Arctic Garden Studio

French Potato Salad with Mustard and Fresh Herbs

2013-05-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again. Bring on the picnics and BBQ’s. I’ve been living a bit of a double life these days. I spend my weekdays working near (very near, literally a few hundred feet) Denali National Park. While I am here I have reverted to my single girl ways. Food is as simple as I can make it. Sometimes and avocado scooped out with tortilla chips is my lunch. Evenings are all about checking out all the great hiking trails in the area followed by a beer and an appetizer at one of the local watering holes.

Weekends return me to my “regularly scheduled life”. There’s dog walking and brushing followed by proper home cooked meals and dishwashing. As funny as it sounds this schedule has brought a great deal of balance to my life. I have really missed getting outdoors and hiking. As much as I love cooking, it is definitely more of a creative pursuit, not a domestic one for me. The recipe creation and the eating part are great, but the cleaning up part I'm not so fond of. So, I am always thankful when we get invited to a potluck. It means only one dish to make and most of the time far less dishes than a regular dinner.

When David mentioned that we had been invited to a BBQ this past weekend I asked what he thought I should make. He suggested potato salad. I balked at the idea saying that certainly someone else would bring potato salad to a BBQ. David insisted, his reasoning was that if I brought potato salad we would be certain there would be some. Obviously, someone really wanted potato salad. For the last few years I have been making the same Lemony Potato Salad with chives. I really like the lightness of it, but I usually make my own mayonnaise with olive oil for that salad. Store bought mayonnaise makes potato salad too heavy in my opinion. Even though homemade mayonnaise is the easiest thing in the world to make, I was feeling exceptionally lazy last weekend. I wanted something similar to my old stand by, but without the mayonnaise. This one with mustard and Dijon mustard was a perfect fit. Oh, and David was right, nobody else brought potato salad and we would have gone without if I hadn't made this one.

Amazon.com

French Potato Salad with Dijon Mustard and Fresh Herbs
adapted from The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

3 pounds small red potatoes
2 tablespoons table salt
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves

Place potatoes and salt in a large saucepan; cover with water and bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer potatoes, uncovered, until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (approximate). Place potatoes in a large serving bowl.Whisk garlic, vinegar, mustard, oil, and pepper in small bowl until combined. Drizzle dressing evenly over warm potatoes; let stand 10 minutes. Add shallot and herbs to the bowl and mix gently with rubber spatula to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Banana, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip Muffins

2013-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I know things have been really quiet around here lately, too quiet. I have a confession to make. I have moved. Well...sort of. I have spent the better part of the last four months trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, at this point I might as well say "if I grow up". I knew I didn't want to go back to "professional" life. The idea of spending the rest of my working life in a position where I only get two weeks off a year, and being totally stressed out about my job those whole two weeks was definitely something I was not eager to return to. I thought that I could possibly make this space earn enough income that I wouldn't have to go back to work. I'll let you in on a little secret, it takes some seriously hard work to make a living as a food blogger. I'm happy to be at a place where this space provides a nice supplemental income, and I think if I had another six months to work on it, I may just have made it. I thought about moving to Maine, I applied for another Executive Director job here in Alaska. Neither felt "right". Something was calling to me, something I couldn't really explain. I really wanted to return to Denali National Park. I had worked here years ago, and the place has always pulled at my heartstrings. So, I decided to take a seasonal position with a non-profit right outside the park. I'm hoping that it will possibly lead to something more permanent. Right now I am just enjoying testing the waters. I'm still only a two hour drive from Fairbanks, so I am sure I'll be spending some weekends in our Fairbanks home. I'm also looking forward to doing some exploring on this end of the park. The last time I worked in Denali I was 90 miles west of here. Right now, I am just settling in. It's still the off season, so no running water or real kitchen facilities are available right now. Once I get back in the swing of things I hope to post more often.
I made these muffins on a trip back to Fairbanks last weekend. When I got home there some pretty brown bananas sitting on the counter. I would normally just make my standard banana bread, but because I was leaving and it would be up to David to eat it after I left, I decided that I would have to make something with chocolate in it. If I were to make these muffins again, I probably would make them right in the pan, rather than use cupcake papers that you see in the photos. They were really good, but they really stuck to the paper. You can also spray the paper if you really want to use them. The thing I liked about these is despite the additions of peanut butter and chocolate, they weren't overly sweet. They still felt like a good choice for breakfast.

Banana, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two muffin pans with butter or cooking spray, one 12 cup and one 6 cup pan. Combine banana, yogurt, peanut butter, butter, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended. In a medium bowl; combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly amongst muffin cups. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely. Makes 18 muffins.

Alternately for a loaf: Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

Ginger Syrup

2013-04-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Last year this time I was totally in love with Masala Chai. I was drinking it three times a day. I loved the fresh, spicy ginger flavor of the drink. I still drink it often, but the novelty has worn off and now it's only a few times a week. This year I have a new spicy, gingery love. It comes in the form of a cold beverage this time. I had always heard how much better homemade ginger ale was than the store bought stuff. I guess I never took much interest as I was never a huge fan of store bought ginger ale. Sure, if you have an upset stomach, a can of ginger ale is nice. I have always found that ginger ale comes in two forms; weak ginger flavor and very sweet, or totally overpowering ginger flavor. That is the beauty of making your own homemade ginger syrup. You decide how strong/sweet the flavor will be. The recipe below is just a starting point. If you like it more sweet, add more sugar. Super Spicy? More ginger.
The syrup can also be used for cocktails, hot tea, or even baked goods. I love the flavor of fresh ginger in baked goods and hope to try adapting a few recipes for ginger syrup soon.
Are you a fan of ginger ale? Do you like it super spicy, or are you into the classic Vernor's version? What are your favorite gingery cocktails?

Ginger Syrup
adapted from Imbibe Magazine

3 cups unpeeled, washed, fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
6 cups water

Process ginger chunks in a food processor until finely chopped. Place ginger in a large, at least 4 quart stock pot. Add sugar and water to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 1 1/2 hours until a syrup is created. I ended up with about 20 ounces of syrup (2 1/2 cups) once it was cooked down. Strain the syrup through a sieve into a large jar or bottle. I didn't mind it a little cloudy, but if you want a more clear syrup, you will want to strain it through cheesecloth or a jelly bag multiple times. Refrigerate. Use within 1 month.

Key Lime Cheesecake Fool

2013-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Don't forget it's April 1st, it's easy to be fooled. I would say it's exceptionally easy to be fooled when the weather forecast is calling for snow, that might be the biggest prank we see all day. If you find yourself being fooled, I recommend a little Key Lime Cheesecake Fool to brighten your spirits. This one is so easy, any fool could make them. I added some graham crackers for dunking, but you could crush them up and add them directly to the dessert, of course it would no longer be a fool. Crushed cookies added to a fool is technically a Mess. A fool or a mess, or how about a foolish mess? Does it really matter, as long as it tastes good? These definitely do.

