Sunday Bunch

It’s so very rare for The Hubs to get a Sunday off so we decided to make a day of it and go to the local theme/water park that we haven’t been to since summer last year.

But before bundling up our beach towels and packing up the lunch that we inevitably won’t go back to the car to eat (I confess…we are suckers for concession food!), I decided to whip up some banana bread to enjoy with our breakfast.

Breakfast around here is a rare and special thing in itself, partly because of The Hubs weekend work schedule and partly because I’m just not a big breakfast fan. I know all you breakfast people out there are crying blasphemy right now and I’m sorry. The Hubs can eat scrambled eggs, sausages, gravy, biscuits, pancakes, et al to his heart’s content, but I prefer just a simple bowl of cereal and Silk. But banana bread? Well, that’s hardly breakfast at all…it’s like dessert…and that’s another matter entirely.

I came across a recipe for a peanut butter banana bread a while ago in the Fall Baking issue of Taste of Home magazine and though it intrigued me from the start and the ingredient list is quite simple, I never quite got around to making it until now.

The Inspiration: Original Photo from Taste of Home

As usual, mine came out darker than it was supposed to. I’m beginning to think it’s an issue with my loaf pan…or my oven..or both. And while delicious, the flavor was definitely more peanut butter than banana…which is not necessarily a bad thing. Tastes great with jelly!

The Recreation: Very Peanutty!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Recipe from Taste of Home, Fall Baking Cook Book 2009
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. chunky peanut butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas.
3. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; add to creamed mixture.
4. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf ban. Bake at 350° for 70-75 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (although in my crazy oven it only took about 45 minutes and even that was almost too long, so keep an eye on it)
5. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Slice, slather with butter or grape jelly, and give your tummy a hearty Good Morning!

Plum Good

Don’t you just love summer produce? Cucumbers coming out the ears, tomatoes up the ying-yang and more zucchini than you can shake a stick at. And the fruit…don’t even get me started on the fruit.

I usually enjoy just eating fruit whole. It’s so sweet and good for you, it seems a shame sometimes to turn it into some butter-laden, sugar-encrusted concoction (and undoubtedly delicious) with a seriously amplified calorie count. But sometimes, sometimes there just has to be pie.

Now, I’ve never made a real honest-to-goodness roll-your-own-crust pie. So, when I saw a recipe in Food Network magazine for an open-faced plum tart that used store-bough refrigerated dough, I knew it was the perfect baby step for me. And I just happened to have a plethora of plumbs handy. Super easy and super tasty!

Open-Face Plum Tart
Recipe adapted (but just slightly) from Sunny Anderson, Food Network Magazine
1 circle refrigerated pie dough (half of a 14 oz. 2 pack)
1/4 cup jam (original recipe called for fig, I used Mom’s homemade strawberry)
1 lb. plums, pitted and cut into 1/4 -in. wedges
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar (recipe said raw cane, I used regular granulated)
1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place dough circle in center of pan.
2. Spread jam over dough, leaving about 2 inches dough exposed around the edges.
3. Pile on the plums! Or, arrange them daintily…whichever you prefer.
4. Fold the 2 inch crust border inward, crimping as needed to keep it circlish.
5. Beat egg with 1 Tb. water and brush over crust then follow with sugar. (As a side note, the plums I had were still pretty tart so I used some extra sugar to sprinkle over the middle too.)
6. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes in a pre-heated 425 degree oven.
7. Serve warm with ice cream (this is not an option! how could you ever eat a pie/tart without ice cream? what in the world is the matter with you?)
8. Sigh with happiness over having one-less pound of summer fruit sitting around.

Tomato Soup For The Soul

Do you remember that old kid’s show they used to show on Nick Jr.? You know, the one with the really cute guy and the cartoon dog? Do you remember how whenever he had something he was trying to figure out he’d go to his Thinking Chair to puzzle?

Because we're really smart!

Well, thanks to a bout of the stomach flu, I’ve spent a good amount of time on the Thinking Chair myself.

