Behind the Kitchen Door

Food for the playoffs so everyone can enjoy the games

2012-01-21T15:31:00.000-08:00

Casserole, One Dish Meal, Hot Dish—whatever you call it, there is nothing more wonderful for the busy cook than a delicious dinner that cooks all in one pan and provides all the components of a good meal.

Casserole actually refers to a specialized baking dish, round or oval in shape. It is usually deeper than what is referred to as a baking dish or pan, which is usually shallower. However, it has become a term meaning a one-dish meal. A one-dish meal can be cooked in a variety of pans: skillets, Dutch ovens, casseroles, slow cookers or woks.

A casserole is great for the family meal or for a party. Especially for a party, actually, as it is one of the easiest ways to entertain a crowd. It lends itself to international cooking as well as down-home American. Casseroles are usually quick, often economical and really good.

A hot dish is a colloquial term for any one-dish meal. In Minnesota and generally the Midwest, hot dish and casserole are interchangeable.

But doesn’t hot dish conjure up great memories of delicious family dinners, pot luck suppers at church, picnics and family gatherings? It does for me. It seems the old-fashioned hot dish has gone out of style; certainly the word has. Casserole sounds more sophisticated and up-to-date, but I like hot dish—it’s comfort food personified.

I scanned my cookbook collection to come up with some great sounding hot dishes. I have several that are dedicated to the subject and then of course, there are church cookbooks and other organization’s cookbooks. These are the tried and true old-fashioned recipes for hot dish that many of us had in our childhood. They often contain such prosaic ingredients as tater tots and canned soups. Still, they aren’t a lot worse than a great many of the highly processed dinners that we all eat from time to time and kids seem to like them—especially if they include pasta and tomato sauce. Since vegetables are almost always included, it’s a good way to get the kids to eat them.

One that has been popular for years is Spaghetti Pie:

Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces spaghetti
2 Tbsp butter
2 beaten eggs
One-third cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
One-fourth cup chopped green pepper
1 8-ounce can tomatoes, diced
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain (should have about 3 cups). Stir butter into hot spaghetti; stir in beaten eggs and Parmesan cheese. Form spaghetti mixture into a “crust” in a greased 10-inch pie plate. Spread with cottage cheese.

In skillet cook ground meat, onion, and green pepper till meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and garlic salt; heat through.

Turn meat mixture into spaghetti crust. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; bake till melted, about 5 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

My vote for an international Casserole (this is definitely not a hot dish) is Spanish Paella. Although not particularly economical, it is a really colorful and delicious dish to set before guests. As there are dozens of recipes for Paella, I chose one that doesn’t take a great many hard-to-find ingredients. A special Paella pan would really set this off, but a large, shallow casserole or electric skillet will work.

Paella Casserole

½ pound chorizo sausage, sliced
1 2-1/2 to 3-pound chicken, cut up
1 medium onion chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups regular rice
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. salt
One-fourth tsp. saffron, crushed
4 cups boiling water
1 pound fresh or frozen shelled and cleaned shrimp
10 small clams in shells
1 10-ounce package frozen peas

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until done. Drain sausage, reserving drippings in skillet; set aside.

Season chicken pieces with a little salt and pepper. Brown chicken in reserved drippings; remove chicken, reserving drippings in skillet.

Add chopped onion, red pepper, green pepper, and garlic into reserved drippings; cook till onion is tender but not brown. Stir in uncooked rice, chopped tomatoes, salt and saffron. Stir in boiling water; bring mixture to boiling. Stir in cooked sausage.

Turn rice mixture into a paella pan or a 4-quart casserole or a Dutch oven; arrange chicken pieces atop mixture. Bake, covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, thaw frozen shrimp. Thoroughly scrub clams. Place clams in a saucepan with ½ inch of boiling water; cover and cook till shells open, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain; discard any clams that do not open.

Place peas in a colander or strainer; rinse with hot water to thaw. Arrange peas, clams and shrimp atop rice mixture. Bake, covered, till chicken and rice are done, 25 to 20 minutes longer. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. Serves 8.

Pears---the Other Fall Fruit

2011-10-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Pears—the other fall fruit. Around here we think of the fall fruit as the apple—no fruit is grown in greater volume and in more varieties than the apple—but its close cousin, the pear, is greatly loved as well. And deservedly so. Like the apple, its sweet, succulent flavor lends itself well to eating simply out of hand or to the wonderful desserts we like to make this time of year: pies, tarts, baked pears filled with nuts and dried fruit.

Pears come in several varieties; among them Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc, Clapp Favorite, Comice, Seckel and Winter Nelis. In Europe there are over 5000 known varieties. Around here, the Anjou, Bartlett and Bosc are found commonly in our markets. There are a few local farmers raising pears which you can find for a short time at the farmer’s market, if you’re lucky. I was lucky this year and the pears yielded the most delicious eating, though I’m not sure what variety they were. Like the apple, the pear belongs to the rose family along with plums, cherries, apricots, raspberries and strawberries. Pears were known to the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks.

They are one of the few fruits which improve in flavor and texture when ripened off the tree so they are picked when mature but hard. When choosing pears, pick those that are firm but not hard and yield to slight pressure at the stem end. Pears bruise and discolor easily, so handle them gently.

Any recipe that calls for apples can generally be made with pears resulting in a delicious and different taste and texture. Pear sauce, like apple sauce is delicious served with a lacing of heavy cream and brown sugar. Caramel and vanilla are the flavorings often paired with pears (hmmm?), but they are delicious poached in wine and fruit juices. For something really different and delicious try the Oven Poached Pears in Pomegranate glaze. These are best made with Bosc Pears.

Three-fourths cup dry red wine
Three-fourths cup pomegranate juice
½ cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon
2 tsp. grated orange stems, peeled
6 Bosc pears with stems, peeled
Vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 350. Heat wine, pomegranate juice, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.

Peel and core pears, leaving stems intact. Coring whole pears can be done using a melon baller and coring from the bottom of the wide end of the pear. Trim bottoms flat and stand upright in 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Pour pomegranate-wine sauce over pears. Bake pears until tender when pierced with a knife, basting pears with sauce every 20 minutes, about 1 hour total. Place pears on serving platter. Transfer pan juices to small saucepan. Simmer until reduced to two-thirds cup, about 5 minutes. Spoon glaze over pears. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Candlelight Inn’s Champagne Pears with Custard Sauce

6 red Anjou pears
½ cup whole almonds, unblanched
½ cup whole walnuts
½ cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups domestic Champagne
½ cup dry red wine
One-fourth cup additional sugar

Pare and halve pears, removing stems. Using melon baller, take core out of pear. With small sharp knife, remove stem vein. Again with melon baller, enlarge the circle made from coring. Do not discard this portion of pear. Cut a small strip from bottom of each half, allowing the pear to lie flat in pan. Put these pear halves in a shallow, large Pyrex baking dish in which all twelve will fit.

Put saved portion of pear in work bowl of food processor. Add both kinds of nuts, sugar and egg and process until nearly smooth.

Fill pear cavities with this mixture; sprinkle with additional sugar. Pour Champagne and red wine into dish, not over pears. Bake for 1 hour at 400, watching so stuffing does not burn. If they begin to get too brown, baste juice over the pears.

Custard Sauce

1 3-oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half

Mix pudding according to directions, using the 3 cups of liquid instead of 2. Put into refrigerator to set. Spoon over pears in a stemmed dessert dish along with a bit of the pan juices.

Garnish with finely chopped, toasted almonds.

Pear Kuchen

Three-fourths cup flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. butter
1 3-oz. package vanilla pudding (not instant)
1 egg
½ cup milk
3 medium Bartlett pears
1 8-oz package cream cheese (not reduced fat)
3 Tbsp. apple juice
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar
Two-thirds cup chopped nuts

Beat the first 7 ingredients in mixer for 2 minutes. Spread mixture in a 10-inch spring form pan which has been sprayed with Pam.

Pare and core pears, removing stems. Slice thinly and place over mixture in pan. Drop cream cheese mixture over pears. Don’t allow to touch sides of pan.

Mix the cinnamon, sugar and nuts. Sprinkle over cream cheese.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Legacy of Cooking

2011-09-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

When I was three years old my mom stood me on a footstool next to her at the kitchen counter wrapped in a big apron and equipped with my own set of cooking utensils: bowls, spoons, rolling pin, cookie cutters, baking pans—all in miniature sizes. In the beginning it was mostly play—but in time I really learned to bake and cook. Granted, not everyone has such an opportunity but I believe that a generation or two ago, most people (girls at least) watched or helped as their mothers, grandmothers and aunts lovingly prepared food for the family.

We are all familiar with what happened to that somewhat idyllic scene—Mom went to work.

The large migration out of the home to the workplace was met with a barrage of convenience foods, TV dinners and fast food restaurants. At the same time, after school activities took the place of Mom at home after school and meetings and practices necessarily ran into the family dinner hour. Now, instead of a family sitting down together at the table for dinner, various meal times are required—and various grab-and-go foods are the norm.

Is it a stretch to imagine that the age of obesity coincided with this change? There is no doubt that the processing of many foods to make them convenient is worrisome for health and weight. Fast food, while fine on occasion, when eaten two or three or more times a week is very unhealthy. There must be and there is a better way.

I am not suggesting that all moms quit their jobs, but it is possible to cook good, old-fashioned, healthy meals while still working—and teach our children to cook at the same time. The first thing is to make home cooking a priority. I insisted on Wednesdays and Sundays as family dinner days. This was difficult at first as my school age boys were all in athletics, church activities and other functions. I made it mandatory but also special and it wasn’t long before those two nights were our favorites. It was during those years when my budget was small and I had three growing boys that I learned all the shortcuts and money-conscious tricks that I still use and write about today.

