Epic Chestnut Fail

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? More like land mines exploding in our oven. Raise your hand if you knew that chestnuts explode when roasted without first scoring the casing. I am not talking the calming 'pop!' that popcorn makes. No, it sounded more like Saving Private Ryan was being re-enacted in our kitchen.

I put these puppies on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven at 450F to roast for a couple minutes. It had been a long day so I grabbed a delicious Harpoon Winter Warmer and joined Boy on the couch. Not two minutes later our heads both snapped in the direction of the kitchen when we heard a clear "BOOM". We looked at each other - both slightly puzzled - but only for a second before we heard the successive "WHAM"s and "BOOM"s coming from the kitchen. I opened the oven just a crack to find ("BOOM"!) exploded shrapnel all over only to be startled by ("BOOM!") another explosion. I turned the oven off immediately and closed it with a wooden spoon in the hinge to allow it to cool down quicker. Boy and I sat on the kitchen floor helplessly listening to chestnuts exploding over a contained fire and laughed uncontrollably for about ten minutes.

I opened the oven to find this scene and almost fell over laughing:

All those crumbs you see are pieces of chestnut. They were literally everywhere - including the two shells on the very bottom of the oven.

I will be trying this again soon - this time carefully scoring each shell before they go over the open fire. We will chock this round up to learning.

It's beginning...

... to look a lot like Christmas! Or Christmas cookies, at least. I told myself I was going to get this post up before the cookies were gone and let's just say time is quickly running out. Now, New England has yet to see its first flakes of the white stuff, but that has not kept Boy and I from decorating a tree, listening to endless Christmas music, and making cookies! (Ok, it is more me threatening to cut fingers off if he tries to change the music away from Bing Crosby or Charlie Brown's Christmas on endless repeat, but Boy sure is a trooper.)

I dig this time of year. As someone who loves to cook as much as I do, there is no better excuse to continually crank out treats than the mere fact that it is "the Holidays"!

To kick off the season, boy and I made and decorated some Christmas cookies using the super-fun cookie cutters I recently bought. (Some of my favorite ones are the crab, the mushroom, and the penguin...) Now, I am a recovering sorority girl and if there is one thing I am good at it is crafts. Give me some sprinkles and frosting and I can make you your very own Mona Lisa cookie in no time. Obviously, Boy was not a sorority girl, so it was pretty hilarious to see the cookies we both came up with.

A sampling of our best...

Boy:

A simple, yet dashingly elegant yellow polar bear.

Me:

Not quite the Mona Lisa, but a fancy pants cactus if you ask me.

As for the recipes, I simply used a great sugar cookie recipe, but followed a friend's icing recipe.  I don't like to use names, obviously, but to you, my incredibly crafty friend, here is your anonymous shout out. This icing rocks.

"Royal Icing, Slightly Altered"
1c. powdered sugar
2t. milk
2t. light corn syrup
1/4t. almond extract (or vanilla if almond isn't your style)
assorted food coloring

Stir together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in the corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

Enjoy!

Fruit Challenge #9: Pomegranate

Pomegranates are odd little suckers. Having the serious texture aversions that I do, they have never been something that is high on my list of go-to healthy snacks. I remember as a kid I would suck on the individual seeds to eat just the pulp. I would then spit out the remaining hard seed that was left - I wanted nothing to do with the crunch of eating the whole pod. I must say it was a lot of work for not a lot of eatin'. Now that I am all 'growed' up though, it's high time I try to eat a pomegranate the right way.

I have always loved sweet salsas, but it all started with one specific Rothschild Raspberry Salsa. One taste of this and there was no turning back - I was helplessly hooked. By this logic, pomegranate salsa would have to be amazing, right? I decided to find out. I picked up two pomegranates on our next trip to the grocery store. When boy and I got home I peeled one right away to start on the salsa. I made the mistake of tasting a seed (a whole seed!) and ended up eating a majority of the bowl right then and there. Oops. Let's just say my pomegranate texture aversion is a thing of the past.