I tried these both immediately after making them and then again after they had time to sit in the fridge. Eating them immediately gives you a much lighter dessert, the consistency of whipped cream. Making them ahead and letting them set up in the fridge allows the whipped cheesecake part to set up, making it more the texture of a soft cheesecake. If you are going with the latter method, don't mix in the graham cracker crumbs as they will get very soggy if allowed to sit in the mixture for too long.

I did prefer them after they had some time to sit. They really great both ways, but I preferred the texture after waiting. You all know how much I hate to wait to eat dessert!

Have any good practical jokes planned for today? Let me in on the secret. I won't tell. Happy April!

Amazon.com

Key Lime Cheesecake Fool

adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and Sprinkles Bakes

For the Key Lime Curd

1/4 pound, (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup key lime juice

For the Whipped Cream Cheese

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3/4 cup heavy cream

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish with

graham crackers for dunking

key lime slices

Make the Key Lime Curd

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Pour in the key lime juice and mix well. The mixture will look curdled, it is fine. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan until smooth and no longer curdled. Increase heat to medium high, keep stirring constantly until mixture has thickened. If you want to use a candy thermometer, you will want the curd to reach 170 degrees Fahrenheit. I do it by sight rather than temperature. Once desired consistency, pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed to the surface to avoid a skin from forming on the top. Place curd in refrigerator. Cool curd to at least room temperature before assembling fools. Any extra curd can be kept, wrapped tightly for up to 1 week.

Make the Whipped Cream Cheese

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Scrape whipped cream from the bowl of the mixer and set aside in a smaller bowl. No need to clean your mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until light and fluffy. Fold in the whip cream by hand.

Assemble the fools

In four small dessert cups alternate layers of the key lime curd and whipped cream cheese mixture, starting with the key lime curd on the bottom and ending with whip cream on top. I only used one layer of curd and had a lot left over. Cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator for about two hours. Garnish with graham crackers and lime slices, serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Hot Cross Buns

2013-03-29T12:04:00.002-07:00

As always, I was surprised how easily these buns came together. I have been cooking with yeast for years now, but I am still shocked how easy it is. If you are one of those people who avoids homemade bread because you are afraid of yeast, stop missing out. It is so easy, I promise you. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, it is even easier. I have a confession to make, I NEVER knead my dough by hand, even if the recipe says to, I still use the dough hook. I have never had a problem. This recipe does ask you to knead in the currents by hand and I did do that, but only because I had already cleaned everything up and put my mixer away. I'm not sure how well they would have incorporated with the bread hook anyway.
Every year I think about making hot cross buns, but Easter sneaks up on me and I never get around to it. Funny, the year that Easter is earlier than I ever remember it is the year I finally get around to making them. Now that I realize how easy they are to make, hopefully I will be making them every year. This recipe makes 24 buns, but that's ok because folklore specifically states that you are supposed to share them with friends. I asked David to bring (more than) half of them to work, but he forgot them on the counter. Looks like we are going to be very lonely the next year! Also, if you feel like you need some good luck with bread baking in your kitchen the next year, you can hang one of the buns in your kitchen to ensure that all your breads turn out perfectly. I wasn't too fond of the idea of having a moldy bun hanging around my kitchen for the next year and decided to look into this tradition a little further and found a couple of fun articles in the news this week. One family has passed down a hot cross bun for five generations, the bun was baked in 1821, the year Napoleon died! The article has some other fun tidbits of folklore, you can find it here. That's a pretty old bun, but these folks think there's might be even older, read about the 200 year old hot cross bun here.
I think I'll stick with these fresh ones thanks. Happy Easter everyone!

Amazon.com

Whole Wheat Hot Cross Buns
adapted from Whole Grain Baking

1 cup of currants moistened in 1 tablespoons of dark rum (or water)
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup orange juice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

For the Icing:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the currants with the rum. Set aside.

Combine all of the dough ingredients,except the current and mix in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix until you have a medium soft, smooth dough. This should take about 10 minutes. Cover and let the dough rise until it’s puffy, but not quite doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.

Lightly grease two 9x2-inch cake pans. Gently deflate the dough on a lightly greased surface. Knead in the currants by hand. Cut or divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a round ball.

Place 12 balls, smooth side up in each pan, you should have about 3/4 of an inch between each ball of dough. Cover, and let the buns rise in a warm spot until they are puffy and toucing one another, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Toward the end of your rise time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Uncover and bake the buns, until they’re lightly golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Whisk together the icing ingredients, adding one teaspoon of milk at a time until the icing is smooth, but not too thin to pipe. After the rolls have cooled for about 15 minutes, pipe on the icing in the cross shape. Make sure the buns are not too hot (the icing will melt), but also not completely cold (the icing won't stick) If you don’t have piping bags, you can use a zip top plastic bag with the corner snipped off.

Bring to friends and share.

Crazy about Coconut Bread

2013-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know if my brain is just getting soft from not working, but lately I can't remember anything. It has gotten so bad I have set myself about 10 notes and online reminders that I have jury duty on Tuesday. The problem is that I now have to remember which day is Tuesday. Not only have I been forgetful, but just crazy scatter-brained. I find this happens for a couple of weeks around this time every year. My whole internal clock gets thrown for a loop with all this light. Today, I was about to take the dogs for a walk and when I got outside I looked down to find instead of gloves, I had oven mitts on my hands! In that moment I knew I had to take a deep breath and go back inside. I went around and made sure I had turned the stove and oven off and checked on the wood stove. This kind of absent mindedness can burn a house down. Everything was fine, but it made me a little nervous that my mind is that preoccupied.
I believe it was that short circuit in my brain that caused this coconut loaf cake to come into being. It is almost as though my brain just got stuck on the coconut setting. The milk became coconut milk, the flour became coconut flour, and the butter was replaced with coconut oil. I'm positive if I would have had coconut sugar, I would have used that too. I honestly feared that so many substitutions was going to lead to one big expensive disaster. I was so thrilled to find that my baker instincts are still right on target. Yes, this loaf was absolutely perfect. A wonderful, not too sweet loaf that is great for breakfast or with an afternoon cup of tea. I used the sweetened coconut because it was all I had in the house after making a huge batch of coconut granola last week. If you wanted an even less sweet loaf, you could easily swap it out for the unsweetened stuff. Although I think it was the coconut flour that made this loaf a little more crumbly than the original, I wouldn't trade it and lose the sweet and nutty flavor it provides.
So, have you ever gone all out swapping out ingredients for a recipe? How did it turn out for you?

Crazy about Coconut Bread
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
5 ounces plus 2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted plus extra for baking pans

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix together both flours, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add turbinado sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add coconut oil, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to over mix. Batter will be quite thick.

Oil two 8-1/2x4-1/2"-inch loaf pans (This will create flatter loaves, more like a tea cake. If you prefer a taller loaf use a large 8 cup bread pan, cooking time will be extended), or coat with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and smooth top. Place in oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack. Loaf will be less crumbly if you let it cool completely before slicing.