If you take a few hours to instruct kids on weekends on how to do some simple chores in the kitchen and, especially, add some fun baking skills in, kids will take pride in making meals for the whole family. Use these sessions to make foods ahead for the week—to plan (my kids loved to help with that because they wanted their favorite foods) and to prep food to the cooking point and then freeze it.

Cooking isn’t fun if you don’t know basic techniques—and I am surprised by the number of grown-ups who don’t have a mastery of simple techniques. You can cook almost anything if you know the basics—so I am planning to teach some courses for adults in basic cooking this winter—please look for a schedule on my website, www.beckyhomecky.com.

Lastly, the legacy of American home cooking is at stake. Cooking is love in so many ways: it is love of great recipes handed down over the generations; it is love of family (what other creative activity is met with so much enthusiasm?), it is a way to give to others in your distant family and your community, it is a love of good food and good health, and it is a love of your American heritage. Since we are a country of immigrants, all the ethnic recipes from our ancestors have morphed into American versions that are just as American as apple pie: spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, Chinese stir fry, chow mein, stuffed cabbage rolls, goulash, French bread, and the list goes on.

Here’s a dinner that can be made in about 15 minutes of kitchen time and 30 minutes more for cooking. I have made this for years and years and all my children make it in their homes—everyone loves it!

Lynette’s Goulash
Garlic bread
Green salad

Lynette’s Goulash

1 # lean ground beef
½ medium onion, chopped
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
Salt and pepper
1 cup diced processed American cheese (such as Velveeta)
1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente stage (about 6 minutes)

Brown meat and onion in large skillet. Drain fat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low until onion is tender. Add cheese and stir until melted. Drain macaroni and add to skillet; cover. Let sit off heat for 15 minutes. Serve.

This is my last column for the Republican Eagle. I have enjoyed every minute of writing and will continue to write a weekly article on my blog: www.btkd-lynette.blogspot.com. If you love cooking as I do, please join me there.

Mexican Breakfast

2011-09-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stopped to think how many breakfast meats are made from pork? Bacon, sausage, ham—all are choice cuts of the hog. When you run a bed and breakfast, you do get lots of requests for special diets—but they are usually for gluten-free, vegetarian or just no pork. This past weekend we had a guest who could eat any meat except pork or beef.

I have developed some very good gluten-free recipes. Using a great book for baking without gluten (all wheat flours and rye), I have a wonderful bread recipe, as well as ones for muffins, pancakes and even cookies. If you’ve strolled down the aisles of the supermarket lately, you’ve surely seen the great new variety of gluten-free foods that are already made.

And vegetarians have been around for ages—so I can pretty much count on having some visit us and I keep vegetarian versions of my standard entrees for them. This last request for no red meat started me thinking, however, that it may be time to expand my repertoire of entrees and come up with one that has chicken in it. That would work for anybody since it seems that almost everyone likes chicken.

Chicken at breakfast seems odd. I’m not exactly sure why, just not our customary way of eating, I guess. I tried a chicken and apple sausage a while back and it was delicious—but oh-so-expensive! I might try making my own one of these days, but for now, I decided on a variation of chicken enchilada casserole to liven up the somewhat bland chicken.

The recipe I came up with used ideas from several I have found in cookbooks—none of which seemed exactly right. The way I made it was from some canned soups which I know many people eschew; you could certainly make home-made versions of the cream of chicken and cream of mushroom as well as your own homemade stock. If not, however, opt for the low-fat, low sodium versions of canned soup if you like.

The original version, which I served on the morning our no-red-meat guest was here, was made in a large casserole. The casserole was too liquid-y, so I decided to spoon it into individual ramekins for serving. Next time I am going to serve it as it is written here.

Lynette’s Chicken Enchilada Casserole (serves 12)

5 large chicken breast halves, skinned and boned
2 cups white wine or champagne
20 8-inch flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 14.5 oz.can Swanson’s chicken broth (or homemade)
2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
4 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
1 7-oz can mild green chilies, chopped
8 oz. Colby-Jack cheese (shredded)
8 oz. Pepper Jack cheese (shredded)

Cook chicken in wine until almost done, being careful not to overcook. The chicken can be a little pink in the center. Cut into small chunks or shred. Heat chicken broth in a large saucepan. Add the slurry of cornstarch, re-mixed if necessary. Cook until thickened; add canned soups, sour cream, 1 cup chicken poaching liquid, onions, and chilies. Cook until smooth and hot, but do not boil. Dip tortillas in sauce; lay on plate and fill with some chicken and a little shredded cheese. Roll up and put into individual gratin dishes (two to a dish) or a large 10x15-inch casserole either of which have been sprayed with vegetable spray. Cover with sauce and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover dishes with parchment which has been cut to fit and then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 12 hours or freeze for up to 2 months. Bake refrigerated individual dishes 1 hour. Remove foil and paper and bake for 10 minutes more. Bake frozen for 1 hour and 15 minutes, removing foil and paper and baking 10 minutes more before serving. Sprinkle with paprika.

The starter course for this breakfast was a warm winter plum and cherry compote with cream. The casserole was served with a melon mélange and corn muffins. Dessert was a hearty apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.

Warm Winter Plum Cherry Compote

1 large can purple plums (or fresh plums)* with syrup
1 can sour cherries and juice
2 cups seedless red grapes
3 cups red wine, champagne or white Zinfandel or a mixture of wines
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp tapioca
1 stick cinnamon

Pit plums and cut up into fourths. Place in large heavy saucepan with cherries, juice, grapes (I split large ones to release their juice), wine, water, sugar, tapioca and cinnamon. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding water or fruit juice if compote looks too thick. Serve warm with heavy cream poured over the top.

*If using fresh plums, pit them and put them in the saucepan with 1 cup fruit juice (grape or apple); add ½ cup additional sugar and 1 Tbsp. more tapioca.

Diaries and days gone by.

2011-09-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

The glorious Colorado peaches are in and unlike the iffy peaches from other places, they are really juicy, sweet and taste like the peaches of my childhood memories. If you are old enough you can remember when all the peaches were like that. I love them so that when I had an opportunity to buy in bulk I bought four crates.

What to do with four crates of peaches (and one of pears, I might add)? Well, something had to be done because they don’t last too long—they were pretty close to ripe when I took delivery. Unlike pears, peaches lend themselves very well to freezing, so that was my plan. I froze 2 ½ crates—choosing the ripest ones to process first and leaving the harder ones to ripen for a day or two. No way could I run the inn and freeze four crates of peaches in one day.

Then we took a trip to Minneapolis to visit my 90-year-old Dad. He surprised me with a diary written by his mother (and added to once a week by his dad) of their first year of marriage. The diary was started on January 1, 1917 and led up to their wedding on April 2, 1917. It ended on December 31, 1917. Perhaps the only way I can explain the effect it had on me is to quote from a few passages.

First to set the scene: Grandma lost her mother when she was 9 years old. Her father was an itinerant preacher and musician, so he parked his daughter in the farm home of a family named Mitchell near Dodgeville, Wisconsin. There she grew up as the hired girl for her keep, but ultimately became like a member of the family. I can remember visiting my grandparents and having “Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell” come for a visit. When Harry Dean left Magnolia, Minnesota (down in the southwestern part of the state, near Luverne), to earn his way, he ended up working the Mitchell farm one summer. There he met young Mamie Richards (Grandma). He came back for two more summers to work and also, I gather, to court Mamie. Then he signed on for year-round work on the farm.

January 1, 1917

Weather fine. 16 above. Windy. South wind. Washed clothes and cleaned upstairs. At Baileys for supper. Had roast chicken and spent the evening. Had a fine time. Kissed Harry goodnight and he kissed me and we both kissed together. Time: 10:30.

January 5,

Weather warm. North wind. I ironed today. Harry worked at wood all day. Kissed me before he went to work. I was home alone this afternoon. Harry wrote to his mother tonite. We sat up a little while this evening. Talked about matromoney (sic). Time 10:00.

January 7

Sunday. Weather cold and windy. West wind. We went to Sunday school this morning. No company today. Sat up this eve. Time: 10:00. One of my happiest days.

February 27

Weather warm and clear. Thawed. Harry hauled a load of furnature (sic) for Les Cutler to take up north. I washed clothes and cleaned kitchen floor. We figured up our accounts tonite. Time: 9 o’clock.

March 5

I went to town today and got my wedding garments. Folks all went in too and had their family picture taken. Harry stayed home alone and tended to things. I don’t know how much work he did because I forgot to ask him. We went to Literary practice tonite. Time: 10:20.

April 2 (Harry’s writing)

Big day. Place now Simons Hotel. Time 10 to Nine. Madison. Just got home from picture show. Arrived here about 5, had supper, then found room. We left home about 10 this morning. Was married at 12. Then had dinner at Mrs. Williams. Marie and Lino stood up with us. David was there. Had pictures taken at Fletchers, then walked to Williams. Chas. took us up to train. He and Dave riced us and here we are in our room ready to roost.

April 3. (Mamie)

Second day of our marriage. We spent the day roaming around in Madison. Are at Simons Hotel again tonite. Have had just a grand day. We went to movies tonite. They were good, only too sad. Going to bed now. Time 9 o’clock.

From that point on, the diary is a litany of the work they did. A few examples:

April 21

Harry cut and planted potatoes today. I baked cake, pies and bread, scrubbed floor and cement, planted lettuce, radishes and peppercress and helped make chicken pen. Harry and I went up after the mail tonite. Beautiful evening. I took a bath and Harry is taking one now. Time 9 o’clock.