I will spare you the details of how I cried like a baby while cutting the onion or complained while peeling the second pomegranate or swore anytime I touched my eyes for the next two days because of the jalapeño and just skip to the part where I tell you that this stuff is amazing. Pomegranates are in season through February so I highly recommend adding this to your holiday list of appetizers. Very festive looking, incredibly healthy (well, aside from the whole chips thing), and I can't imagine anyone not loving it.

Pomegranate Salsa
1 pomegranate, peeled and seeded
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
juice and zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup mint, chopped
3/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Prep all ingredients and toss together in a large bowl to combine. If you like heat, this salsa lends itself well to it. You could add a serrano or habanero pepper and the sweetness will counter it nicely. Enjoy!

One Last Pumpkin Entry: Pumpkin Roll!

I took this picture before I let mine chill long enough so the filling is still sticky. I got excited - sorry!

This post was inspired by a friend of mine - we will call her Molene. And, I suppose it wasn't so much inspired as completely and shamelessly ripped off.

We were celebrating another friend's birthday with all the traditional home-cooked brunch items a couple weeks back - bacon-wrapped Gorgonzola stuffed dates, carrot-ginger soup, fritatta, chocolate cake shots - you know, the essentials. (I roll with some pretty fancy-foodie ladies if I do say so myself.) In the planning email chain that took place the week leading up to brunch, Molene spoke of this pumpkin roll, but none of the rest of us had ever heard of it. She persisted that it would change our lives.

After completely gorging on an amazing brunch out comes Molene with what we would later know as Heaven in roll form. The rest is, as they say, history.

And, for all of you lactose intolerant folks out there (I know I am not the only one...) I used Tofutti in my rendition. The result? Ahhh-mazing almost dairy-free filling (I will never give up butter). This recipe is time consuming, but stick it out and you will be glad you did.

Almost Completely Lactose-free Pumpkin Roll
3 eggs
1c. sugar
3/4c. fresh pumpkin
3/4c. flour
1t. baking powder
2t. cinnamon
1t. ginger
1/2t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2t. salt

Filling:
8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

4T softened butter
1 1/2c. powdered sugar
1/2t. vanilla
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F. In mixer, combine eggs and sugar and beat until light yellow. Add pumpkin and stir until blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Spread into a well-greased 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit to cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and place on a clean kitchen towel that is liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Let rest for another 10 minutes. From the short side, roll cake up in towel and let sit another 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling by beating together Tofutti and butter. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat until creamy. Unroll the cake and spread the filling completely covering one side. Roll the cake up again - sans towel this time - and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Put it in the freezer for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Fruit Challenge #8: Blueberries

Following recipes is fun. Completely and totally winging stuff is way more fun.

Boy and I had family coming over for dinner last Friday night. Standing in the middle of the produce section at Whole Foods, I decided that the occasion called for dessert. An ice cream sundae dessert. Those of you that know me know that it is not yet the season for my (Mom's) famous bourbon hot fudge, but the next best thing is a fresh fruit sauce. I grabbed some amazing looking blueberries - ridiculously out of season, I know, I am ashamed - and was on my way.

"Make It Look Like I Planned This" Blueberry Sauce

2 pints fresh blueberries

2T. sugar

Water
Vanilla

In a saucepan, combine first three ingredients. Add enough water to just barely cover the blueberries. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken and stir periodically to prevent burning. Once blueberries have "popped" add the vanilla and let it reduce for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving so it has time to cool a bit and thicken even more. Serve with ice cream and warm brownies, obviously. Enjoy!

Veggie Challenge #11: Butternut Squash

I think one of the reasons I love fall and winter so much is that I live for soups and stews (well, and because I can start sleeping under the blankets instead of on top of them, but - unrelated). I added another dimension to this love last fall with the purchase of my immersion blender. I must say, if you don't have one - buy one. With a nominal investment you can change your life. Leftover veggies in the fridge from last night's dinner roast? Oh, I think I will blend those into a soup. Too many carrots this week in your farm share basket? Make a soup.