Incredible Coconut Key Lime Pie (an Impossible Pie)

2013-03-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

This week. Oh, I have been trudging through this week. I feel like everything I do takes twice as long as I thought it would. I had all these ideas about how I would get caught up with things, start spring cleaning. None. None of that happened. I'm not sure what I did exactly. I didn't even go anywhere. Yesterday I finally found my way. I decided to turn off the phone and the computer for most of the day. I tested a few recipes, but when it came to cleaning I just couldn't do it with this beautiful weather. Plus, the dogs were giving me their sad faces. It's amazing I get anything at all done with those sad faces staring at me all the time. It turns out they were right. It was a beautiful day, why weren't we outside? So, I resolved to do better next week and get caught up. Then when I got home I found out that I have been called for jury duty next week. Ugh! Despite the bad timing, I'm a little excited about jury duty. I've never been called before and I'm curious to see how the process works.
So, why on a week when everything seemed to be more challenging than most would I make something called Impossible Pie? Well, that's the secret. Impossible Pie is not impossible at all, but really quite incredible. You mix all the ingredients together, pour it in a pie plate. Incredibly, it separates in the oven forming a chewy coconut crust and a nice custard layer in between. So, I'm not sure how it ever got the name impossible, as it is incredible how easily the whole thing comes together. Most of the recipes I found online were for making two impossible pies. I was pretty sure I didn't need two whole pies in my house, so I adapted the recipe for one incredible pie that is impossible to stop eating.

Incredible Coconut Key Lime Pie (an Impossible Pie)
adapted from Food and Wine

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon key lime zest (regular lime would work just fine)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven. Butter one 9-inch glass pie plate.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour, coconut, key lime zest, and milk. Pour the mixture into the pie plate and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 50 minutes, until the pie is firm to the touch and golden. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool completely before serving.

Technology in the Kitchen: AT&T Sponsored Post

2013-03-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not the kind of person who likes a lot of gadgets in my kitchen, especially things that clutter up the counter tops. Yet, because I so often use recipes and cookbooks, this little stand almost permanently sits on my kitchen counter. In the past I would often print out recipes that I wanted to try, but after a while the clutter and confusion of trying to find the right one when I needed it became overwhelming. Sometimes I found myself printing out the same recipe three times. Honestly, that was one of the main reasons I started this site, to keep track of all those recipes I didn't want to lose. Then Pinterest came along and it became much easier to keep track of all those recipes I wanted to make. The need to print them out became less necessary. Over time I found my laptop was spending more time in the kitchen than it was on a desk. I always worried that I would dump something on the keyboard, luckily I never did. When I switched to an I-Phone last summer it became much easier to bring the internet and my recipes into the kitchen, although I must admit that it was a bit hard to read and all that scrolling, shrinking, and expanding font sizes was really gunking up my screen. So when AT&T contacted me to see if I would like to try out the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 8.9, I was thrilled.
The thing I found most helpful is that I could size the recipe to fit my screen and then adjust the settings so the screen would stay lit for 30 minutes. It made it so nice to not have to touch the screen with my gooey kitchen fingers.
I must admit that as eager as I am to bring technology into the kitchen, I'm still a little apprehensive about giving up my cookbooks in hard copy form. Although, now that I am contemplating another move, I'm thinking how nice it would be to have them all in a digital version. So, just for fun I downloaded a sample of Deborah Madison's new book, "Vegetable Literacy". I had recently held this beautiful, but weighty book in my hand and just couldn't bring myself to purchase another cookbook. The book is full of great information and beautiful pictures, would it translate to a tablet? I think I surprised myself when the answer was a definite yes. It might not be the answer for everyone, but as I look to my future. I only see more cookbooks. The question is, move or no move, where will I put them all? They have already taken over the kitchen and the living room. Twice in the last three months I have taken boxes full of cookbooks to our local literacy council in an effort to whittle down my collection. Still, I have almost 150 cookbooks. It would be one thing if they stayed on the shelves, but no they make their way to counter tops and tables, they are in almost every room of the house (not the bathroom, that's gross).
Cookbooks are just the start. I recently decided that I just wasn't going to purchase so many magazines anymore. I would limit myself to three a month. Those stacks and piles were getting out of control too. The great thing about the tablet is that as you are reading a magazine, instead of marking things you want to look up later, there is most often a clickable link to go right there. So all those fun gadgets you see in cooking magazines can be right at your finger tips. You need something to fill in those spaces where the cookbooks once sat! So, I can only say that I am embracing this technology in my kitchen. How about you? Do you swear you'll never give up your cookbooks? Are you still printing off recipes? How do you feel about technology in the kitchen? I'd love to hear your opinion, for better or worse.

Also, if you are considering a tablet purchase, the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 8.9 is on sale right now for $459.99. They are having a sale and they are $100 off.

Full Disclosure: AT&T sent me a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 for this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All wording and views expressed in this post are my own.

Raspberry Friands

2013-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love my stand mixer, I really do, but sometimes it is nice to make a recipe that just requires a bowl and a simple wooden spoon. Sometimes I have to remember that I didn't always own a stand mixer and others probably still don't. I'm always amazed when I read that people own them and never use them. I honestly use mine almost every day. Today, I'm going to let it take a little rest while I make raspberry friands.
I have been fascinated lately by muffin type baked goods from cultures around the world. There are a few I have been experimenting with over the years, like a Salvadorian one that contains a lot of eggs and butter. I find that they are just too rich for me. A rich, eggy breakfast muffin is a nice treat, but not when it leaves you with a belly ache.
This Australian version of the friand is a nice balance, rich, but not too rich. I think it is the use of only the egg whites that helps.
I had been wanting to make these for a while, but I really wanted to wait until raspberry season rolled around again. Usually I make my berry supply last and am often making up crazy mixed berry jams in an effort to make room for the following years stash. This year I had limited picking time, so things went pretty quick. Last week I searched my freezer and thought that all of last years raspberries had already been used up. Somehow I had missed the one final bag. I had packed it flat and so it just blended in at the bottom of the freezer. I was thrilled to find it and I knew right away that I would make these friands. I did cheat and buy a box of raspberries from the grocery store to garnish them though. I have to admit, as much as I love our local raspberries, a few fresh ones in the dead of winter was kind of a nice treat. Although it is just going to make waiting for the next raspberry season all that much harder.
What seasonal fruits and berries do you squirrel away for the winter? Do you ration them out to make them last? Are you able to use them all up by the time the next years picking season rolls around?

Amazon.com

Raspberry Friands
adapted from What Katie Ate

10 large egg whites
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups almond meal or almond flour
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 pint raspberries, plus extra for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease 18 holes of regular sized muffin tins, or 36 mini muffin tins. I was able to get 24 friands by using one 12 hole mini muffin tin and one small 12 hole bouchon pan.
Whisk the egg whites for a few seconds until just frothy.
Add the butter, almond meal, powdered sugar and flour and stir with a wooden spoon to combine well. Pour into the prepared molds or pans, filling each hole to just two-thirds full.
Place two or three raspberries on top of each friand and bake for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and tops are lightly golden brown. Working quickly, remove friands from the pans immediately. Once they have cooled even slightly, they will stick to the pan terribly.
Dust the friands with powdered sugar and serve warm, with extra fresh raspberries if you like.
Makes 18 standard size friands.