April 24 (Harry)

Cloudy, quite cool with rain this eve. I plowed all day, Chas dragged. Mamie ironed, cleaned floor, ground horseradish. Time: 8:30, retiring. Everything is war. [World War I]

August: (various entries):

Harry threshed again today. I cleaned and scrubbed. Picked over beans,

Washed, baked bread, picked cucumbers and put some corn to dry. Harry soled 3 shoes and threshed today.

It goes on and on in the same way, threshing, baking, cleaning, making fences, cleaning the granary, hoeing, cultivating, scrubbing, and canning.

What does all this have to do with peaches? Well, Grandma was tragically killed in a car accident when she was 62 and I was 13. But I spent many summers of my childhood at their home in Magnolia. And one of the things that I remember best is being sent down cellar to get something for Grandma. First, the cellar was just that—wooden stairs leading down to a cement block and cement floor basement—all painted in gray marine paint—and clean enough to make her German ancestors proud. And shelves and shelves of gleaming jars filled with beans, peas, carrots, beets, cucumber pickles of all kinds, tomatoes, peaches and pears. I am sure there were other things as well.

After reading the diary, I was inspired to start canning peaches. And I discovered that I am my Grandmother’s granddaughter—I loved it! The procedure seems old-fashioned and I guess it is, but it is also rewarding in a way few things are. My rows of pickles (from last week’s column), peaches and pears—then pickled green beans, are lined up on my kitchen counter. I am enjoying looking at them there too much to put them away. Who knows what I will can next?

Here is how it’s done:

Wash sound, ripe, firm peaches. Be careful not to bruise them. Dip in boiling water till skins slip easily, about 1 minute. Or put peaches in large Dutch oven. Cover with water. Set to boil. When water has come to a slow boil, remove from heat and run cold water over all peaches in pan. Slip skins.

Halve peeled peaches (or slice, if you wish), and drop into a large bowl of water to which you have added lemon juice—or, use lemonade mix, adding about 4 Tbsp. per gallon of water.

Pack peaches carefully into hot, sterilized quart jars, using a wooden spoon handle to gently urge them into the jar, sunny-side-up. Leave ½ inch head space at top of each jar.

Make a light syrup: 2 cups sugar to 4 cups water. Yield 5 cups. Cover peaches with hot syrup, but keep the head space at the top. Use a table knife to chase out bubbles. Wipe jar tops with clean, damp cloth. Put lids on jars; screw down with bands.

Lower the jars of peaches into hot water in a large canner. It should come an inch over the jar tops. Cover canner. When water boils, start counting the processing time, 30 minutes for quarts of peaches. When the time is up take out the jars and set them on a folded towel. Let jars cool overnight. Test the seal. Label with the name of the produce and the date. Store the jars of peaches in a cool, dry place. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

La Ha Mish Wee and Tabbouleh Salad

2011-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

We are entering the “last rose of summer” period of the year. I love the changing leaves, the warm September sun and the cool nights foreshadowing crisp fall days ahead. I love the “new beginning” feel of September when everyone seems to be filled with energy for the new school year and the new high activity season. What a contrast to lazy summer days. This is the season many people go up to their lake places to begin shutting down and to enjoy the few weekends of lovely weather left.

Hoping to treat ourselves to such a weekend, we trekked up to West Silent Lake to our friends the Smiths who so kindly invite us each year—this year with our daughter

Elizabeth (visiting from Boston) and her boyfriend, Sean. The weather started out hot and humid so was perfect for tubing behind the boat. The cold front blew through at night and the second day was better for canoeing. Both activities bolstered appetites so we were ready for some great meals from the grill.

I took my famous Middle-Eastern dish, La Ha Mish Wee, and a great tabouleh salad. La Ha Mish Wee is the Armenian name for shish kabob. It can (and usually is) made with boneless lamb, but that isn’t popular with everybody, so I opted for beef. Diane (the hostess) made a marinated flank steak. Both dishes starred beef and both were made from a cheaper cut of meat—mine was sirloin tip and hers flank—but that’s where the similarity stopped. Diane’s flank steak was as tender as could be and, although it was good, my meat was on the tough side. Both of us marinated our meat for 24 hours—so I decided to see what made the difference.

Some kind of acid or alcohol turns out to be the answer. Marinade for tougher cuts of beef must have wine, beer, citrus juice or vinegar (tomatoes help, too) in order to actually tenderize your meat. The marinade for La Ha Mish Wee is usually only olive oil and garlic. Lemon juice is the obvious choice for an acid. A little red wine wouldn’t hurt, either. I don’t recommend using a tenderizer like Adolf’s as it has an enzyme in it that tenderizes—but over a long marinating period it will give your meat a mushy texture that is very unpleasant.

La Ha Mish Wee (6-8 servings)

2 lbs sirloin tip roast
1 each large red, yellow, orange and green peppers
1 large white onion
8 ozs button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
2 cloves garlic
½ cup olive oil
Juice from 1 medium lemon
2 Tbsp dry red wine

Cut meat, peppers and onion into bite-size pieces to spear on a skewer. Marinate in olive oil, lemon juice, wine and garlic for 24 hours. String meat and vegetables on skewers. Heat grill. Place skewers directly over coals; close cover. Grill until meat is done and peppers are beginning to blacken a bit. Serve in warm pita halves. Pour Yogurt sauce over filling in pita.

Yogurt Sauce

1 8-oz carton of plain yogurt
1 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, peeled
½ lemon, squeezed for juice (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until consistency is like heavy cream. Serve with La Ha Mish Wee.

Tabouleh (6-8 servings)

1 cup dry bulgur wheat (cracked wheat)
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 ½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ cup chopped scallions (include greens)
¼ cup (packed) mint leaves, chopped fine
¼ cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced small
1 cup (packed) freshly chopped parsley

Combine bulgur, boiling water and salt in a bowl. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Test to see if bulgur is al dente. Drain but do not rinse. Put into a bowl and add lemon juice, garlic, oil, mint, parsley and tomatoes. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably 24 hours. May be garnished with feta cheese and/or olives.

Marinated Flank Steak

1 2-lb flank steak
1 12-oz bottle low sodium soy sauce
1 12-oz bottle beer

Mix soy sauce and beer. Pour over steak in a shallow glass dish. Prick meat all over with a fork. Cover and refrigerate 24-36 hours, turning from time to time.

Heat grill to medium hot. Place steak on grill and cook, turning once, 5 minutes per side for rare, 6 minutes for medium and 7 minutes for well-done. Cut thinly on the diagonal and serve with a large green salad and garlic bread.

Healthy Eating

2011-09-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

I just came back from my annual women’s weekend of bridge playing, joke-telling, reminiscing over the 25 years of our friendships and, of course, eating.

As we are aging the topic of health seems to loom ever more prevalent. The recipe we discuss the most is one for a long, healthy and enjoyable life. Our “special treats” for the weekend have changed drastically over the 25 years that we have gathered at Mary’s cabin on Ottertail Lake. We always had good food—excellent as a matter of fact—but with less of an eye on sparing fat and cholesterol and sugar. But the excellence of our repasts has only grown as we strive for and actually choose healthier foods.

It helps that we usually meet in late August and also that Mary has a prodigious garden of vegetables from which we are urged to help ourselves to cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, herbs and leeks. Our meals resemble the Mediterranean diet more and more.

People have been studying the diet of the Mediterranean region for a long time, instinctively recognizing its health-giving properties. In recent years the body of research has adding scientific weight to the premise: the people of the countries along the Mediterranean including France, Italy, Greece and more generally enjoy longer life spans and lower rates of heart disease and cancers than people in northern Europe and the United States. It is largely made up of legumes, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and, of course, olive oil. Some scientists believe that olive oil may actually be the key to the healthy Mediterranean cuisine. “If there is one ingredient that really defines this diet,” says Dimitrios Trichopoulos, M.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, “it is olive oil.”

Olive oil graced our just-picked tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese nestled on a bed of basil leaves. Olive oil was at the base of the hummus into which we dipped our baked pita wedges. The pesto made with olive oil, basil leaves, was so loved that it became a second dip—even though it was slated for an accompaniment to another dish. Balsamic vinegar and fresh basil added to sun-kissed heirloom tomatoes made a fantastic side dish. We dined and drank red wine—another proven promoter of good health—and had a roaring good time (which doesn’t hurt one’s health, either). All in all, it was a very successful weekend and the eating was fine.

The food of the Mediterranean may seem exotic but it is easy to make and the ingredients are easy to find—especially now. Here’s a delicious vegetable soup served with pesto that will fill you up for almost no calories:

South-Of-France Vegetable Soup (serves 4)

5 cups defatted chicken stock, homemade or canned
1 cup rinsed and drained canned white beans or cooked dry white beans
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup thinly sliced carrots
½ cup thinly sliced onions
½ cup thinly sliced leeks
½ small zucchini, thinly sliced
½ cup halved green beans
½ cup cubed butternut squash
2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 ounce whole wheat angel hair pasta, broken

In 4-quart pot, combine stock, white beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, zucchini, green beans, squash, parsley, thyme, garlic and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the pasta. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Pesto (makes 1 ¼ cups)

2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp pine nuts
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, combine the basil, garlic and pine nuts. Process with on/off turns until finely chopped. (Add a little oil as necessary to make blending easier.) Transfer to a bowl. Thoroughly stir in the oil and Parmesan to form a creamy sauce with the consistency of thick gravy.

