The Megamart. And since the quality of their produce tends to be more miss than hit for me, why pay more for it?

I could go on, but I’m sure this glimpse into the inner-workings of my miserly mind is about as much as any person can take in one sitting. Basically, I try to stay on a varied and healthy diet, spending as little as I can. Husband often commends my efforts, saying he wouldn’t even know we’re on such a tight food budget because I keep him so well fed. It’s not without effort, but I consider it well worth it.

Now that we’ve shopped, let’s eat! These little bundles of joy combine three of my favorite flavors - chocolate, peanut butter, and bourbon. Each flavor really stands outs and brings its own personality to the party. The dark chocolate shell gives you that hit of rich cocoa right off the bat, and the bit of crunch is the perfect contrast to the soft, boozy, peanut buttery goodness in the middle. Oh the middle... I don’t know how to describe it, except to say that I really love the balance of ingredients. The cream cheese and graham crackers make it creamy yet substantive. I love the sweet yet salty compliment from the sugar, salt, and peanut butter. And the bourbon rounds everything out nicely, as bourbon always does. It really tastes like you’re eating a bourbon ball, but the peanut butter by no means plays second fiddle. It’s everything that makes Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups so great, but a thousand times tastier. No joke. The first time I made these was Halloween weekend - the one time of year Husband gets to eat his favorite store-bought candy. He actually jokingly chided me for ruining the moment for him, since compared to these peanut butter balls, the Reese’s just didn’t measure up. Sorry Husband. Next year I will steer clear of making these, so you can enjoy your Reese’s in peace.

Something tells me that’s not going to fly...

These make a great party dessert. Like, say, your Superbowl party next weekend. For instance. You can make them in advance, and they’ll even do better with a night in the fridge, where the flavors can introduce themselves to each other. They are easy to serve, whether plopped onto a plate or heaped in a bowl. They are finger-friendly, no utensils or plates needed, and I guarantee your friends will not be able to eat just one, so I doubt you’ll be dealing with leftovers. Plus, what is a better way to nosh during the second half than with chocolate, peanut butter, and bourbon?

These balls come together wonderfully fast and easy right up until it’s time to coat them in chocolate. I won’t lie, that part was tricky. A total pain in the butt, even. There were casualties. Some balls just weren’t destined to make it through the molten swamp of chocolate to reach their resting place of my tupperware container. Where some balls managed to keep it together, others were made of lesser stuff and fell apart. My heart went out to them. But worry not, it doesn’t mean the balls you will inevitably lose will be ruined. I called those little mishaps “happy accidents” and promptly ate them before Husband could see what a failure I was. The things I ~~eat~~ do for ego’s-sake! It does mean that if you plan on a specific number, you’ll definitely want to make some extra. The first few will be the baker’s treat, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be fine.

Happy Accident!

Besides my structural issues, I also struggled with what to call these. I couldn’t exactly walk around asking people if they wanted to try my balls, now could I? Chocolate covered pb bourbon balls is what they are. It’s descriptive. But it’s also cumbersome! See how I was too lazy to spell out peanut butter? The recipe I adapted these from were called buckeyes because they are reminiscent of the nuts that grow on the buckeye tree. Since I’m not familiar with buckeyes, and since I think that’s kind of lame, and since these have bourbon, and thus are way better, I think they deserve their own distinction. But they do kind of look like eyes, especially if you aim your skewer right through the center.

Chocolate covered peanut butter bourbon balls, you shall henceforth be known as Bourbon Blinders.

Is that stupid? It’s a little stupid. But don’t hate on my Blinders until you’ve tried one. Because then you won’t care what I call it, as long as you get to eat it. Mwhaha!

Are you planning any fun finger foods for the Superbowl next weekend? Have a better suggestion for what to call my balls? Any thrifty shopping tips my list is lacking? Send it all my way!

PS: I feel comfortable asking you to name my balls, knowing that I have just the edible kind at my disposal. Otherwise, I might be opening myself up for teasing. Thank goodness that’s not the case.

Bourbon Blinders
AKA: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bourbon Balls
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

makes about 2 dozen

1 oz. cream cheese (I used neufatel or lowfat), at room temperature
¾ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ tsp sea salt (or substitute kosher salt)
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
3 TB bourbon
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped (I used 72% chocolate chips)

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until they are well combined. Add the graham crackers and mix until combined. Add the butter, sugar, salt, bourbon, and vanilla and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the mixture is uniform.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon or a 1TB scoop, shape the dough into balls and place them on the sheet pan, leaving enough space that they are not touching. Make sure you use some pressure to make them as dense as possible to avoid fall-aparts later. Place the sheet pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes so the balls will firm up.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Using a toothpick or thin skewer (the thinner, the better), spear a ball and dip it in the chocolate, rolling it around so it is well coated, and place it back on the parchment. My method was inserting the toothpick into the side of the ball, dunking it in the chocolate at about a 45 degree angle, and swirling it one rotation, all the way around. The more quickly you work, the less time the ball will have to fall apart in the molten chocolate.
Repeat with the remaining balls, then chill them in the refrigerator to set up, about 30 minutes.

Roasted Vegetable Winter Soup

2011-01-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

Last post I promised a healthy soup to help shed those extra pounds we tend to get as a result of all that sticky toffee pudding, gingerbread, and eggnog around the holidays, and I am quite the deliverer, if I do say so myself. And I do!

I gullibly keep recording shows on the Food Network promising healthy and light meals, excited that it’s finally the time of year when those celebrity chefs might just be cooking something I’d like to try. Then they pull out the lite mayo or top a plain, grilled chicken breast with cheese and pepperoni and call it pizza (and healthy pizza no less!), and I stop and delete the episode. Healthy does not mean diet! Diet food is flavorless, rubbery chicken with microwaved broccoli. Diet food is a punishment to teach yourself not to be such a pig the next holiday season. Diet food is stupid. Healthy eating is about thinking outside the deep fryer box and finding ways to prepare fresh foods in flavorful ways that make us want to eat them. It’s about shifting your habits to eat a different way. Instead of trying to take an unhealthy dish and removing everything that makes it taste good, just eat something that’s healthy to begin with. No brainer, right?

I learned early in my healthy eating transition that I like to eat. Actually, I love to eat. Sure, I’ve lessened my portions, but I used to eat on par with Husband and his roommates in college. I am not a 6’2” male, but I sure liked to eat like one. I still eat plenty because I knew for this to work, I had to let myself eat. Then I found vegetables. They’re such wonderful things. So full of flavor and texture and every good thing. There’s a reason that Weight Watchers puts vegetables at zero points, and that would be how totally nutrient rich are for being so low in calories. As Rachel Ray likes to say - if you eat healthy, you can eat more. A sentiment I always identified with. Just remember that eating too much stretches your stomach, which is a recipe for disaster later. Eat until you’re satisfied, not waddling. Be reasonable.

One way I like to fill up my tummy without filling up my calorie bank is soup. Broth-based soups feel substantial because of their high water content, but still add a great amount of flavor. Toss in a healthy dose of vegetables and some form of lean protein and/or whole grains, and you’ve got yourself a meal you can sink a spoon into.

I love soup. I have always loved soup. It’s a love affair that started with my grandmother. She made a mean soup, and growing up a picky eater, I was always happy to go to her house knowing there would be a large pot of soup that had been sitting on the stove slow cooking all day and brimming with vegetables, barley, lentils, and meat (though I ate around that part). Her theory was that I just didn’t like to chew. I think I just like the infinite blend of flavors and the comforting feeling it brings. Warm liquids bring me joy. I love my sludgy coffee in the morning, my steamy afternoon tea, and a silky bowl of soup for dinner. I had a friend in college who didn’t like warm liquids of any kind. We no longer keep in touch.

I’m actually surprised I haven’t posted twenty soup recipes by now, but I guess they’re usually so flung together that I don’t really have a recipe prepared, or sometimes they’re so simple I would feel silly posting it.

If you couldn't tell already, I might be a little obsessed with vegetables. I never feel like I eat enough of them, even though probably 75% of my diet is vegetables (if we don’t count breakfast because I eat zero for breakfast, and if we’re counting breakfast the percentage drops to like 45% because even if I ate nothing but vegetables for lunch and dinner, the most it could be is 66%, so let’s just not count it, m’kay?). I have this little trick with soups. It helps me with portion control and it’s a good way to get a few more leafy greens in my diet. Because I’m seriously lacking in that department, right? I’m talking about spinach. I line my soup bowl with a good helping of fresh baby spinach leaves (I always have some on hand from Trader Joe’s, they have those handy resealable bags), more if it’s a veggie-lite soup, less if it’s veggie-heavy. Then I add the soup until my piggy eyes see it reach the rim of the bowl. This is where it helps with the portion control. The fresh spinach takes up a lot of room in the bowl, so even though I can’t stop myself from filling the bowl, it’s not really full. Of soup anyway. Aw, what a trickster I am! After a few minutes in the microwave the soup is hot and the spinach is wilted, and magically (good ol’ water evaporation!) the level of soup in the bowl is no longer threatening to spill over the sides. It’s ok to be a piggy if you recognize it and trick yourself from letting it impede your health, right? Right. Plus, spinach is delicious and is always a yummy addition to whatever soup I’m enjoying, such as this roasted vegetable soup I made recently.

I am a master of the segue.

This soup was just a happy accident, brought together - like the plot of many a good novel - by a random string of circumstances. Zucchini and eggplant were on sale (seriously, how crazy has the zucchini crop been this year?). I had fresh thyme leftover from my Thanksgiving splurge. I happened to be drinking white wine that night. I wanted the soup creamier without using cream. But here’s the kicker - I was freezing my booty off and I wanted an excuse to turn on the oven. I may be too poor (err, cheap) to heat my house properly, but it encouraged me to roast my veggies before throwing them into the soup, and man did it make this one of the better soups I’ve ever made.

Husband gobbled it all up in record time, and he's not even a soup person! We no longer keep in touch.

Roasting the vegetables caramelized the sugars, making the soup sweeter, richer, and more complex. Love it! And apparently eggplant pureed in soup is like liquid silk, it adds a lovely texture. Who knew? The evaporated milk thickened the soup beautifully without all that pesky fat. I just need to be mindful that it’s concentrated milk, so 1 cup of evaporated milk is still a hefty amount of calories compared to a cup of milk. But a little goes a long way, so it's all good. Definitely a trick I'm going to remember. Oh, and did I mention this soup is pretty darn quick? Definitely doable for a weeknight meal. Only about 30 minutes of total cook time, and since I used the broiler setting on the oven, I didn’t even have to wait forever for it to heat up. Win!

So to sum up the awesomeness of this soup, let’s count the ways:

Healthy - fresh vegetables, stock, and lowfat milk
Fast - 45 minutes tops, depending on how long it takes you to chop
Easy - mostly just chop, dump, or stir
Delicious - eggplant = silky
Comforting - it’s cold everywhere right now
Why are you still reading this? Go make this soup!

What healthy foods are you cooking up to stay warm? Will you be bringing home your own bag of spinach from Trader Joe's?

Roasted Vegetable Winter Soup

4 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
2 small eggplant, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, roughly sliced
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TB fresh thyme, minced
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 12oz. can evaporated milk (I used 2%)
2 TB white wine vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper

Turn the oven on to broil (500 degrees). In a large roasting pan, toss the zucchini, eggplant, and onions with about 2 TB of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Roast the vegetables until they are soft and nicely browned, tossing every 5-7 minutes so they cook evenly. This will take about 20 minutes total.
When the vegetables are out of the oven heat 2 TB of olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two until it is softened and fragrant. Add the thyme and cook for another minute. Add the wine and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until it is reduced by half, then add the chicken broth and roasted vegetables. Bring the mixture back to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until everything is softened and incorporated.
Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down a bit. Once cooled, puree with an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor). Add the evaporated milk, as much as you prefer. I added the whole can for optimal creaminess, but a few tablespoons would have been plenty. Then add vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Fig Einsteins - It's Fruit and Cookie!

2011-01-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

A new year, a new start. A time to resolve oneself for the year to come. The difficulty of this past year, and the inevitable difficulty of this new year to come, is part of the reason for my month-long absence from posting. Reflecting back, it was truly the worst year of my life, and at the same time, in some ways, one of the best. I’ve grown and learned so much about myself. I’ve become a different person, a better person, and most importantly, more like the person I want to be. I try to focus on that and have faith that the rest will work itself out for the best. I resolve to keep growing and learning this year, to keep finding the bright sides and silver linings, and to continue to be thankful for all the great things in my life - my friends, my family, and my amazing husband. And also, to never go so long without posting again! Inexcusable.

You might think I’m done with the sappy bits, but I’m feeling very sentimental. Bare with me for another paragraph or two...

I asked my friend on January 1st if she had any New Year’s resolutions, and she responded something along the lines that she had been done with those years ago. I know it’s a bit like asking a husband if he’s buying flowers for his wife on Valentine’s Day. We feel like we should do it because society tells us to, but we grumble and curse the commercial holiday (with gym memberships being sold in place of flowers). While I think the traditional approach to New Year’s resolutions is tired and completely unmotivated, the original idea shouldn’t be sloughed aside. How often do we plan to start something and then put it off until later? We all have a little Scarlett O’Hara in us. A new year is nothing more than an excuse, a reason to finally convince yourself that later is here, and it’s time to start. It’s that push out the door that we need sometimes.

And I’m not talking about “the resolutioners”. The people who make a vague, empty promise to themselves because they feel like they have to. They resolve to “eat better”, and buy a stock of celery that goes untouched in the vegetable bin until the rot can no longer be tolerated. They resolve to “exercise more”, and go stand around their gym a time or two, mostly just taking up space on equipment other people are waiting to use. Don’t be a resolutioner! Make a real promise to yourself that you intend to keep. It doesn’t have to be big, or even related to your health. You could give your house that big scrub down you’ve been meaning to do since last spring, or even just one room. You could go through your DVR season pass list and clean out the shows that are no longer on the air (man, I need to do that). And yes, I supposed you could eat better and exercise more. But how will you eat better? When will you exercise more? Baby steps, people. Husband has started to change how he eats for breakfast, hoping that eating more food, higher in protein, he’ll eat healthier and feel better throughout the day. I’ve seen spouses out walking their dog together, rather than just one or the other. Do something small, and when you feel great about doing it, do something else. Not because it’s New Years, but because there’s never a better time than now. Today could be the day I finally frame my ketubah!

FYI:

That's a Jewish marriage contract.

It's been sitting unframed on my mantle in a plastic protector since I got married.

I've been married 4 years now.

It's sitting upside down.

I'm not really going to frame it today.

Ok, enough of this nonsense. Let’s talk food. Now I know this is the time of year everyone dawns their halo and posts the uber-healthy meals. I know I should be giving you a recipe for kale chips (which are amazing, by the way, and so flipping healthy), and telling you twelve easy steps for staying motivated at the gym (I really only have one trick - constantly telling myself "suck it up, pansy!"). But you know what? That just ain't my style. Plus, there's an entire year for that. Next week when everyone is back to posting their recipes for brownies and fried chicken, I'll be posting a light and satisfying soup. This week, I want to tell you about these cookies.

