I feel so neglectful of this blog, but I do have things in the works! It's just that pre-holiday season where everything seems to happen - craft sales to attend, parties to go (or plan to go to), gift-planning and making, interesting evening events, going on strike with your work (okay that's not normally in the mix), and planning a menu for about 52 people you may have invited to a holiday party that will take place in under 700 sq ft? I'm really really hoping this works out. In the meanwhile though, each weekend has a strict baking schedule to ensure I get through the line-up in time to pull off my (as some of my friends would call it "crazy", but I simply say "ambitious") menu list. In my defense, I have already removed one item...... and am considering letting go of the stuffed grape leaves.
So far, my success rate has been about 80%. I have tested all the desserts and found that my first chocolate peppermint cookie recipe (from food network) was not at all desirable. A chocolate mint cookie should be fudgey, decadent and the mint should be baked into the cookie, not an afterthought in the icing. Fortunately bon appetit provided the perfect replacement recipe. I also made a jam thumbprint cookie recipe that I wasn't completely happy with so I'll be testing that again. The orange spice pumpkin cakes are delicious even without glaze, as was the pumpkin seed brittle.
The spiced nuts are a vegan recipe which seemed more difficult to find than I would have expected. They are quite pleasing though the variability of cayenne spiciness with each handful can make it a bit of an adventure to eat :) I think I did scale back a bit and use about 3/4 tsp cayenne. A full review of all these items will come later. The only other recipe I want to offer a particular warning on is the making of crustless mini-quiches. I tried hands down the worst recipe (http://www.quincesandthepea.com/mini-spinach-crustless-quiches) and spent 6 batches trying to rectify this recipe, without any notable success. It ruined my monday off. They were ridiculously salty and completely overcooked. Ergo, in the list below I include a beautiful recipe that tasted incredible and worked on the first try. It's quite easy to substitute vegetarian sausage into the recipe. More details and photos on all this later, promise.
Here it is:
DRINKS
mulled wine - http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-recipes/jamie-s-mulled-wine#
mulled cider - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mulled-cider-recipe/index.html
DESSERTS
orange spice pumpkin cakes spoonforkbacon.com/2012/10/a-wee-halloween-party/
molasses gingerbread
chocolate peppermint cookies
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/12/double_chocolate_peppermint_crunch_cookies
pumpkin seed brittle
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Seed-Brittle-231374
jam thumbprint cookies
orange candied ginger cookies - vegan from Extraveganza
DIPS/SPREADSmake crackers -raincoast crisps and vegan crackers
Curried sweet potato dip http://www.healthybitchdaily.com/post/curried-sweet-potato-dip-recipe
beet and orange hummus [VEGAN]
http://www.veggiebelly.com/2009/09/roasted-beet-and-orange-dip-with-walnuts.html
hot artichoke cheese dip
veggie crudites on hand plus baguettes
LITTLE MUNCHIES
spiced nuts [VEGAN] - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-and-spicy-almonds/
marinated olives [VEGAN] - buy
edamame - drizzled with sesame oil and sea salt and black pepper (this may be turned into a dip)
MAIN MUNCHIES
smoked salmon, chives & horseradish cream cheese on pumpernickel rounds
crispy proscuitto cups with marinated pear & goat cheese http://www.marthastewart.com/342213/crispy-prosciutto-cups-with-pear
baked brie (two) with fruit compote or pepper jelly
mini quiche - http://thecafesucrefarine.blogspot.ca/2012/02/quiche-bites-in-little-black-dress.htm
feta walnut date cigars http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Feta-Walnut-Date-Cigars-365214
stuffed grape leaves
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/guides/holidays/recipes/recipe.html?dishID=10519
pineapple cubes with chili, scallions and peanut butter
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3790/galloping-horses
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
Chorizo-Chard -Black BeanStew
I find soup difficult to photograph - it always looks so flat on the surface and the broth seems to obscure the beautiful colors of the vegetables. Plus in the process of carrying the bowl to the table, inevitably broth and spices get splashed on the sides of what I aspired to be a pristine bowl interior above the broth line. Regardless - I can't complain any more about this soup because a) it made enough to feed us for an entire week (and that's really how I'm cooking now - whipping up one to two large meals or Saturday or Sunday and eating them all week long) and b) it was delicious, reasonably simple, and healthy! This soup is perfect for fall - onion, carrot, celery, chard, canned
tomatoes - with black beans and chorizo sausage (or in my case,
vegetarian sausage!) to make it a hearty and protein-rich meal!
