11.27.06
Posted in Breakfast, Leftovers at 11:37 am by julie
We made these for breakfast after Thanksgiving, using vanilla sweet potato puree leftover from the big meal. They have a very light sweet potato flavor, subtle enough that I actually liked them a lot. They also came out almost tender and fluffy enough to rival the famed ricotta praline pancakes, without even whipping the egg whites (it’s something to try sometime, though). I used cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves to sub for the pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice. These were well appreciated by Jeremy with some thick local bacon fried up in the cast iron skillet.
Sweet Potato-Pecan Pancakes
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C chopped pecans, toasted and divided
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 C fat-free milk
1/4 C packed dark brown sugar
1 T vegetable oil
1tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C sweet potato, pumpkin, or squash puree
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons pecans, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (milk through eggs); add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Stir in sweet potatoes.
Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Sprinkle pancakes with 2 tablespoons pecans.
Source: Cooking Light, March 2000
Update 8/30/07: I made a batch of pancakes last night using some leftover vanilla-sweet potato puree from a pork tenderloin dinner earlier this week. They were just as good as I remembered. Used up the very last of my pecans, and caramelized half of them for garnish using a chunk of hard caramel leftover from my DB milk chocolate-caramel tart decorations (remelted it, sprinkled on the pecans, and tipped it over onto my Silpat). I ate three, Jeremy had two platefuls, and we still had four left for a lunch or breakfast.
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Posted in Bread, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Meats, Sides, Soups, Veggies at 10:47 am by julie
Mushroom Bisque: This was lovely. Jeremy was a little resistant to the idea of soup at first, but after tasting it, he decided it was the best soup he’s had in a long time. I liked it also. Made with 8 oz of chopped cremini mushrooms, and a package each of fresh shiitakes and oysters, plus an ounce of porcini. I reserved a ladleful of the sauteed mushrooms and shallots before pureeing, at Jeremy’s request, to stir back in for texture. Jeremy also commented that the mushroom mixture, before pureeing, would make the best burger topping ever. 
Whole Wheat Butterhorns: I’ve made these rolls before, last year with my parents. They came out as nicely this year as last, even with my chilly house—though the oven full of roasting sweet potatoes probably helped warm things up a bit. We ate these rolls with the mushroom bisque for lunch on Thanksgiving.
Roast Turkey with Porcini Mushroom Gravy: The turkey came out really well, moist and flavorful. I adjusted the temperature and cooked our (slightly less than) 11-pound turkey at 325F until it temped out, covering the breast meat with foil for the first hour or so, and basting thereafter every half hour. While the turkey was getting started, I got some stock going with the giblets and vegetable trimmings, and that got turned into gravy at the end. The gravy was very flavorful, though of course it took longer than anything else to finish up.
Slow Cooker Stuffing: I’ve made this for the past few years. It’s really convenient because I just get it going first thing in the morning and it’s ready to go whenever the turkey is done. Makes a lot and it tastes pretty darn good too. This year Jeremy made a batch of Pain a l’Ancienne for me to use in the stuffing, and it held up beautifully.
Camembert Mashed Potatoes: This was based on a Cooking Light recipe from last November’s issue. We couldn’t find Camembert, so I subbed in Brie, as suggested. Jeremy liked these, but they weren’t my favorite. I didn’t dislike them, but every time I took a bite, I found myself wondering what was wrong with the mashed potatoes (just the flavor of the Brie, I think). Worth a try, but not perhaps worth repeating.
World’s Best Green Bean Casserole: I thought these came out really nicely. I didn’t have a full 8 ounces of cremini mushrooms left, more like 4 ounces, but it was enough for me. I prepped it in advance when I had a free moment in the afternoon, and just popped it in the oven when the turkey came out. Jeremy didn’t care for it, however; he thought it smelled like curdled milk, which I can only think must be the scent of the small amount of sherry added in. I didn’t notice any unpleasant smell, so I’ve taken charge of these leftovers, while Jeremy handles the potatoes.
Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon: These were tasty, but didn’t really need the poppy seeds. I chopped them in advance, and they cooked in less than 5 minutes at the very end of the cooking time, while Jeremy sliced turkey. A good nutty flavor, and a welcome green on the plate.