The Emerald Cocktail

2013-03-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, where did the week go? It's Friday already? Well, I better get this cocktail posted for you. As they say, it's 5:00 somewhere. Not only is it 5:00 somewhere, but it is also the Friday right before St. Patrick's Day. I'm sure many of you are planning some corned beef and cabbage for this weekend. Am I right? What about drinks? Are you the green beer type, or do you lean more towards Irish Coffee?
I'm a big fan of the Manhattan and this drink, The Emerald is an Irish version of the Manhattan made with Irish Whiskey. I had never heard of this drink until a few weeks ago when I was searching for a good St. Patrick's Day cocktail. I was actually surprised that this hadn't already made the rounds on the internet considering emerald is the Pantone color of the year. Of course, the drink isn't actually emerald itself.
I wish you all a fun and festive weekend. Whatever your drink of choice, Sláinte!

The Emerald

2 ounces Irish Whiskey
1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
ice
twist of orange peel to garnish

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with a scoop of crushed ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve with the twist of orange. Makes one cocktail.

Irish Coffee Blondies

2013-03-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Anchorage, 15 hours of driving in one 36 hour time period. I was totally wiped out today. I thought I might be getting sick, but I'm pretty sure I was just tired. In the last few years the majority of my trips to Anchorage have been by plane. It was nice to have the luxury of my own car to stop up on some fun supplies, mostly groceries. I didn't have to worry about only having a carry-on bag and not being able to bring back any liquids. Yet, I couldn't help but think that I might be moving soon and everything I bought was something I would potentially have to take with me if I did. So, I brought back a mostly empty car. One thing I have been doing lately during long drives is listening to language learning CD's. I find it remarkably meditative. You can't really think about anything else, it really clears the mind. I used to listen to books on tape in the car, but even then I still found my mind would wander off and I would miss whole chapters of the book. Do you have any secrets to keeping your brain occupied on long car trips?

It's taken me a while to figure this all out, but I recently realized if I don't post holiday recipes until the day of the actual holiday, nobody is going to make them. By the time next year rolls around, you will have totally forgotten about them and there will be some hot new green recipe for St. Patrick's Day next year. That's another thing, I'm not really a big fan of green recipes, or green beer for that matter. Maybe that's because I don't want to reserve Irish Coffee for one day of the year, or Irish Cream especially. Although, I might be better off reserving these blondies for only one day a year. They are great with a cup of coffee. Cut them into small squares, they are very rich, and very buttery. If I say something is rich, well it definitely is! If you absolutely must have something green on the menu for St. Patrick's Day, go ahead and add a few drops of green food coloring to the glaze.

Irish Coffee Blondies
adapted from Martha Stewart

Blondies
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons espresso powder
Salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Glaze
1 tablespoon melted butter, warm
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray with baking spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment so that it overhangs on all sides. Butter or spray parchment.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Melt butter, and pour into a mixing bowl with brown sugar, espresso powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture until just combined, don't overmix. Pour batter into pan, and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 27 to 30 minutes. A shorter baking time will result in a chewier blondie. Cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze: In a two cup measuring cup (or other container with a spout) whisk together butter and whiskey. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until glaze is thick but pourable. Drizzle glaze over blondies. Let glaze dry. Cut blondies into small squares.

Asparagus, Spinach, and Red Pepper Salad topped with Goat Cheese Fritters

2013-03-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

I hope you won't mind if I keep this one short today. I'm spending the day in Anchorage, a little business, and a little pleasure. I'll be stocking up on groceries and stopping by a couple of my favorite restaurants. It was nice to get out of Fairbanks, but the drive was a little scary. The roads are a mess this time of year.
So, with little fanfare...this salad is amazing. Those fritters are crazy good. The original recipe called for one fritter per salad. No way. I can't do it. So go, make this salad now. It's the perfect time of year for asparagus and goat cheese.
I'll see you later this week with some fun non-green, yet still very much St. Patrick's Day treats. Happy Monday!

Asparagus, Spinach, and Red Pepper Salad topped with Goat Cheese Fritters

Amazon.com

adapted from Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (salad) and
At the Kitchen Table (fritters)

serves 2-3

For the goat cheese fritters
4 ounces soft, white goat cheese, cut into 6 equal rounds
¼ cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten with a tablespoon of water
¼ cup panko
¼ cup pecans, finely chopped

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Canola oil for frying

For the salad
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1- by 1/4-inch strips
1 pound asparagus, trimmed of tough ends and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, sliced thin (I couldn't find a shallot, so I used about 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 medium garlic clove, minced
6 ounces baby spinach

To make the goat cheese fritters, line up three soup bowls. Put the flour in one, beat the eggs with the water in the second, and put the breadcrumbs and pecans in the third bowl. Roll each piece of cheese in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip each flour-coated round of cheese into the egg mixture, then roll it in the panko and pecans to coat. The fritters may be prepared ahead up to this point and refrigerated for several hours or overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; add red pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add asparagus, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook until asparagus is browned and almost tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in shallot (or red onion) and cook until softened and asparagus is tender-crisp, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large plate and cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl until combined. In large bowl, toss spinach with 2 tablespoons dressing and divide among 2-3 salad plates. Toss asparagus mixture with remaining dressing and place a portion over spinach.

When it's time to serve the salad, heat about ½ inch of canola oil in a small sauté pan and fry the breaded cheese rounds until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to soak up the extra frying oil. Top each salad with two (or three) fritters and serve immediately.

Blueberry Corn Cookies

2013-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have made two of Christina Tosi's recipes prior to this one, crack pie and caramelized cornflake cookies. There were a few common denominators between the two recipes. The first thing I have noticed is that Christina loves her salt. This sweet and salty combo leads to a highly addictive quality to her baked goods. Finally, I vowed never to make either of the two previous recipes again for the fact that I could not be trusted alone with an entire recipe for either of them. They were both too good and yet oh so very bad. The good thing about those two recipes is that you needed to commit a fair amount of time to each of them, therefore discouraging repeat offenses into the world of the very unhealthy.
These corn cookies, while not too difficult to make do involve sourcing some specialty ingredients. I would imagine that corn flour may be difficult for a lot of people to find, but the freeze dried corn is going to be difficult for just about everyone. I ordered both of these ingredients online from a company called "nuts.com". They do sell more than nuts by the way.
As with the other recipes I mentioned, these cookies were oddly addictive. Possibly more odd than the others. On first bite these cookies reminded me of the Cheetos they used to sell without the cheese on them. I don't think they sell them anymore. Do you know what I am talking about? As a kid I remember these, they were weird, salty corn puffs. Some people would make caramel corn out of them.
When I was getting ready to make the recipe I couldn't decide if I should make them as is, or change things up a bit. The regular corn cookies have been posted 100 times over on other sites, so I wouldn't exactly be introducing anything new. I couldn't help thinking about a blueberry cobbler I had last summer with a cornmeal crust. That blueberry and corn flavor was amazing. So, I decided to go for it and add blueberries. I'm so glad I did. I loved the contrast of the sweet dried blueberries and the salty corn flavor. This is the first Christina Tosi recipe I could see myself making again. I mean, with blueberries they are almost healthy. The best part is that they turn out a pretty impressive looking cookie. When David came home that night he asked, "Where did you buy the cookies"? They did look like real bakery cookies.
Have you tried any of Christina Tosi's recipes from her Milk bar cookbook? What did you think?