Mostly, I found myself thinking about change. There are so many things that I’d like to change about our lives right now. Better home, better jobs to afford that better, more time to spend with each other, more money to spend on the times we spend together. Even as I put it into text, it seems superficial. But for as long as I can remember, I’ve always thought things would be better if….

If only was part of the “cool group”…
If only I had a boyfriend…
If only I had my own place…
If only I had a husband…

Well, eventually, all those things came along, but I still seemed to be on the search for something better. But I’ve realized that the one thing I really do need in my life is contentment. Everything may not work out the way I’ve expected things to, but happiness can still be found in each moment.

But desiring change isn’t always bad. It’s that desire, after all, that pushes us forward towards our dreams and keeps us strong during the struggle. And sometimes a simple change is just enough to make a single perfect moment. Like making homemade soup and never glancing back at the canned variety.

After a week’s worth of tummy troubles I didn’t quite know what to do with the two pounds of Roma tomatoes I acquired in my basket. Eating them raw didn’t sound appealing at the time. Then the light went off…soup. What is more comforting than a bowl of steamy, creamy tomato soup?

I’d never made my own tomato soup before, but after perusing the ‘net I was able to pick and choose what I liked from several different recipes to make a perfect bowl of tomato-y goodness.

I started by taking those tomatoes along with some smashed garlic cloves, drizzlingthem with olive oil and roasting them in the oven until they were nice and caramelized. (Sadly, all my carmelization photos came out really really blurry, so I didn’t include them). Once out of the oven, I tossed them into my soup pot and added water (chicken or veggie stock would be great here, but I didn’t have any), bay leaves and dried oregano. I let this all simmer until the liquid had reduced and the soup thickened. Finally, after removing the bay leaves, I pureed it all in my handy-dandy blender. Most recipes I read suggested finishing it butter and cream, but I wanted to keep it light and the tomato flavor pure so I left both out. In the end, I didn’t really think it need any help…it was already warm and creamy and still had that great fresh tomato tang. I was happy with it. You might even say…content.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Strongly Inspired by Roasted Tomato Soup by Tyler Florence
2 lbs. Roma tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 quart water or stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tb. dried oregano
Optional:
3 Tb. butter
3/4 c. heavy cream
1. Quarter tomatoes and arrange on sheet tray along with garlic. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Roast in pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized.
3. Place tomatoes and garlic into stock up and add water or stock, bay leaves, oregano and butter, if using. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Pour into a blender (or use an immersion blender) to puree until smooth. Return soup pot to warm over low heat. You can add more salt and pepper if needed, and stir in the cream if using at this point.
5. Warm, serve and be happy!

Two Sweet

Who can take the sunrise and sprinkle it with dew?
Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two?
The candy man.

I grew up loving the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie (much love to the new Johnny Depp version too!) and loving me some candy. I was a candy hoarder. After the traditional Halloween sort, I would hide little stashes of candy all around my bedroom like a squirrel building a stockpile of nuts for the winter. But my stash never lasted through the winter. I could never resist the sweet, sweet goodness that surrounded me. I was a candy addict.

Sugar’s sweet hold on me lasted long into adulthood and has only really started to wane in the last few years. Maybe it’s being the ripe old age of 31 that has caused my tastes to change, but the candy out there just doesn’t taste as good as I remember. The flavors of corn syrup seem to come through more than chocolate. Sugar supercedes fruity flavors. Yet despite this, I never have completely turned my back on the retail candy industry. How else would I get that special sugary fix? I never contemplated being able to make my own….until now!

The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies. The challenge requirements stated that we had to make two different candies, at least one of them being made with chocolate. I decided that I would make one for each myself and The Hubs.

The Hubs loves all fruity-chewy candy varieties, so for him I went with a Strawberry Pate de Fruit. This involved pureeing the strawberries and cooking them down with sugar, lemon juice, and a good amount of pectin to get that desired jelly candy consistency. I got to use my candy thermometer for the second time ever for this one (yay)! They turned out good, but I didn’t get the beautiful clear colorful consistency of the ones pictured on the challenge. I think either I didn’t strain the puree well enough or I let the mix scorch a tad (or both). But, they tasted amazing! The recipe uses just about a ton of sugar (okay, two cups) so they are super sweet, but the true flavor of the fresh strawberries still shone through. They were wonderful!