I may not have been posting the last few weeks, but I’ve certainly been eating. As anyone who reads my posts on Facebook can attest. I made these fig cookies awhile ago. I remember the day I made the first batch because it was the day that I discovered Urge Gastropub. A joint truly after my own heart. I went there for dinner with some very good friends, and I brought some of these cookies along to give to them. It’s always good to feed the ones who encourage you in the kitchen, right? I kept calling them Fig Newtons, but was dissatisfied with the name because, while anyone who watched ample tv in the late 80s/early 90s, as I did, can attest, Fig Newtons are fruit and cake. My cookies were most definitely fruit and cookie. My friend dubbed them Fig Einsteins, and so they have been called since.

A very fitting name, in my opinion, because these cookies are genius! And so delicious - soft and chewy. The flavor was buttery and had a density from the whole wheat flour, yet the texture was still light and fluffy. They were so good that I made a second batch just a few days later. Because, like a good cookie should be, these were super fast to throw together. Minus making the jam of course. But the jam was so worth the effort. It had the deep, rich, sweetness of figs, with a beautiful balance from the lemon. Though the real hit for me was the brandy. It lent a nice background flavor, and somehow worked its magic breaking down the figs to really bring out their sweetness. I actually reduced the sugar in the recipe by at least half because the natural sugars brought out were so powerful. A jam worthy of its own cookie, for sure.

If you aren't a fan of figs, or just can't find them, no worries. These cookies are versatile! Any jam would work, really. Even store-bought, if you must. But the deep sweetness from the figs works especially well with the richer flavor of the cookie. I could see blueberry jam also working quite well. You'll just want to make sure it's a thick jam, otherwise it'll just run out of the cookie while it bakes. If you're worried, you could always reduce it on the stove for a few minutes.

When people scoff at you for eating cookies, you can inform them that you're just fulfilling your New Years' resolution to eat more whole grains. It's all about eating right, right?

Fig Einsteins
adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 TB buttermilk (or substitute milk)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TB bourbon (optional)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup fig jam* (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350 F
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to low and beat in the egg, milk, vanilla, and bourbon until well combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir just until combined. Divide the dough into even quarters, it will be quite sticky.
Working on a well floured surface, roll one quarter of dough into a log about 12 inches long. Using your fingers, pat the dough out into a rectangle about ⅛ inch, and 2 inches wide. Spread half the jam down the center of the dough. Press out another portion of dough into a rectangle of the same size, and place it on top of the dough with the filling. Seal the long edges of the dough together by pressing the two sides together, then cut crosswise into 1 inch lengths, until you have 12 cookies.
Repeat step 3 with the remaining dough and jam.
Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until they just begin to brown.

*Or whatever jam tickles your fancy.

Fig Brandy Freezer Jam
jam adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes about 6 cups

2 lemons
4 pounds fresh figs, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 8-9 cups)
2 cups sugar (or more to taste)
3/4 cup brandy
½ tsp kosher salt

Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of peel from the lemons, careful not to get any pith. Cut the strips into tiny matchsticks.
Combine the lemon peel, figs, sugar, brandy, and salt in a large heavy pot. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Bring the mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the jam thickens and reduces to about 6 cups, about 30-35 minutes, occasionally mashing the mixture with a potato masher. Remove the pot from the heat. When the mixture cools down a bit mix in the juice from one of the lemons, then taste it. If it’s too sweet, add more lemon juice, if it’s not sweet enough, add more sugar.
Ladle the mixture into freezer jam jars (or any freezer-safe container that tickles your fancy), leaving at least half an inch of room from the top of the container, and move to the refrigerator to set up overnight. The next day, move any jam to the freezer that you’re not planning to eat in the next week or so.

Note: Cate has a fig filling recipe using dried figs. If you can’t locate fresh figs, that would be a good option.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie

2010-12-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Has it really been almost 2 weeks since Thanksgiving!? Where did last week go? Oh yeah, it was swallowed up by the ugly bug that’s been lazily kicking the crap out of my immune system and other bodily functions. Let’s just say...I wouldn’t recommend drinking the pink eye tears of a toddler. That’s a story for another time.

Did you think the long hiatus between posts was because I was compiling a mass of Thanksgiving pictures? A collage of every dish and paragraphs upon paragraphs of wordy description? Sorry to disappoint, but I have a confession to make - I didn’t take any pictures during Thanksgiving. None. My camera battery is still sitting on the charger, currently residing under my feet. I don’t know who I am anymore! But that’s just what happens when you spend 2 days in the kitchen and 5 days entertaining family.

Ah family. My family. And our ridiculously stubborn adherence to superfluous traditions. I love that about us. A movie on Christmas day, preferably on a sci-fi or fantasy theme. It’s tradition! Mom reading the Polar Express in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve. It’s tradition! Me squeezing behind the driver’s seat on any family outing, even though the passenger side has more legroom. It’s tradition! And of course, Thanksgiving comes with its own set of traditions. Starting, naturally, with the menu. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are the musts. I remember the year my mom tried to get away with not serving mashed potatoes. My sister called a family holiday party foul and made them herself. I might have helped, but I was a lazy, moody teenager, so I probably didn’t. Sorry sis!

Sure, every family has dishes they love and want year after year. In my family, we actually have dishes a lot of us don’t like, but we make anyway. Like the cranberry sauce. My sister always takes a no-thank-you helping, so I knew she wasn’t a fan. But it wasn’t until this year that I realized my parents also aren’t cranberry sauce eaters. Yet it’s always on the table! Well, minus the year my mom had it in the nice serving bowl, sitting in the fridge, and forgot to take it out. Guess now I know why she didn’t miss it. Heh. I probably could have gotten away with not having any, but I figured it’d be way more fun to try and make a cranberry sauce everyone would actually enjoy. Not to mention...it’s tradition! I made a cranberry applesauce, hoping the natural sweetness from the apples would be a nice contrast to the tartness from the cranberries without the cloying sweetness of regular sugar. Along with a little fresh ginger to make it more savory and a healthy glug of Grand Marnier (ok, maybe two healthy glugs, after encouragement from my mom), it was a success. My sister had seconds!

I’m sure I’m blowing the minds of my family as they read this post. Can you believe I used to be a picky eater? There were several foods I didn’t like, and even more foods I probably would have liked fine, but still wouldn’t eat. For years I thought I didn’t like guacamole. Really my sister didn’t like it, and I had just taken her word for it. And now I’m talking about changing people’s minds about foods they don’t like! I’m blowing my own mind here.

The pumpkin pie at my Thanksgiving table has a bit of a history. My grandma, on my dad’s side, always brought the pumpkin pie. She wasn’t a baker (not that there’s anything wrong with that), so she would dump a can of Libby’s pumpkin pie filling into a store-bought crust, bake it, and bring it over with a can of reddi-wip. To me, that was pumpkin pie. It was good and all, but I didn’t exactly grow up with the impression that pumpkin was the be-all and end-all of pie flavorings. Turns out my mom doesn’t even like pumpkin pie. How did I never know these things before?!

This year I wanted to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. A good one. My first attempt was a bust. I don’t want to talk about it...except to say that I took issue with the massive amounts of heavy cream and sugar the recipe called for. Then I saw a recipe for a sweet potato buttermilk pie that used lowfat buttermilk instead of heavy cream, and folded in whipped up egg whites for a light and fluffy texture. I was intrigued! After my mom mentioned what she didn’t like about pumpkin pie was the puddingy texture, I thought this might be just the thing. So I swapped out the sweet potato for pumpkin, but kept just a little sweet potato in there for a flavor boost. Pumpkin can be a little on the bland side, ya know. I adjusted the seasonings, upped the sugar (sweet potatoes are sweeter than pumpkin, after all), and of course, I added booze! It’s not pumpkin [insert delicious baked good here] without bourbon, right? Another thing that turned me onto this recipe was blind-baking the crust first. No worries about a soupy pie or a soggy crust.

The resulting pie was a light, fluffy, spiced pumpkin cloud. And still so silky smooth without the heaviness. The trick was definitely folding in the egg whites. It really kept the pie light. I was concerned the lightness of the texture and lack of fat would lose the pumpkin pie flavor, but the spices still came through beautifully. And the hint of sweet potato added a nice layer of sweetness. It seemed to be a success. It didn't last long, and as my mom put it, “Julie, I enjoyed my slice...and I don’t even like pumpkin pie.” Good enough for me! Into the archives this recipe goes.

But wait! I haven’t even mentioned the whipped cream! It was an afterthought. Spur of the moment. I bought heavy whipping cream, thinking I would just whip it up with a little sugar right before dessert. Nothing special, but better than the canned stuff. Well 4 glasses of wine and a big turkey dinner later I had the bright idea to whip that cream with maple syrup and a splash of bourbon instead...

Oh my word.

That is all that can be said about this whipped cream. Nevermind the two pies and vanilla ice cream I had on the table for dessert. I wanted to just eat gobs and gobs of this whipped cream. Yeah. It was that good. It went great on the pie. I highly recommend you don’t skip it.

PS: If you're wondering why I have pictures of the pie when I said I didn't take any, it's because this was my test run. It was a new recipe after all. Better safe and full of pie than sorry, right?

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie

adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie

½ cup mashed sweet potato (1 small potato, poked with fork and microwaved for 7 mins)
1 14oz can pumpkin puree
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
2 TB fresh lemon juice
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp kosher salt
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 TB AP flour
3 TB bourbon
¾ cup buttermilk
1 pre-baked pie crust (recipe below)
maple bourbon whipped cream (recipe below)

In a medium bowl, mix together the sweet potato and pumpkin puree. Add the butter, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and salt and mix thoroughly after each addition.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a whisk for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until they’re a creamy light yellow color, about 2 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until the eggs are fully incorporated. Add the flour a little at a time, stirring after each addition until thoroughly incorporated. Add the buttermilk and bourbon and stir until incorporated.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks in a clean, dry bowl. With a spatula, gently fold the egg whites, one-third at a time, into the sweet potato-buttermilk mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven set at 375 degrees until the center is firm and set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the pie completely on a rack, then chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

For the pie crust:
1 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 TB ice cold vodka (or substitute water)
ice cold water

Cut the butter into small pieces (I do quarter tablespoons), and place in the freezer along with the vodka for about 30 minutes, or until it just starts to freeze.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Dump the mixture out onto a large cutting board or clean counter. Using a bench scraper (a rolling pin also works), work in the frozen butter by smooshing the flat side of the bench scraper into the flour, scooping and mixing it often. When the butter pieces are all flattened and well incorporated, use your fingers to break up any large pieces until they are pea-sized. Sprinkle the vodka over the dough and mix, then 1 TB at a time, add enough water until the dough just comes together, and all the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough into a ball and cover tightly in plastic wrap. Smoosh the dough flat into a hockey puck shape and refrigerate for 1 hour.
After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place the dough on a well-floured cutting board or clean counter. Turning often, and using as much flour as you need to keep it from sticking, roll the dough into an even layer about ¼” thick, or until it is large enough to fit into your 9” pie plate with ½” overhanging. Move the dough to the pie plate and trim any excess dough, leaving that ½” overhang. Fold and pinch the edges of the dough around the pie plate so it’s nice and pretty.
Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the dough and carefully on scatter pie weights (I use dried beans). Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 12 minutes. Remove the pie weights and the foil, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.

For the maple bourbon whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB maple syrup
1 TB bourbon

In a stand mixer, add the cream, maple syrup, and bourbon. Start the mixer at a low speed and work up to high to avoid splashing. Whip the mixture until it is thickened. Taste the whipped cream and add more cream, maple syrup, or bourbon according to your preference. If you’re shy, you might want to start with just a tsp or two of the bourbon.

Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole

2010-11-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

It will come as a surprise to no one when I tell you that I am a big fan of Thanksgiving. Besides being a holiday whose sole purpose is the celebrate food (let’s face it, that whole giving thanks concept is just an excuse to stuff our faces...and I’m okay with that), it’s one of only two holidays where my whole family generally congregates together - the other being our Passover seder, which I consider Thanksgiving for Jews (plus singing!). I love family congregation! Which is why I also never miss a wedding, graduation, or other fun family party.

Due to my current reduced circumstances, Husband and I decided to forgo travel this year and just stay at home. Thankfully our families are awesome - his parents (and their canine companion), my parents, and my sister, her husband and my nephew are all coming to town to celebrate with us. Yay! Also due to my reduced circumstances, I have a lot of alone time on my hands, and I spend a lot of it thinking about food. Okay, most of it. As a result I’m not just excited for Turkey Day, I am Thanksgivingsessed! I had the menu all planned out a month ago. Actually, more like two. I have since also created an Excel spreadsheet that details ingredient totals, my shopping list, a to-do list for the week, and a full schedule for the day before and the day of. I may be crazy, but the first step is admitting you have a problem right? Anyway, I’m also playing it smart. I’m planning to tackle most of the cooking myself, so I have to make sure I have my game plan all worked out. How else would I have realized that while I'm baking two pies, I only have one pie plate? No worries, the problem is already solved. I do get flustered cooking on a schedule, but with everything planned to a T, how could anything go wrong? Yes, I know I just ensured that everything will go wrong. But between all the guests, there will be more than enough cooks in the kitchen to sort things out. I’m breezy!

Besides being in need of a fun project, our families have been so awesome and supportive this year, we’d really like to treat them a nice dinner. It’s the least we could do. So we’re going all out! A 16lb heritage turkey, free-range and organic of course, brined and roasted, and with all the fixins around the table: gravy, cranberry applesauce, grilled mashed potatoes, sourdough apple pecan stuffing (technically dressing since Husband is squeamish about bird germs), beets with a balsamic reduction, hashed Brussels sprouts, sweet potato rolls, and - as I mentioned - two kinds of pie for dessert. Apple and buttermilk pumpkin pie, with vanilla ice cream on the side. I’m sure I’ll be posting all about it after next week. Of course, a lot of those recipes aren’t mine (some are!), so I’ll post links at the bottom of this post in case someone is in need of ideas. I can vouch for them all except the stuffing, though I'm sure it'll be delicious. And if those don't entice, I may have developed my own Thanksgiving side last weekend. Read on!

This isn't my first time hosting my family for Thanksgiving, but it is the first time since my big transformation. I wanted to keep all the familiar flavors, but put the Julie spin on them, so last weekend I tried out some recipes - roasted one of those cheap $5 turkeys from Vons and made gravy from pan drippings for the first time (killed it!). I also used it as an excuse to make some dishes that didn’t quite fit into my Thanksgiving menu.

See, I had been toying with the idea of green bean casserole. Thanksgiving + Food Network = lots of mention of green bean casserole. I was thinking of the one traditionally made with condensed cream of mushroom soup and crispy fried onions on top. That dish doesn’t so much scream yummy deliciousness to me, more like heavy, preservative-induced stomachache. But the flavors of the casserole still appeal. Plump green beans in a creamy sauce with earthy mushrooms and fragrant herbs, topped with sweet onions and just a little crispy crunch for texture. Sounds good, right? Well I set about seeing if I could lighten the dish up and make it into something presentable. I don’t know if I accomplished presentable, but it sure was tasty.