Vanilla Sweet Potato Puree: Jeremy loved these, and I ate several bites at least myself. I roasted the sweet potatoes in the morning—4 of them, chosen by Jeremy, and adding up to probably 3 times the amount of sweet potato called for in the recipe—and left them on the counter to cool while I took care of other dishes. When the turkey was getting close to done, I peeled the sweet potatoes, opting at the end to use just three of them (probably still at least 2.5 lb of potatoes), and pureed them in the processor. I left them in that state while getting the turkey out of the oven, and during the final push, I heated up the flavored cream (I went with some dried lemon peel from Penzey’s instead of the fresh orange, which was too much bother with so much other stuff going on) and finished off the puree. Jeremy loves sweet potatoes, so this recipe may well be making its way into our menu from time to time, no less because we used some of the puree in the next day or two to make some really delicious sweet potato-pecan pancakes.
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Gingersnap Crust: I used fresh pumpkin for this recipe, a really simple proposition that definitely seems worth the trouble. The recipe itself, however, was not perfect, at least for us. The crust was especially problematic, being rather hard and then turning to mush in the refrigerator after a day or two. The filling doesn’t keep very well either, though at first the texture was lovely. I might consider doing a sort of parfait with these, however, with a half recipe of the filling, some crushed gingersnaps and maybe some candied walnuts or pecans. For pumpkin pies, I’ll stick with my more traditional recipe or do a Pumpkin Paradise Pie instead, I think.
Apple Crisp: This was really just an amalgamation of several apple crisp recipe with oatmeal. I think next time I’ll toss the apples with more flour, as my crisps always seem to come out drippy. I used a combination of Granny Smith and Braeburn apples. Jeremy requested more topping, so I’ll keep that in mind as well.
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11.20.06
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Italian, Pastas, Veggies at 12:01 pm by julie
I made a version of this dish this past weekend. Jeremy really wanted mushroom pasta, and this one certainly fit the bill. I used cremini mushrooms and white wine instead of cognac, and added a bit of gorgonzola at the end because I had it out to make a pear salad to accompany the pasta. Because we were out of eggs, I couldn’t make the fresh egg pasta, but boxed orecchiette proved to be a perfect substitute to cup all those little bits of mushroom and walnut. I halved these amounts for the two of us, and it made a perfect dinner with that salad of mine.
Pappardelle with Duxelles and Walnuts
“Duxelles were the first thing I learned to make in cooking school. This finely diced saute of mushrooms also makes a delicious pasta sauce. I’ve added walnuts to the sauce—an idea I picked up from chef Daniel Boulud, who uses this flavor combination in several of the mushroom dishes served at his New York restaurant, Restaurant Daniel.”
Unsalted butter
Olive oil
1 lb fresh mushrooms (porcini, chantarelle, oyster, hedgehog, cremini, portotbello, white button), stemmed and cut in small dice, stems reserved
4 shallots, finely chopped (peels reserved)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced (skins reserved)
Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (stems reserved)
3 small thyme sprigs, stemmed and leaves chopped (stems reserved)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 C walnuts, roughly chopped
Generous splash of cognac
1 lb fresh egg pasta dough for pappardelle
About 1 C freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
To make the mushroom broth: Heat 1 T each of butter and oil in a medium saucepan over med heat. Add the mushroom stems, shallot and garlic peelings and herb stems, and saute for a moment to release flavors. Add cold water to cover and bring to a boil; turn heat to low and simmer uncovered for around 30 minutes. Strain and season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat 1 T butter and 2 T oil over med heat. Add shallots and walnuts; saute until shallots are tender and walnuts are lightly toasted and nutty smelling, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until it becomes aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute until they give off some liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the cognac and let it bubble to cook out the alcohol. Add about 1/2 C of mushroom broth and simmer over low heat, uncovered, until the mushrooms are very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add herbs and taste for seasoning.
Cook the prepared pappardelle until tender and drain well. Transfer to a serving bowl, add 1 T each of butter and oil and toss with a small handful of the grated cheese. Add the duxelles and toss again. Serve topped with additional cheese at the table.