Amazon.com

Blueberry Corn Cookies

adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

1 cup freeze-dried corn
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg

1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup corn flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried blueberries (regular dried, not freeze-dried)

Place freeze-dried corn in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until corn becomes a powder. Measure out 2/3 cup and set aside. Save remaining powder in an airtight container for a later time. Because I am not going to use my freeze-dried corn for anything else, I went ahead and turned the entire package (minus a few kernals that I saved for photos) to corn powder.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, corn flour, 2/3 cup freeze-dried corn powder,
baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together,
no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gently stir in the dried blueberries until well incorporated.

Using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the
dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough
domes flat (I used a glass to press them down a bit). Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature--they will not bake properly.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or
Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes, they should be faintly browned on the edges yet
still bright yellow in the center; give them an extra minute if not.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Asparagus with Egg, Parmesan, and Lemon

2013-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy thinking about St. Patrick's Day recipes and celebrations that I didn't even realize that Easter is right around the corner as well. Not to mention that we need to turn our clocks ahead one hour when we go to bed on Saturday night. It feels like spring is really here. Well, sort of...there is still all that snow. I'm not convinced there isn't more coming. In the meantime I'll celebrate spring in the simple ways that I can for now, like enjoying those first little scrawny spears of asparagus we are finding at the local grocery store. If this year is anything like the last few, I predict there will be a whole lot of asparagus on our menu that next few weeks (and one more day of snow shoveling). I love asparagus roasted, steamed, tossed in pasta, as a side item, added to soup...you get the picture. I'm always looking for new ways with asparagus, if you have a suggestion, leave me a comment. I'd love to hear it.
This dish is really easy to put together. The only thing that takes any time is the boiling of the eggs. The ingredients remind me a bit of a deconstructed ceasar dressing. The perfect thing for a spring lunch, or maybe a light dinner with a piece of Alaska Salmon.

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Asparagus with hard-boiled eggs, Parmesan, and lemon
adapted from Very Fond of Food by Sophie Dahl

12-16 asparagus spears (more if they are super skinny)
2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Heat a heavy, preferably cast iron skillet over high heat. Remove the tough ends from the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. If your asparagus is exceptionally thin like mine you may only need to cook it for 3-4 minutes total. Just keep an eye on it to prevent it from getting too black.
On a large plate, or platter add half of each of the chopped egg, olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice. Place asparagus spears over top and sprinkle with remainder of the egg, and Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and lemon juice over asparagus, and sprinkle with lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Makes two servings for lunch or possibly four as a dinner side with a nice piece of salmon.

Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

2013-03-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

I love a good chowder, especially in the winter. It is just the perfect thing for this time of year. The days are getting longer, so we are spending more time outside. Something warm and hearty really hits the spot. I used to make a lot of clam chowder when I lived in Washington State, there was a great vendor at the farmer's market that sold clams. Since moving to Fairbanks I haven't made any chowder at all. That is because when I worked in town I would get chowder for lunch at least once a week. It wasn't the best chowder, but when you are eating it regularly, you just don't feel like making it at home too. Now that I only go to town once a week, or so I don't eat much (any) chowder anymore. My two favorites at the local place I visit are the smoked salmon chowder and the halibut corn chowder. It was always a toss up because I really like smoked salmon, but sometimes the corn would make me lean toward the halibut. The great thing when you make your own chowder is that you can put whatever you want in it. So, when I saw this recipe a couple weeks ago for smoked salmon chowder I knew right away that I would have to add corn. This is chowder exactly how I like it, not too thin, but not thick and gloppy like the restaurant stuff either. I like mine with a good serving of crackers as well. I prefer fresh herbs, but if you don't have access to them you can use dried instead, just make sure and use much less than you would of fresh. I'm pretty excited to have a chowder recipe that I am really happy with, maybe when I go back to work I can finally get in the routine of packing my lunch from home. If so, this chowder will go in the regular rotation.
One more thing, the guy at my local liquor store gave me a great tip when buying wine for this chowder. I don't know why I never thought of it before, but when I said I was buying the wine for soup, he directed me to the small bottles of wine that come in the 4 packs. No, it's not the best drinking wine, but it is far better than the "cooking wine" you find in the regular part of the grocery store. The little bottle was just the right size, and there was enough selection that I was actually able to find a half way decent wine for the chowder. I know you aren't supposed to cook with any wine you wouldn't drink. At the same time I don't really want to pour a bottle of good drinking wine into a pot of soup either.
What about you, what are your favorite chowder ingredients? Do you like yours with corn? Do you get upset when there are too many potatoes? Do you like it creamy or brothy? Finally, red or white clam chowder? I must admit that I am sorely disappointed when I order clam chowder and it turns out to be the red stuff.

Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen, who adapted it from Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings, who adapted it from Boundary Bay Brewery! (whew)

2 slices bacon, diced small
1/2 pound red potatoes, skin left on, diced into 1/2" pieces, about 2 cups
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, thinly sliced, or cut into half moons if large, about 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup celery, small dice
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup clam juice
3/4 cup white wine
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen, whole kernel corn
8-10 ounces hot smoked salmon, flaked, about 1 1/2 cups
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

In a large, heavy bottomed dutch oven or similar pot add bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crispy. Stir in the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened and become translucent. Add the thyme, potatoes, clam juice, and wine.

Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Whisk together 1/2 cup milk and the flour and then add it to the pot. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add the remaining milk and cream. Season again with salt and pepper to taste. If it looks like your chowder is going to be too thick for your taste, add a little water at this point. Bring to a very low simmer and add the corn, salmon, and dill. Cook until just heated, the corn and salmon should be heated through. Serve immediately.
If re-heating leftover chowder, heat over very low heat to avoid scorching cream.

Lime, Basil, and Mandarin Salad

2013-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I took a trip to San Francisco. It was a great trip. Not only did I get to spend some time with Ruth Reichl, I visited Karen at The Lemon Ladies Orchard, and I met Shae for the first time. I stopped by Omnivore Books, Sam was still working there then. She directed me to some great restaurants. I picked up a cook book to take home as a souvenir from my trip. I love imported cookbooks, in my brief look through this one I knew there would be many recipes I would like to try.
When I returned home it was back to training our 10 month old, 115 pound puppy. We were experimenting with leaving him home alone for brief periods of time, and progressively longer periods of time. One of those longer periods we came home to find everything that had been on the kitchen counter chewed apart, or eaten. It was a huge mess sprawling one end of the house to the other. In the mess I found my new cook book laying open, face down on the floor. The front (hardcover) cover had been partially chewed, dog tooth puncture marks were through the entire book, and few pages had been ripped out and eaten completely. I was so angry with myself, the dog, and the whole incident. I almost threw the book away, but David convinced me to keep it. So, I shoved it up on the shelf and there it sat until I noticed it a few days ago. Somehow, two years later the damage didn't seem so bad. Those recipes that had piqued my interest all those years ago were still there. Yes, I couldn't help but think back to that day and laugh. Oh, what a mess! The book still reminds me of that wonderful trip.
I had been looking for a mandarin salad, something different. At first I was excited, but then the combination reminded me of a perfume I once had. I was kind of turned off, who wants to eat a salad that tastes like perfume? Not me. There was something about it that kept calling to me, so I finally made it for lunch. The basil and sesame seeds are key players in this salad, don't skimp on them if you make it. The flavor combination was wonderful, nothing like the perfume, but if you want to dab some behind your ears, I won't tell anyone!