I started with frozen green beans - haricot verts from Trader Joe’s, actually. Then I created the mushroom cream sauce using evaporated milk. I hadn’t used evaporated milk before, and the stuff is just great. It’s just milk with some of the water evaporated out, so it’s already nice and thickened, but much lighter than using cream. I caramelized onions, since that’s my favorite way to eat them. But caramelized onions are soft and buttery, not crispy crunchy. No problem. After the onions caramelized, I added a little butter to the pan with some bread crumbs, and tossed everything together. I topped the green beans coated in the mushroom cream sauce with the onions and bread crumbs, and after it baked up, it came together juuuuust right. Plump green beans, creamy mushroom sauce, and sweet onions with a crunch. Mission accomplished! Panko bread crumbs would probably be even crunchier and better (I buy whole wheat panko), but I had some whole wheat bread to use up, so use whatever is easier for you. Next time I might experiment with throwing some walnuts in as well, though I would probably catch flack from Husband, since he's really not a walnut fan. It's terrible, I know.

I'm always fascinated by other families and their own traditions. What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Pot luck or solo hosting? What's in the menu? And finally, how delicious is Thanksgiving food? Right?!

Green Bean Casserole

Makes about 18 servings

2 16oz bags of frozen green beans, thawed (or fresh and blanched)
16oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 12oz can evaporated milk
1 medium shallot, minced
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TB dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp celery seeds (optional)
1 cup white wine
2 TB flour
4 TB unsalted butter, divided
2 medium onions, quartered and sliced
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (~3 slices of bread) or panko bread crumbs
2TB olive oil
kosher salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. You’ll also need a 9x13” baking dish.
In a medium skillet, heat 1TB olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions until their water is released, stirring often to prevent browning. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden brown and caramelize, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat 1TB olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of kosher salt, and cook until the mushrooms have given up their water and softened, about 7 minutes. Add the paprika, pepper, cayenne, thyme, sage, and celery seeds, mix everything together and cook for 1 minute.
Clear a space in the pan and add 2TB of butter. Once it melts, mix in the flour, and let the mixture cook for a minute or two to remove any raw flour flavor. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits. Simmer the mixture until about half the wine has cooked out. Add the evaporated milk and stir to combine everything. Let the mixture simmer for about 3 minutes, until it has thickened a bit.
Turn off the heat and stir in the green beans, tossing until they are well coated in the mushroom mixture. Pour the green beans into your baking dish and set aside.
Once the onions have caramelized, add the white wine vinegar and toss to coat. Melt the remaining 2TB of butter, and when it has melted, add the bread crumbs and toss until the bread crumbs are well-coated with butter and evenly mixed with the onions. Spoon the bread crumb and onion mixture over the green beans in an even layer. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is a crunchy golden brown.

Links for Thanksgiving dishes:
Cranberry applesauce
Sourdough apple pecan stuffing
Sweet potato rolls
Hashed Brussels sprouts

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Butterscotch Swiss Meringue Buttercream

2010-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

One week before Halloween my adorable little nephew turned one year old. It was kind of a big deal for me. He is my only sister’s only child (thus far), and I absolutely love him to death. My sister threw a fun family party to celebrate, with a full compliment of party fixin’s - balloons, streamers, deviled eggs, and, of course, cake!

After we all met up in Reno a few months ago my sister gave me an assignment: come up with a recipe for my nephew’s first birthday cake. And I took it seriously. I didn’t want to let the little guy down! So I thought about flavors, researched recipes, and practiced a few test-runs to get things juuuuust right. And when I was confident in my creation, I handed the final, approved recipe over to my sis. Here are the results of her deft hand:

Way to decorate, sis!

Since the party was taking place so close to Halloween, my sister was thinking something with pumpkin. Pumpkin just so happens to be one of my favorite Fall flavors! I was looking forward to experimenting with recipes...just a tiny bit. There were just a few conditions. First, no chocolate. I guess the caffeine in cocoa isn’t great for the wee ones. Second, no lemon or banana cake. My sister isn’t a fan of lemon cake, and my mom is in the banana = ick camp. Such a shame on both counts, in my opinion. Finally, and most importantly, no cream cheese frosting. Sis doesn't do cream cheese frosting - it’s the tangy flavor. She hates it. She’s actually foregone eating cupcakes from her favorite local cupcakery because she unknowingly bought one with cream cheese frosting.

With these parameters in mind, I came up with a spiced-up pumpkin cake. Since the more traditional cream cheese frosting was off the table, I took inspiration from my favorite pumpkin cookies, and decided on a butterscotch buttercream. Pumpkin and butterscotch is a fantastic combination. Ever had it? You should. It’s yum. But butterscotch sauce is sweet. Super duper sweet. Husband says I’m just extra sensitive, but I thought my first butterscotch buttercream - a simple butter and powdered sugar mixture - was way too sweet. I didn’t see a way to reduce the sugar, so I just made some adjustments to help balance it. I added some acid. A little lemon juice really brightened up the flavor and gave the sweet somewhere to go. Also, I switched to a Swiss meringue buttercream. The light, fluffy texture did a good job of distributing the sweet on my palette, and was especially delicious paired with the warm spices of the cake.

The third and final test run I made a finished cake and brought it over to share with some lovely ladies I know. This cake here...

...was a big hit! Our host insisted on no leftovers, sent us home with every morsel of food, but when I asked her if she wanted the last slice of cake, she grinned sheepishly and nodded. With such approval I knew the recipe was ready for sisterly publication.

The day before the party my sister put her expert baking skills to action and whipped up my nephew’s birthday cake while I stood wringing my hands in the corner, prepared to die of shame should anything not turn out as expected. Even with a dozen other party provisions to prep, she made an awesome cake with an adorable smash cake of my nephew’s very own to match. She’s a rock star!

Whether for a special Fall occasion or just because cake is delicious, this cake is light and tender, very fragrant from the warm pumpkin spices, and so worth making! Sufficed to say I did not mind making - and subsequently eating - this cake three times.

Nephew's First Birthday Cake
(AKA: Pumpkin Spice Cake with Butterscotch Swiss Meringue Buttercream)

adapted from Martha Stewart

For the cake:
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until just incorporated and smooth.
Pour the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a cake tester (i.e. toothpick) inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and cool completely.

For the buttercream:
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1TB lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/2 cup butterscotch sauce (see below)

(makes about 4 cups)

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped (to garnish the finished cake), optional

In the bowl for your electric mixer (or a medium heatproof bowl if you’re using a hand mixer), combine the egg whites and sugar, and place the bowl over a small pot of gently simmering water. Whisking the mixture constantly until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Rub a little between your fingers, and if there is no hint of a grainy texture, it’s done (or when it reaches 160 degrees in temperature).
Place the bowl in your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and set at high speed, beat the egg mixture until stiff peaks form. Continue beating until the eggs are fluffy and the mixture has cooled, about 5-6 minutes. Make sure the stiff peaks don’t become dry, you want them to stay glossy.
Switch to the paddle attachment and with the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter 2 TB at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next addition. If the buttercream begins in separate, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for a few minutes, until it is smooth again. Add the vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and butterscotch sauce (make sure it’s cool, you don’t want to melt your buttercream), and beat until incorporated. Again, if the mixture separates or thins out too much, beat on medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy again. Taste the buttercream and add more salt, lemon juice, or butterscotch if you think it’s needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat for 2 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles.
Trim the tops of the cake layers so they are flat. Stack the first layer onto a cake plate and using a spatula, spread about 1/2 cup of buttercream in an even layer over the top. Place the second cake layer on top, making sure the two layers line up. Spread a very thin layer of the buttercream around the cake for a crumb layer. This will glue the crumbs to the cake, so they don't show through the light colored buttercream. Then apply a regular, thick layer of the buttercream, until the cake is evenly covered. Sprinkle the top with the toasted pecans and enjoy!

For the butterscotch sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla

adapted from Martha Stewart
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt, and increase the heat to medium to bring the mixture to a boil. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Allow it to cool at room temperature. It will seem too thin at first, but don’t worry, it’ll thicken as it cools.

Chipotle Maple Grilled Tempeh Tacos

2010-11-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

I have a new love. It’s a bit controversial. I kept it quiet at first because people wouldn’t understand. See, me and tempeh? Yeah, we’re kind of a thing.

All joking aside, I am totally loving tempeh at the moment, and it is controversial...at least in my household. I’ve always counted my blessings that Husband likes everything when it comes to food. Everything. There are preparations he doesn’t prefer, but I’ve never come across an ingredient he just doesn't like. He’ll even do tofu if it’s prepared well. But he doesn’t like tempeh. I’ve done a few different cooking methods, vastly different flavor combos, and he hasn't liked any of them. He just won’t eat it. Tragic, right?!

I have a feeling that’s a common problem with tempeh. You either love it or...not so much. While not the case with Husband, I wonder how much of that not-liking is linked to ignorance of what tempeh is. It is not textured vegetable protein. It is not tofu. It is a soy-based vegetarian protein alternative, but you know what? So is edamame. Tempeh is made from soybeans that are fermented into a cake, and the tempeh I am familiar with also has other whole grains added, I believe for textural and flavor purposes - anything from millet, to brown rice, to barley. Yes, it’s true. This is total crunchy granola hippie food. But hippie food has been in forever now, so let’s give peace a chance, k? Anyway, when was the last time you heard about a tempeh recall due to contaminated soybeans?

Tempeh is also crazy kinds of good for you. It’s really high in protein and fiber, which fill you right up, but with much less calories and fat. Win win. It’s also made from fermented soybeans. There’s a lot of controversy out there right now about soy and whether it is ultimately beneficial or harmful to our health. Every study says something different, depending on which industry is behind the funding, but I recently read an article that was very interesting. It separated fermented soy products from non-fermented soy products, saying they most likely affect the body differently. Fermented soy products like tamari, miso, and tempeh are good for you and have all sorts of lovely health benefits having to do, I believe, with the bacteria used to ferment the products. Non-fermented soy products, like tofu and soy milk are actually the leftovers from fermented soy products - the result of an effort to avoid waste - and are supposedly more questionable upon regular consumption. I have no idea if it’s true, but it’s interesting, no?

And most importantly, tempeh is delicious! It has a lot more flavor and texture than tofu - like if a block of tofu and a veggie burger had a love child. It has a nutty, meaty flavor, and a firm, chewy texture. Chewy like whole grains, not chewy like octopus, just to be clear. I've noticed that each brand of tempeh is a little different. I prefer the Trader Joe’s brand. It has millet and brown rice, and a nice mild flavor that takes on sauces very well. I’ve also seen other brands at Jimbo’s, Sprouts, and Henry's. They're probably about the same, but I can't say for sure, since I've never tried them. When it comes to prep, you can treat tempeh just like extra extra firm tofu. Cut it into slices or cubes, or cut it in half and treat it like a veggie burger. Marinate some flavor in before, or dunk it in sauce later.

Not helping its image, tempeh is generally sold with the questionable-looking fake meat products like tofurkey and fakin’ bacon. To make matter worse, I’ve actually seen tempeh that has been pre-seasoned to taste like various meat products. Bleck! Make sure what you’re picking up is just regular unflavored tempeh.

Tempeh is a very versatile food. I’ve seared it, drizzled orange-maple sauce, I’ve sauteed it in spicy peanut sauce, and now I’ve grilled it in chipotle maple sauce. It all works...deliciously! I used one of the famous Stonewall Kitchen sauces to add in flavor this time. Since it was a chipotle maple grille sauce, I figured grilling would be the appropriate cooking method. And, man oh man, is grilled tempeh delicious. That smoky charred flavor was totally addictive. I kept eating pieces off the grill, and these yummy tacos almost didn’t happen!

Speaking of yummy tacos, these tacos were...um...yummy! The fixin’s are, of course, optional and up to you, but I like my tacos with cabbage, guacamole, and some fresh pico de gallo. The sauce was a good compliment and the flavor came through really well. It was sweet, though not cloying, and I actually did get a bit of heat from the chipotle. I would definitely use this sauce again, I think it may even have been my fav. With the fresh vegetables and acid from the lime, it ended up being even more delicious than the bits I ate off the grill. I'm so glad I restrained myself. Oh, and those tortillas? Got them at Sprouts. They contain 4 ingredients: masa, lime, salt, and water. No icky preservatives or crazy additives. I love 'em.

I hope whatever preparation you choose to employ, you will give tempeh a chance. It’s entirely possible you won’t like it, as Husband doesn't. But on the other hand, you may discover a new food that is not only very tasty, but also seriously good for you and economical to boot! Have you ever tried tempeh? On which side do you fall?

Chipotle Maple Grilled Tempeh Tacos

Makes about 8-10 tacos

2 8oz packages of tempeh, cut into 1/2” strips
1 cup Stonewall Kitchen Maple Chipotle Grille Sauce
5-6 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 limes
1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 ripe avocados
salt and pepper to taste
corn tortillas

In a bowl or tupperware, combine the tempeh and grille sauce, making sure the tempeh is well-covered. Cover the container and let it marinate for at least an hour. When you are ready to grill, let the tempeh come to room temperature.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and lube it up with some oil. Add the tempeh in an even layer, and let it cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, until it gets some good grill marks. Flip all the pieces over and grill for another 3-5 minutes. Brush some of the leftover marinade sauce on the cooked sides, and flip the pieces over again. Grill for a minute or two to caramelize the sauce a bit. Brush more sauce on the upturned side, and flip one last time to cook for, that’s right, one more minute. Remove the tempeh from the grill and let it cool down while you prepare the rest of your taco components.
To make the pico de gallo, mix the tomato, onion, and cilantro in a small bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from a lime over the mixture (if it’s a very juicy lime, you might want to start with just half), and stir to combine everything. Taste the salsa, and adjust the seasoning. To make the guacamole, scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl, and add the juice from half a lime and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Mash the mixture and adjust the seasoning to taste.
To build the tacos, place a big pinch of cabbage on a tortilla. Add about 3 slices of tempeh, and top with guacamole, pico de gallo, and a healthy squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

2010-10-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Tuck in, kiddies! I’m going to talk about cupcakes, and there’s just no way to accurately describe these babies and still be brief. So pull up a chair, it’s story time.

It all started with my sister sending me a link to a baking contest. Bravo and product placement company blah, blah, blah (the contest can be found here) - basically the contest is to make a dessert inspired by the flavors of key lime pie, strawberry shortcake, or mint chocolate chip. After voicing my disappointment that limes and strawberries were nowhere near in season anymore, I totally copped out and said I didn’t already have a good recipe to use and I wouldn’t be able to come up with anything decent in time. If I haven’t properly conveyed how completely awesome my sister is before, let me do so now. See, she knows me, so she was having none of my nonsense. She suggested something easy enough - take my strawberry margarita cupcake recipe and modify it to make a key lime cupcake instead. “You could even do a graham cracker crust on the bottom like those Martha Stewart ‘smores cupcakes I made that were awesome.” And it was like a light went off in my head - I was suddenly inspired! A lime-infused vanilla cupcake with a lime curd filling and lime-flavored meringue buttercream would be not only do-able, but delicious, and the graham cracker bottom might just nudge it into awesome territory.

My sister, ladies and gentlemen!

Unfortunately, this means that once again credit for the genius of the recipe must be given entirely elsewhere. And this is why fellow food lovers are integral to the home cook’s creative process. Sometimes they have all the good ideas and let you steal them. Plus, I’ll always have Husband’s birthday cake recipe. That one was all me.

So, per my sister’s most excellent suggestion, I made (and submitted!) these key lime pie cupcakes, or key lime vanilla cupcakes with a graham cracker crust bottom, key lime curd filling, and key lime Swiss meringue buttercream. And sprinklings of other fun touches here and there. These cupcakes were not nudged anywhere. They took a superman leap over awesome and landed somewhere in oh-my-goodness-what-are-these!?. Let’s go into it, shall we? Don’t worry, I’ll take it slow.