To use add a spoonful to a bowl of the vegetable soup and swirl. Or spoon some over a platter of thick tomato slices and eat as a salad. Drizzle it over fresh goat cheese to spread on crusty bread. Add to hot pasta for a main dish, or as above, use as a dip for fresh vegetables or pita chips. It will store for a month in the refrigerator but stir it together before serving as it will separate as it sits.

The Best of Behind the Kitchen Door (repost from January 2010)

2011-08-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every year when it is State Fair time, I think of the occasion when my mother won a blue ribbon for her bread baking but did not see the picture that was taken until she was in her 80's.. This is a picture of her at age 16 taken at the fair when she won. Here is the rest of the story....

I think every older generation has said to the younger, "Things were much better when I was young." The young (including me when I was) roll their eyes and chalk it up to old age. Well, this time I think it may really be true.

I was born in April, 1944, just as the Second World War was coming to an end. I was born in a hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota and brought home to a large, Victorian, red brick house on the corner of Olsen Highway (Hwy. 55) and Russell Avenue. The house has been gone for a long time, but back then it was the Queen of the block. It stood on a hill and besides being red--a standout color--it had a turret that towered over the smaller, more modest homes on the block. It had been purchased by my parents and turned into four apartments. Ours was on the main floor and the biggest--housing my mother, a homemaker who had left her teaching job when she was married in 1939; my father, a mechanical engineer for Honeywell and my three-year-old brother, Billy.

We lived in that house until I was four and I still have vivid memories of it. I can picture the interior precisely--and share this ability with my brother (my only sibling). My parents called me a few years ago because they were having a disagreement over what the kitchen table looked like in that house. Somehow, they knew I would remember--and I did. (It was a wooden, drop-leaf table with a Pennsylvania Dutch tulip design painted on one of the leaves). I also remember the neighborhood--and the neighbors. Across the street was a family with whom we became very good friends. And at the end of the street another family made a trio of us who socialized and were close. Those of us who are still alive keep in touch.

All the memories I have about that time were happy ones--making leaf houses in the fall, taking a penny down to the corner store and buying candy lipstick or wax coke bottles filled with sweet syrup, shopping with Mom at a small, family-owned grocery store on Lyndale Avenue, attending church every Sunday at Calvary Methodist Church. But the most potent memories center around food.

Mom was a great cook. She grew up in North Mankato, MN and belonged to 4-H and Campfire Girls. In those days, those organizations really taught young people skills. Consider her times--The Great Depression--people needed to know how to cook, sew, raise livestock and can and preserve the produce from their gardens. She did. When she was sixteen she won a blue ribbon at the county fair for her white bread. This qualified for a week's trip to the State Fair in St. Paul, all expenses paid. It was the highlight of her young life and she delighted in telling us the stories of that wonderful week. Once, about twelve years ago, she and my Dad were at the state fair, looking at displays under the stadium. Mom looked up and said, "Burdette, look at that!" It was a picture of my mom, age 16, (1926) posing in her white apron and cap with a beautiful loaf of bread. She hadn't ever seen the picture before. The fair people were very gracious in giving her that picture, which I own today.

When I tell people that I began cooking at age three, they tend not to completely believe me. But I really did. My mom doted on my girl-ness. She had three brothers, her mother had been the only girl of 6 children, most of her cousins were boys--as they wheeled her out of the delivery room after 36 hours of labor in the transverse position birth of my brother, she told my grandmother, "I supposed all my babies will be boys". In our family, being a girl was the most desirable. Many years later in a college Marriage and Family class, the subject of Gloria Steinem and Womens' Liberation was hot. I had a hard time digesting the idea that girls had been oppressed. For me, the opposite was true.

Well, back to the kitchen at age three. Mom would get me a step-stool and an apron and settle me right beside her at the counter. Anything she was baking (not other kinds of cooking), she would show me how to do. I had my own small dishes, pans and utensils. The one I remember best was my own small rolling pin. Pies and cookies were the the things we started with. She would show me how to mix my own dough and then tell me how to roll out and cut the cookies or the piecrust, always emphasizing not to handle the dough too much. I know that I didn't listen to that advice, at least not at first, because my doughs were dirty and tough. When mom would take her pie crust or cookies out of the oven and they were pretty and yummy; then mine, which were ugly and tough, I learned to listen.

Eggplant Lasagna

2011-08-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

If you’re like I am, you get to the farmer’s market and fill your bag with all that wonderful produce, figuring that the season is short, this or that looks wonderful and you can’t stop off here every day. When you get home with your treasures you realize that you can’t possibly use everything up while it’s still fresh and wonderful. There are solutions.

First I prep all the produce to the cooking or eating stage. Lettuces and other greens should be thoroughly washed and spun dry. Wrap them in a tea towel or put into plastic bags with a small amount of ventilation and refrigerate them. It’s even better if you tear up salad greens and put them in a plastic bowl with a lid or a plastic bag so you can just take out a handful or two for salads.

Next pare all the vegetables that need it: carrots, cucumbers, zucchini; and cut them into edible sticks for relish snacks. Store them in a rigid plastic container with ice water in the refrigerator. You can add radishes, green onions and green, red and yellow pepper sticks as well. If you make a delicious dip, you have a healthy snack to pull out when the family gets the munchies; much better than chips! Don’t throw the parings away; rather pull out the ice cream pail (sans ice cream) from the freezer and put all the peelings and leaves and other vegetable scraps into it. When it’s full, you can make a delicious vegetable stock full of vitamins and ready to defrost in the microwave and use as a base for soup.

If you don’t use up the salad greens before they start to look sad, add them to the vegetable scraps container, too. The relish sticks usually do get munched at our house, but as soon as I start to worry they have been in there too long, I make a stir fry dish. Pour the water they have been sitting in into the freezer vegetable scrap stash.

If you can’t use up the other vegetables that you bought, you can blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes (green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onions, zucchini, patty pan squash, peppers—almost any vegetable). Drain them well and cool. Put them in freezer bags and push out as much air as possible. Freeze. Cook like any frozen vegetable.

Corn on the cob should be cooked before freezing. There are many methods of freezing corn on the cob, but none of them are satisfactory as far as I’m concerned. So cook your husked and de-silked ears in boiling water to which 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice and 1Tbsp. of sugar has been added. Bring back to the boil and turn off the heat, cover and let sit at least 10 minutes. Corn will hold for up to 30 minutes for eating. If you are going to store the corn, cut it off of the ears using a sharp knife and cutting down the cob. A really neat way to do this is to use an angel food cake pan. Stick the small end of the cob in the center stem and cut—the kernels will fall into the pan. This cut corn can be frozen in freezer bags.

Eggplant season is almost here and it is one of my favorite vegetables. There is too much moisture in eggplant and it is too porous for blanching and freezing. Eggplant cooked in stews like ratatouille or in casseroles like eggplant lasagna or eggplant parmesan freezes very well. If you are not going to grill your eggplant and eat it all at once, I suggest making one of the above-mentioned dishes.

Eggplant Lasagna

Prepare the eggplant: Slice un-pared eggplant vertically in 1/8 inch slices. Place in colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let drain for at least 30 minutes. Pat slices dry with paper towels. Dip slices into 2 beaten eggs and then in fine bread crumbs to which you have added a few dashes of basil, oregano and/or grated parmesan cheese. Fry in olive oil on each side until tender and brown. Drain. Set aside

Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 beaten eggs
Salt and pepper
1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan or pecorino Romano

Mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper; set aside. Spread ½ cup tomato sauce over 9x13” pan. Cover with a layer of eggplant slices prepared as above. Put dabs of ricotta mixture over eggplant using about ½ the recipe. Put 1/3 of the remaining sauce over ricotta. Scatter ½ the mozzarella over the sauce. Repeat the layers ending with remaining sauce and then sprinkle on the parmesan or pecorino. Bake 45 minutes at 375 covered; uncover for the last 15 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Tomato Sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp. salt
1 13-oz can tomato puree
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. dry red wine
1 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
Pepper
8-oz coarsely chopped mushrooms (optional)

Saute the onion, garlic, green pepper in olive oil in a large kettle. Add basil, oregano and salt. When onions are transparent add tomato puree, tomato paste, red wine, and diced tomatoes. Season with pepper and additional salt if necessary. If you use the optional chopped mushrooms, saute them with the onion, etc. in first step.

Fish Tacos

2011-08-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

We’re always hearing that we should all be eating fish 2 or 3 times a week. If you’re a fisherman and you’re lucky enough to have a great catch, that would be fun. If, however, you are not and you’re relying on supermarket fish in Minnesota, that poses another problem. Not only is our seafood less than stellar (sometimes) but it is usually pretty pricey. Don’t resort to fish sticks and frozen breaded fillets just yet.

There have long been some questions about the safety of eating fish—even as we’re told that eating fish more often is good for our health. The problems are related to mercury and PCBs as well as the susceptibility to harbor bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses. But the positive effects on our health far outweigh the dangers, especially if you heed some precautions. All fish and seafood is an excellent source of lean protein and is low in fat and calories (unless you cook it in gobs of butter). It is rich in vitamins and minerals, but particularly in omega-3 fatty acids which have been found to combat heart disease, stroke, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Most of the popular fish and seafood that’s readily available and affordable is safe in any amount such as: salmon, shrimp, scallops, crab, Tilapia, catfish, sole, flounder, herring, sardines, and most tuna.

I have been very pleased with most of the frozen fish in the supermarket. If you watch the label for words like wild-caught or flash frozen right on the fishing boat, you are apt to be much happier with the final product. The quality of fresh fish in our local markets is more difficult to discern. Most have been frozen and thawed once and that means that it shouldn’t be frozen again. A lot of the fish in the refrigerated fish case is already filleted, which means you can’t see the gills, the skin, or the eyes which are the usual signs of freshness. Smell is important, too, but again, in the supermarket, you’ll have to ask to smell the fish—which you might not do.