Strawberry Pate de Fruit
Recipe by Elizabeth LaBau, About.com Guide
Makes about 40-64 squares depending on size cut.
Ingredients:
3 cups (16 oz/450 gm) Strawberries, fresh or defrosted from frozen
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Lemon juice, fresh
2 cups (16 oz/ 450 gm) Granulated White Sugar
2½ tablespoons (38 ml) Liquid Pectin
1. Prepare an 8”x8” (20cmx20xm) pan by lining it with aluminium foil or parchment paper and spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor and process until very well pureed.
3. Pour them through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan, discarding any remaining fruit chunks. Stir in the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar, place the pan over medium-high heat, and insert a candy thermometer.
4. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it is hot, around 140°F/60°C. Add the remaining 1.5 cups of sugar and the liquid pectin, and lower the heat to medium.
5. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture registers 200°F/93°C. At this point, turn the heat to low and hold it at 200°F/93°C for 2-3 minutes. After this, return the heat to medium and bring it up to 225°F/107°C. This process will take some time, especially with the heat on medium, so have patience and be diligent in stirring frequently so the bottom doesn’t scorch.
6. Once the fruit paste reaches 225°F/107°C, turn the heat to low and keep it at that temperature for an additional 2-minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and scrape (Note from Lisa: I poured it in, it should still be quite liquid) the strawberry pate de fruit mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer.
8. Allow the pate de fruit mixture to set at room temperature for several hours, until completely cool and firm. Use a sharp knife to cut it into very small squares, and roll the individual pieces in granulated sugar.
9. The strawberry pate de fruits can be served immediately, or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. If refrigerated, the pieces may need to be re-rolled in granulated sugar before serving.

For myself, there is one thing I’ve been missing ever since the Godiva stored at our mall closed – the Pumpkin Truffle. I decided to put on my big girl pants and give this one a try. I found a recipe online for a Pumpkin Cream Cheese truffle that used graham cracker crumbs (which are delicious). Sadly, despite Lisa and Mandy’s concise chocolate tempering instructions, I didn’t get mine to set up right. I blame the temperature in my non-air conditioned apartment. I used the “seeding method” but all my seed chocolate melted way before the temperature dropped. I tried to just keep stirring as the chocolate (very slowly) continued to cool, but I must not have gotten cool enough (no chocolate thermometer!) before returning it to the heat. Proper tempering aside, they still tasted pretty darn good. I switched up from the original recipe and used a dark chocolate for the enrobing which gave the truffles a nice bite to contrast the sweet pumpkin truffle center. Best of all, not a hint of corn syrup.

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Truffles
Recipe adapted from wolefoodsmarket.com
Makes about 30
Ingredients
1/2 cup white chocolate chunks
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups dark chocolate, cut into chunks, melted and tempered for enrobing.
1. Melt the white chocolate chunks in a double boiler over medium low or in the microwave for about 1 minute, stirring often to keep chocolate from burning.
2. Transfer chocolate to a large bowl and add graham cracker crumbs, pumpkin, powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt and cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover and chill until solid enough to roll into balls, about 2 hours.
3. Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper.
4. Melt dark chocolate and temper (check here for a couple of tempering methods).
5. Roll pumpkin mixture into heaping teaspoons and drop into chocolate. Gently spoon chocolate over to coat and lift from bowl with a fork, shaking off excess chocolate before moving to prepared. sheet.
6. Repeat until all pumpkin has been used. This must be done quickly, especially if your kitchen is as warm as mine is. I had to move the pumpkin mixture back into the fridge several times because it kept getting too soft to roll. Once all the truffles are dipped, chill them until set, about 1 hour.

For me, the whole experience was an eye opener to just how good “real” candy can be (which can’t be good for my waistline). I will definitely be making more in the future, when the weather cools down some.