Lime, Basil, and Mandarin Salad

Amazon.com

adapted from Teaching Dad to Cook Flapjack

For the dressing

1 tablespoon honey

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

fresh ground pepper to taste

For the salad

4 mandarins, peeled and broken into segments

1/2 cucumber, cut into bite size chunks

large handful basil leaves, sliced into long strips

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Combine honey, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper in a small lidded container. Shake well to combine.
Scatter mandarin segments and cucumber on a salad plate. Sprinkle with basil leaves and sesame seeds. Drizzle dressing over top of salad. Serve immediately. Makes one generous salad for lunch, or two smaller side salads.

Mandarin and Pistachio Magdalenas

2013-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you don't really need a muffin top pan to make top-only muffins? Nope. All you need to do is lay out your muffin papers on a baking sheet and make sure you don't fill them more than half full. Voilà, muffin tops. Of course this trick also works for these little Spanish cakes called magdalenas. From what I have been able to gather, they are essentially madeleines made with olive oil and put in a muffin tin. More often than not they have citrus and nuts in them. Made with the muffin-top method they essentially become giant madeleines.
I had never heard of magdalenes until very recently when I stumbled on a simple recipe online. Then with a little research I found a few more recipes. It wasn't until I came across this version with citrus and pistachio that I was completely sold. You can actually swap out the mandarins for regular old oranges, or any other flavor of citrus you prefer. The same thing with the nuts. I've been going a little crazy with the pistachios every since I was able to find some unsalted ones here in Fairbanks. I was thinking an orange, hazelnut combination might be nice. What about lime and macademia nut? Meyer lemon and pine nuts? The combinations are endless. What's your favorite nut and citrus pairing?

Mandarin and Pistachio Magdalenas

Amazon.com

adapted from The New Spanish Table

1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour,sifted
1 small pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting the cakes
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh mandarin juice
1/2 cup olive oil, choose one that is light in flavor
1/3 cup of slightly toasted pistachios, chopped fine
2 teaspoons grated mandarin zest

Combine flours, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Place eggs in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat until foamy. Add the sugar, continue beating at high speed until pale yellow, about 5 minutes.
Combine heavy cream, mandarin juice and olive oil in a bowl with a spout or a large measuring cup. In three additons alternate between adding the flour and the liquid ingredients to the mixer. Thoroughly incorporate ingredients between each addition. Stir in the pistachios and mandarin zest. Cover batter with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 12 standard muffin cup papers on a baking sheet.
Stir the batter before filling muffin papers. Make sure to fill no more than halfway full or the batter will run out of the liner and on to the pan. Use an extra liner or two if needed.
Bake until the cakes are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Do not overbake as the cakes will become dry. Let cool for about 20 minutes. Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar. I found them to be quite good the next day when stored in an airtight container overnight.

Kishu Mandarin Greek Yogurt Souffle

2013-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

How is it that dogs know things? You know, they always know when it is dinner time, and walk time. More than that, our dog Brody always knows to ask to go outside just minutes before someone is about to come up our driveway. He especially knows when the Fed Ex lady is coming with her peanut butter and jelly dog treats. The last four times she has come to our house, he has been there at the top of the stairs waiting for her. I'm sure she thinks I let him out when she shows up, but that is the last thing I want to do. Last week I had to go chasing him outside in my slippers at 20 below. By the time I got outside they were both at the back of the truck, Brody with his front paws on the back of the truck looking in to see what she might be bringing him. In the time it took me to get to the truck I watched her feed him no less than 5 of those PB&J treats. I'm sure he gave her the "poor abused dog" face. He's good at that!
Anyway, to Brody's disappointment it was my Kishu Mandarins she was delivering, not a squishy new dog bed or a bulk shipment of PB&J dog treats. I however, had been anxiously awaiting my "treats" for this year. I order a box of Kishu Mandarins every year. Most of them get eaten out of hand, but I always make one or two things with them as well.
When the Kishus arrived this year I was just about to make this yogurt souffle. The plan was to make a fruit on the bottom, breakfast berry version. I've always thought these little Weck jars looked like European yogurt jars. If you make these in ramekins or a souffle dish, they will rise up more like a traditional souffle and the texture will be a bit lighter. For this version I actually liked it a little more dense. I have gone back and forth as to whether this recipe is a breakfast or a dessert. I seem to have this problem a lot. This version with mandarins and Grand Marnier is definitely more dessert. I have made a plain version with berry syrup for breakfast and it was good as well. Either way, it's a protein packed, low calorie, sweet treat.

Kishu Mandarin Greek Yogurt Souffle
adapted from Jules Food

butter and sugar for dishes
10 Kishu Mandarins (5 regular mandarins), peeled and separated into segments
2 1/2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
2 1/2 teaspoons honey
6 oz. (3/4 cup) Greek Yogurt
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
3 tablespoons, sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and sugar five 6 oz containers. I used Weck canning jars, but ramekins or souffle dishes would work great as well. Equally divide the mandarins, grand marnier, and honey between the jars. To make things easier I just guessed and drizzled the honey and Grand Marnier over the mandarins. Set jars on a baking sheet.
In a large mixing bowl, preferably one with a spout, whisk together yogurt, egg yolks, flour, salt, and vanilla. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly pour in sugar and whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Carefully fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the yogurt at a time until each addition is incorporated. Try not to break down the egg whites to allow your souffle to rise higher. Divide the batter evenly between the jars. Bake for about 22 minutes, do not open the door until you are ready to remove them from the oven. Serve immediately.