This week's challenge began as an obscene picture message I got from a friend. Trader Joe's had the biggest butternut squash I had ever seen as part of a fall display a couple weeks ago. I went to pick one up and while checking out, the woman ringing us up told me that the squash was not edible. Umm. Lady, what do you think squash are for? Your aesthetic pleasure? [She must be one of those people whose kids think the only way to make cookies is from a Pillsbury roll, but I won't get started.]

Next to a medium-sized onion for scale.

At first I was going to make a risotto with the squash, but then quickly changed my mind and decided I would rather kick off blended soup season instead. I also had some sweet potatoes around that needed to be used. Oh the beauty of pureed soups. :)

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
Sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
Chicken broth
Chicken sausage, cooked and chopped
Salt
Pepper

Combine squash and sweet potatoes in a large stock pot. Pour just enough chicken stock over them to cover. Boil until fork tender. Blend in the same pot until smooth. Add chicken sausage and salt and pepper to taste. [I prefer to leave my soups "un-messed-with", but this soup would happily take some spices so experiement away!] Let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes more. Enjoy!

Veggie Challenge #10: Ginger Root

There was nothing that was a challenge about this. Not even a question, really. You have mass amounts of ginger and a sweet tooth. What do you make? Ding ding! Ginger-Molasses Cookies from scratch.

My love affair with ginger cookies started a long time ago. I remember one specific story from my early high school years that involved them. We were in the Flats in downtown Cleveland celebrating my little sister's birthday and had parked the car in a meter spot on the street. Now, for those of you that are not familiar with my hometown, "the Flats" is an area of downtown that straddles the Cuyahoga River that used to be home to some of the craziest nightlife in Ohio. (I know, for some that is not saying much, but it was wild.) These days, though, you don't want to be anywhere near the Flats when the sun goes down, but there are still a handful of things worth venturing down to see while the sun is up.

We parked long enough to eat a nice lunch and when we came back to the car the front driver-side window had been shattered. This was back in the day when cell phones were far from commonplace so we were not surprised when both the phones that had been left in the car were gone. (It's also how you know this was forever ago. Who leaves their phone in the car now when there is constant Facebooking and FourSquaring to be done?) The thief made off with only one other item. What was it you ask? My bag of gingersnaps. Two cell phones and my Gingersnap cookies. The nerve, I tell you. (I only just realized what a fat girl that story makes me out to be. Who travels with gingersnaps?) Anyway, I digress.

I cannot take credit for doing anything fancy with this recipe. Well, aside from executing it perfectly, of course. These were some of the best cookies I have ever made.

Just another night at our house...

Boy and I had friends coming over for a casual dinner on Saturday night and I decided last minute that this required a dessert.  So, without further adieu, here is what I whipped up.  That's right, I am pretty fancy.

Impromptu Berry Crisp
Assorted berries (My choices were obviously grossly
out of season, I know)
2T. white sugar
1/2c. brown sugar
1/2c. oats
1/2c. chopped walnuts
4T. melted butter
1T. flour

Toss berries in a bowl with white sugar. Once coated, let stand for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients until a crumble forms. Place berries in individual ramekins. Sprinkle crumble over the tops. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until berries are bubbling. Yumm.

Fruit Challenge #7: Cranberries

This was a complete spur of the moment idea that struck me about 25 minutes before dinner was to be ready. Boy was roasting a chicken with lemon, thyme, and sage and I was seriously bumming because we didn't have any cranberry sauce to enjoy with it. [That's right Mom, the stuff out of the can. I am a complete convert, I know.]

Being the inventive chef that I am, the light bulb nearly exploded as I remembered that I had fresh cranberries in the fridge from Wareham, MA. [For you out-of-towners, Wareham is about an hour south of the city very near to the Cape.]

Fresh Cranberry Sauce
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Cognac (optional, of course)

Rinse cranberries and pick over to discard any that might be funky. In a saucepan, stir together water and sugar until dissolved. Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cranberry skins pop and mixture thickens, approximately 10 minutes. Add Cognac and continue to cook until sauce thickens, an additional 5-7 minutes. Let cool [it will set up even more] before serving.