Under Construction

Just in case anyone who as stopped in before should stop in between now and…whenever (and there aren’t many of you)….I thought that I should put up a note that you are not seeing things. The name and format have changed but the food adventures are still for real.

When I began a blog, I wanted it to encompass all by budding hobbies and passions. Well, as it turns out, I really only have one…food. So I’ve decided to turn my little bloggy-wogg upon it’s head and focus on what I really do with all my free time – read foodie magazines, foodie blogs, and, every now and then, occasionally attempt some recipes.

It’s been a hot, lazy summer. Mostly lazy. Which is why I’ve been pretty inattentive in the posts department. That combined with my struggle that this “wasn’t supposed to be a food blog”. I struggled with that so much I even stopped reading other food blogs (gasp!) to see if I could possibly focus on something else. But I learned that you can’t deny true love. Or being a true (if not somewhat clumsy) foodie. So I’m back and ready to get this train(wreck?) chugging along again.

As you can see by my sparse set up here, I don’t know much about customizing a blog, but I’ll be attempting to work on that a bit too.

So please come back and visit soon and hopefully I’ll have some tasty eye-candy for you to goggle over!

Love and best dishes (sorry Paula!),
T.

Curry in a Hurry

This Curry was made in such a hurry, I’m pretty sure that it’s not even really a curry. In fact, I’m not entirely sure I should be calling it a curry in the first place. The recipe does call for curry leaves. But I couldn’t find any. So…no curry. But do you know what it is? Yummy.

Yummy in my Tummy.

Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.

I chose to accompany my Appam with Shrimp in Coconut Milk and a tasty side dish called Carrots with Tropical flavors. Everything was so delicious, despite the fact that in my rush to get this challenge done before vacation, I left out a few of the ingredients. That just goes to show that Indian food is going to be good no matter how you make it (to a point, I’m sure).

Also, I was in such a hurry, that I didn’t photograph any of the process. But that’s okay, because Mary did an excellent job with that here. I’ve copied the recipes and directions below from this site as well.

Appam
Servings: Makes about 15
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (360 ml/300 gm/10½ oz) raw rice
1 ½ teaspoons (7½ ml/5 gm) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons (10 ml/9 gm) sugar
½ cup (120 ml) of coconut water or water, room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons (22½ ml/18 gm) cooked rice
½ teaspoon (2½ ml/3 gm) salt
about ½ cup (120 ml) thick coconut milk (from the top of an unshaken can)
Directions:
1. Soak the raw rice in 4 to 5 cups of water for 3 hours. You can soak it overnight, although I did not try that.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the coconut water or plain water and add the yeast. Set aside in a warm area for 10-15 minutes, until very frothy.
3. Drain the rice and grind it in a blender with the yeast mixture to make a smooth batter. You can add a bit of extra water if needed, but I did not. Add the cooked rice, and grind/blend to combine well.
4. Pour into a large bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 8-12 hours. You not only want the mixture to rise and collapse, but to ferment. When it is ready, it will have a slightly sour and distinctly yeasty smell. Don’t worry–they are mild tasting when cooked!
5. Add the coconut milk and salt, and a bit of water if necessary, so that you have a batter that is just a bit thicker than milk. Notice how it bubbles after you add the coconut milk. I recommend test-cooking one before thinning the batter.
6. Heat your pan over medium heat. Wipe a few drops of oil over it using a paper towel. Stir the batter and pour in 3-4 tablespoons, depending on the size of the pan. Working quickly, hold the handle(s) and give the pan a quick swirl so that the batter comes to the top edge. Swirl once only, as you want the edges to be thin and lacy.
7. Cover the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Uncover and check. The center should have puffed up a bit, and will be shiny, but dry to the touch. When ready, loosen the edges with a small spatula and serve immediately. These need to be served hot out of the pan.