Leek and Mushroom Bread Pudding

2013-02-22T11:07:00.001-08:00

This was the one dish I really regretted not sharing last winter, but once spring came around it just didn't seem like the right time to post it. This year I realized if I wanted to share it I would have to get it posted by the end of February or it would once again be too late. So, I am sneaking it in at the last minute. I know there will still be plenty of cold days for a hearty warm dish like this one here in Fairbanks. They rest of you preparing for spring (not fair), you'll have to save it for next fall.
I have been making leek bread pudding for a little over a year now. There have been many recipes and adaptations that I have almost posted, but then changed my mind at the last minute. To be honest, they were all really good and any of them would be worthy of posting here. Yet, somehow I knew that there must be something a little better out there. One of the biggest problems was that most of the recipes I made were so heavy. Really, they were a meal themselves, not a side item. This one probably won't be making the next issue of Cooking Light, but it is much lighter than some of the others I have tried.
Leek bread pudding makes a great side item for a roast chicken dinner, but it can also be served as a savory breakfast dish. In fact this pan ended up being breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the course of several days. If you are a fan of Thanksgiving stuffing, you will love this dish.
Also, if you feel like this dish is still a little too heavy handed with the calories, you can swap out some (or all) of the milk, or half and half for veggie broth. Although I have not done it with this recipe specifically, I have done it with other similar ones with great success. It transitions the dish from bread pudding to more of a baked stuffing, but the wonderful flavors still remain. Also, almost all of the leek bread pudding recipes I have found call for Gruyère, which is a wonderful cheese. I don't know about where you live, but here in Fairbanks it is really expensive, almost twice the price of swiss. It's a nice splurge, but with all the other flavors going on in this recipe I don't really find it necessary to use such an expensive cheese. I have tried all three cheeses mentioned in the recipe with great results and nearly undetectable difference.

Amazon.com

Leek and Mushroom Bread Pudding

adapted from More from Macrina

1 loaf hearty white bread, day old, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 medium leeks, sliced thin

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

8 large mushrooms (cremini or white), sliced thin

1 cup whole milk

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

5 ounces (about 2 cups) grated cheese (Gruyère, Baby Swiss, or Emmenthaler are best)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease or spray with cooking spray a 7x11 inch baking pan. Spread the bread cubes in one even layer on the baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until dry and light brown along the edges. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks when the oil is hot. Saute' leeks until they are lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Add the final 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the mushrooms when the oil is hot. Saute' the mushrooms for 5-8 minutes. When the mushrooms become golden brown transfer them to the bowl with the leeks to cool.
Whisk together the milk, half and half, parsley, eggs, egg yolks, and salt in a medium bowl or large measuring cup.
In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with melted butter. Stir in the leeks, mushrooms, and cheese. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Do not push down or pack the bread into the dish, it will be heaped over the top of the dish. Pour the milk mixture over the bread, trying to coat all parts of the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Place the covered baking dish on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check to see if the pudding is set, if still liquid bake for 10 minutes longer. When everything has set up, remove the foil and return to the oven for another 20 minutes to brown the cheese and bread on top. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Cabbage, Fennel, and Citrus Salad

2013-02-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I always try to make a list before going to the grocery store to avoid impulse purchases. Yet, sometimes I see something like blood oranges, which I don't find often, and my willpower fades. Suddenly, there are six of them coming home with me, even though I have no idea what I am going to do with them. When I first picked them up I had thought that I might make something sweet like panna cotta. I never guessed that they would all end up in a salad of one form or another. The truth is, I went back and bought more. I've totally fallen in love with citrus salads this winter. This one is no exception, not to mention it also comes from an amazing cookbook. I'll be honest, I bought this one for the photos, but it has turned out to be so much more. I already have several more recipes tagged to try. If this salad is any indication of what is to come, I'm in for some good eating. What have you been doing with your citrus this winter? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section.

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Cabbage, Fennel, and Citrus Salad

adapted from What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davies

For the dressing
Small handful tarragon leaves, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup greek yogurt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 blood orange, supremed and chopped into large chunks
1 cara cara orange, supremed and chopped into large chunks
1 small bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
1⁄4 red cabbage, cored, very finely sliced
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl and chill in the fridge until needed.
In a large bowl add the pecans, oranges, fennel, and cabbage. Toss to combine. Divide amongst serving plates. This will make a large dinner salad for one, or two smaller side salads.
Sprinkle each salad with the goat’s cheese, then drizzle with the yoghurt dressing, season with salt and pepper and serve.

French Provincial Beef Stew

2013-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Why have we never had this before? Good question. David asked this after we had it for dinner last week. We have had other versions of beef stew, and I used to make a beef noodle soup all the time. Lately, beef hasn't been on the menu very often. Yet, beef stew served on a bed of mashed potatoes seems just about perfect for this time of year. The nice thing about this beef stew is that it is great on mashed potatoes, but you can also serve the leftovers over egg noodles or rice. I like meals like this that you can change up a little bit from one night to the next. Now that we have "discovered" this recipe, I hope it will make a more regular appearance on our winter table. I made quite a few changes to the original recipe, primarily making it a more veggie heavy stew. I used about half the beef and substituted mushrooms for the black olives originally called for. Also, I had some beef stock left over from an appetizer I had made for a party the night before. Feel free to use water if you don't have any beef stock laying around. Also, the original recipe never said to remove the orange wedges. I'm not sure if we were supposed to eat them with the stew. They were pretty soft by the end, but I chose to remove them from the stew. Anyone with more experience with this recipe know if I was supposed to eat them?

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French Provincial Beef Stew
adapted from Home Made Winter by Yvette Van Boven

1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (750-ml) bottle Cote du Rhone, or other similar red wine
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
6 carrots, cut into chunks
8-10 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 orange, washed and cut into 8 wedges
1 large onion, peeled, cut in half, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 6-oz can tomato paste

Place meat in a big bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add wine, thyme, bay leaves, carrots, mushrooms, orange, onion, and garlic. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Remove the meat from the marinade and brown in the stockpot, in two batches if necessary. You want enough room for the meat to brown evenly on all sides. Remove meat from the pot and set aside. Pour the entire contents of the marinade into the pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer. Add beef broth, water, and tomato paste. Stir to incorporate the tomato paste. Return the beef to the pot. Cover, and let cook on low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and let cook for approximately one more hour, or until broth thickens. If sauce is still too thin after 1 hour, bring heat back to med-high and cook until desired consistency is achieved. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed. Remove oranges, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.

Birch Leaf Cocktail

2013-02-15T13:06:00.000-08:00

Birch syrup is quickly becoming one of my favorite cocktail mixers. It is not a given that you can just swap out birch syrup in any recipe that calls for maple syrup. So far it seems that birch syrup pairs really well with citrus. This one is a take on the traditional Maple Leaf Cocktail that is made with bourbon, regular lemon juice, and maple syrup. I think the Meyer lemon in this recipe was just a bit too sweet with maple syrup, and even with the birch I still dialed things back a bit. This cocktail feels like February to me. The citrus fruit are plentiful and the flavor of birch syrup combined with bourbon to keep you warm. I also liked this with alder smoked sea salt, you use such a little bit that it is hardly detectable, but just enough to add to the depth of flavor. I'm also thinking this one might make a nice hot toddy, let me know if you give it a try. Have a great weekend everyone!
Note: Many of your have been asking where to find birch syrup. You can order it online here: Kahiltna Birchworks.

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Birch Leaf Cocktail

adapted from The Boozy Baker

2 ounces bourbon
1 tablespoon birch syrup
2 ounces fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
pinch sea salt (just a few grains, really)
ice

Combine the bourbon, birch syrup, meyer lemon juice, and salt in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cover, and shake well enough that the birch syrup and salt dissolve into the drink.

Strain into one or two glasses and serve.

Makes 2 small drinks, or one larger cocktail.