Aside: I found a new food blog, The Bitten Word, where they came up with this great project to get volunteers to help them cook every single recipe in the six food magazines they receive for a month. The recipes are reviewed & photographed, but they're not "foodie" photographs for the most part - just nice to enjoy people who are all about the cooking and aren't too self-conscious about the photo they take of it (which clearly I am)!
If you don't have black beans, it is entirely possible to make this recipe with lentils (green lentils that won't fall apart in your stew) or cannellini beans - I just didn't have any - and actual chorizo sausage if you are a meat eater. I also just read this interesting comment on cooking dried beans: A cook at Saveur says: ”Here’s what we found out: soaking dried beans overnight is fine, and even good, in that it reduces the cooking time by at least a quarter, but if you have the time for a longer simmer, then soaking isn’t necessary. As for the quick-soaking method—i.e., bringing the beans to a boil and then letting them sit for an hour—we found that an hour in warm water made virtually no difference in the cooking time, so go for either the overnight soak or none at all. “
Chorizo-Chard-Black Bean Stew
1 c. dried black beans, cooked until medium tender
1 large onion, chopped or finely chopped
1-2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks celery diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
1 quart diced tomatoes and juice (or chopped tomatoes)
6-8 cups fresh chard (leaves only in this measurement - but use the stems in the soup), stems removed and diced, leaves chopped into 1 or 1.5 inch wide strips
4 -5 cups water or vegetable stock (I used 1 veggie boullion cube)
1 lb veggie chorizo sausage, sliced (2 of the artisan grain field meat brand)
oil for sauteing
salt and pepper to taste - if only using 1 veggie bouillon cube, likely to need 1-2 tsp salt
1. Beans - I wasn't prepared and hadn't soaked them over night. If possible, I would do this to reduce the soup cooking time. I used the quick boil method of bringing the beans in 3 to 4 c.of water to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes, and letting sit covered for 1 hour before draining and adding to the soup. They still ended up taking another 50 or 60 minutes of cooking in the soup to become tender.
2. In a big stockpot, saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil for a good 8-10 minutes until everything is nicely colored and the onion is turning golden/translucent. Add the chard stems and saute briefly.
3. Add in the water (or stock) and bouillon, salt, and the black beans. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 40 minutes until the beans are tender. (this is important to make sure they're tender BEFORE adding the tomatoes).
4. Add the quart of tomatoes and the sausage and bring to simmer.
5. Add the chard leaves in and let simmer until wilted.Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
6. Serve with cheese toast, or possibly some crumbled goat cheese on top.
Aside: I found a new food blog, The Bitten Word, where they came up with this great project to get volunteers to help them cook every single recipe in the six food magazines they receive for a month. The recipes are reviewed & photographed, but they're not "foodie" photographs for the most part - just nice to enjoy people who are all about the cooking and aren't too self-conscious about the photo they take of it (which clearly I am)!
If you don't have black beans, it is entirely possible to make this recipe with lentils (green lentils that won't fall apart in your stew) or cannellini beans - I just didn't have any - and actual chorizo sausage if you are a meat eater. I also just read this interesting comment on cooking dried beans: A cook at Saveur says: ”Here’s what we found out: soaking dried beans overnight is fine, and even good, in that it reduces the cooking time by at least a quarter, but if you have the time for a longer simmer, then soaking isn’t necessary. As for the quick-soaking method—i.e., bringing the beans to a boil and then letting them sit for an hour—we found that an hour in warm water made virtually no difference in the cooking time, so go for either the overnight soak or none at all. “
Chorizo-Chard-Black Bean Stew
1 c. dried black beans, cooked until medium tender
1 large onion, chopped or finely chopped
1-2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks celery diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
1 quart diced tomatoes and juice (or chopped tomatoes)
6-8 cups fresh chard (leaves only in this measurement - but use the stems in the soup), stems removed and diced, leaves chopped into 1 or 1.5 inch wide strips
4 -5 cups water or vegetable stock (I used 1 veggie boullion cube)
1 lb veggie chorizo sausage, sliced (2 of the artisan grain field meat brand)
oil for sauteing
salt and pepper to taste - if only using 1 veggie bouillon cube, likely to need 1-2 tsp salt
1. Beans - I wasn't prepared and hadn't soaked them over night. If possible, I would do this to reduce the soup cooking time. I used the quick boil method of bringing the beans in 3 to 4 c.of water to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes, and letting sit covered for 1 hour before draining and adding to the soup. They still ended up taking another 50 or 60 minutes of cooking in the soup to become tender.