Serves: Makes 4 main-course servings or 6 first-course servings
Notes: “A finely chopped saute of mushrooms makes a delicious filling for ravioli or cannelloni. To use as a filling, omit the mushroom broth from the recipe and add about 1/2 C untoasted bread crumbs and 1 large egg. Mix well and let cool before filling.
“I love a tablespoon or two of Gorgonzola dolce or Taleggio cheese melted into this mushroom sauce at the last minute. When the sauce is finished, turn off the heat, add the cheese, and stir until melted and well mixed.
“Cutting the mushrooms in thick slices gives the sauce an entirely different, more robust character, suitable for a sturdy pasta such as ziti or rigatoni.”
Source: Pasta Improvvisata
, by Erica De Mane (p. 122-123)
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11.14.06
Posted in Salads at 11:00 am by julie
Until I met Jeremy, I didn’t do salads at all. I know… what kind of a self-respecting woman am I, anyway?
I didn’t like the dressings, and I didn’t really get the point of eating lettuce. It doesn’t taste like anything, or at least the lettuce I was familiar with at the time. Probably iceburg lettuce was a big contributor to my aversion, because, frankly, it tastes like crunchy water, and if I want crunchy water, I’d eat a snow-cone or Slurpee, which at least are sweet. And I can’t stand lettuce stems, which rarely get removed in salad preparations. I was not, and for the most part, am still not, a fan of most raw vegetables or cold (read: not melted) cheese. I was also extremely skittish about the thought of fruits and vegetables in the same bowl, and even nuts provided a strange textural contrast that was not to be trusted.
When I met Jeremy, though, he encouraged me to taste new foods. Some, like sushi, I still just can’t make myself like because of the texture; others I have slowly willed myself to try until I actually came around to enjoying them. Preparing the food myself, to my own tastes, has also played a big part in my willingness to experiment. He got me started eating Caesar salads, which, I know, are about the most unhealthy salad you can eat, but oh so tasty. It has very basic ingredients—Romaine, dressing, Parmesan and croutons—so I could order it at most any restaurant and not have to worry too much about what sort of creative license the chef would use.
Once I felt thoroughly comfortable with Caesar salads, I decided it was time to branch out in new directions. We went to Da Vinci for my birthday in October, and decided to split a pear salad before the main courses. It was a fantastic salad, with baby greens, thinly sliced pear, crumbled gorgonzola cheese disarmingly mixed with candied pecans, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I studied every bit of that salad as I ate it, pondering the reasons it could be so tasty even though it was full of combinations I didn’t think I liked: veggies with fruit, nuts and cheese. Now I think it was because all the elements balanced each other so perfectly that nothing stuck out. Sweet was balanced with tart and salty; crunchy was balanced with crisp and creamy. Perfect harmony.
I went home from Da Vinci determined to start making a salad akin to that pear salad in my own kitchen. I made it many times and have now started branching out, a tentative step at a time. Right now I am still clinging to the Pear Salad Principles, which I see as the following:
1. Use baby greens. Baby greens are more delicate and have stems that I consider edible, because they are short and soft. They aren’t as tough as some other lettuces can be and require less prep work (ie: pulling out huge, yucky stems).
2. Sweet-tart dressing. I think the reason the balsamic vinaigrette works so beautifully is because it is sour with a hint of lurking sweetness. I’ve made successful dressings with various fruits (pureed pear, dried cherry, strawberry jam, pomegranate syrup, etc.) to offset the sourness of the vinegars (which could be balsamic, white balsamic, white wine, red wine, sherry, etc.; not a fan of the rice wine vinegar though). I stick mostly with extravirgin olive oil, but have some walnut oil on hand to try out sometime.
3. Fruits. So far I have not experimented too much with fruits in my salads. I’m pretty happy sticking with thin slivers of Granny Smith apple or firm pear (Asian pear is lovely). I am a big fan of pomegranate arils, and sometimes strew them over my salad for a little extra pop of sweet-tart flavor. I’ve also done blood orange or mandarin supremes, which was tasty, but not my favorite. Will need to try strawberries this summer when they make a come-back.