Carrots with Tropical Flavors
Servings: 4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
1 pound (½ kg) carrots, about 5 medium, peeled
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
about 8 fresh curry leaves (I couldn’t find these so they were left out of my dish)
2 tablespoons (30 ml/15 gm) minced seeded green cayenne chiles
3 tablespoons (45 ml/27 gm) minced shallots
2 teaspoons (10ml) rice vinegar (I used lime juice)
1 teaspoon (5 ml/6 gm) salt
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml/1 gm) sugar
½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk
¼ cup (50 ml) water
coarse salt, optional
cilantro (coriander) leaves to garnish
Directions:
1. Julienne or coarsely grate the carrots. Set aside.
2. Place a deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then add half of the curry leaves, the chiles and the shallots. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring.
3. Add the carrots, stir, and add the vinegar, salt, sugar and mix well. Increase the heat and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until they give off a bit of liquid.
4. Add the water and half of the coconut milk and bring to a fast boil. Stir, cover tightly and cook until just tender, 5-10 minutes, depending on size. Mine took about 5 minutes. Check to ensure the liquid has not boiled away and add a little more water if it is almost dry.
5. Add the remaining coconut milk and curry leaves. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired, and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
6. Transfer to a plate and serve hot or at room temperature.

Shrimp in Coconut Milk
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) mustard seed
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml/½ gm) fenugreek seeds
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves (still didn’t have any for this dish either)
2 cups (480 ml/480 gm/½ lb) thinly sliced onion (Remember that hurry I mentioned? I forgot the onions)
2 teaspoons (10ml/8 gm) minced garlic (and the garlic)
1 teaspoon (5ml/4 gm) minced ginger (and the ginger)
2 fresh green chiles, split lengthwise
2 teaspoons (10 ml/10 gm) tomato paste
Ground masala
● 4 teaspoons (20 ml/7 gm) ground coriander
● ½ teaspoon (2½ ml/1½ gm) paprika
● ¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml/¾ gm) cayenne
● ¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml/¾ gm) black pepper

1¼ teaspoons (6¼ ml/7½ gm) salt
¾ cup (180 ml) coconut milk
1 ½ pounds (750 gm) medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined and sliced in half lengthwise if large.
Directions:
1. In a large skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. When hot add the mustard seeds and cover until they stop popping. Add the fenugreek seeds and stir until they color lightly. Add the curry leaves (they will sputter and spatter), wait about 20 seconds, then add the onions and fry until they are soft, but not brown.
2. Add the ginger, garlic and green chiles and cook for one minute. Add the tomato paste, dry masala and salt and stir and fry for another minute. If it dries out, add a few drops of water.
3. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the coconut milk, along with 1 cup (240 ml) of water. Increase heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer, uncovered for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce and blend the flavors.
4. Add the shrimp, and cook, stirring, until they have all changed color and curled up. This will take less than 5 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. Add the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of coconut milk, bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Taste for salt and serve immediately.

Hurry up and make some for yourself!

Isn’t That Spätzle

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks‟ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!

She also encouraged use to reach back to our roots and try something culturally close to us. As I’ve mentioned before, my Mom is from Germany, so when I saw that Spätzle was one of the suggested pasta types I was all over it!

I ran to the phone (okay, not really, because who has to run for a phone anymore? Don’t we all just carry cell phones around in our pockets 24-7? No, just me? Anyways…) and called Mom up, eager to get her take on her famous Spätzle recipe. Though, I couldn’t remember ever having eaten Spätzle at home before, that could be because it was one of those things that my Dad just wouldn’t eat.

“Hi Mom! Guess what?! This month’s challenge is too cook Spätzle,” I summarized. “So, how do you like to make your Spätzle?”

“I’ve never made Spätzle before”. Huh? “But it would probably be good with some bacon”.

Well, so much for the special family recipe.

All right, so Mom likes it simple. Traditional. German. Lightly seasoned. With some bacon.

This one’s for you, Mom.

Spätzle With Some Bacon
Recipe adapted from Steph of Stephfood, via a family recipe.
German Spätzle
2 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. flour
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk and “seasonings”
3. Gradually add flour and mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Continue to mix until dough becomes elastic, smoth and hard to stir.