So this cupcake starts with the graham cracker crust. I added some key lime zest for good measure. I wanted to make sure the lime flavor really came through, and even though I added it everywhere, I’d say it stayed a subtle background flavor, in a good way. I blind baked the crust, like you do with a real key lime pie, and then added some white chocolate shavings before pouring in the cupcake batter. Martha Stewart’s ‘smores cupcakes recipe used chocolate shavings, and I thought it was probably needed to act as a binder between the crust and the cupcake. And either way, the richness from a little white chocolate would only make it tastier. I sprinkled the extra graham cracker/white chocolate mixture over the tops of the cupcakes before I put them in the oven to bake, so they had a slight crumb on top as well as the crust underneath. The cupcakes themselves were just a simple vanilla cupcake, infused with some key lime zest and juice. But what’s a key lime pie inspired cupcake without key lime curd? I holed out the tops of the cupcakes after they had cooled and poured in a dollop of curd, then topped them with the light as air frosting, reminiscent of the meringue that sometimes comes on key lime pies. And finally, I rubbed some graham cracker crumbs with a little key lime zest and dusted a pinch over each cupcake for garnish. Look at me, I’m fancy.

I have to say, this was my first time making a cupcake with a crust on the bottom, and it is flipping fantastic! Why don’t all cupcakes have one? It’s delicious - like a cupcake and pie had a love child. The sprinkling of the crumb/chocolate mixture on the top of the cupcake definitely united all the flavors. Unless you have a mouth the size of a grapefruit, it’s cumbersome to try and bite both the top and bottom of a cupcake at the same time. Usually you go in at an angle, right? Well having the crust flavor on top of the cupcake meant that each bite had some of that graham cracker flavor, so each bite kept the connection to its inspiration - key lime pie. Husband thinks this detail is key to the success of the cupcake, so don’t skip it!

Also crucial? The key lime curd. Sure, it’s just a small dollop in the middle of the cupcake, but it’s also where you get the burst of key lime flavor. I loved all the subtle hints of lime throughout the cupcake, but it wouldn’t have tasted like a key lime pie without the curd. Plus, it was so tart, and sweet and creamy, that a smidgen is all that was needed to capture the bright flavor without getting hit in the face with it.

The cupcake was so complete without the frosting that anything like a traditional buttercream or cream cheese frosting would have detracted and distracted from it. Thrown it off the balance. So the Swiss meringue buttercream was perfect. It was light as a cloud; just a delicate, sweet touch. And look how glossy it is! Gorgeous. A friend of mine gave a cupcake to her son, and his feedback was that at first bite he didn’t like the frosting because he was expecting a traditional buttercream. The texture of it, so light and airy, threw him off. But on the second and subsequent bites, after he knew what to expect, he loved it. Great feedback, huh?

The cupcake itself was very light and tender. I went with a simple vanilla cupcake as the base because there were so many other flavors and elements. The cake itself was not the star, but it was still a delightful, delectable bite that helped highlight the other flavors. All the elements of the cupcake really came together in a great way. I couldn’t believe how much it brought to mind a key lime pie! These may just be the best cupcakes I’ve ever made. Ok, the Irish car bomb cupcakes I made for St. Patrick’s Day this year were pretty great, but they didn’t have a graham cracker crust, so they just don’t measure up anymore.

Delicious as they are, these cupcakes are no picnic to make. They’re not difficult, per se. Far from it. But they are labor intensive; lots of steps. Zesting and juicing one pound of key limes to start was a bit of a pain. Then you make the graham cracker crust mixture, bake it, make the batter, bake that, make the key lime curd and buttercream, and finally wait for everything to cool so you can finish putting it all together. It’s not an all day undertaking by any means, but don’t leave these until an hour before your party starts or you’ll be the unwitting host of a baking demonstration. Also, the recipe makes a ton of cupcakes. It was supposed to make 2 dozen, but with the graham cracker bottom and the airy cupcake batter, it made more like 2 and a half. Thankfully, I have friends willing to eat my baking experiments!

These cupcakes may be a special occasion only treat, but boy are they ever special! Let’s hope the good folks at Bravo agree because I sure could use a $5,000 kitchen makeover.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

makes about 28 cupcakes

cupcakes partially adapted from Annie’s Eats and Martha Stewart

[Note: You’ll need 1lb bag of key limes, zested and juiced. Don’t have key limes? Regular limes will work fine too.)

For the graham cracker crust:
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
2 TB lime zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
7 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TB key lime juice
1 tsp key lime zest

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the graham cracker crust, minus the white chocolate. Place 1 TB of the mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup, and use the bottom of a small glass to pack the crumbs, then sprinkle about 1 1/2 tsp of the white chocolate over the graham cracker crust. Add the remaining chocolate to the reserved graham cracker mixture and set aside.
Bake the graham cracker crusts for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, vanilla extract, lime juice, and lime zest in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, ending with flour, beating until each addition is just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.
Pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each cup to about a quarter inch from the top. Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker/white chocolate mixture over each cup, concentrating around the edges (since you'll be cutting out the center for the filling). Bake the cupcakes, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the tins to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them and let cool completely.

For the lime curd:
3 large egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
pinch of salt

(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

In a small saucepan whisk together the egg yolks, egg, sugar, lime juice, and butter and cook over moderately low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7-10 minutes, making sure not to let it boil or sit long enough to curdle. Strain the curd through a fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, using a pairing knife inserted at an angle, cut out a small cone-shaped chunk, about a 1 inch circle from the top of each cupcake. Fill the hole with the lime curd, about 1 teaspoon worth. You can either replace the chunk you removed, or leave it off.

For the lime Swiss meringue buttercream:
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 TB key lime juice

(makes about 4 cups)

For the garnish:
1 tsp key lime zest
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

In the bowl for your electric mixer (or a medium heatproof bowl if you’re using a hand mixer), combine the egg whites and sugar, and place the bowl over a small pot of gently simmering water. Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Rub a little between your fingers, and if there is no hint of a grainy texture, it’s done (or when it reaches 160 degrees in temperature).
Place the bowl in your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and at high speed, beat the egg mixture until stiff peaks form. Continue beating until the eggs are fluffy and the mixture has cooled, about 5-6 minutes. Make sure the stiff peaks don’t become dry, you want them to stay glossy.
Switch to the paddle attachment and with the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter 2 TB at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next addition. If the buttercream begins in separate, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for a few minutes, until it is smooth again. Add the vanilla, salt, and lime juice, and beat until incorporated. Again, if the mixture separates or thins out too much, beat on medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy again. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat for 2 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles.
Using a pastry bag or a Ziploc with the corner cut off, frost each cupcake. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and lime zest, and lightly dust each cupcake with just a pinch of the mixture.

Help me go to bootcamp!

2010-10-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Recipe below: Earl Grey Plum Preserves Crumb Bars

Pacific Natural Foods is hosting an exciting food challenge...ok, the challenge isn't that exciting, but the prize is! An all-expenses paid two day trip to Napa to attend the Culinary Institute of America's culinary bootcamp program. Let me break down all the awesomeness I just smooshed into one sentence. Napa. A weekend in Napa. Cooking. Learning to cook. From a real culinary school! An awesome culinary school. It's the chance of a lifetime. Since money is the only thing stopping me from enrolling in culinary school tomorrow, it would be a great sneak peak into what it would be like and if it's really for me. Not to mention a weekend with a bunch of people who love food almost as much as I do.

With a prize like that, entering immediately was a no-brainer. All I had to do was post a recipe using Pacific chicken, beef, mushroom, or vegetable broth. Simple! Oh yeah, and include mushrooms in the recipe. Easy. The timing? Well that was problematic. Did I have time to run to the store, buy mushrooms and broth and other savory things and make something killer? Well no. So I did the next best thing, perused my Bananas for Bourbon recipes, and found the perfect recipe. Remember my favorite grilled mashed potatoes? Think they’re culinary bootcamp worthy? I think so!

Here's where you all come and in to help. Just go to my grilled mashed potatoes recipe on the challenge website, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click to button to vote for my recipe. It's that easy! And you can do it everyday! Tell all your friends, and maybe a few random strangers while you're at it. Think of all the stories and recipes I'd bring home to share with you all. Everyone wins!

And in return for supporting me...dessert! Beautiful, ruby red plums have been prominently displayed at the store for weeks and weeks, and I finally decided to use some in more than just my morning cereal. These earl grey plum preserves are fantastic on their own, spread on some fresh bread or spooned over greek yogurt. Baked into these buttery, crumbly bars, they are even better. The preserves thicken into a sweet, almost candy-like in texture syrup, and the citrus and tea notes keep it fresh and interesting. A beautiful pairing.

Earl Grey Plum Preserve Crumb Bars

crumb bars adapted from Smitten Kitchen
plum preserves adapted from The Kitchn

Makes 36 1 1/2”squares

For the preserves
1 1/4 lbs black or red plums*
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 TB lemon juice
1 tsp orange zest
2 TB Grand Marnier (optional)
1 cup boiling water
2 TB Earl Grey tea leaves

For the bars
3 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and very cold
1 egg
1 TB cold water, optional

To make the preserves:

Cut the plums into bite-sized pieces. I cut each plum into eighths and quartered each piece, but whatever works for you. Transfer the plums to a medium saucepan, along with the sugar, honey, lemon juice, orange zest, and Grand Marnier. Toss until the plum pieces are coated, then set it aside.
Combine the boiling water and tea leaves in a small bowl and steep the mixture for 15 minutes. Strain the leaves out through a fine mesh strainer. Place the brewed tea in a small saucepan, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half (~1/2 cup).
Pour the concentrated tea into the saucepan with the plums. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let it simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until the plums have broken down and the mixture has thickened. Let the preserves cool for about 30 minutes, then move them to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to fully cool and thicken.

Note: You want the preserves a little on the thin side, or what you would consider thin if you were going to spread some on a slice of bread. Remember they’ll thicken up more when you bake them into the bars.

To make the bars:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9x9” baking dish with baking spray.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the lemon and orange zests. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your finger tips, cut the cold butter into the flour until the butter and flour are worked into pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the egg to get a crumbly dough. If the dough feels a little too dry and isn’t forming very large crumbs, add the water. I didn’t do this and I wish I had.
Press 1/2 to 2/3 of the dough into your prepared baking pan, depending on the bar-base to crumbly-top ratio you prefer. I used almost 2/3 because I wanted a more substantial shortbread base. Pour the chilled preserves over the dough, using a spatula to gently spread them to an even layer. Crumble the remaining dough over the preserves and very gently press them into the preserves.
Bake the bars for 45 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown. Let it cool completely in the pan so everything sets up properly, about an hour. When cooled, cut the bars, using a sharp knife, into 1 1/2” squares.

*Don’t worry about buying exactly 1 1/4 lbs of plums, just make sure it’s on the heavy side of 1 lb. The pits take up a bit of the weight and I wanted a hair more plum when I bought just 1 lb.

Vidalia Onion Fig Broccoli Slaw

2010-10-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

We have a winner, folks. I’m very happy to report the winner of the CSN Stores giveaway is none other than......drum roll please.......

Geri!

Congrats, Geri! No one deserves it more. A more committed and caring doggy mama you will never meet. Of course, it was still all chance. See?

A big thanks to everyone who participated!

Well no surprise here, you all are ready for fall. Fragrant pumpkin breads, hearty squash soups, slow oven-braised meats, and the like. I've just got a few more end of summer recipes to share with you first. How lame am I? Torturing you with such deliciousness, it’s unconscionable, I know. But you know what? Sure, we’re all in a big rush to eat the fruits of fall, but San Diego is just not ready to let summer go. While enduring triple-freaking-digit temperatures this week, I was glad to have a nice cooling slaw in the fridge. Right next to my even coolingier beer. Naturally. So you East Coasters who are dealing with torrential downpours and beautiful foliage, well, you’ll just have to wait.

This broccoli slaw is pretty straight forward. It was actually one of those happy accidents. You know, when you buy broccoli at the store because it’s on sale and you love it in just about everything, and when you go to make something with it, you just kind of throw something together, whatever sounds good? Yeah, one of those happy accidents. I had some of that lovely vidalia onion fig sauce leftover from my awesomely delicious glazed pork, and turned it into a vinaigrette for the slaw. Good and gussied up with dried cranberries and toasted pecans, this slaw turned out better than anything I imagined when I first brought home that broccoli from the store. Don’t you love it when that happens?

I’m sure it will come as a shock to no one who reads this blog with regularity that I usually opt for a vinegar/oil-based dressing for slaws rather than drowning them in gobs of the devil’s condiment. Who needs fat when you've got flavor? And this one had some great flavor. The fig sauce really came through when mixed with the oil, vinegar, and lemon juice to make a nice, cohesive dressing. The sauce added all the complexity needed. No garlic, shallots, or any other finicky vegetable cutting or obscure spice procurement necessary! I’m very dressing-shy and will under-dress a salad or slaw to a fault, so feel free to double the recipe if you think you need more. Just remember you can’t remove it once you add it! Alternately, my slaws tend to be quite large in volume, so you could also cut that recipe in half very easily too. But then you won’t have as many leftovers. And trust me, you're going to want leftovers.

Vidalia Onion Fig Broccoli Slaw

Makes about 6 cups, or about 12 servings

1 1/2 lbs broccoli
5 medium carrots
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

For the dressing:
2 TB fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 TB sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
pinch of salt
pinch of ground black pepper
1/4 cup Stonewall Kitchens Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce
1/2 cup olive oil

Using a food processor fitted with the grater blade, shred the broccoli and carrots. [If you don’t have a food processor (you poor thing!), a box grater will work, though is a bit more labor intensive.] Combine the shredded broccoli and carrots with the cranberries and pecans in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, vidalia onion fig sauce, and olive oil. Whisk vigorously until the ingredients are emulsified (i.e. the oil and vinegar are combined into a cohesive liquid). Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss until everything is well-coated.

Vidalia Onion Fig Glazed Grilled Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions and Polenta

2010-09-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Remember my last giveaway? It was just last month, actually. Apparently it was such a success that a representative of CSN stores contacted me again, asking if I’d like to do another one. Naturally, I said I would love to! I mean, do you all have a problem with me trying to hook you up with free money to an online store that sells everything from cookware to cheap bedroom furniture? No, I thought not. And if you do...well you can just skip to the recipe at the bottom. Away with you!

So just like last time, one lucky winner will be awarded a one-time-use $35 gift certificate, good at any of CSN’s 200+ online stores. To enter leave a comment on this post telling me whether you’re scrounging for every last late summer recipe you can find, or if you’re over it and ready for fall. Please make sure you provide an email address if there isn’t one linked to your profile.

For additional entries, do one or all of the following, then come back and leave a separate comment for each, letting me know the deed is done.

Become a fan of (“Like”) Bananas for Bourbon on Facebook, and if you already are, just say so!
Subscribe to my blog via an RSS feed (just click that “Follow” button in the toolbar on the right), and if you already do, just say so!
Post a link to this giveaway on your blog, and let me know about it.

The rules: open to US and Canada residents only, as that is where CSN store's products ship. The giveaway closes on Thursday, September 30th at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be selected by a random number generator and announced (and contacted!) sometime on Friday.