2. In a big stockpot, saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil for a good 8-10 minutes until everything is nicely colored and the onion is turning golden/translucent. Add the chard stems and saute briefly.
3. Add in the water (or stock) and bouillon, salt, and the black beans. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 40 minutes until the beans are tender. (this is important to make sure they're tender BEFORE adding the tomatoes).
4. Add the quart of tomatoes and the sausage and bring to simmer.
5. Add the chard leaves in and let simmer until wilted.Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
6. Serve with cheese toast, or possibly some crumbled goat cheese on top.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Pear-cranberry crumble
Actually I believe it's a crisp, though who really knows what the true distinction is here. According to some sources of information, a crisp can include oats in the topping, but a crumble is more British, less sweet, and is a "streusel" of butter, flour, and sugar. I have seen a fair share of crumble recipes that include oats too though. I guess it is more appropriate to say I made a crumble (drum roll for the pun) as my hopes crumbled after I tasted this dish...
I had beautiful red organic pears from the farmers market, fresh cranberries and ginger - autumn colors, spice, delectable brown sugar oat topping - but something went awry. I blame the vanilla and the overly sweet combo of crisp topping and the filling ... Needless to say, I fed it to others who loved it regardless, thanks to those who so willingly eat what I make.
Yesterday, I tackled the recipe again, determined to correct for my earlier recipe foibles. I adapted the filling to lessen the sugar, completely remove the vanilla and add ginger/black pepper for spice. I also made up the crisp topping - which isn't quite 100% where I want it - if you have a crisp topping you love, feel free to substitute, but make sure to include some cinnamon and ginger in it!
Pear-Cranberry Crumble
Filling:
Crisp topping:
2. Stir the sugar and cornstarch together until well mixed. Stir together with the rest of the filling ingredients. If you want to save a dish, you can do this directly in the casserole dish to be used for baking. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, Stir together all the crisp ingredients except for the butter (and the nuts if using). Then cut in the butter until crumbly. I find hands can work better for this than a pastry cutter with the oats. Stir in nuts.
4. Evenly distribute the topping over the filling in a casserole dish (oval 2.5 qt) and bake for 40-50 minutes.
I had beautiful red organic pears from the farmers market, fresh cranberries and ginger - autumn colors, spice, delectable brown sugar oat topping - but something went awry. I blame the vanilla and the overly sweet combo of crisp topping and the filling ... Needless to say, I fed it to others who loved it regardless, thanks to those who so willingly eat what I make.
Yesterday, I tackled the recipe again, determined to correct for my earlier recipe foibles. I adapted the filling to lessen the sugar, completely remove the vanilla and add ginger/black pepper for spice. I also made up the crisp topping - which isn't quite 100% where I want it - if you have a crisp topping you love, feel free to substitute, but make sure to include some cinnamon and ginger in it!
Pear-Cranberry Crumble
Filling:
- 2 lbs (a bit less is fine too) of pears (before cutting), cored, sliced thinly
- 1 3/4 c. fresh cranberries
- 2 tsp minced ginger, fresh
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 - 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Crisp topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- optional 1/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
2. Stir the sugar and cornstarch together until well mixed. Stir together with the rest of the filling ingredients. If you want to save a dish, you can do this directly in the casserole dish to be used for baking. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, Stir together all the crisp ingredients except for the butter (and the nuts if using). Then cut in the butter until crumbly. I find hands can work better for this than a pastry cutter with the oats. Stir in nuts.
4. Evenly distribute the topping over the filling in a casserole dish (oval 2.5 qt) and bake for 40-50 minutes.
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