4. Add Spätzle dough to boiling water. I chose to use the slotted spoon method. Fill large slotted spoon with dough and gradually press dough through holes using a table spoon. Other methods can be found here and here.

5. Allow Spätzle to boil 15 – 20 minutes.
6. Drain Spätzle thoroughly.
Some Bacon
3-4 slices bacon.
1 Tb. butter
Fresh dill

Directions
1. Brown bacon in pan until crisp. Remove and reserve drippings.
2. Toss Spätzle in bacon drippings. Melt in butter and warm through.
3. Chop dill and toss with Spätzle.
4. (optional) Chop and add reserved bacon. I let my bacon get a little to ashy so I didn’t end up adding it in the end.

Almost Just Like Mom’s

There is at least one dish in every family that is tradition. The staple at every family get together. For my family, that dish is my mom’s potato salad. From family barbecues to church picnic’s, it has its permanent place on the buffet table.

My mom, and her potato salad, come directly from the land of potato salad – Germany. But with its creamy mayo-based dressing, it’s almost hard to believe that this family fave wasn’t inspired by the classic American potato salads found in deli’s nationwide (I think). But Mom assures me that she came up with it many a-year ago in her little German kitchen.

Despite being a decades-old family legacy, I had never tried to make Mom’s recipe. For one thing, a “recipe” for her potato salad doesn’t exist. She does it from memory, every time, and has never written it down. Sadly, I wasn’t blessed with that inerrant cooking sense that let’s come up with fabulous new flavors or re-create amazing dishes at home. But when the Daring Cooks made potato salad their June challenge, I knew that this was my moment.

Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads.

Since the key to the challenge was a “healthy” potato salad, I knew I’d have to change-up Mom’s recipe a bit. After discussing with her exactly what goes into her dish, I knew “one whole jar of mayonnaise” just wasn’t going to fly. I decided to lighten things up by swapping out half of the mayo for plain non-fat yogurt and using a low-fat mayonnaise for the remaining. Also, I used fat-free milk in place of whole milk.

I made just half of the “recipe” but ultimately should have made more. The guys (The Hubs and friends) finished it off in one night. Mom didn’t even get to try it. But The Hubs says it was almost as good as her’s, and that’s good enough for me!

Mom’s “Real German” Potato Salad – Light!
2.5 lbs. russet potatoes
1 c. light mayonnaise
1 c. plain non-fat yogurt
2/3 – 3/4 c. fat-free milk
3 eggs, hardboiled
2 Tb. white onion, finely chopped
2 Tb. dill pickle, finely chopped
1/2 Tb. sugar
1.5 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Directions
1. Boil potatoes with skins on until just fork tender, 15 – 18 minutes. Drain and set aside while dressing is prepared.
2. Combine mayo, yogurt, chopped pickle and onion, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Whisk in milk until all ingredients are incorporated and dressing is fairly thin (like melted ice cream). All dressing to rest for at least 20 minutes.
4. While dressing is resting, peel/rub skins off of potatoes.
5. Cut potatoes into “rustic” chunks, approximately 1-inch in size. (Mom does this in the traditional method of holding a potato in one hand and a stubby paring knife in the other, hacking of the chunks directly into a bowl).
6. Cut eggs into 1-inch pieces and add to bowl with potatoes.
7. Pour dressing into bowl and gently fold into the eggs and potatoes with a large spoon. Garnish with additional boiled eggs if desired.

As with many dressed dishes, Mom’s potato salad tastes even better the next day after the potatoes have had a chance to get a good soak in the dressing. I will definitely make this again, though I’d like to give the “real” full-fat version a try to see if I can truly match Mom’s flavors.

As they say in Germany, Guten Appetit!

Fit For A Marquise

So, I did it again.

I managed to complete my second “daring” challenge, this time from the Daring Bakers.

If I thought I was in over my head with the last one, it was because I didn’t know what was coming. So intimidated was I by this challenge, that it took me a week past the deadline to finally pull it together.