And by a total coincidence, just like the last giveaway was paired with a Stonewall Kitchen sauce recipe, it just happens that today’s recipe is also courtesy of my very giving friend who sent me that awesome care package all those weeks ago. The sauce I was most excited to try was the Vidalia Onion Fig sauce. I have a thing for figs, see. Can a fruit be meaty? I think figs kinda are. The minute I saw it, I thought of doing a glaze on a pork loin. Don’t ask me why. Then I thought caramelized onions would go awesome with pork glazed with an onion sauce. Then I thought it would all sit beautifully atop a soft, creamy bed of polenta. Then my mouth watered and I made it. A few weeks later...but nevermind that.

Let’s talk about the pork. First off, I brined it. Have you ever brined pork? Have you ever brined chicken? Maybe a turkey for Thanksgiving? It’s truly amazing what it does for the flavor and texture of meat and poultry. If you’re not hip to the lingo, brining is when you soak your meat in salt water for several hours before you cook it, which helps prevent it from drying out during cooking, so you end up with moist, tender deliciousness (Wikipedia explains it far better than I can). Brining is not the time to be timid with salt. You want a saturated solution, so it uses a lot. But don’t worry, you’ll rinse it off after the soak, so it won’t make your finished dish taste like the sea. Promise. Since I was grilling a rather large and lean piece of pork, a brine was the right way to go. For a more delicate cut of meat, like tenderloin, I wouldn’t say brining would be necessary, but I’m sure it would be delicious just the same. I chose to grill because I wanted a nice caramelized crust on the outside (I’m sure oven roasting would be tasty as well for the colder months), and I’m glad I did because, man oh man, was this pork ever delicious. Juicy, tender, and sweet thanks to the vidalia onion fig sauce.

I love to pair meat with caramelized onions. Their soft texture and sweet, mellowed onion flavor just go so nicely. I actually was experiencing some recipe-writing-block when trying to type this out, so I sent it to my ~~editor~~ sister for some tips. She came back with enough to help unstick my brain (thanks, Sheesh!), but also questioned the total cook time - “Did I read that right, that you cook the onions for 45 minutes? That seems crazy long. If that's right, you might want to say, ‘Yes, you read that right. 45 mins.’" I said something along the lines of, “OMG, seriously?! You’ve never caramelized onions!? They are so flipping tasty!” Then later that day I told Husband about it and he said something along the lines of, “Really? But they’re so flipping tasty!”, and I said, “I know, right!?” Sure, they’re a pain because they take so long, but they’re actually pretty easy and hands off. Just stir every few minutes, then forget about them. It’s just the clock that makes them problematic, but it’s a sound investment because caramelized onions make everything taste better. Ok, not chocolate cake. Savory things? Totally.

With the polenta, I thought the flavors came together so well. Everything had a sweet element to it, but surprisingly, I didn’t find it too sweet at all. Well the sauce was too sweet on it’s own, just like the ginger wasabi sauce (sugar was again the first ingredient), but with a dab on a piece of pork with the onions and polenta? Yum. It added a kick of flavor that was needed, and intended, and the onion flavor really came through. Next time I might try mixing some fresh thyme into the polenta or with the onions, but I was totally out of fresh herbs. There are definitely ways to make this dish your own, but I thought my version was a winner.

Guess that’s two sauces down, and two to go! Stay tuned!

Vidalia Onion Fig Glazed Grilled Pork Loin

Makes about 8 servings

For the brine:
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup honey
10 black peppercorns
1 TB dried rosemary
2 TB onion powder
1 bay leaf
~3 cups water
2lb pork loin

For the rub:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder

For the glaze:
1/2 cup Stonewall Kitchen Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce (plus more for the final dish)

To brine the pork:

In a gallon-sized ziplock bag, combine the salt and honey with about 3 cups of water. Scrunch the bag to agitate the water and dissolve the salt. Add the peppercorns, rosemary, onion powder, and bay leaf. Add the pork loin and enough water until it is fully submerged in the brine. Let the pork brine for at least 8 hours, overnight is even better.

Note: Don’t trim the layer of fat off the pork yet. You’re going to be using it later.

To grill the pork:

A little before you plan to grill it, remove the pork from the brine and give it a good rinse to get the excess salt off. Pat it dry with paper towels and let it air dry for a few minutes.
Cut the fat layer off the top of the loin, doing your best to keep it in one big piece. Set it aside. Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and rub it over the pork until it is evenly coated. Using butcher’s twine, tie the fat layer back onto the pork. This will keep it moist and add flavor while it cooks. But if it grosses you out or is too finicky for you, just skip that part.
With the grill heated to medium-low, place the pork on the grill, fat-side down, and cover. After 3-5 minutes, turn the pork over and grill for another 3-5 minutes. Cut the butcher’s twine, and remove and discard the fat layer. Turn the pork over again so the side that was covered with fat can get some good grill marks, another 3 minutes or so. Now is the time to glaze. Brush the onion fig sauce generously over the pork and continue to grill, flipping every few minutes. I did a second coating of glaze once the first coat did a turn over the flames, but that’s optional.
When the glaze is caramelized and the pork has reached an internal temperature of about about 140 degrees (this will vary based on the size your particular cut of loin), about 15-20 minutes, remove it from the grill and let it rest, covered loosely with some aluminum foil, for about 10 minutes.

Note: If you don’t have this fig sauce, fear not! There are plenty of other options. You could mix some fig jam, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. If you don’t like figs, how about blackberry? Or a cranberry compote? You just need something a bit sweet (preferably with a hint of savory) that is going to bring a lot of flavor.

Caramelized Onions

Makes about 2 cups

4 medium yellow onions, sliced into 1/4 inch wide half moons
1 TB olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 TB Marsala wine

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and salt. When the onions have given off their water but before they begin to brown, turn the heat down to medium-low (or all the way to low if it’s a hot burner). You want to make sure the onions are cooking, but not browning, so you may want to play around with the flame a bit to ensure they aren’t cooking too hot or too cold, and you’ll want to stir them up occasionally. The slow cooking will allow all the water to cook away and the sugars to caramelize until they are sweet and delicious.
After about 45 minutes, (Yes, you read right. You can’t rush perfection!) the onions should be well caramelized. They’ll be considerably shrunken because all the water will have cooked out, and they’ll be golden brown to dark brown in color. Add the balsamic vinegar and Marsala wine and cook for another minute, just until they are incorporated.

Creamy Polenta

Makes about 6 cups

4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups polenta
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. While stirring constantly, very slowly sprinkle in the polenta. The slower you add, supposedly, the creamier it will be. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the polenta is thickened and the water is fully absorbed.
Add the cream, wine, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until everything is incorporated.
Add the cheeses, stirring until they are fully melted. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

To assemble this dinner of deliciousness, spoon an appropriate amount of polenta on your plate. Top the polenta with a helping of caramelized onions, and then a few slices of pork. Pour an additional dab of the vidalia onion fig sauce over the pork and enjoy!

Grilled Corn Pesto

2010-09-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss. I totally forgot all about this recipe until I was rifling through my “food pictures” folder and saw this right next to my grilled corn chowder folder - it’s alphabetized, ya know. Oh snap! How could I have forgotten such deliciousness? I was unconscionable of me, really. But the remedy is easy - sharing the recipe with you! Right now. Forthwith.

And by forthwith, I mean after I’m done talking my head off about it. Terse I am not, people.

I made this a few weeks ago when corn was on super sale at the store. Actually, I thought it was a super sale at the time, but I found out my naivety the next week when I was all corned out and it was even cheaper. The same thing happened to me last week with peaches. Don’t you hate that? Anyway, I had come across a pasta dish in the course of my interweb travels that was topped with a fresh corn pesto, which used corn instead of the more traditional greenery of basil or spinach. Intrigued, and laden with several ears of corn, I decided to do my own spin.

First off, I grilled the corn. Of course I did. Remember when I said that I’ll never cook corn another way? Ok, I don’t think I ever actually put it in those terms, but I figured the sweet, caramelized flavors of grilled corn would add a great flavor to the pesto. I was right - it was amazing. I’m too modest, I know. Other than the corn, this is a pretty traditional pesto. Or at least, traditional for me. I don’t usually have pine nuts in the pantry, so I like to use almonds. The silky, mellow nut flavor from the almonds went really well with the corn. All ground up, it’s like velvet. That’s a taste, right? I had a handful of basil thanks to an awesome friend who had sent me home with some from her garden the day before, so I threw it in. Along with the parsley, it did a great job of brightening the sauce with some needed herbaciousness, but the lesser amount kept it as a complimentary background flavor. The corn was the star of this pesto. It was creamy, sweet, and tasted distinctly of summer. Definitely a winner!

I know pasta is the traditional means of delivering sauces, like pesto, to your mouth. But corn is a very starchy vegetable*, and, well I admit it, I am totally neurotic about eating too many carbs. It has absolutely nothing to do with any kind of moronic low-carb diet. I just know my body, and super starchy meals result in a very unhappy Julie, hungry with low blood-sugar. It’s pretty much the worst thing ever because I love carbs. It’s pretty much all I ate for the first, um, 27 years of my life...or so. Sometimes feeling your best means sacrificing your wants for your needs. Also? I needed a vegetable for this particular meal. So I shredded up some zucchini (using my handy-dandy Cuisinart food processor with the shredding blade. (I’ve been using that shredding blade all summer to make all kinds of slaws. Yum! (I’m not trying to plug Cuisinart, but last week a friend asked what food processor I use, so I figured I’d share. (She’s getting married. Congrats! (I think all people getting married should register for a food processor. You might not use it right off that bat, but one day you’ll need it, and the love affair will begin...)))))**, and tossed it with the pesto to make a delightful side. Somewhere Husband is laughing at my use of the word “side,” saying that, in terms of proportions, vegetables are always my main. And he’s right, but nevermind that. I think the punch of flavor from the pesto and the fresh, crisp texture from the zucchini was a great combination, but of course, there are a million ways to have fun with how you eat this. Grilled corn pesto pizza? That’s a salivating idea, indeed! Want to go a healthier route, but not tickled by the idea of zucchini? Try roasted spaghetti squash. You’ll still get that fresh bite (even though it’s fully cooked, spaghetti squash, amazingly, still manages to maintain a crispness to it), but with a bit of a milder flavor. You could also serve it directly over some meat. Since you're grilling anyway, maybe a few slices of grilled steak? Heck, I went ahead and ate a few spoonfuls right out of the bowl. So, you know, that’s always an option too.

However you choose to eat this pesto, I highly recommend you make it. It’s sweet, it’s silky, and it tastes like summer. In hindsight, I wish I had captured a shot of the sauce by itself. But after spending hours thinking about the recipe, buying the ingredients, and putting it all together, I just wanted to eat it. Can you blame me?

How would you serve this? I’m always looking for ideas.

*You know that Manwich commercial where the kid is dressed up like a Manwich for a school play and some kid in a corn costume chides her, saying she’s supposed to be a vegetable? I always yell at that kid that I don’t count him as a vegetable either. And really, that commercial is just a bunch of BS. When a food company tells you their product “counts” as a serving of something healthy, don’t buy it.
**You counted my parentheses to make sure I closed them all off, didn’t you? Admit it.

Grilled Corn Pesto

makes about 3 cups

4 ears of grilled corn (see instructions below)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
3 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 TB)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of olive oil, or more for desired taste and consistency

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, minus the olive oil. When the ingredients are well blended, with the food processor running, stream in the olive oil until a thinned out sauce forms. Add enough olive oil until your desired consistency is reached. Serve over pasta, meat, or shredded vegetables.

Note: You can toast almonds in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes or in a dry pan over low heat. Just until you can smell their oils releasing. I use my toaster oven. It’s fastest.

Grilled Corn (cut and pasted from this post)

Over medium heat, place the corn (in their husks!) on the grill, directly over the flames. Turn the corn every 2-3 minutes, when the husks begin to blacken. The silk or ends of the husks might catch fire as they dry out. I think this adds an amazing smoky flavor to the corn, but if you’re scared (chicken!), just make sure to trim those bits off before you put them on the grill. [Practice proper safety! Always use long tongs when handling the corn, and keep your digits away from the flame.]
When the husks are good and charred and the kernels are mostly cooked, remove the corn from the grill and place it in a pan or bowl you have standing by until it cools down a bit. Carefully peel back and remove the husks, watching out for any trapped hot steam. Place the naked ears (teehee!) back on the grill and turn every 1-2 minutes, or until as many kernels as possible have browned and caramelized. Brown = sweet flavor!
Remove the corn from the grill, and when it is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob. Scrape the back of your knife along the cob to really get all the creamy corn bits out of there.

Cinnamon Spiked Blueberry Icebox Pie

2010-09-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said you should buy up every clamshell of blueberries you can still find at the store? Well that’s partly because I have another blueberry pie up my sleeve. What a minx I am! But this pie couldn’t be more different than my previous azure berry exploit. That blueberry pie was a traditional pie. The kind of pie that comes to mind at the mention of pie. The kind with a tender, buttery crust and a warm, ooey gooey center. The kind that bakes forever in the oven and then cools mercilessly on the counter all afternoon. This blueberry pie is not that kind of pie. This is an icebox pie. Totally different! Ever had an icebox pie? I hadn’t until I made this one. I think I may need a do-over of the last 28 years, just so I can work this pie into my childhood food memories. When I was 5 - barbecue beef (it was my favorite kind of chicken!) and icebox pie. When I was 10 - blueberry pancakes and icebox pie (sounds like quite a combo to me!). When I was 16 - macaroni salad and icebox pie. Annual Mother's Day picnic - Everett and Jones BBQ and icebox pie (*drool!*).

But what is it?

It’s a chilled pie (a correlation I'm sure you made on your own) with a graham cracker crust, a thick fruit jam filling, and a whipped cream topping. It’s a pie for those hot summer days when you don’t want your oven on for an hour. It’s a pie for when you’re craving something sweet and creamy, yet light and cool. It’s a pie for you, right now. Promise.

It all started a few weeks ago. I had an odd craving for graham crackers - odd because I don’t really ever eat graham crackers. Apart from this pie, the cheesecake squares, and the ‘smores in Reno, I haven’t eaten a graham cracker since I was maybe 14. No joke. (I used to think they ruined the 'smore. The idiocy of youth, right?) So when I saw graham crackers on sale that very week, I picked up a box. Why not, right? Then, the very next week, a giant 18oz container of blueberries was on sale for $2! Why,those little buggers hopped into my cart of their own accord. They know a good home when they see one. So there I was, craving graham crackers and mulling over blueberry recipes, and it just clicked. I searched around my Google reader for recipes, landed on a strawberry icebox pie I could modify for my own devilish purposes, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, let me tell you about this icebox pie. Because you know I gave it the Julie touch. I spiked it of course! I just love the combination of cinnamon and blueberry, so I gave the Goldschlager a second try, and I think it came through much more prominently this time. I used it in the crust and the whipped cream topping, and the cinnamon liqueur flavor that added that hint of something extra I looking for was definitely present. The blueberry jam filling for the pie also turned out great. I let half the blueberries break down into a syrup, and I left out the other half until the very end so they would stay intact. That way it felt like you were still eating a blueberry pie and not a blueberry syrup pie. I wanted some identifiable berry. And I needn’t mention yet again how well brandy goes with berries in baked goods. If you’ve tried it, you know. I kept the sugar in this recipe pretty low because I prefer to let the flavor of the fruit come through, and there’s enough sweetness that comes from the graham crackers (especially sugar-leaden store-bought ones), but you could always add more if you've got a sweet tooth.