If after you have thawed your frozen fillets you think they smell slightly fishy and fear that your family or guests aren’t going to love the dish, try thawing the fillets or steaks in a shallow dish with milk to cover. And after cooking, you can neutralize the cooking odor by adding a little white vinegar to a cup of water and simmering on the stove for a few minutes.

There are so many wonderful varieties of fish and so many ways to cook and season them, that you could go a long time without repeating any recipes. This time of year, grilling fish is fun but you really need a grill-basket if you’re not grilling a firm fleshed fish such as tuna or halibut. Fish takes such a short time to cook that it’s not too bad to broil in the oven or cook it in a grill pan or skillet on top of the stove.

Many fruits and vegetables that are in abundance now make great accompaniments for fish. This taco recipe has a delicious melon salsa that makes it perfect for an August supper.

12 8-inch flour tortillas
1 lb. frozen fish fillets, about ½ inch thick
2 Tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Shredded lettuce
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
Lime wedges
Melon Salsa (recipe follows)

Thaw fish filets in a shallow glass baking dish with milk to cover. Put into refrigerator to thaw. When thoroughly thawed, pour out milk, transfer fillets to a plate. Clean the baking dish and spray with vegetable spray. Place fish in single layer in the pan. Combine olive oil, chili powder, salt, cumin, and garlic powder; brush oil on fish. Bake in preheated oven (450) for 5-7 minutes or when it flakes when tested with a fork. Fill warmed tortillas with a portion of fish, cucumbers, lettuce and melon salsa. Pass remaining salsa and lime wedges. (Makes 6 servings of 2 tacos each)

Melon Salsa

2 cups cubed melon (can use any melon or combination)
1 cup chopped cucumber
½ cup sweet pepper (red, yellow, orange or green)
½ cup thawed frozen corn, fresh corn off cob, or canned corn, drained
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley
1 Tbsp. sliced green onion
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey

In medium bowl, combine melon, cucumber, pepper, corn, cilantro and onion. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice and honey. Toss together; set aside.

Summer Salad Ideas

2011-08-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

I am running out of ideas for cool suppers—we’ve grilled, we’ve used the slow-cooker and all the other appliances that save on heating up the kitchen. I’ve pretty much exhausted my repertoire of main dish salads and sandwiches are getting tiresome. Add to these the fact that I just don’t feel like cooking supper.

I tried to remember what my mom fixed for supper in the days when we (and nobody else) had air conditioning. My dad hooked up a hose to the furnace and we had a water “cooler” but it didn’t help the humidity. There were nights in July and August when I couldn’t sleep—even the sheet over me was too much—and I was just a child. So trying to beat the heat is nothing new.

Main dish salads weren’t really “in” as I recall and we certainly didn’t have the plethora of handy appliances we do now but gardening was at an all-time high and we had fresh vegetables galore. I think a really typical supper on a hot night would have been some kind of pan-fried meat with boiled new potatoes (from the garden) fixed with butter and chives, beautiful home-grown tomatoes sliced thick, some wilted lettuce (that’s a salad, not exhausted lettuce), corn on the cob and berries with cream. Not bad, as I recall. But still there was a fair amount of cooking. I think a main dish salad using many of those ingredients would be more “today”, but, as I mentioned, I have run out of new ideas for those salads.

Then I came across two long unused cookbooks: “Salad Suppers,” and “Cold Soups, Warm Salads” I perused them hungrily, looking for some fresh inspiration and I wasn’t disappointed. There are so many good and easy and nutritious ideas for salad that I couldn’t wait to try them all! However, that isn’t really practical so I decided to try just one or two to start.

Sautéed Tuna Nicoise was my first choice. I’ve always loved this salad and it really uses garden produce to the fullest. You can make this with fresh tuna that you can grill outdoors or open a can of white Bonito tuna packed in oil—really delicious.

Makes 4 servings

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp dry mustard
1 garlic clove, halved
½ to 1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 to 6 medium red-skinned potatoes, cooked
1/3 to ½ pound green beans, blanched
Red or green leaf lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes
½ red onion, sliced thin
¼ to ½ cup Nicoise or Mediterranean black olives
1 ½ pounds tuna steak, 1-inch thick or 3 6-oz cans white Bonito tuna, packed in oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp drained capers (optional)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Garlic Croutons (recipe follows)

Blend the vinegar, lemon juice, dry mustard, garlic clove, salt and pepper and let sit 20 minutes. Remove the garlic and whisk in the olive oil. Set aside. While the potatoes are still warm, slice, put in a bowl with a portion of the dressing and let marinate. In separate bowl, put the blanched green beans with some additional dressing. Line a serving platter with the lettuce, leaving a place in the center for the tuna. Arrange the potato slices overlapping in a ring around the center. Place the green beans in spoke fashion or in groups around the potatoes. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and then in thirds. Scatter the onion rings and sprinkle with olives. Cut the tuna into ½-inch chunks (or break up canned tuna with a fork). In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute fresh tuna 3 to 4 minutes, tossing gently. Place in the center of the prepared platter. If desired, sprinkle with capers. Drizzle the dressing over all and top the tuna with chopped parsley. Serve with Garlic croutons.

Garlic Croutons

½ loaf French bread (baguette)
Olive oil
Garlic clove, halved

Preheat oven to 325. Slice the bread about ¼-inch thick and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven about 10 minutes or until dry. Brush both sides with oil, turn and rub the tops with the cut side of the garlic. Return to the oven until light golden. These can be made ahead of time and stored up to a week in a tightly sealed container or plastic bag.

Do all of the cooking in the cool of the morning. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The Theme: Sea Food...what can you have for dessert?

2011-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Our four-times-a-year dinner group that we euphemistically call “grub club” met recently. The host and hostess determine the theme and the other three couples bring their assigned courses accordingly. The theme was seafood. As with the time that the theme was capsicum, our course was dessert. I think I detect a throw-down challenge here. There were rules with this one: no “C-food” and no “See food”.

It’s a good thing that I spend so much time thinking about food and have so many resources at hand in magazines and cookbooks. I very quickly determined that I was not going to put any type of seafood into a sweet dessert. The hot pepper theme was much easier as ancho chile powder and chocolate are a nice mix. But fish and sugar? I don’t think so.

That left sea themes or names. I bandied about tart shells, sponge cake, Palm Beach pineapple squares, currant (as in ocean current?) cookies, seafoam candy and Miami Beach cake, but finally settled on floating island with Madeleine cookies (made in a special pan to look like shells). The floating island recipe that I used was sprinkled with an almond praline which I also scattered on the service plate to look like sand. I brought my cobalt blue glass dessert bowls to serve it in, and, all in all, I think was a seafood dessert success.

The other courses were really marvelous and, as always, we had a great time and a veritable feast. These four couples have been together for more than 10 years and every one of them cooks superbly. Appetizers were crab cakes with a wonderful remoulade and a shrimp and cream cheese spread.

First course was seviche. Seviche can vary a lot as the ingredients are not set in stone. A Mexican dish by origin, it was usually an ocean fish that was “cooked” with lime juice but it has come to mean any fish or seafood that you “cook” with citrus acid rather than heat.

The main course was fish tacos, grilled by our host, along with delicious corn on the cob. Condiments were many and unusual, including mayonnaise for the corn which I found out is a staple in Mexico. The corn was so sweet and delicious and grilled to perfection that I ate mine unadorned.

After searching through many recipes for the floating island, I settled on one from Ina Garten of the Food Network (Barefoot Contessa). It was really wonderful even if it sported a somewhat affected name, Ile Flottante. It’s a bit fussy on the caramel sauce and the custard sauce and you can get almost as good results using a jarred caramel sauce and making the custard sauce from a package of instant vanilla pudding. You add three cups of half and half instead of 2 cups of milk and some Bailey’s Irish Cream (about 2 Tbsp.)

Ceviche

1 pound scallops

1 cup fresh lime juice

1 cup diced avocado

½ cup minced red onion

½ cup finely chopped seeded tomato

¼ cup cilantro

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp. minced jalapeno

½ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

¼ tsp. cumin

Pat the seafood dry and place in a glass bowl. Cover with the lime juice and let marinate until opaque, about 3 hours, refrigerated. Place the seafood in a clean bowl and reserve the lime juice. Add the remaining ingredients to the seafood, gently stirring to mix. Add reserved lime juice to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve chilled in a tall martini or cocktail glass. (recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001)

Ile Flottante (Ina Garten)

2 ½ cups sugar, divided

1 cup water, divided

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract, divided

1 ½ cups (5 oz) sliced almonds

8 extra-large egg whites at room temperature

1/8 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar

Crème Anglaise, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

For caramel, heat 1 ½ cups of the sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat until the syrup turns a warm caramel color. Don’t stir, just swirl it in the pan. Off heat, add ½ cup water and ½ tsp vanilla; be careful, the syrup will bubble violently. Stir and cook over high heat until the caramel reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Set aside. Por the praline combine the almonds with ¼ cup of the caramel and spread them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the almonds are lightly browned. Allow to cool at room temperature and then break up in pieces.

Lower the oven to 250 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. For the meringues, beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Turn the mixer on high speed and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and glossy. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. With dessert spoons place 12 mounds of meringue on the parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For serving, pour crème Anglaise on the bottom of individual plates. Place a meringue on top of each serving, drizzle with caramel sauce, sprinkle with praline and serve.