Marquise on Meringue with Dark Rum Caramel and Toasted Coconut

The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

Once I got the process started, it really wasn’t so bad. I had decided to make a quarter batch, and it turned out pretty well, despite a few missteps. While we were given a base recipe to use, we were also once again encouraged to change up the flavors and make it unique to our own tastes.

The original recipe called for tequila, but since I had a bottle of dark rum handy I went with that instead. Dark rum got me thinking of deserted tropical islands…
Pirates…
Johnny Depp…ahem. Too far.

The dark rum got me thinking tropical, so I decided to pair this chocolate treat with coconut. I used coconut extract and the meringue and skipped the nuts in favor of a simple sprinkling of toasted shredded coconut.

Also, I found that I didn’t like the taste of the cocoa powder on the outside of the marquise at all. Fortunately, I only cut and rolled one piece at first for the photo. I left the rest of the batch plain and just served it with the meringue and caramel sauce.

I didn’t take photos of the process, partly because I was already pressed for time, and mostly, because I couldn’t have done nearly as good of a job as Emma and Jenny did in their original post. Definitely check in there for an excellent step by step guide.

Chocolate Marquise – Quarter Batch
Servings: 6 2″x2″ (5cmx5cm) cubes
Ingredients
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 large egg
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (40 ml) (40 grams/ 1½ oz) sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (2/3 fluid oz/ 20 ml.) water
Chocolate Base, barely warm (recipe follows)
½ cup (4 fluid oz./ 120 ml.) heavy cream
½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder (for rolling)
Torched meringue (recipe follows)
½ cup toasted shredded coconut

Chocolate Base
Ingredients
3 oz (85 grams/ 6 tablespoons) bittersweet chocolate (about 70% cocoa)
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons (90 ml/3 fluid oz.) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon cayenne
1/16 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon (15 ml/ 1/2 fluid oz.) dark rum
1 tablespoon (15 ml/ 1/2 fluid oz.) light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon/(less than 1/4 ounce) cocoa powder
1/4 oz unsalted butter (1/2 tablespoon/8 grams), softened

Directions:
1. Place the chocolate in a small mixing bowl.
2. In a double-boiler, warm the cream until it is hot to the touch (but is not boiling). Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.
3. Allow it to sit for a minute or two before stirring. Stir until the chocolate is melted completely and is smooth throughout.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Set aside until cooled to room temperature. Do not refrigerate, as the base needs to be soft when added to the marquise mixture. If you make it the day before, you may need to warm it slightly. Whisk it until it is smooth again before using it in the marquise recipe.

Torched Meringue
Servings: Makes about 1 cup of meringue. (I don’t know why, but I ended up with a lot more than a cup from this)
Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) (3½ oz or 100 gms) sugar
Splash of apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:
1. Combine the egg whites, sugar and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using your (clean, washed) hand, reach in the bowl and stir the three together, making sure the sugar is moistened evenly by the egg whites and they make a homogeneous liquid.
2. Over a saucepan of simmering water, warm the egg white mixture. Use one hand to stir the mixture continuously, feeling for grains of sugar in the egg whites. As the liquid heats up, the sugar will slowly dissolve and the egg whites will thicken. This step is complete when you don’t feel any more sugar crystals in the liquid and it is uniformly warm, nearly hot.
3. Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and return it to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk until you reach soft peaks. In the last 10 seconds of mixing, add the coconut extract to the meringue and mix thoroughly.
4. When you’re ready to plate the dessert, spoon the meringue onto a plate (or use a piping bag) and use a blowtorch to broil. (I used the broiling method by lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray. I then piped little plops of meringue onto the sheet and broiled them just a few seconds until toasty).

Dark Rum Caramel
Servings: Makes about 1/4 cup of caramel
Ingredients
1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fluid oz) (2 oz/55 gm) sugar
2 tablespoons (1 fluid oz./ 30 ml.) water
1/4 cup (2 fluid oz./ 60 ml.) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon dark rum

Directions:
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water on medium-high heat. Boil until the water completely evaporates and the sugar caramelizes to a dark mahogany color.
2. Working quickly, add the cream to the darkened caramel. It will bubble and pop vigorously, so add only as much cream as you can without overflowing the pot. Stir fast!
3. Return the pot to the stove on low heat and whisk gently to break up any hardened sugar. Add any remaining cream and continue stirring. Gradually, the hard sugar will dissolve and the caramel sauce will continue to darken. When the caramel has darkened to the point you want it, remove it from the heat. Add the salt and dark rum and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.