4. Nuts. I prefer these to be candied, unless the dressing is on the sweet side or I go heavy on the fruit, in which case, they do just fine toasted. I’ve used walnuts, pecans, almonds, and hazelnuts.
5. Sharp, creamy cheese. My preference was at first for a gorgonzola dolce, but now I prefer goat cheese. I’ve been using plain Montchevre Crottin, which has a nice balance between creaminess and crumbliness (the latter making it much easier to incorporate into the salad). I’ve tried using feta, which I love in certain dishes, but I just don’t like it so well in salads… too dry and salty. I haven’t even attempted Parmesan on any of these new salads yet. And any cheese that melts halfway decently (Cheddar, swiss, etc) has no place anywhere near one of my salads. Go jump in a gratin dish, please!
Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and Caramelized Pecans
This salad was inspired by the fantastic one at Da Vinci, and has become our house salad, of sorts. It lends itself to variation nicely, also.
1 10-ounce bag fresh mixed baby greens
1 ripe Bartlett pear or several small Asian pears, cored and sliced thinly
2 T balsamic vinegar
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola (or other creamy blue cheese), or to taste
1/4 cup caramelized pecans* (or chopped pecans), to taste
Mix crumbled gorgonzola with candied pecans and toss with salad greens. Vigorously whisk together balsamic vinegar and olive oil, drizzle over salad, and toss to coat. Top with several thinly sliced pieces of pear.
Candied Pecans
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup pecan halves
To toast nuts, place on a shallow baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes, until fragrant.
Lightly grease a rimmed cookie sheet. Set aside. In a small saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil. Increase heat to medium-high and cook syrup without stirring until mixture turns golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Dump in pecans, swirl pan to coat, then spread pecans in a single layer on prepared sheet. Let stand until cool, then break into small pieces. Store covered at room temperature. Makes 1 cup.
Update 12/4/06: We’ve made this salad numerous times now, with Asian, Bosc and Comice pears (the latter is really too delicate and juicy, but it was all we had at the time).
Update 1/3/07: We made this twice with my parents when we were in Colorado for Christmas, both times with purchased candied walnuts instead of home-sugared pecans. We had some lovely and very fresh gorgonzola from Tony’s Market, and it packed quite a punch. My mom was nervous about it being blue cheese, but she seemed to like the salad a lot.
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11.12.06
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Fish, Italian, Lunch, Salads, Seafood at 11:48 am by julie
I am not a fan of most lunch foods. I’m very particular about sandwiches, which must have the right proportion of bread to filling (otherwise known as the “squish” factor), and there aren’t very many types of lunch meats that I like. Pretty much it’s either going to be peanut butter and honey, turkey, egg salad, or tuna. The latter two need to be made well in advance of lunch, because otherwise they aren’t cold enough for my taste.
I kept hearing raves about imported Italian oil-packed tuna, and how far superior it was to domestic water-packed albacore. So when we got up to Whole Foods and found oil-packed Italian tuna, I was eager to try it out and see what the fuss was all about. It didn’t seem right to use it with my go-to tuna salad for sandwiches, or even Jeremy’s favorite tuna pasta salad with peas and dill, so I started paging through my copy of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and hit on her tuna and bean salad.
I used one can of the Italian tuna, drained, one can of drained and rinsed white navy beans, and half a yellow onion, chopped up rather finely. With the salt, pepper, olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar, it came together as much more than the sum of its few parts. The beans and olive oil were a perfect creamy substitute for mayonnaise, and the tuna really was wonderful and flavorful. Jeremy said it was alright after the first forkful, and after a few more bites, that it was really growing on him. This was so quick and easy, made with pantry ingredients (and yes, we will always have some of that imported tuna on hand from now on), and no need for refrigeration before eating. Absolutely a good light meal, either for lunch or a summery dinner, and perfectly accompanied with a balsamic vinaigrette salad.