[Insert final product picture here, but unfortunately this stuff did not photograph well. Just trust me that it was amazing.]

Veggie Challenge #9: Jalapeño Peppers

While exchanging emails throughout the workday last week, Boy told me he had gotten me a present. Now, if you knew the industry he was in you would be just as not excited as I was. Turns out, however, that Boy knows me a little better than he lets on. Boy has a friend at work that grows his own jalapeño-habanero hybrid peppers [shout-out to the Woo, baby!] and he was going to bring me some. Jackpot!

I love spicy food and I pretty frequently use jalapeño peppers at home. I do not, however, use habanero peppers very often and have steered completely clear of them since one specific incident that involved trying to incorporate them into a roasted pepper salsa. [Complete assault on the taste buds. Ha. Oops.]

I also happened to have this on hand:

I did what any resourceful chocolate lover would do - I made truffles. Jalapeño-habanero chocolate truffles. I have to say, one of the top ten five ideas I have had in a long time. Maybe ever.

I am going to spare you the recipe, because there are some things in life you should enjoy guilt-free and never inquire as to how they are made or if they are "healthy". I can tell you that truffles are health food for the soul. Boy and I had a great time making these as well as eating them. They were the perfect combination of rich chocolate and that burn in the throat that only a habanero chili can bring.

Oh, and I can promise you that I will be playing with my truffle recipe in order to perfect it in the coming months. Maybe in time for Christmas goodie bags. Just saying.

Veggie Challenge #8: Carrots

So I mentioned that I have a hopeless addiction to all things pickled, right? Right. So I went a little nuts the other day (I guess some might categorize it as a binge) and made pickles, spicy pickles, spicy pickled green beans, and - my new obsession - gingered carrots.

Oh.

Man.

I had seen gingered carrots in the grocery store and I finally tasted them at the Boston Local Food Festival that happened downtown a couple weekends ago.  I had to try my hand at making them.

Disclaimer: I winged it.  Like, completely made this stuff up.  I was making pickles anyway that day, so I used the same brine I had mixed up for pickles - half water and half white vinegar. I then  simply layered the carrots in the jar with an obscene amount of ginger. Result? My new favorite pickled snack food. Just add it to the addiction list.

Gingered Carrots
3-4 c. grated carrots
Water and white vinegar brine (1-to-1 ratio)
Fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

Layer the carrots and ginger in a jar. Be generous with the ginger. Completely cover with the brine. Cap tightly and let stand in refrigerator for 7 - 10 days. Try not to eat the whole jar in one sitting.

An Ode to Fall: Sugar Pumpkins - Part IV

What pumpkin bender would be complete without some roasted pumpkin seeds? Perhaps it has just been a while since I have carved a pumpkin, but sugar pumpkins have a ton of seeds relative to their size. I couldn't just throw them away - I had to roast them.

Simply tossed the seeds - some pumpkin guts still attached for extra flavor - with some salt and my favorite spice mix of all time - Penzey's Northwoods Fire. After about 15 minutes in a 450F oven they were ready to be devoured.

An Ode to Fall: Sugar Pumpkins - Part III

The two on the right are sugar pumpkins while the left-most is a carving pumpkin that will have a face after next weekend.

Here it is. The original reason I said I would learn to use pumpkins from scratch - pumpkin pie. Now, I love to cook, but I enjoy it even more when I can incorporate liquor into the recipe in some fashion. [Into the food or the chef you ask? I'll never tell.] Hot fudge is good, but my bourbon hot fudge is better. Christmas cookies are good, but my rum balls are better. Pumpkin pie is good, but my brandy pumpkin pie is better.

Normally, I use canned pumpkin in my recipe. I was taught that there are certain things not worth the effort to make from scratch and pumpkin is on that list. Mom, I have to gracefully disagree with you on this one. Pie crust I will give you, but I have never had a better pumpkin pie than this one and it started the day as an innocent pumpkin.