Double Dare

So, a couple months ago I stumbled across a site called The Daring Kitchen.  This site hosts monthly challenges in both cooking and baking categories where each member makes the same dish for the month.

What a brilliant idea! What a wonderful way to learn something new!

So, I quickly signed up for *both* challenges, but was too late to get in the April assignment.

I was so very excited when the May cooking challenge was finally revealed. And then when I read through the recipe I nearly wet my pants.

Soooo many ingredients. Sooooo many steps. What had I gotten myself into?

I had a brief moment of panic before I steeled up some courage and charged into the task at hand.

Our May hostess, Denise, of There’s a Newf in My Soup!, challenged The Daring Cooks to make Gumbo! She provided us with all the recipes we’d need, from creole spices, homemade stock, and Louisiana white rice, to Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo and Seafood Gumbo from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh.

And while using alternative recipes to those provided was allowed, I decided to make Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo because I love me some John Besh (He totally should have beat Michael Symon in the first Next Iron Chef)!

I opted not to make my own chicken stock, but I did mix up a batch of the creole spices. Also, I halved the recipe since there are only two of use to feed and I didn’t want a whole mess of gumbo in case it turned out be..well…a mess.

In the end, I worried for nothing. Although, it took about as twice as long as the recipe cooking times suggest – I blame the uneven heating on my circa 1980 electric stove – it turned out great! We ended up having some friends over, and there was just barely enough to go around. I think I could have made a full batch and still not had leftovers. Thank you, Denise, for sharing such a great recipe!

Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo
Adapted from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh
Serves 5 – 6

Ingredients
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. flour
1 lg. onion, diced
2 lbs. whole chicken pieces
1 Tb. Creole spices
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices
1 celery stalk, diced
1 green bell pepper, seed and diced
1/2 tomato, seed and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Leaves of 1 sprig of fresh thyme
48 oz. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
3 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. sliced okra (I used frozen)
1/2 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Prepare the Creole Spices.
2. Season the chicken pieces with 1 Tb. of spices. Allow to rest while you prepare the vegetables.
3. Prep vegetables as directed. Make sure all of your vegetables are cut and ready to go before beginning the roux because you must stand at the stove and stir the roux continuously to prevent it from burning.
4. In a large heavy-bottomed pan, heat the canola oil over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil – it will start to sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux becomes a deep brown color. *Here is where I had a timing issue. While the recipe suggests that this stage should take only about 15 minutes, but it took me nearly 40 minutes. Again, I think this is mostly due to my crappy old stove*.
5. Add the onions. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir the onions into the roux. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue stirring until the roux becomes a glossy dark brown. *Here the directions said this stage should take about 10 minutes. I let mine go for 20 minutes and I don’t think I quite reached the level of dark brown that it was supposed to be. But after a full hour of stirring, I called it “good enough” and moved on.*
6. Add the chicken pieces to the pot and raise heat to moderate. Cook, turning the pieces until slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
7. Add the sliced smoked sausage, stir for about a minute.
8. Add the celery, bell peppers, tomato and garlic. Continue stirring for about 3 minutes.
9. Add the thyme, chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Add the mushrooms, okra and Worcestershire.
12. Simmer for another 45 minutes, skimming any fat off the surface if necessary.
13. Remove bay leaf and serve with rice.

Basic Creole Seasoning
From My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh
Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients
2 Tb. celery salt
1 Tb. sweet paprika
1 Tb. sea salt
1 Tb. black pepper
1 Tb. garlic powder
1 Tb. onion powder
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground allspice

Mix together all spices in a bowl then transfer to a clean container with a tight fitting lid. Store up to 6 months.