Overall, this pie was amazingly good, satisfying my craving and then some! Don't you love it when you make something on a whim and it turns out far better than you expected? It makes it all that much more satisfying, I think. The crust has that sweet, kind of comforting taste you get from graham crackers, the filling is really just a jam, but a jam you might eat straight out of the jar because it’s so tasty. It's light and summery, yet with the cinnamon and graham cracker crust, almost homey and comforting. (As good desserts should be. Or maybe I’m just comforted by weird things...) The whipped cream topping just turns everything to silk in your mouth, brings it all together. It's definitely the star, and I’m not even a whipped cream kind of person. I think doctoring it up made all the difference. I also really like the proportions of the three components in this recipe. The crust to filling to topping ratio is right on.

Yes, the pie is good. But really, it's dangerously good. I couldn’t stop eating it! I kid you not, I ate a third of this pie in one night. In my defense, it is a bit of a vertically challenged dessert. But it's also a baked good of mass waistline destruction, people! Make at your own risk!

But really, make it. It's yummy.

Cinnamon Spiked Blueberry Icebox Pie

adapted heavily from Shutterbean

For the crust:
10 graham crackers (standard 2 1/2 by 5 inches)
2 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
5 TB melted unsalted butter
2 TB Goldschlager

For the filling:
18oz fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 1/2 oranges)
3 TB cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brandy

For the topping:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB powdered sugar
1 TB Goldshlager
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, cinnamon, and sugar together until they are reduced to fine crumbs. With the machine running, stream in the melted butter and Goldschlager and process until the crumbs are moistened.
Press the crumb mixture into a 9” pie plate in an even layer. Bake the crust for 12-14 minutes until it is golden brown and when you poke it with your finger, it feels like a crust, rather than moistened crumbs. Let the crust cool completely.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and half of the blueberries, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let the berries cook until they have started to break down and form a thickened syrup, about 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and brandy until the cornstarch is fully incorporated. Stir this slurry into the blueberry mixture, and continue to simmer for a few more minutes, until it has thickened to the consistency of a jam. Stir in the rest of the blueberries, reserving a small handful for garnishing the top of the pie. Remove the blueberry mixture from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
Pour the blueberry mixture into the cooled pie crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To finish the pie, pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer set with the whisk attachment and beat on high until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, Goldschlager, and vanilla, and continue to beat on high until soft peaks form again. Be careful not to overbeat!
Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled pie and sprinkle with cinnamon and the reserved blueberries.

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

2010-09-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my lack of posting last week. Took the husband and furkid up to Reno for a visit with the family and I was just having far too much fun to talk to you. The highlight? There was 'smores making by the firepit in my parents' backyard on a gorgeous, crystal clear night. There was getting smashed together on cocktails and wine and then stumbling around the neighborhood, attempting to take my dog for a walk. But the real highlight was definitely getting to hang with my 10 month old nephew, who is the perfect package of happy, hilarious, and adorable. The kid has what my sister calls "his badass face" for goodness sakes! It's badass.

Another highlight was a second go at Husband's Ultimate Birthday Cake. You may recall I made this for Husband's birthday a few months ago with much success. Too much success! Husband had been bugging me to make it for him ever since, and this trip finally seemed like a good time to do it. Something about having 4 other people in the house to help eat it quickly was certainly appealing. This was actually the first time I've followed one of my own recipes. Sure, I've written stuff down as I go, jotted down quick instructions to myself, or modified and adapted other people's recipes, but hearing my own voice come through as I followed this recipe step by step was kind of surreal. And kind of awesome! I kept thinking, "I know exactly what I mean!"

And having made this cake twice now, I can safely boast that it is awesome!!! Seriously. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but both my sister and my dad declared their disdain of the chocolate/raspberry flavor combination before trying this cake. [*GASP!* Blasphemy! Chocolate and raspberry are the ultimate! ULTIMATE! Ok, only my dad expressed disdain. My sister merely said she had never tried a chocolate raspberry dessert to her liking before. My sister - always the diplomat.] After they each tried a piece, however, it was a whole other matter. There was lots of raving. And not polite raving. Adamant, genuine, "I'm a believer!!!" raving. They both said the flavors were perfectly balanced - not too sweet, not too tart. And my mom, who was of the opinion that no cake could be worth that much effort, decided that this cake was worth that much effort, as long as someone else was making it. Anyone know the onomatopoeia for a head inflating? *Wooshooop!* Because that's what's happening right now. I just love cooking for my family. Part of the reason I'm so neurotic about feeding other people is that I get so worried that they hate my food but they're too polite to say so, so I just tend to assume no one liked anything and I was just this crazy food-pusher they couldn't get away from. But family is different. You can tell when they're lying. Mwhahaha!

And one more highlight - my discovery of pumpkin seed oil! Have you ever heard of it? Apparently it's common in Europe, and there's a European market in Reno where my mom can buy it. I'm, of course, kicking myself for not getting to that market to get my own bottle because it is some seriously nommy stuff. For dinner one night my mom grilled some veggies simply tossed with a little olive and pumpkin seed oils, then threw it all together with some brown rice and shrimp. I figured it would be tasty, but the pumpkin seed oil hit this meal out of the park. It was that secret ingredient that made all the flavors come together perfectly. Yum! Mom, if you are reading this, please bring me a bottle next time you visit!

But enough about cake and plant oils. I'm here to talk about pie. I've been sitting on this recipe far longer than I wanted to. It's still blueberry season, right? Well I highly suggest you run out and buy every last clamshell of blueberries you can find because this pie is worth it. I know, rhubarb usually goes with strawberries, in fact strawberry rhubarb is Husband's favorite pie, but one bite of this baby had him saying "Strawberry who?" No joke.

Pie crust. Let's hash it out and get it out of the way. Tender vs. flaky. Shortening vs. butter. Everyone has their own pie crusts tastes. Some people like all of one or another, some people have different ratios of both. I have by no means baked pie crusts extensively enough to give a definitive opinion on the matter, but I will say that of the crusts I've made so far, I am in the all butter camp. First, shortening doesn't taste like anything. People use it because it makes for a flakier crust. But here's the thing. I find butter crusts plenty flaky, and I actually prefer the more tender texture all butter crusts have. Not to mention their amazingly buttery flavor. You just have to incorporate the butter the right way, and maybe have a trick or two up your sleeve. Like booze! Have you heard of using vodka in pie dough? It's wet enough to bring the dough together, but it doesn't gum up the flour like water does. But vodka has no flavor, so I decided to try Goldshlager instead. I thought the cinnamon liqueur might infuse a little extra flavor into the dough. While it succeeded in keeping my dough light, I didn't get a lot of cinnamon flavor, so next time I might just stick with vodka. I'm on a budget, after all, and they unfortunately don't sell Goldschlager at Costco. The most important thing with a good pie dough is making sure everything is cold. I actually stuck the butter in the freezer until it was just frozen, which worked perfectly. I like to work the dough with my hands, but that always warms the butter too much. This way the frozen butter actually needed the heat from my finger tips to become workable.

To the novices out there who are completely intimidated at the thought of making pie: you can totally do this. Pie crust can be a pain, and if you want it perfect, you do have to be somewhat of an artist, but I maintain that anyone can make a decent pie crust. It'll probably be flawed, sure, but it'll be tasty, and isn't a tasty pie the real goal? Start off by reading Deb's tips for the logistics of proper pie construction at Smitten Kitchen. I always thought the hardest part was rolling it out. I remember my mom's many failed attempts to get her pie crusts from the mat to the pie plate in one piece. Turns out the secret is just lots of flour, and lots of turning. Easy!

Now the filling. I'm swooning just thinking about it. I actually set out just to make a plain blueberry pie, but when I had all the berries in the bowl, I knew it was lacking in volume. I had by chance bought some frozen rhubarb at Sprouts a few weeks ago because I was curious (also, it was on sale - impulse buy!). I had never seen frozen rhubarb before, and neither had the cashier who rang me up. She asked if it was good, and I told her I'd have to let her know. I figured, what the hell, and threw it in with the rest of the filling. I guess it was fate because this is easily the best pie I've ever made - including strawberry rhubarb! It was just the right balance of sweetness from the blueberries and that touch of sour tartness from the rhubarb. I love the sweetness of blueberries, but find a little acid to break up their flavor really brings them up a notch. And the deeper sweet flavor of the brandy brought everything together perfectly. But the real secret was the tapioca starch. All purpose flour is normally used in pies to help thicken the filling, but tapioca starch does a much better job of making a glutenous mixture. Got that trick from Alton Brown. I buy tapioca starch at the Asian market, but I'm sure it can be found at other specialty markets. If you don't have any, just use regular AP flour.

It may be an ugly pie, but it was darn delicious. When Husband and I were ready for dessert all conversation would cease while consumption was happening. Unless it was one of us chiming in to say how good the pie tasted. But usually it just came out as approving grunts and groans.

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

crust adapted from Smitten Kitchen
filling adapted from Joy the Baker

For the crust (both top and bottom):

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 TB ice cold water
Goldshlager (or vodka)

For the filling:

18oz fresh blueberries
12oz bag frozen rhubarb, thawed (or about 2 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup tapioca starch (or substitute AP flour)
zest of half a lemon (about 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of kosher salt
3 TB brandy
1 egg
1 TB milk

To make the dough:

Cut the butter into small pieces and break them apart. [I like to cut the stick lengthwise, turn it 90 degrees, and then cut it lengthwise again, so I have 4 long sticks. Then I cut regular tablespoon-size pats, so I end up with a bunch of 1/4 TB pieces.] Put the well-separated pieces into a bowl and place it in the freezer for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are just barely frozen through.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the frozen butter and gently work it into the flour with your fingertips. Since it’s frozen, you’ll have to kind of smush it out. Use your finger muscles! The butter will be incorporated enough when you have small pea-sized bits of butter left.
Add the very, very cold water and stir it into the mixture. This shouldn’t be enough moisture to bring the dough together, so add the Goldshlager 1 TB at a time until the dough will just form into a ball. Divide the dough evenly into two balls. Wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap and squish it into the shape of a round disc, like a giant hockey puck.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but overnight is okay too.

To make the pie:

In a bowl, combine the blueberries, rhubarb, sugar, tapioca starch, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and brandy. Mix until everything is incorporated and the fruit is well coated. Set aside.
Remove one hockey puck of dough from the refrigerator. On a very well floured surface, roll out the dough evenly until it is big enough to cover your pie plate, plus a 1/2 inch or so. This is best achieved by constantly turning and flipping your dough so it doesn’t stick to your surface. Don’t be afraid to add too much flour, you can’t. Transferring to the pie plate can be tricky. I like to fold the dough in half, and then in half again, and then transfer the quarter wedge to the plate and carefully unfold it. But use whatever method you like.
Gently press the dough into the plate and trim off any dough overhanging more than a 1/2 inch over the plate. Using the excess bits to fill any holes or imperfections you have. Remember, you won’t see the bottom crust, but you’ll taste any spots where there’s missing dough. Pour the blueberry mixture over the bottom crust and set aside.
Remove the second hockey puck of dough from the refrigerator, and roll it out the same way you did the first one. When it is big enough to cover the pie with at least a 1/2 inch overhang, figure out what’s going to be the center. You need to make vents in the top crust for the steam to escape. I cut a hole about the size of a shot glass in the very center, but it can be anywhere. You’ll want at least one. I also cut a few smaller holes around the edges. When the dough is properly ventilated, carefully cover the pie, and again trim any excess. Tuck the two crusts under so it is flush with the plate. Using your fingers or a fork, crimp all the way around the edge of the pie so it’s sealed. Cut a few more vents in the crust. Put the pie in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes.
While the pie chills, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and move the rack to the lower third of your oven. If you’re worried about filling bubbling over and making a mess you can put a cookie sheet under the rack to catch any drippings.
Beat the egg and milk together and brush evenly over the top of the chilled pie, making sure none of it pools.When the oven is ready, bake for 30 minutes, then knock the heat down to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. If the pie starts to get too brown before it is finished baking, cover it loosely with foil (I did this about 45 minutes in). The pie is finished baking when the crust is golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling.
Let the pie sit and fully cool before cutting into it to give the filling time to come together, at least 4 hours. Don't jump the gun, you'll regret it!

In Which I Say Naked A Lot

2010-08-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Recipe below: Grilled Corn Chowder

Well, fellow eaters, I am still on my exercise kick, so skip down past the next picture if you don’t want to read my latest soliloquy because either way, you are going to want to hear about this soup. The problem with discussing exercise is keeping it short, as there’s just so much to say! But I’ll attempt to rein myself in by keeping to one very specific topic. Equipment.

In my opinion there is only one piece of exercise equipment you absolutely need - a heart monitor. Whether you do swimming, running, walking, biking, cardio kick-boxing, or even weight lifting, the point of exercise is to get your heart rate up. That’s how you increase your fitness level. A higher heart rate means your heart is working harder to pump that blood through your system, making it stronger, and burning oodles of calories in the process. Monitoring my heart rate means I can ensure I am not over-doing or under-doing my workout (and it is so easy to do both!).

The way it works is a heart monitor comes with 2 pieces - a transmitter and a receiver. As I’ve seen them, the transmitter is a band that goes around your chest, just under the she-boob or he-boob, as the case may be (or as close to your heart as possible). It has these nifty sensors that can measure your heart rate pretty darn accurately when placed against your skin. The receiver is a wrist watch that displays your heart rate, and depending on the product you get, generally has a ton of other features. Mine has settings for my age, height, weight, and target heart rate, and uses this information in conjunction with my heart rate to display how many calories I’ve burned. And obviously, most can double as a real watch as well.

What should your target heart rate be? If you take a look at the cardio equipment at the gym, some machines will display a small graph with a descending line, comparing heart rate with age. That’s the really high level answer. The most basic formula is to subtract your age from the number 220 to give you your maximum heart rate. So as I’m 28, my maximum heart rate is 192. That means if I let my heart rate get that high, I am a moron who probably will seriously hurt myself. But don’t worry; I would probably pass out before it got that high anyway. Your target heart rate is all about the percentage of your maximum heart rate. And the percent you choose is based on how hard of a workout you’re looking for. 50-60% is a good place for beginners, and people looking for serious cardio health generally shoot for 70% or higher. I found this article to be a good, short summary of this information, and that website can be a great resource for more fitness information. Though it can be a bit intimidating, since it’s geared more to serious athletes that make me look like a lazy bum.

I’ve become so dependent on my heart monitor, I feel absolutely naked working out without it! But you might decide they’re not for you, and that’s okay too. There are other, far less accurate, but perfectly acceptable methods to give you an idea of how hard your heart is working. There’s the conversation method for one (or “talk test”). Do you ever come across a pair of women who are briskly walking and carrying on a full conversation? They are most likely not exercising in the aerobic zone. When your heart rate is in the aerobic zone, generally you can carry on light conversation, so short answers, not full sentences, and not easily. If your heart rate is too high, it’s uncomfortable to say more than one word before taking a breath. And, again, if you can carry on a full conversation without any trouble, your heart rate isn’t high enough. And of course, that's not to say that going for a light walk with some pals isn't a perfectly acceptable form of exercise. Something is always better than nothing. But don't go eat a big burger and fries for dinner right after, thinking you've "earned it." Be reasonable! Another method is the perceived effort test, which I don't fully understand. Basically, you figure, on a scale from 1-10 (or whatever scale you want), if 1 is no exertion and 10 is I'm gonna die if I don't stop, how hard do you perceive your current effort to be? I think it sounds weird and subjective, but hey, it's all about what works for you.