I simply baked the pumpkin until it was fork tender. I let it cool and then mashed it until I had the amount the pie recipe called for. Lucky for me (or rather the beneficiaries on the first floor of our building), I had enough for two pies.



































Like so many of my cooking secrets, this is another family recipe and, frankly, I am still on the fence about giving it out. Let me know if you'd like it and we will see how I am feeling that day.

An Ode to Fall: Sugar Pumpkins - Part II

Pumpkin muffins are up next because who doesn't love a little punch of fall in the morning with your cereal? Always on the quest to find guilt-free sweet things (it's true - even says so in the interests portion of my resume) I am constantly looking for ways to cheat and use healthy ingredients instead of endless oils and sugar. I have to say these are a slam dunk.

Pumpkin Muffins
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. apple sauce
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
3 c. fresh shredded pumpkin
3/4 c. walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325F. Stir together flour, cinnamon, soda, powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla. Once mixed, combine the two bowls and stir to mix. Fold in shredded pumpkin and nuts (if you are using them). Pour into muffin tin and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of a muffin.

The secret? I used the amazing apple sauce I made and canned during apple week. Chock full of spices and cinnamon, this addition to the muffins put them over the top in the flavor category.

An Ode to Fall: Sugar Pumpkins - Part I

To me, fall is synonymous with spiced cider, apple pie, and anything pumpkin I can get my hands on. I was making my favorite brandied pumpkin pie last Thanksgiving and vowed that next (this) year I would get to know pumpkins a little bit better.

Well, I am proud to say I have now had just about every pumpkin beer that New England has to offer [and will be putting Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin in the kegerator next] so it is time to move on to cooking!

I suppose I had never really thought about it, but it turns out that carving pumpkins are not eating pumpkins. Enter sugar pumpkins or "pie" pumpkins. They are just mini-me pumpkins usually ranging in size from about one to three pounds. They are very easy to work with and are very delicious. 

First up are baked stuffed pumpkins. [Yumm.] The fresh vegetables that are available in the fall and winter months can get pretty boring so this is a delicious way to spice up your life.

Baked Stuffed Pumpkins

4 small sugar pumpkins, 1 to 1.5 lbs. each (would work with just about any squash)

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/4 c. chopped celery

1/4 c. chopped onoin

1/4 c. chopped carrot

1/2 c. white wine

1 1/2 c. cooked rice (I used a wild rice blend)

1 handful fresh spinach

1 1/2 t. dried oregano

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut about 1 inch off the top of each squash and scoop out the insides. Put a small piece of butter in the bottom of each. Place in a 9x13" pyrex or on a sheet pan lined with parchment. In a large pan over medium heat, brown the turkey until cooked through. Remove the meat from pan, add the olive oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrot until they soften. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Return the turkey to the pan with the cooked rice, spinach, and spices. Heat the mixture through. Divide evenly among the squash. Replace the lids and bake for 1 hour or until squash is tender. So amazing - Enjoy!

Eating Local: Chatham Oysters!

Boy and I got our shellfishing permit this summer.  We started out clueless amateurs, and are quickly becoming, well, savvy amateurs.  Give us two hours at a beautiful low tide and we will bring back more clams than you can eat.  We've done it.

There are lots of things in this world I love.  A recent addition to that category that happened about 2 years ago is my intense love for oysters.  I would like to think it is because my palette is so sophisticated and complex, but I have a feeling it is more likely attributed to the fact they are salty and taste like the ocean. (If it was socially acceptable to have a salt lick in my living room I would.)

September 1 marks the beginning of oyster season. We were out clamming shortly after the beginning of open season and were hellbent on catching a couple. Now, when it comes to oysters, the word "catch" should be used loosely.  You "catch" fish or you "catch" the runner ahead of you, but you do not "catch" oysters.  There is no effort involved.  You step on oysters because they are just sitting there on the sand in about twelve inches of water.  It's amazing.  Because they are so easy to find there were not many to be had.  We ended up finding two.  (Check that baby out! Well, and all the clams underneath - that's right, we caught them all!)