Crème Anglaise:

4 extra-large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1 ¾ cups scalded milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes or until very thick. Reduce to low speed and add the cornstarch. With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened. The custard will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don’t cook it above 180 degrees or the eggs will scramble. Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add the vanilla extract, liqueur and chill. Yield: 2 cups.

Grilling Meat

2011-07-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

My oldest son, Jed (the one with the cooking gene) was just here visiting us from Madison sans wife and children. The occasion was to keep me company from a rather long recovery I am undergoing from surgery. Since we both love to cook, he was more than happy to fix some great dishes with me looking on and admiring him.

He has long been most interested in smoking and grilling meat. He has had several smokers, always graduating to a little better model with more bells and whistles. But this visit he brought along some green beans from his garden. The gardening gene, I must confess, comes from someone else in the family—not from me! He is raising a wonderful garden and is harvesting beans, corn, lettuces, and tomatoes soon.

As a young child and until recently, Jed had to be urged to eat his vegetables—a common trait of young children to be sure. At our first dinner, the star of the show was a wonderful flank steak marinated in a thick, slightly hot and extremely delicious marinade and grilled to perfection. Sliced thin, with extra marinade on the side and accompanied by some homemade Italian bread (my offering), it was almost enough. The green beans cooked between al dente and mushy were tossed in melted butter and salt and pepper. That’s all. They were so good that they actually stole the accolades from the beef.

It got me thinking about the bountiful vegetables that are at our farmer’s market, in our home gardens and even at the supermarket this time of year. And the bounty has only just begun. From now until October one vegetable after another will appear. I am ready to find ways to serve them that even the youngest among us would not have to be urged to eat.

Fortunately there are great recipes on the internet, magazines and newspapers and even the old-fashioned but trustworthy cookbooks. My faithful readers know my preference for cookbooks. Andrea Chesman has written several cookbooks featuring vegetables and I have found her recipes (with a few adaptations of my own) to be very reliable.

Roasted Green Beans

2 pound green beans, trimmed
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse-grained salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a large sheet pan or shallow roasting pan with oil. Arrange the green beans in a single, uncrowded layer on the prepared pan. Drizzle the oil over the beans and roll the beans until they are evenly coated. Roast for about 15 minutes or until the beans are well browned, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking. Transfer the beans to a shallow serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the salt. Serve immediately.

Note: When cooking green beans, the size of the pod should be your guide in total cooking time. Smaller bean diameter equals shorter cooking time. There is a lot of discrepancy in taste for doneness, so test your beans and remove from heat when they have reached a stage of tenderness that appeals to you.

If you want to start a new tradition for a great holiday green bean casserole that doesn’t include canned soup or canned French fried onion rings, give this a try. It is sure to please even the fussiest children (or husbands). If your garden beans are beginning to be a little over-mature, this recipe will accommodate them beautifully.

Scalloped Green Beans

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups grated sharp Cheddar
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (7-8 cups)
1 onion, halved and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dried bread crumbs or ½ cup fresh

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or spray with vegetable spray. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and stir to make smooth paste. Stir in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in cheese. Cook, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes. Layer the beans and onion in the baking dish, generously sprinkling with salt and pepper as you layer. Cover with cheese sauce. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the dish. Bake for 60 minutes. Serve hot.

By the way, the marinade recipe for the flank steak is superb. Here it is:

¼ pound butter
¾ cup minced onion
½ cup minced garlic
2 lemons, zested
5 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 ¼ cups ketchup
1 cup tomato juice
¾ cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp molasses
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup chili powder
4 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp chipotle puree
Pinch kosher salt

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, ketchup, tomato juice, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, vinegar, chipotle puree, salt and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Summer Salads

2011-07-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love summer salads with a creamy dressing—some combination, usually, of mayonnaise or “salad dressing” in a jar and maybe some buttermilk or sour cream. They are delicious on everything from staples such as potato salad, chicken salad, pasta salads (especially with seafood) and even green or fruit salads. Changing the spices a little changes the dressing.

But I had a potato salad at a friend’s house that was out of this world and I just couldn’t figure out what made it so delicious. The potatoes being cooked just right—not too hard and not too mushy was a good start, of course. And, too, the proper balance of crunch, tang and mellow goodness is a factor. But I make a pretty mean potato salad that couldn’t compare to the one I was eating and I had to know why.

It turns out that the creamy salad dressing was a combination of homemade “boiled dressing” and homemade mayonnaise. I definitely knew that my mom used to make “boiled” dressing instead of buying Miracle Whip, but I didn’t realize how much better it was. I got my friend’s recipe, but when I got home I started hunting through my cookbooks for other recipes for boiled dressing.

Honestly, there are as many different ways to put the same ingredients together as there are cookbooks, I swear. Not wanting to miss out on the “best” one, I tried several. My friend’s recipe first:

¼ cup vinegar
½ tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. mustard
2 eggs, well beaten

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Slowly add eggs. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Cool. Keeps up to 1 month in refrigerator.

To make potato salad: Boil 4 potatoes and 4 eggs until potatoes are tender and eggs hard boiled. Peel potatoes and while warm, add a vinaigrette dressing (such as Italian) to potatoes to be absorbed (about 2 Tbsp.) When potatoes are cool, add peeled minced eggs, celery, onion or scallions or chives and dress with ½ boiled dressing and ½ homemade mayonnaise.

Boiled Salad Dressing (Mrs. Clarence Ike-- 1947 Trinity Lutheran Church, Spring Grove, Minn. Cookbook)

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup vinegar
1 pinch salt
½ tsp. dry mustard
Butter the size of walnut

Combine all dry ingredients, add to beaten eggs and add vinegar. Cook in double boiler until thick. Add butter last.

This next dressing is suggested for fruit salads:

Juice of 2 lemons
Rind of 1 lemon (grated)
1/3 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten well
1 pint whipped cream

Cook in double boiler. When cool add whipped cream. Pour over fruit salad and refrigerate for 24 hours.—Mrs. C. R. Casterton; Trinity Lutheran Church cookbook

Between the pages of the “Dorcas Cookbook” from the Trinity Lutheran Church, I found an old, yellowing newspaper clipping with a recipe entitled, “Adele Milczarck’s Potato Salad”. I really wanted to give it a try and it was delicious!

12 cups diced, cooked potatoes
12 hard-cooked eggs, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup French dressing (no other info on this dressing—l.g.)
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 egg
¾ cup salad oil
¼ cup vinegar
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. paprika
1 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbsp sugar
6 hard-cooked eggs

Combine potatoes, eggs, onion and French dressing. Chill. Make a smooth paste of cornstarch and water and cook over boiling water until clear, stirring constantly. In a bowl combine egg, oil, vinegar, mustard, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp. salt and paprika. Mix well and add gradually to mixture; beat until smooth. Add evaporated milk, remaining tablespoon sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Beat until smooth. Cool. Combine with potatoes. Season further, if desired. Put half of potato mixture into serving bowl. Slice 3 of the hard-cooked eggs and lay over salad. Add rest of potatoes. Garnish top with 3 eggs cut into wedges. Chill. Yield: 12 portions.

And just in case you don’t know how to make homemade mayonnaise, here’s an easy and fool-proof way:

Perfect Blender Mayonnaise

1 egg
2 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
½ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup salad oil

1. Break the egg into the container. Add vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, salt and ¼ cup of the oil. 2. Cover and blend on low speed. 3. Immediately remove inner cap or cover and pour in remaining oil in quite a fast stream (do not add it drop by drop). All the oil must be added by the end of 15 seconds blending time. 4. A few drops of oil may remain on the surface of the mayonnaise. Without turning blender off, switch to high speed and blend for just 3 seconds more. Should the mixture fail to thicken, pour three-quarters of it into a measuring cup. Add another egg to the mixture left in the container and start again at step 2, adding the mixture in the measuring cup in the same manner that you originally added the oil.

Freezing Food

2011-07-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ah, summertime and the living is easy! That’s really true when it comes to cooking chores, since most everyone eats lighter and non-cooked foods for the most part. The barbeque and all your small cooking appliances i.e. electric skillet, slow cooker, or microwave oven really cut down on work and heat. But the best appliance for cutting your work and giving you delightful foods to eat is your freezer.

I write about freezing foods a lot, but in the height of summer fruits are my favorite foods to freeze. For one thing, as you drive through the countryside you find signs for fresh fruits everywhere. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, melons, apples are among the common ones. Grapes, currants and gooseberries can be found in some regions.

The supermarket abounds in produce, as does the farmer’s market and although fruit is among the offerings, vegetables seem to take center stage. But vegetables need blanching before freezing and I am really into the “easy living” idea this summer. Frozen fruit is at your fingertips, ready to be whirled into a smoothie or fill a pie or just eat, partially thawed, for breakfast. And while the season is here, buy any beautiful fruit you find at reasonable prices and freeze it for the long winter ahead.

Most frozen fruit keeps as well without a syrup pack and therefore you can save time and calories as well and dry pack fruit is much more versatile Dry-pack frozen fruits can be substituted for fresh in most of your recipes, adjusting the amount of sugar used.

Fruit is ideally suited to the concept of lighter and healthier eating—and we are being encouraged to eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Vegetables seem to get top billing in most savory recipes, however, with fruit being relegated to eat-from-hand snacking or sweet desserts that are not (sigh) so very good for you. I looked high and low for a cookbook devoted to cooking with fruit and finally found one at the library book sale that had the “discarded” stamp on it. I can’t imagine why, since I found dozens of absolutely delicious-sounding and tasting recipes in it. Since many of them are cooked dishes, I will use my summer-frozen stash to make them when the weather turns colder.