Tuna and Bean Salad
1 can white beans, such as navy, low-sodium
1 can imported Italian tuna, packed in oil
1/2 of a medium sweet onion, such as Walla Walla or Maya
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Good quality red wine vinegar
Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve; drain off all excess water. Place in a medium-sized bowl and add the tuna, drained and broken up, and the onion, finely chopped. Stir well and sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste; grind fresh pepper over. Drizzle with olive oil just to coat, several tablespoons; add a splash of red wine vinegar, around 1 tablespoon, and toss all well to coat. Serve at room temperature, with a green salad and/or bruschetta.
Source: Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.
Update 11/27/06: Last night I made this salad with some bruschetta from our last little baguette of pain a l’ancienne (leftover from just before Thanksgiving), sliced on the diagonal and quickly toasted on the griddle, then rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with a touch of olive oil. A perfect medium for the salad and an excellent use of slightly stale but still tasty bread.
Update 1/3/07: We made this salad for lunch in the first few days we were home in Colorado for Christmas. We used actual cannellini beans, and they added a lovely creamy, buttery flavor that navy beans just can’t manage. I really wish we could find some canned ones around here, but no dice. We’ll just have to wait and check out Whole Foods.
Update 1/29/07: Made this for a weekend lunch, served with toasted English muffins as a delivery vehicle. I no longer need the recipe to make this salad, and we find it necessary to always have a stock of imported tuna and canned beans at the ready.
Update June 2007: I made this for another weekend lunch, using imported Italian cannellini beans and stuffing it into some leftover pitas with baby spinach. An easy and tasty delivery method for this salad.
Update 8/25/07: Another delivery method for this salad today: we used hearts of romaine as little boats. Worked rather well, too. Also made this a week or two ago when I didn’t have any onion, and used shallot instead… wouldn’t recommend that, as it was awfully pungent.
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11.10.06
Posted in Quick Breads at 9:52 am by julie
Earlier this month, we went to the grocery store, and Jeremy somehow talked me into agreeing to cook 2 cute little squashes called Gold Nuggets. I’d never heard of them, and don’t like eating squash, so I’m still not sure how he managed that. But cook them I did. Jeremy hacked them open (quite a feat, as it turns out), and I cooked them like acorn squash, roasting with brown sugar and butter in a casserole with a bit of water in the bottom to steam them soft. I valiantly ate a bite or two of mine, noted the characteristic squashy stringyness and beta-carotene sweetness, and pushed it away. Jeremy, for his part, tried valiantly to eat it all and couldn’t, so I decided to try and fool myself by pureeing the remaining squash and hiding it in a baked good as if it were pumpkin.
I tracked down some millet muffin recipes with pumpkin and improvised something that worked out really well. I couldn’t particularly taste the squash with all the millet and spices, but it added a moistness and a lovely orangey color to the muffins. I would tone down the spices next time as they were a little strong, but otherwise this would be a satisfying muffin either for breakfasts or dinner, almost reminiscent of a spiced bran or corn muffin somehow.
The addition of half whole wheat pastry flour was an on-the-fly decision, and these would be a bit more delicate (and maybe a bit more squashy?) with all AP flour.
Squashy Millet Muffins
This was my adaptation of a squash spice muffin and the Café Fanny millet muffin, intended to use up leftover squash puree. Some options for variety: Try adding some orange zest and dried cranberries instead of the pie spices, or maybe cinnamon chips?
2 large eggs
1 1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ C buttermilk
3/4 C hulled millet
1 C cooked squash or pumpkin puree
1 ½ C plus 2 T AP flour
1 ½ C whole wheat pastry flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 T cinnamon
about ½ tsp ea nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger
Beat the eggs and the sugar and vanilla. Add the butter, buttermilk, and squash puree. Grind ½ C of the millet lightly in a food processor, just enough to break it up from ball form, not to pulverize. Stir this and the remaining whole millet into the batter. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the liquid ingredients gently, just until combined.
Prepare muffin tins with papers or baking spray (or use silicone) and bake for 22 min at 350F. If mixing up the night before, save the whole millet to add just before baking to keep it crunchy, as it will soften in the batter overnight a bit. A bit of cinnamon sugar, brown sugar or raw sugar can be sprinkled over the tops of these muffins before baking for a little variety.
Yield: about 2 dozen smallish muffins
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