At our seafood store here in the city, the two most common oysters we get are Blue Points (Long Island) and Wellfleets (Cape Cod).  I had never had a "Chatham" before, but it blew the rest of them out of the water.  Now, I understand there is a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with pulling an oyster out of the bay, shucking it yourself, and throwing it down the hatch that might make me slightly biased toward the oysters we caught, but whoa. You will have to take my word for it though, because you won't get any of your own if you come oystering with me.  Sorry!

**A note on preparing clams: Obviously oysters are eaten raw.  I suppose there are people in this world that steam or fry them, but they are not company I choose to keep.  As for clams - yummm - I do enjoy a raw clam on the half shell, but, I prefer to grill mine. That's right. Straight from the basket to the grates of the grill. Wait just long enough for them to open and then enjoy! I find they taste best when eaten right off the grill with a fork, but that is just my opinion.

Fruit Challenge #6: Mangoes

We were reading the NYTimes recently and boy came across an article about all the different ways you can infuse vodka. Well, you don't have to tell me twice! What had we done before we had even finished reading the article? Had ourselves set up to have some fresh peach vodka by dinnertime. Duh.

That was then. This is now. We have graduated to more sophisticated combinations. Peaches and whiskey? Boy says it's delish. Mangoes and Cacique*? Delectably sweet. Mangoes and Rum? The foundation of a beautiful summer cocktail.

I am sure there will be many more entries about the wonky combinations we come up with down the line (Bacon Vodka martini anyone?), but these are some to whet your appetite and maybe get you infusing on your own.

The idea is very simple. Select your liquor. Add whatever your heart desires. Wait a couple days. Taste. Wait longer if necessary. If you try some crazy pairings and they work out - drop me a line! This has become a new favorite sport in our house. 

*Boy has done quite a bit of traveling to Costa Rica for work since college.  Cacique is a guaro liquor native to Costa Rica. Made from sugar cane it is wonderfully sweet - even on its own.

Veggie Challenge #7: Onions

This is certainly not because I had leftover onions from the apple onion soup that I needed to get rid of. Not at all. A friend brought this to a Sunday brunch a couple weeks back and I have been dreaming of it since.  Spice up your life, people. Onions are new again! How about a sweet onion jam? Yes, please!

Sweet Onion Jam
3-4 large sweet onions
3T. butter
1/3 - 1/2c. sugar
(Can be adopted for whatever amount of onions you have)



Chop onions and add to skillet (non-stick if you have it, or stick if you are lucky enough to have someone around to clean up after your kitchen experiments). Cook on low heat for a long time.  I didn't realize how ridiculous that would sound until I just typed it. Ha. I really didn't pay attention to how long it took, but they will start to turn slightly brown. (Now that I think about it - it took the length of the first half of last weeks Pats game. I guess that only felt like forever...) At that point, add the sugar and continue to cook, letting them fully caramelize.

There is no one way to eat this that is better than another. A couple that I have tried - with a spoon, on a crostini with goat cheese, or on a water cracker alone. I am thinking about baking it on a brie as well. Will report back if I follow through on that. In the meantime though, try this! You will not be disappointed.

Apple Week: Apple Onion Soup Gratin

I saw this recipe and was drawn to it. Like a moth to a flame drawn to it. Having the serious affinity for salt that I do, I love French Onion Soup. Salty broth, slimey, worm-like onions, crouton, slightly browned and bubbling cheese... how could you go wrong? You can't. How can you improve it? Add apples for an ever-so-sweet addition to a classic.

Apple Onion Soup Gratin

3T. butter (don't question the butter - trust me, just do it)

1 apple (Mac or Cortland)

2 sweet onions, chopped

2c. beef broth

1 1/2c. water

1/2c. dry sherry

1t. dried basil

French bread

Swiss cheese, shredded

[This recipe goes fast, so I recommend having everything prepped before you start.] Add onions and butter to soup pot or dutch oven and sauté until softened.  Add apple and sauté until soft, but still able to retain shape. At this point, preheat oven to a high broil. Add liquid and spices and simmer another 10-15 minutes. (I added an extra bullion cube to get a nice strong flavor and to feed my salt addiction.) Once soup is ready, ladle into oven-safe bowls. Cut French bread into a crouton that covers the top of the bowl. Top with shredded Swiss cheese. Put in the oven (on a tray to prevent melty cheese grossness!) until the cheese starts to brown and bubble. Keep a close eye on it as this happens fast! Enjoy!     