If you’re interested in reading more than you ever wanted to know about how heart rates are calculated, check out this article. That website is another great resource for people looking to learn more about fitness and general health.

I’ll wrap it up by quickly mentioning that heart rate monitors completely vary both in price and features. You can get fancy ones that compile data from all your workouts that you can upload to your computer and make big nerdy graphs with, or you can get basic ones that do little more than display your current heart rate and the time. Unfortunately, even the basic monitors are on the pricey side. While the higher end models will easily cost you hundreds of dollars, there are several good options out there in the $60-$100 range. So they’re doable. I use my heart monitor every time I exercise, so I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth! The one I use is a few years old now, but it’s pretty similar to this model from Polar.

Have you ever used a heart monitor and did you find it useful? Do you tend to over-work or under-work your love organ when you work out?

I meant your heart, what were you thinking of?

My greatest blog supporter sent me a message yesterday with a link to this article and mentioned it would be a good idea to make reference to some of the health benefits of the delicious, whole foods I’m always yapping on about. What a concept! You’ve probably seen the term “superfood” listed in hundreds of health articles. It’s quite the buzzword at the moment. But it’s a good buzzword! Eating a diet rich in whole foods instead of processed foods means you’re not just eating less calories and cutting out things your body doesn’t need, like preservatives, it also means you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals, and other compounds found in whole foods that are destroyed during processing. The general idea I would take from this list is that it’s important to eat a healthy variety of nuts, beans, lean proteins, and as many colorful fruits and vegetables as you can stomach. Hit up all the food groups, and don’t forget that herbs and spices come from Mother Earth too! Your well-harnessed radicals will thank you.

I will say it was a very timely message, since allllll the way at the bottom of that list is corn. And corn just so happens to be what I’m touting today! It apparently protects against UV damage. As someone as pale as a ghost and susceptible to sunburns faster than Husband can inhale a blueberry muffin, the antioxidants found in corn are for me!

[And thank you, friend, for providing me a somewhat more graceful segue into today's recipe. Trying to get from heart monitors to corn was really throwing me for a loop!]

So, it’s corn season! A fact that in past years wouldn’t have excited me in the least. I was just never a corn person. Then one day on a hot July afternoon, Husband grilled some corn, and it’s been a love affair I’ve been relishing ever since. Amazing how that grill, to borrow a phrase, makes my skirt fly up, it’nd it?

Now I’m sure most people have had grilled corn. Go to any place they’re grilling meat, and you’ll see naked ears thrown down and slathered in a ton of butter. That’s not the grilled corn I’m talking about. Oh-ho no. This grilled corn is fat-free. No joke! See, I leave the husks on. When I buy corn at the store I always see a gaggle of people standing around the corn bin, husking their corn and shoving the naked ears into plastic bags. It’s tragic! Corn deserves some dignity, people! By grilling the corn in the husk, the husk dries out over the open flame and gives off this amazing corn aroma that infuses into the kernel. Also, the corn can fully cook without burning because it cooks most of the way through in the husk, where the open flame can’t get it. Then I remove the husks and let the naked corn do its delicious caramelization thing, and voila! Perfectly cooked, sweet corn, plumped and browned kernels, and all with a totally punched up flavor.

You’ll never husk your corn at the store again. Admit it.

Since this amazing discovery - which I hate to admit is, once again, all Husband’s own genius. Darn him. - I have been grilling corn left and right. Grilled corn and edamame miso salad. Grilled corn pesto (this one is in the posting queue as well...*droooool*). And this here grilled corn chowder. I had been ogling corn chowders all summer, and with all the ingredients needed conveniently located in my kitchen, how could I say no?

This chowder was silky. It was sweet, it was spicy enough to make it interesting without making it hot, and it was creamy without being heavy. In a summer chowder it is imperative to be creamy but not heavy. Not only are soups leaden with cream, cheese, and butter generally pretty unhealthy, but they are just about the most unappetizing thing to eat on a hot summer day. So here’s my trick for getting a silky texture in a pureed soup sans dairy - roasted cauliflower. It lends a delicate sweetness that blends seamlessly with any soup, and has a thick, creamy texture that can rival cream without weighing it down. It is my secret weapon! That said, this recipe does actually have a small about of cream and milk. Quite honestly, I added them because I had tiny amounts of each in the fridge and just wanted somewhere to dump them before they spoiled. I think I would keep the milk in, but next time I would nix the cream. It was seriously not needed, and even a little too heavy for my taste. I left them in the recipe, though, because I know most people probably like creamier soups than I do. I’ve been off heavy foods for so long, I’m just uber-sensitive. Heck, you could even add more. Isn’t cooking to your liking, after all, what makes home cooking great?

I’ll also add that I used sherry in this recipe over white wine only because I was too lazy to go open a new bottle of wine when I had an open bottle of sherry sitting right next to me on the counter. All decisions are not taste inspired. I admit it openly! I also added the celery salt because I had just bought it on super clearance at the store and I wanted to try it. Yep, I’ll just air all my dirty laundry here today. But really, I think they both worked in the recipe. If you don’t have celery salt and an open bottle of white wine...well I think you know what to do. As for the rest of the herbs and spices that made this soup what it is...I used the Julie method - pull out the spice drawer in the pantry and just grab what sounds good! They did exactly what I wanted them to, which is add a complexity to the dish without overpowering the star - the corn. So many chowders just rely on the fat from the cream and the sugar from the corn to provide all the flavor. That’s boring! Punching up flavor without adding calories is what good healthy cooking is all about.

The best thing about this soup was, of course, the corn! And it was everywhere in this soup because I used every bit of it! Once I had removed the cooked kernels from the cob, I simmered the empty cobs in the broth. That's right, no weak corn flavor here! This way I was able to keep the corn kernels whole and still get the rest of the soup infused with corn flavor. This soup was sweet but not sugary, rich but not heavy, and rustic but not unsophisticated. Definitely a permanent addition to my summer soup repertoire! Take this recipe and make it your own. Just make sure you grill the corn, you won't regret it!

Grilled Corn Chowder

makes about 8 servings

4 ears of corn (in their husks!)
2 TB olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 large russet potato, diced
1 small head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp celery salt (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne (or more to taste)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cups dry sherry (or white wine)
4-5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

To grill the corn:

Over medium heat, place the corn (in their husks!) on the grill, directly over the heat. Turn the corn every 2-3 minutes, when the husks begin to blacken. The silk or ends of the husks might catch fire as they dry out. I think this adds an amazing smoky flavor to the corn, but if you’re scared (chicken!), just make sure to trim those bits off before you put them on the grill. [Practice proper safety! Always use long tongs when handling the corn, and keep your digits away from the flame.]
When the husks are good and charred and the kernels are mostly cooked, remove the corn from the grill and place it in a pan or bowl you have standing by until it cools down a bit. Carefully peel back and remove the husks, watching out for any trapped hot steam. Place the naked ears (teehee!) back on the grill and turn every 1-2 minutes, or until as many kernels as possible have browned and caramelized. Brown = sweet flavor!
Remove the corn from the grill, and when it is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob. Scrape the back of your knife along the cob to really get all the creamy corn bits out of there. Set the kernels aside, and reserve the empty cobs as well (don’t throw them away!).

To make the soup:

In a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, sauté the onion and shallots in 1 TB of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt until they are soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook another 3 minutes, until softened. Add the potato and cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining tsp of the salt, pepper, paprika, coriander, celery salt, cayenne, oregano, tarragon, and cumin, stir to coat the vegetables, and let it cook for about a minute, until the spices release their fragrant oils.
Increase the heat to high and deglaze the pot with the sherry, making sure to scrape up any flavor bits from the bottom. Bring the sherry to a simmer and let it reduce by half, about 1 cup of liquid. Add the chicken broth, and when it has come to a boil add the reserved empty corn ears. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer you let it simmer, the more flavor the soup will have. I would shoot for an hour if you have the time.
While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the chopped cauliflower in a single layer in a roasting pan, and toss with the remaining TB of olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft and starting to brown around the edges. Check on it about 10 minutes in and give it a good stir so it browns evenly.
When the soup is simmered to your satisfaction, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down a little. Remove and discard the ears of corn, and stir in the roasted cauliflower. When it is cool enough, puree the soup using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor.
Place the soup back over medium-low heat. Add the reserved corn kernels, cream, and milk. Bring the soup to a bare simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes or so, just to let all the flavors come together.
Stir in the chopped cilantro at the very end and serve.

Spiced Up Frozen Treat, and a Winner!

2010-08-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Recipe below: Cardamom Peach Buttermilk Sherbet

Let’s get right to it, shall we? We have a winner! Congratulations lmurley2000, you are the lucky winner of a $40 gift certificate, courtesy of CSN Stores! A big thanks to everyone who entered! It was fun and informative for me to read what recipes have connected most with you.

Sad you didn’t win? Don’t be! I've got something to cheer you up. Erm. Well actually, this will only cheer you up if you own an ice cream maker...or if you know someone who has one you can ~~steal~~ borrow....or if you live in San Diego and don't mind stopping by my house. Otherwise, you're totally out of luck. Bummer! And also, if you've got the funds, buy one! You will not be sorry. Trust me. My freezer hasn't been without some form of frozen treat since I got mine.

If you are the lucky owner of your very own shiny ice cream maker (or have the means to acquire one), do I ever have a treat for you - in the form of sherbet!

*crickets*

What? Sherbet doesn’t get your heart pumping? Right. Because you haven’t had this sherbet. One bite, and I guarantee the mere mention of this frozen treat will set your heart aflutter from now on. And what the heck is sherbet anyway? And what’s the difference between the names of all those mixtures you churn in an ice cream maker and enjoy frozen? Well, ~~being far too lazy to look it up~~ speaking from my ~~rear end~~ vast culinary knowledge, I can tell you that ice cream is cream based (and if you consider frozen custard also ice cream (which I do (because who responds “I do! I do!” to the question “Who wants frozen custard?!” (but frozen custard is by far the superior product, calories aside (can you still read this? (let’s see if I can properly unparenthesize myself here…)))))yaaaay), frozen yogurt is yogurt based, sherbet is milk based, and sorbet is the kind of “everything else” category but that I most associate with juice. Do I have that right?

So, if you were able to navigate that bit of mental fun, you know that sherbet is just a milk based ice cream like dessert. I know. That’s not titillating you yet. But this doesn’t just use any old milk…it uses buttermilk. Squeee!

…

Squee…? Really? Still nothing? Ok, maybe I’m alone in my complete obsession with all things buttermilk – it’s tangy in a good way and tenderizes like nobodies business – but trust me, it definitely brings something special to the sherbet party.

Originally this started out as just a good ol’ peach buttermilk sherbet. With peaches at their absolute peak right now in San Diego, this recipe practically jumped off the screen at me. I had the mixture fully processed and ready for its chill when I had an idea. The flavor was good of course – you can’t go wrong with peaches and buttermilk – but it could use a little kicking up. I need spice in my life wherever I can get it! And there’s a certain spice that I’ve found pairs beautifully with peaches – cardamom!

Yes, cardamom. That scary spice I was touting when I made zucchini bread. I said then that having this spice in your pantry would pay off, and here’s where! If you’ve never tried peaches and cardamom together, I would highly recommend you make it your life’s mission. Starting now. Peaches have this light and delicate flavor that is almost floral, and cardamom has the amazing ability to really stand out as an identifiable flavor without overpowering the more delicate flavors of, say, a peach! Move over cookies and milk, get a room peanut butter and jelly, peaches and cardamom are here!

So now when I say cardamom peach buttermilk sherbet, does that beeping heart rate monitoring machine thingy they use in tv hospital dramas start beeping a little faster? Phew! Finally! Because let me tell you, this sherbet is awesome. It's super creamy and the flavor is out of this world. The buttermilk adds a nice compliment to the peach, again, without overpowering its delicate flavor, and adds a little complexity that keeps it from being boring. I added a little cinnamon with the cardamom because I thought it rounded out the flavor nicely and didn't make the cardamom so much of a shock to the palette. And since this uses milk instead of cream, you get the bonus of a healthier dessert! Adding a little alcohol helps keep the texture soft and creamy because it doesn't freeze (at freezer temps anyway). I chose a spot of rum because that's what got my taste buds dancing at the time, but you could always swap it out for a tablespoon or two of vodka for the same effect without the flavor.

So did I do it? Did I cheer you up?

Cardamom Peach Buttermilk Sherbet

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 1 quart

4 large ripe peaches, pitted and cut to bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 TB light corn syrup

3 TB fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 cup light rum

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the peaches, sugar, and honey to a gentle simmer. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook until peaches are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Once cooled, puree the peach mixture in a food processor. You can strain the mixture at this point through a fine mesh strainer if you would like, but I wanted the solids.
Transfer the peach mixture to a medium bowl and whisk in the corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon. Add the buttermilk, milk, and rum. Cover, and refrigerate for about 4 hours (or until it is chilled under 40 degrees).
Slowly pour the sherbet mixture into your ice cream maker and churn until thickened and delicious. Transfer to an airtight container and store in your freezer.

Note: Make sure to chill the mixture to the proper temperature, or it won't churn up nice and creamy, but will instead freeze up icy. Just be patient! I actually over-churned this (as in, it churned too long and then melted back to a liquid) on my first attempt and I had to refreeze my ice cream bowl and try the whole thing again the next day! Good thing it was worth the wait!

A Goofball, a Gift, and a Giveaway!

2010-08-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Recipe below: Wasabi Ginger Soy Pulled Pork Ribs

If you read food blogs with any regularity, you’ve probably heard of CSN stores. They’re kind of like another popular online shopping website (you know, the one that started as a bookseller?) in that they sell everything...dinnerware, cookware, appliances, even fitness equipment! And one of their genius methods of marketing is sponsoring blog giveaways...can you guess where I’m going with this?

Welcome to Bananas for Bourbon’s very first giveaway! One lucky winner will be awarded a one-time-use $40 gift certificate, good at any of CSN’s 200+ online stores. Lucky ducky! I’ve entered many a giveaway for one of these puppies, but was never fortunate enough to win. So good luck!

To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Bananas for Bourbon recipe so far. Make sure you provide an email address if there isn’t one linked to your profile.

For additional entries, do one or all of the following, then come back and leave a separate comment for each, letting me know the deed is done.

Become a fan of (“Like”) Bananas for Bourbon on Facebook, and if you already are, just say so!
Subscribe to my blog via an RSS feed (just click that “Follow” button in the toolbar on the right), and if you already do, just say so!
Post a link to this giveaway on your blog, and let me know about it.

The rules: open to US and Canada residents only, as that is where CSN store's products ship. The giveaway closes on Tuesday, August 10th at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be selected by a random number generator and announced (and contacted!) sometime on Wednesday.