For a simple, non-cooked recipe that everyone loves, you can’t beat a smoothie. Anytime bananas go past the delicious stage and turn dark, I throw them in a plastic bag in the freezer—as is! You can microwave them very briefly to make them easy to peel when you’re ready to use them—just don’t go too long in the microwave and thaw the banana because the frozen fruit adds that milk shake texture to your smoothie.

After you put a frozen banana into the blender, you can add whatever fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand and like along with fruit juice, yogurt, milk or other liquid. Sugar is optional—I like honey when I want more sweetness. Whirl it around and pour—instant and healthy and delicious breakfast or snack.

Whenever your fresh fruit is starting to look tired, cut it up and freeze it with a combination of lemonade concentrate, water and sugar. When you want to use it, scoop out some of your fruit mixture and pour ginger ale or sparkling apple cider over it for a delicious meal starter or dessert.

To freeze the great abundance of berries that are appearing now, simply wash thoroughly, removing all sand and soil. Remove stems and leaves, if any. Sort out all bruised or overripe berries. Drain well. Freeze in single layer on large shallow baking sheet with rim. When solidly frozen, pour into freezer bags, seal and label, date and return to freezer. You can pour out the amount you need and re-seal.

Here is a chilled blueberry soup that we serve in our inn. It is glorious in summer with big, plump, just-picked blueberries; equally delicious in mid-winter using your freezer-stash.

2 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 ½ cups water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
¼ cup sugar
½ cup orange juice
½ cup dry red wine
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ cup sour cream or crème fraiche
Sprigs of mint for garnish

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the blueberries, water, lemon juice, lemon rind, sugar, orange juice, red wine and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree in a blender or food processor and chill for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, dollop with sour cream and swirl. Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint.

Outdoor Eating

2011-07-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Everything tastes better eaten outdoors. That’s certainly true of the new-on-the-menu pizza at Falconer Vineyards. It seems that everyone else in town has been out there to try the pizza except me—so I forced my friend and also innkeeper, Deb Bylander (Pratt-Taber Inn) to repay a favor by taking me out to sample the wares at Falconer’s.

We chose a beautiful sunshiny day; not too hot, not too cool to sit on the large patio overlooking the grapes far below and stretching out to the bluffs covered in their summer finery. It really was magnificent. The delicious, crisp whole-wheat crust cooked in 90 seconds in their wood fire oven so the now-famous signature “Grapes of Wrath” pizza (red grapes, sausage, cheeses and jalapeno pepper) and “Northern Tropics” (Canadian bacon, pineapple, and 4 cheeses) pizzas were served pronto. They are baked in “personal size” (about 8 inches) but two fed three of us just fine. They were complemented with a light, slightly sweet Chardonnay and a red that was also semi-sweet and served chilled—Chambourcin.

I’m not sure if it was the lovely view, the delightful company or the heady wine, but I decided that I would slough off my antagonism to grilling and try my own pizza recipes on our grill and serve them on our porch. I could keep my kitchen cooler and enjoy the outdoor advantage at the same time.

But I am not very sure of myself on a charcoal grill—especially not with pizza—so I decided to start small. Pita bread serves well for personal pizzas and felt safe to try since they are already baked. These turned out to be delicious!

Grilled Pitas with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta Cheese

1 cup diced seeded tomatoes
½ cup pitted coarsely chopped mixed olives
½ cup chopped red onion
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 whole wheat pita breads

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Stir tomatoes, olives, onion and 2 Tbsp. oil in small bowl to blend. Brush one side of each pita with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; place pitas, oiled side down on grill. Cook until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Turn pitas over; top with tomato mixture, spreading almost to edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover barbecue and grill pitas until topping is warm, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.

Well, that was simple and successful! I got brave and decided to try a homemade dough pizza cooked entirely on the grill. I must admit that I turned to the internet to find instructions on grilling pizza and came across a step-by-step recipe on simplyrecipes.com that turned out just great!

My whole-wheat pizza dough

1 pkg. dry yeast
¼ tsp sugar
1 ½ cups warm water
2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ tsp salt
Cooking spray

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oil and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well blended. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough remaining flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking. Place dough in large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in warm place for 45 minutes. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half and roll each half into 12-inch circle on floured surface. Top and bake as directed.

To grill pizza:

Prepare grill for high direct heat. Prepare a small bowl with olive oil for greasing the grill grates and for brushing the pizza. Prepare the toppings so they are ready to go on the pizza—tomato sauce, cheese and anything else you are going to use.

Shape pizza dough with hands; let it sit for 5 minutes and push out edges with your fingers until you have a nice round shape, about 12-inches in diameter. Do not make a raised rim; it will interfere with the grilling process. When you can hold your hand an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds, dip a folded up paper towel in olive oil and use tongs to wipe the grill grates. Then place a pizza round on a lightly floured rimless cookie sheet or pizza peel. Let dough slide off onto the hot grill grates. Close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes. Open grill and check underneath dough to see if is browned. If on one side only, use spatula to rotate dough 90 degrees and cook 1 more minute. If not browning, cover grill and cook 1 minute at a time until bottom has begun to brown. Use your cookie sheet or peel to remove it from the grill. Use spatula to flip dough over so grilled side is up. Keep grill covered. Paint the grilled surface of the pizza with olive oil, then cover with 1 ladle of sauce. Sprinkle on toppings, ending with mozzarella cheese and then meat if using. When bottom of dough is deeply golden use peel to remove. Cut and enjoy.

Church and Community Cookbook Recipes

2011-07-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever submitted a recipe to a church or community cookbook? Most of us veteran cooks probably have—and some of the young women, too. Of course you submit the best recipe you know and so does everyone else. I don’t think I can remember taking a recipe out of one of these venerable publications that wasn’t delicious.

My cookbook collection boasts six shelves of community and church cookbooks. They range in age from the 1920’s to the present. I haven’t been able to peruse each and every one yet (although I plan to before I leave this planet) but I have found a few interesting recipes in many of them. I also have found the names of more than one long-deceased relative from parts of the country where I didn’t live—but traced the name and found it was a family member. How can I be sure? A name like Gratia Nurse Sanborn just couldn’t be anyone but the great aunt with that name. This is one of the reasons that I have such a long-standing love affair with cookbooks.

Since we are about to celebrate our nation’s birthday, it seems like a good time to trace the lineage of some of the perennial favorites that show up in the early cookbooks and keep on showing up through the decades.

Two classic recipes that appear in every cookbook I checked were brownies (starting in 1920) and a graham cracker crust-less pie which comes under many names. These two desserts have been around in some form for a very long time—and I decided to bake them both to refresh my memory.

I have a version of the graham cracker pie called “Mystery Pie” my cousin gave me in 1965. This version is made with Ritz crackers rather than graham crackers, but the results are delicious and surprising either way. The pie bakes into a dessert with all the gooey sweetness of pecan pie without the pastry, making it very easy to put together, especially in the summer when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen.

Brownies have been around since the early 1900’s, with the first mention of our beloved chocolate bar cookie found in the 1906 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book. “Bangor Brownies” were probably the original chocolate brownies, according to Betty Crocker’s Baking Classics (1979). Brownies as we know them didn’t become popular until the 1920’s where I started to find them in all the community cookbooks, including one recipe that called them “Indians.” (Kappa Kappa Gamma Cook Book, Denver, Colorado, 1928.)

Variously known as Angel Pie, Cracker Pie, Mystery Pie, and Amazing Pie, there are several versions essentially the same but using different crackers (graham, Ritz, and saltine) and different nutmeats (or no nutmeats). I tried two of the ones I found—both in the Golden Anniversary Cookbook of Oklahoma Extension Homemakers published in 1985.

Indians

1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup butter
2 ounces chocolate (I assume baking unsweetened)
1 cup nuts (chopped)
1 tsp. vanilla)

Mix sugar with flour; add eggs. Melt butter and chocolate together and add to sugar mixture. Fold in nuts and vanilla. Bake in square pan for 20 minutes at 325 or until top is dry. Do not overbake. Cut in squares while warm. Do not remove from pan until cold. (Helen Merrill)

Brownies

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
½ cup melted butter
1 cup walnut meats
Vanilla

Cream together well sugar and eggs. Add flour into which has been sifted cocoa. Add butter, nuts and a little vanilla. Spread in greased 9x9 square pan. Bake 25 minutes at 325. Cut when slightly cool. Let stand in pan until cold. (Francis Harris Tibbetts)

Angel Pie

3 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. baking powder
½ cup whipping cream

Beat egg whites and vanilla till soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Combine cracker crumbs, pecans, and baking powder; fold into meringue mixture. Spread evenly in a greased and floured 9” pie plate. Bake in a 325 oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. To serve, whip cream. Cut pie in wedges and top with a dollop of whipped cream. (Marie V. Hobbs—Tulsa County)

Mystery Pie (my recipe, given to me by my cousin, Carol in 1965)

3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
16 Ritz crackers (finely rolled)
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ cups chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg whites until frothy; gradually add sugar; continue to beat until meringue is stiff. Fold in vanilla, cracker crumbs, baking powder and walnuts. Put into a 9” pie pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool. Spread with whipped cream and serve alone or with sweetened strawberries, if you wish.

Svenskarnas Dag Midsummer's Eve

2011-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard of Shakespeare’s play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in which a dream cycle consisting of imps, fairies and lovelorn characters gets mixed up in the woods on Midsummer’s Eve. As usual, Shakespeare manages to intertwine wise philosophy with ancient human foibles in an entertaining setting.