Apple Week: Apple Sauce

***A correction I must address before we go any further.  My dearest mother, the walking dictionary and grammar crusader that she is, was so kind as to point out my typo in the first line of Thursday's post. "I thought you would want to know". No, Mom, I would have rather not known about that one - especially before I had even finished my morning coffee. Personally, "its" versus "it's" is a mistake that makes my skin crawl when I see it. (As do "alot" of other grammatical mistakes.) I know it was wrong and I am mortified. So, let's drop it. Thanks. ***

I go through phases with apple sauce. Much like yogurt, it is a texture thing. I only made my own from scratch for the first time last fall and, after realizing how easy it is, vowed to never buy it in a store again. [Seeing as I don't eat the stuff very often, I have been able to stick to that 100%. Yay me!] Only after tasting apple sauce that you have made from scratch will you understand just how processed the apple sauce is that you buy in the store. In my recipe, I cut way back on sugar so as to keep that tart "this-was-actually-made-from-apples" flavor.  Otherwise, it just tastes like sugary, apple-flavored sauce. Almost candy-like, but I guess that is alright if you are into that sort of thing.

Chunky Apple Sauce
8-10 apples (I prefer Macs or Cortlands)
1-2c. cider (to be honest, I eyeballed it, so I really have no idea)
2t. cinnamon
vanilla (eyeballed, but maybe 3/4t.?)
sugar to taste (I ended up using about 1 cup)

In case you can't tell, I don't often use measuring cups or timers - cooking is an art, not a science! Wash, core, and quarter the apples.  [You can peel them if you'd like, but I prefer to leave the skins on for flavor and then remove them when I mash.] Place in a large pan and add cider.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until apples are soft enough to mash.  [I don't cook for very long as I prefer chunky sauce.] For smoother sauce, cook longer and apples will break down further. Remove skins and mash with a potato masher.  Add cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla and stir to incorporate. Taste and tweak until it's delicious!

Apple Week: Apple Butter

Contrary to what it's name implies, there is no butter involved, although that could be worlds-colliding delicious now that I think about it. (Another post, perhaps?) The word 'butter' in the name refers to the buttery texture of the finished product.  It certainly is a labor of love to make, but very worth it in the end.

Apple Butter
4-5 lbs. apples (about 15 medium apples)
4c. apple cider
2t. cinnamon
3/4t.  allspice
1/4t. ground cloves
2c. sugar

Wash, core, and quarter the apples.  (Do not peel apples as the peels provide great flavor and have magic skills to thicken up the butter.) Place them in a large pan (like my beautiful soup pot) with cider. Bring to a boil and then cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for another 30 minutes or until apples have broken down. Press apples through a sieve or a food mill.  Return 10 cups of apple to the pan.  Mix in sugar and spices. (I only used 1 cup of sugar to avoid butter being too artificial flavored.) Bring to a boil again and then simmer, uncovered, for an additional 2 - 2.5 hours or until deliciously thick. Be sure to stir every 15-20 minutes (this is where that whole 'labor of love' things comes back to bite you) to prevent burning.

If you are canning, be sure to have sterilized jars ready to receive hot apple butter.
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Breakfast is really tough for boy now.  He sits for at least sixty seconds some mornings trying to decide what his toast is going to wear that day - my homemade raspberry jam or apple butter?  Life can be so difficult some days. 

Oh, how ironic!  Check out that apple pie and crisp in the background!

Apple Week: Apple Pie and Apple Crisp

I started off with a couple classics.  Now, I am generally an apple pie kind of gal, but I decided I had to mix it up since I had such a ridiculous amount of apples to use.