Sicilian Citrus Salad

2013-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our first winter here we asked our neighbors about the darkness and how bad it was. They told us we just needed to make it until Valentine's Day and then everything was fine. I have to say that is about accurate. It's not until it is all over that I realize how bad it has been. I wake up from my holiday carb-induced haze and realize that I want some fruit and vegetables. Although warm soups and stews are still on the menu, they get to alternate with fresh salads once again. Every year I get better about not forcing the salad issue. I've been working harder to find non-leafy salads for the winter as greens are always a bit glum. Although we do have a new place to buy micro-greens in the winter. I want to check it out one of these days. Have any of you been to Johnson's Family Farm yet? I hear they have basil leaves as big as your head! I'll check it out later today and report back.

Although I did serve this salad on a bed of greens, it isn't necessary if you don't have access to any that are fresh. You can also make this salad fancy by stacking the ingredients like I did in the photos. A good choice for a special Valentine's dinner. If it is just you for lunch, then just toss it all in a bowl. It comes together quite quickly and makes a tasty lunch. It's even better if it has had some time to sit, so throw it together in the morning and make it a special work day lunch.

Sicilian Citrus Salad
adapted from Smitten Kitchen, The Kitchn, and Small Kitchen Chronicles

2 cups salad greens
2 blood oranges
1 Cara Cara, or Naval orange
1/2 small red onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 heaping tablespoon goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons pistachios, coarsely chopped
handful of mint leaves, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
a few whole mint leaves for garnish

This salad makes two small side salads or one individual lunch size salad. Arrange salad greens on the bottom of the plate. Cut the ends off of all the oranges, remove the skin and all of the pith. Slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Slice onion into thin rounds. Arrange onion and oranges on top of salad greens making sure that the onions and oranges are overlapping.
Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle a small amount over the onions and oranges, set the rest aside. Sprinkle salad with goat cheese, pistachios, and mint leaves. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Add additional dressing, and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Glazed Donuts

2013-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year. Fat Tuesday, a day dedicated to eating donuts. What's not to like?
There was a time a few years ago when I had regular food truck fantasies. For a while I thought I wanted a gourmet donut truck. Did I write up a business plan, or research purchasing equipment? No, of course not. My research consisted of visiting gourmet donut shops when I traveled. One of my stops was Dynamo Donuts in San Francisco. My favorite donut was Meyer Lemon and Huckleberry. When I returned from San Francisco I wrote a post about my trip and someone suggested I needed to make those donuts and post the recipe. I have been thinking about it for the last couple of years and every time Fat Tuesday rolls around I think about posting them, but then something like French Crullers, or Buttermilk Beignets storms to the top of the list. This year I knew it was time. I replaced the Huckleberry with some Alaska wild blueberries that I had in my freezer. Keep in mind if you use store bought blueberries, you won't get this intense color. They will be more of a blue-grey color instead. The base of the donut is a traditional yeast, raised donut. I thought about adding either blueberry or lemon to the actual donut, but I thought I might like to have a few of the donuts with a more traditional vanilla glaze. One I dipped my finger into the blueberry glaze, I changed my mind pretty quick and made all of them blueberry. You can feel free to mix thing up if you like and experiment with your own flavors of glaze. This recipe is pretty adaptable, so feel free to go with chocolate, plain vanilla, or how about maple? What's your favorite donut? How will you celebrate Fat Tuesday?

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Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Glazed Donuts
adapted from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni

Donuts
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup whole milk, heated to 110˚F
2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surfface
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Vegetable oil, for frying

Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Glaze
1 cup blueberries
zest of one Meyer Lemon
juice of one Meyer Lemon
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted to remove any lumps

Donuts
In a medium bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the yeast and 3/4 cup of the warm milk. Stir to dissolve. Add in 3/4 cup of the flour and mix until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
Pour the remaining warm milk and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated. Switch to the dough hook and add more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time. Knead the dough on medium speed between additions until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should still be slightly sticky. You may have some unused flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Start the glaze before rolling out your donuts as the blueberry sauce will need to cool a bit. [recipe below]
Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured dish towel. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes. I was able to get 13 donuts, and 18 donut holes.
Place the doughnuts at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size.
While the doughnuts are rising, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360˚F. Carefully place a couple of doughnut holes or doughnuts in the oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and holes, keeping the temperature consistent. Let donuts cool slightly.
Dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze, let any excess glaze drip off, and then transfer them to a wire rack placed on a baking sheet or over a sheet of parchment paper to rest until glaze sets. Serve with a cup of hot coffee.

Glaze
Add blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until blueberries pop and release their juices. You can use the back of a spoon to get the blueberries to pop more quickly. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a measuring cup. Press mixture through strainer with the back of a spoon. Let cool. In a wide, shallow bowl add powdered sugar and about 1/4 cup of the blueberry juice. Whisk to combine. Add more juice or sugar, a little at a time to get your glaze to the right consistency.

Lentil Rice Soup with Caramelized Onions

2013-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is the best thing I have made all year. Yes, I know we are only just barely into February and this is only the 18th recipe I have posted. I would trade in everything else if I could only keep this one soup. Seriously, even the peanut butter cookies.

Last weekend I couldn't decide what I wanted for dinner. I was craving comfort food, but all the old comforts weren't sounding very good. I was poking around the internet, looking at some things I had pinned to Pinterest. Nothing. I hesitated on shrimp and grits. I think it's because I have been watching too much of The Taste. They really seem to like their shrimp and grits. Still, it just wasn't grabbing me. So, I did what I always do when I am stumped. I pulled out a few of my seasonal cookbooks. Somehow winter recipes seemed too heavy, and I wasn't ready for spring. Finally, I got to Melissa Clark's book, "Cook this Now" which is broken down by month. There it was, in the February chapter. I wasn't entirely sold on the lentil soup, but the caramelized onions sounded pretty good. It really wasn't until I sat down for dinner that I realized this was exactly what I needed. The first time around I topped it with cilantro, but he next day for lunch I used mint. Both were equally good. I couldn't believe how well this hit the spot, just the right blend of healthy, yet indulgent for this time of year. I'm thinking of making another pot this weekend. David asked if I could make extra caramelized onions next time. He wants me to put them in a jar in the fridge to use as a condiment. Sounds like a pretty good idea.

What about you? Are you feeling more winter or spring for cooking this time of year? What's on your menu this weekend?

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Lentil Rice Soup with Caramelized Onions
adapted from Cook This Now by Melissa Clark

For the Onions:
3 medium onions, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
pinch of salt

For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch ground allspice
1 bay leaf
8 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 cup white basmati rice
4 cups baby spinach leaves
fresh chopped mint or cilantro, for topping
lime wedges, for topping
large flake sea salt, for topping

To make onions:
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted add the onions. Cook until the onions become soft and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and turn the heat to high. Cook stirring infrequently until onions are crispy and a bit charred, another 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

To make soup:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, and bay leaf. Cook and stir for one minute until spices release their fragrance. Add the vegetable stock, 1 cup of water, rice, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Stir in the lentils and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Add spinach and let wilt.
Serve topped with caramelized onions, a squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkle of mint (or cilantro) and sea salt.