I was actually glad to have the opportunity to facilitate this giveaway because I feel like I won my own giveaway this week. Imagine my surprise when, completely out of the blue, I received a package on my doorstep containing this:

OMG! Whatever could be the cause of this wonderfulness? I'm not worthy! Thankfully, there was a helpful note. Turns out my most awesome friend and former college roommate could relate to my predicament of being low on funds while trying to expand my culinary horizons, and she instructed me to consider it an investment in my future food blogging adventures. I almost cried, I was so happy. If there is one thing this unemployment experience has taught me, it’s that people can be truly beautiful during times of discord. I'm not worthy! I am definitely taking this seriously, and plan to post a recipe (eventually!) for each and every time shown. If you can't read the labels, there are 4 sauces (honey barbecue, wasabi ginger, vidalia onion fig, and maple chipotle garlic) and 4 pestos (sun-dried tomato, basil, black olive, and artichoke).

Now let's take a minute to drool and make noises...

Ok, back. I've seen some Stonewall Kitchen products around a few random spots, like in winery shops and that kind of thing, and I have always drooled quite a bit over the vidalia onion fig sauce. I can't wait to try that one, and I already have something in mind... If any of these goodies sound especially delicious to you, leave me a comment with what you would would make!

I’m far from an expert when it comes to cuts of meat, seeing as how I’m still fairly new to eating meat, so I had to put on my thinking cap when I saw pork shoulder country style ribs on super sale at the store. They were large chunks of meat on the bone, obviously not like a baby back. Since pork shoulder meat always does so well in the slow cooker, I figured I would try braising them in the wasabi ginger sauce. Bones = flavor, after all! I ended up cooking them low and slow in the oven with just a portion of the sauce along with some soy sauce and other delicious flavorings. Then when the pork was falling off the bone and delicious, I shredded it up and tossed it with the rest of the wasabi ginger sauce. And since the sauce was a gift and the pork was on sale, it cost me less than $10. Take that, Melissa D'Arabian! Except not, because the sauce was a gift and the pork was on sale... But whatever!

How good was this pork? Well, Husband came home and had an entire bowl for dinner. Then he got up and attempted to refill the bowl for a second helping. I had to beat him away with ~~a stick~~ words of reason in a very scolding tone! If that’s any indication. The pork was tender and succulent, and since it cooked on the bone, it had the rich pork flavor. Yum! I was glad I waited until after the pork was cooked to toss it with the sauce, or I think it would have gotten lost during the braise. The sauce itself is pretty sweet. There are like 3 different kinds of sugar (sugar, brown sugar, and honey) listed in, I think, the first 5 or 6 ingredients, and it's not at all spicy, like I would expect something with wasabi in the name to be, but that said, it's a tasty sauce! And I am, admittedly, very sensitive to sweet things since I've been weaned from processed foods and the like. The application for the sauce, in my most humble opinion, was right on! If you felt a little acid was necessary, you could always throw in a splash if lime juice or vinegar, but I think it was balanced enough as it was.

Overall, I would call this dish a success! Next time I see those ribs on sale, they’re getting snatched up quick! Next time I want to try adding a little wasabi powder or Sriracha hot sauce to the braising liquid, just to infuse a little heat while it cooks.

The only problem with this recipe is that it results in this:

Goodbye wasabi ginger sauce! I hardly knew you! And yet, you will fill my belly with deliciousness for days to come!

So thanks, friend! Thanks for so fantastically cheering me up. I needed it. Thanks for believing in my cooking and food blogging. I'm touched. And thanks for being a good person and a great friend. You are inspiring. I hope my first recipe didn't disappoint!

Wasabi Ginger Soy Pulled Pork Ribs

Makes about 8 servings

~4 pounds pork shoulder country style ribs
1 TB ginger, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 TB mirin
1 TB rice wine vinegar
1 11 fl.oz bottle Stonewall Kitchen Wasabi Ginger Sauce, divided
8oz button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
Place the ribs in an even layer in a dutch oven or other covered oven-safe vessel. Add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and 1/4 cup of the wasabi ginger sauce, then toss until the ribs are coasted. Add the mushrooms, if using.
Cover and cook for 4-5 hours, or until the pork is tender and falling off the bone.
Transfer the mushrooms and pork to a bowl, leaving the bones behind, and shred it with a fork. Toss it with the remaining wasabi ginger sauce, and serve.

Serving suggestions: over a bed of wilted spinach or steamed bok choy, in lettuce cups, beside an Asian slaw, in soft tortillas topped with cabbage, as a slider, or whatever tickles your fancy!

What are you still doing here? Go make pulled pork! Oh, right. You want to know where the goofball mentioned in the post title comes in, eh? Well, how about this guy:

What can I say? I'm a sucker for alliteration and things in threes.

Life is Liiiiike a Batch of Cupcakes

2010-08-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Recipe below: Strawberry Margarita Surprise Cupcakes

A healthy diet is all about balance. I’m a firm believer in working all the things you love into your life. Let’s be realistic. If you deny yourself something you truly love, how long are you going to be able to do it? And how happy are you going to be? And if you’re unhappy, what’s the point? Better to just figure out a way to work it in and be done with it. We’re not looking for temporary crash dieting here!

If we lived in a perfect world and could eat whatever we wanted with no repercussions, what foods would you ecstatically chow down on that you wouldn’t in this cruel, real world we live in? Me? It’s dessert! Ok technically, that’s not so much a food as a course, but how can you narrow down dessert? It’s one thing to justify high calorie foods that are also high in nutrients, but as much as I love them, desserts tend to be empty calories of processed flour and sugar. But I don’t care! I love to bake, and I love sweets after dinner. So I just find a way to work it in.

A friend asked me, after I told her about these cupcakes I’m about to drone on and on about, how I’m able to eat such things and stay so skinny. I told her I exercise a lot. And I do. But don’t just dismiss it! Getting fit really does just boil down to calories in and calories out. That’s boring, I know, but it’s true. Does that mean you have to meticulously count each calorie you eat and painstakingly track each calorie you burn everyday? Heck no! I mean, you can...but, ick! It’s all about finding what works for you. What’s really important is having a general understanding of what’s going in, and what’s ~~coming out~~ burning off. Some people like keeping a food journal. As much as I love documenting what I eat (via this here bloggy blog), I hate keeping a food journal. Go figure! There are websites to track and calculate exact calories in your meals, but that’s another post. The main idea is to have an idea of how many calories you’re consuming each day. I’m just talking in the general sense, here. Like, you ate a 1/2lb hamburger topped with a hot link and a side of fries vs. you ate a salad with grilled chicken on top. But all that is another post because today I want to talk about exercise.

Anyone still here? Oh, I think I see someone in the back! You’ll be so glad you stayed.

A lot of us, including myself until very recently, have forgotten how important it is to move around! With everything at our fingertips, we’re lifeless blobs! Convenience is on its way to being a sin, and I’ve already embraced gluttony, so it’s off the table because I think we're only allowed one. Of course, one woman’s sin is another woman’s motivation! See, I love to eat. I don’t just love food (and oh do I ever love food...), I love the act of eating. I chew ridiculous amounts of gum between meals, just to keep my mouth busy...

[insert dirty joke here]

And since I love to eat ever so much, if I want to keep my trim figure up, I’ve got to run, run, run! The hardest part about starting an exercise routine is that starting part. The key here is routine, as in something you do more than once, regularly even! It's easy to try something once or twice, but really sticking with a regular exercise program is by far the hardest part about getting in shape, I think. The good news is, once you commit and keep it up, it becomes a part of your life, and thus, it becomes easier. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you’re moving around. Though it does make sense to pick an activity you actually enjoy. Now don’t cop out on me people! I will maintain that anyone can find some activity they can do regularly they don’t completely hate. If you belong to a gym you never go to, chances are the gym maybe isn’t your thing. Try saving some money and finding other modes of movement! I didn’t know until I tried that I actually just preferred walking (and eventually running) around my neighborhood. Have a Wii? Try one of the many fitness games they have (and email me if you want some reviews). Try hiking somewhere scenic in your area, or a lake or forest or the beach! There’s always sports like tennis, basketball, or soccer, but since they require a friend, it’s best to find a lone activity for the everyday. The point is, move around, and do it several times a week. You don’t have to devote hours and hours to every workout. My motto is something is better than nothing. I know everybody’s daily lives are hectic and...well...packed! It’s hard to imagine working more into your day, but trust me, it's all about baby steps. Once you work in 10 minutes, before you know it, you’ll find yourself extending it to 15. That’s how I started and look at me now! I learned to make exercising a priority in my routine and just...worked it in! A little bit at a time.

And just one more quick rant: don't cop out on yourself! Don't be one of those people that tries exercising once, doesn't see results, and then gives up. It takes time, and you know it. Don't be one of those people that chooses an activity that doesn't raise their heart rate above what it would take to get off the couch and go to the bathroom. Exercising burns calories because your heart rate is raised. Higher heart rate = more calories burned. And this isn't really wrong, I just think it's silly: don't drive the two blocks to the gym (a ten minute walk, tops), and then walk on a treadmill once you get there! There are a thousand and one excuses to not work out, and all they do is help you justify skipping something you aren't excited to do. In the end, it's just a cop out. Save the excuses. You're in charge of yourself, and it's far better to just be honest with yourself. If you don't want to exercise, then don't! But no cake for you!

Ok, enough about exercise. Let’s talk dessert! I know they’re disgustingly trendy right now, but I’m kind of into cupcakes lately. They’re just so pleasantly pre-proportioned! And cake is so fluffy and sweet! And frosting! I love frosting. I could eat it by the spoonful. And when I say "could", I of course mean I totally have. When I fill a pastry bag with frosting, I’m tempted to just squeeze it right into my gullet. Just tempted, haven't actually done that one...yet. And by pastry bag, I mean a ziplock with the bottom corner cut off. We're fancy at Chez Julie.

And now that my latest deep, dark secrets are out in the open, let’s talk about these cupcakes! They were awesome! The cake was light and fluffy, moist and delicious. It’s the buttermilk. Buttermilk does magical things with baked goods. And full of fruit! You’ll notice from the picture below that my strawberries sank to the bottom, which doesn’t so much matter to the overall flavor, but doesn’t make for such a pretty pic. It’s all about presentation! But fear not, I have a trick! By tossing the strawberries with a little flour, the theory is they stay properly suspended. I had to guess at how much flour to use, since obviously I'm coming up with it after the fact, so more flour might be necessary. I've heard about this trick many times in the past, but I've never tried it, so you'll be like my guinea pigs! Naw, it'll work. If you're worried, you could always puree the strawberries first and just fold them into the batter, but I liked the burst of fresh berry goodness.

Mere cupcakes with frosting are not enough to fully excite me. Oh no. Not anymore. I need to fill them. Because really, these are margarita cupcakes. Sure, there’s lime in the cupcakes, and lime in the frosting, but it’s just a hint. My cupcakes need that sour bite! My lime needs to shine! By filling the center with lime curd, it gives the cupcakes a bright burst of citrus flavor. Delicious flavor! I love filling cupcakes. It’s a great way to sneak in another layer of flavor, and you never see it coming! It's a surprise inside every cupcake. They should change the saying to "Life is liiiiike a batch of cupcakes..." See, those crazy post titles explain themselves eventually.

And who doesn’t love lime curd? Ok, probably plenty of people...but they don't exist to me. Ever made your own citrus curd? It sounds intimidating, doesn't it? It’s actually super easy to make, as long as you keep one thing in mind: don’t leave the stove! It’s easy, but it’s also kind of a pain, unless you want scrambled eggs. But it’s only for a little while, and it only requires you to stir. Buck up and push through!

[Full disclosure: tequila doesn't come through very strong in baked goods. In future batches, I'm still going to use it, and I still liked it in there. Just don't expect a punch in the face like you can get with a stronger alcohol, like bourbon. And if you're really in need of booze with only a little tequila left in the pantry, maybe just leave it out and drink a shot instead.]

This was my first time attempting swiss meringue buttercream, and not only was it a resounding success, it made a believer out of me. It’s light as a cloud and oh so delicate! The strawberry jam adds a refreshing flavor, and it’s nice and light to go with the texture. And delicate. Just note these cupcakes don’t keep quite as well as a regular buttercream because the meringue hardens a bit in the fridge. But they still stay tasty! And delicate! And light! It's like the strawberry frosting flavor is delivered to your mouth and you just have no idea how it got there.

These cupcakes really came together beautifully. The overall lightness of textures went really great with the more delicate and bright flavors of the fruit. Since it won’t weigh you down, it’s a great sweet treat on a hot summer day! This is a cupcake I will always make room for in my daily calorie bank!

Strawberry Margarita Surprise Cupcakes
(aka: strawberry lime tequila cupcakes with lime curd filling and a strawberry lime tequila swiss meringue buttercream...got that?)
cupcakes adapted from Annie’s Eats
buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 18 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
generous 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TB tequila
1 TB lime zest
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup AP flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line the muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated, then add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and tequila and mix until fully combined.
Sift the cake flour, baking soda, and salt together and stir into the batter until just combined.
In a separate bowl, toss the strawberries with the AP flour and lime zest. Add more flour if it’s not enough to coat the whole batch. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter.
Fill the cupcake liners with the batter, leaving about a 1/2 inch from the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester (i.e. toothpick) comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the lime curd:
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 TB unsalted butter, melted

In a small saucepan whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lime juice, and butter and cook over moderately low heat. Taste the mixture (if you’re comfortable with the raw egg, which I know many people smarter than I are not) and add more sugar if it’s not sweet enough (I don't like it too sweet). Stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes (that means when you run your finger along the coating on the back of the spoon, it should leave a line rather than running back together). Be sure not to let it boil or sit long enough to curdle. Strain curd through a fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool.

For the buttercream:
1 pound fresh strawberries, finely chopped
1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

(makes about 2 cups)

Set a small pot over medium heat. Add the strawberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, tequila, salt, lime juice, and lime zest and simmer gently until a thickened syrup forms, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, you can either puree the mixture or leave it in chunks. I left mine chunky.
Set a bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Add the egg whites and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk constantly over the heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is warm when you stick your finger in it (about 160 degrees).
Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until stiff peaks form (not too dry though). Test this by removing the whisk attachment, swirling it around the mixture, and pulling it straight up and turning it rightside-up to face you. If they are properly whipped up, a small droopy peak should stick up on the very tip of the whisk.
Switch to the paddle attachment on the stand mixer, and beat the butter into the egg mixture on a medium-low speed, a few tablespoons at a time. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next batch. If mixture separates after all the butter is mixed in, beat at a medium-high speed for a few minutes until it comes back together. Add the vanilla, beating it at medium-low speed, then turn the speed all the way down to low and mix for a couple of minutes to remove any extra air.
Gently fold in the strawberry jam mixture with a rubber spatula and stir until the buttercream is smooth.

Note: Feel free to use store-bought strawberry jam instead of basically making your own, and just cook it on the stove with the other ingredients for a few minutes until it comes together.

To assemble the cupcakes:

Using a pairing knife inserted at an angle, cut out a small cone-shaped chunk, about a 1 inch circle from the top of each cupcake. Fill the hole with the lime curd, about 1 teaspoon worth. You can either replace the chunk you removed, or ~~eat it!~~ leave it off.
Fill a pastry bag (or ziplock with the bottom corner cut off) with the frosting and go to town on your cupcakes. Or, you know, just use a spatula.