Apple Crisp
The crisp recipe I have has been passed down from somewhere in my family from many generations ago I am sure.  The reason I know this? The amount of butter that went into the crumble would be considered illegal by most modern-day standards.  Yumm.

6-8 medium sized apples (I use Cortlands or Macs)
1c. sugar
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4c. flour
1/8 t. salt
6T butter
1/4c. chopped nuts
Preheat the oven to 350F.  Peel, core, and slice apples.  Add 1/2c. of sugar and spices to apples.  Mix lightly and pour into 9x13" casserole that has been greased. Mix remaining sugar, flour, and salt.  Cut the butter into this mixture until it is a crumble consistency. Add the nuts and sprinkle over apples.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and crumble is browned.

Apple Pie
I am not one to toot my own horn (honestly!) when it comes to cooking because I realize I have so much left to learn, but I will say that if there is anything I have mastered, it is the apple pie. I make the prettiest and most amazing apple pie ever. I know people that invite me to functions just so they can have the pie. Hey, if it keeps my social calendar full, how can I complain?

Also, I am a huge advocate of sharing recipes and will happily hand over anything I have - with the exception of this recipe.  Sorry, folks.  I can count on my two thumbs the number of people that I know have this recipe and I plan to keep it that way. More than happy to make you one! Or, I will give you my mom's personal email and you can try to get it out of her.

"It's like shark week, but for apples!"

I have a confession to make. I have an addiction to all things apple. I have another secret, too. I found an amazing orchard just two miles from my office. Result? I am in trouble.

Boy left me alone again and I accidentally bought 15 pounds of apples and a gallon of cider after work on Friday. I decided that I was going to have an applegeddon.  And boy did I ever.  

Posts this week are going to surround my weekend of making everything I could think of that involved apples.  So check back to see!

A before picture:

Enjoy!

Fruit Challenge #4 and #5: Plums and Pluots

I cheated and combined on this one guys.  Sorry!

If you don't know this already about me, I have very random food aversions. There are things that freak me out for no real reason aside from my own neuroses. (To my credit - often rooted in texture.)  Rhubarb? Check. Yogurt? Check on most days. Pineapple? Used to, but I have recently become obsessed. Jägermeister? Check, but we won't get into that. Chicken? Sometimes check. Cooked peppers? Sometimes check. Plums? Check. Some of the time I have never even tasted the item in question which I know is poor form. I am really trying to get over that. In my book, if you are going to claim to not like something you have to at least have tried it.  I have recently adopted that and in practicing it, I have found I actually really like just about all of the things I previously couldn't get down the hatch. Enter: plums. 

Boy was leaving for the weekend (sad, I know) and asked me if there was anything I wanted from the store since he was there getting odds and ends.  "Sure," I said, "could you grab me whatever fruit looks good?" I would have thought that by now he would have known that meant grapes or pineapple or melon or cherries or apples or peaches or bananas or any other fruit that I liked and not plums and pluots. But, when life (boy) gives you lemons (plums and pluots) you make lemonade (a Plum and Pluot Galette), right?  You betcha. 

'Galette' is a term I hear thrown around on Chopped all the time so I decided to look it up.  Turns out it is basically just a fancy pie/tart/crisp kind of thing.  An "open-face pie" if you will.  Again - another fancy shmancy name for a very easy-to-make-and-wow-your-friends recipe.

Roll out pastry (or store-bought pie crust because pastry is not worth making from scratch) to a 12-14" round.  Coat the bottom with a flour sugar mixture leaving a one-inch border. (Yes, that is a Bombay Sapph bottle full of olive oil. What about it?)

Arrange sliced plums and pluots in the prettiest way you can and then fold the edges up around them pleating as you need to. 

 

As you can see, in this particular recipe I loosely followed, the top gets sprinkled with a little more magic because obviously sometimes fruit just isn't sweet and decadent enough on its own.  


Now, the recipe I used also called for an Armagnac crème fraîche accompaniment, but for my waist's sake I decided to skip it.  

All in all I give this one a 10.  A nice twist on a traditional pie and goes well with vanilla ice cream.  Need I say more?