He was drawing on an ancient celebration of Midsummer’s Eve; ongoing in Europe for centuries. It began as a pagan celebration of the Summer Solstice and merged with St. John’s Day as Christianity took hold in Europe. Many countries throughout the world still celebrate with festivals and bonfires—usually on the night of June 23rd and the day of the 24th. Now in Sweden and Finland, the Saturday between the 21st of June and the 28th is the official day of celebration—so today is the day!

The Svenskarnas Dag observance of midsummer is celebrated in Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis annually. On Sunday the 26th of June right down the river in Stockholm, Wisconsin Midsommer Festival will be celebrated. Swedish delicacies are planned by Bogus Creek Café and Bakery in Stockholm to be served in the park accompanied by other fun and festivities. Swedish meatballs, Swedish pancakes with lingonberry sauce and Rhubarb crisp are on the menu.

This sounds like a great excuse for a Midsummer’s Day picnic to me—I’m always game for a picnic. If we want to be traditional, a cookout (with an open fire) sounds right. I really love weenies on hand-hewn sticks and later, marshmallows. Just so the celebration isn’t too simple, add plenty of rye bread (homemade is best) which is de rigueur for all Scandinavian countries, but especially Sweden and Finland. I think a Swedish potato salad, some pickled herring, deviled eggs and the above-mentioned rhubarb crisp would round things out perfectly.

Swedish Potato Salad

6 cold, boiled potatoes, sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
2 Tbsp. diced pickled beets

Dressing

2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Arrange potato slices in salad bowl. Place onion, parsley, chives and beets in rows on top. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over potatoes. Chill 1-2 hours. Toss once or twice before serving.

The Minnesota Ethnic Food Book by Kaplan, Hoover and Moore says this about the Swedish Limpa bread, “Similar to a Finnish bread, this slightly sweet loaf is popular at both sacred and secular times of year.” Sounds like the perfect bread to bring to our midsummer feast.

Limpa

1 pkg. dry yeast
¼ cup water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. shortening or lard
1/3 cup molasses
2 cups warm water
½ tsp. crushed cardamom seed
½ tsp. crushed anise seed
2 cups rye (or medium rye) flour, spooned into cup
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into cup
2 Tbsp. vital gluten flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and set aside. Combine salt, shortening, molasses, water, cardamom seed, anise seed, and rye flour. Mix well. Stir in yeast mixture. Stir in 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup at a time. Continue to add flour slowly until dough can be kneaded on a lightly floured board. Knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. You may need to work in more flour to eliminate stickiness. Allow dough to rise in a well-buttered bowl, covered, until double in bulk. Punch down and allow to rise a second time. Punch down well and divide dough in half. Form into 2 loaves and place in well-greased pans. Allow to rise in the pans until double in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 35 to 40 minutes or until nicely browned. Brush with melted butter. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

This is the Bogus Creek Café and Bakery Rhubarb Crisp recipe—excellent as is or, if you like, you can add 2 cups drained sour cherries in place of two cups of the rhubarb.*

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup quick cooking rolled oats
½ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups sliced rhubarb (see above note)*
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, the pour over rhubarb. Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes.

Everybody Loves Strawberry Shortcake

2011-06-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves strawberries—the only exceptions I know are those who are allergic—poor dears. I even had a poodle who loved strawberries. She was not a dog who would eat anything; actually she was very particular, like a cat. However, if you so much as brought a basket of strawberries in the house she was dancing on her hind legs and pirouetting in circles with her begging eyes. She just wouldn’t let up until you dropped her two or three.

This month the strawberry fields yield their beautiful, brilliant red berries that put the California supermarket variety to shame for flavor. The wild Minnesota berries are available, too—if you are very tenacious and have a strong back. They are so small that it takes a whole lot of strawberries to make even a cupful, but oh, are they worth it! If you’ve never tasted wild strawberries I urge you to find some and at least taste them. Because they are so tiny, wild strawberries make a great variation on blueberry pancakes since a few go a long way and maximize your harvest. Another idea for the tiny wild strawberries is to make an uncooked jam. You can get 2 half-pints from one cup of crushed berries. Procedure: jars and lids should be sterilized. Prepare fruit by washing and crushing lightly. Measure one cup (they will lose half their volume when crushed, so you must start with two cups of whole berries). Place berries in a glass bowl. Add 1 ¾ cups sugar and mix well with a wooden spoon. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/5 box of powdered fruit pectin and ½ cup water; stir well (mixture may be lumpy). Heat to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir constantly. Pour pectin mixture onto fruit in bowl. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes; a few grains may remain, but the mixture should no longer look cloudy (or the jam will be cloudy). Pour into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch headspace; cover with clean lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours; the jam should set. If it not set, refrigerate for several days until set before using or freezing. Jam will keep for three weeks, refrigerated, or frozen for up to a year. (Adapted from Abundantly Wild by Teresa Marrone).

Strawberry shortcake is the perfect dessert for Dad tomorrow. If you found some beautiful home-grown strawberries at the farmer’s market or went to a pick-your-own farm, you’re all set. Of course, I guess there are those who like a sponge cake base for their shortcake—but that’s not really shortcake at all. The old-fashioned biscuit shortcake is the only kind I want. Here’s an old-fashioned, highly caloric, delicious treat for everybody—but especially the dads in your crowd.

Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups sifted flour
2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp (1 Tbsp) baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup half and half
3 to 4 cups sugared sliced strawberries
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with 2 Tbsp. sugar

Sift together the dry ingredients; cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Combine egg and half and half; add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring only enough to moisten. Spread dough in a sprayed 8” round cake pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and cool on rack about 3 minutes. With serrated knife, split in 2 layers. Butter bottom layer. Spoon berries and whipped cream between layers and over top. Cut into wedges. Serve warm.

Nothing can really beat that dessert, but here are some quick and easy ways to use those luscious berries:

• Puree fresh strawberries in a food processor and add to a pitcher of lemonade.

• Layer sliced berries, yogurt, honey and crushed amaretti cookies in dessert glasses

• Dice one pint large berries. Saute in 1 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp sugar until just soft. Hit with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Serve over vanilla ice cream.

• Freeze super-ripe berries. Frappe in a blender with light coconut milk and vanilla sugar for a great smoothie.

If you’re really in a hurry, just put them, washed, in a bowl and pour cream over them. Sprinkle with sugar if they need it. Nothing beats the first homegrown strawberries of summer.

June is Dairy Month

2011-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dairy month (June) is the perfect time to try your hand at making your own cheeses. Really, it’s simple and the results are more delicious than you can even imagine. I was very skeptical at first, having heard horror stories from my mother about burning the cottage cheese when she was at her grandmother’s house and the stench that remained in the house for days.

She justified her troubles by asserting that making cheese—any cheese—is a grueling and labor-intensive job that requires hours of stirring and watching the stove. Thanks, but I’m not interested in anything like that—especially in summer.

Then I came across a cookbook, “The Best American Recipes, 2005-2006” and on page 10, I read, “One taste of this creamy, snowy-white fresh cheese and you won’t wonder why we’ve included this recipe in a chapter of first courses. Instead, your mind will be racing with possibilities.” Okay, so how hard can it really be and could it really be that good? I had to try.

The directions were simple enough and so I took a chance—voila! Wonderful, delightful homemade ricotta cheese! Here’s how to do it:

1 quart whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 scant teaspoon coarse salt
2 Tbsp white vinegar

Rinse a saucepan with cold water (makes clean-up easier). Have ready a strainer lined with dampened cheesecloth and set in a bowl that’s deep enough so the strainer doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Pour the milk and cream into the saucepan. Add the salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. When the milk is simmering, turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar. Leave it alone for about 1 minute. Then start to stir slowly and gently. The milk will start separating into curds and whey (milky liquid); you are looking for the whey to become clear-ish, which will take about 1 minute of stirring. Once this happens, pour the mixture into the strainer. Lift the strainer out of the bowl and pour out the whey. Set the strainer back in the bowl and let the cheese drain for 15 minutes (or longer if you want a denser cheese). The ricotta is ready to serve now, but you can also refrigerate it, covered, for up to 5 days.

You can serve this cheese on a pretty platter, generously drizzled with the best extra-virgin olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, and accompanied by slices of good bread. Other options are to add dollops to a green salad or an antipasto platter; shower it with herbs or spices, or make a delightful breakfast by drizzling a little honey on it and dusting with ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

Yogurt cheese has been around for awhile, but did you know that the very popular (and very expensive) Greek yogurt is just a high-quality, thickened yogurt which you can make at home? This is a simple process, but it takes 2 to 4 hours to get the drained yogurt . Start with 1 quart yogurt (homemade is best, but if you buy it be sure it has no guar gum or gelatin in it). Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth, allowing plenty to drape over the sides. Set the colander in a bowl; the bottom of the colander needs to be well above the bottom of the bowl to catch the whey. Spoon the yogurt into the colander and set aside at room temperature to drain until you have 3 cups of drained yogurt, 2 to 4 hours. You can store the drained yogurt, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Now to make the yogurt cheese: Use 3 cups of your Greek (drained) yogurt. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt, mix well, and drain in a coffee filter inside a colander placed in a bowl. Let drain overnight in the refrigerator or until it’s firm.

Here’s a tasty appetizer to make, using your delicious yogurt cheese.

2 cups yogurt cheese
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp. chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or mild red pepper)
1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Lavash or other crackers for serving

Divide the cheese into 13 portions and roll each into a walnut-size ball. Set the balls so they do not touch on a plate lined with paper towels. Cover loosely with paper towels and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or until firm. Mix together the olive oil, garlic, dill and Aleppo pepper in a small bowl. Transfer the balls to a deep dish or a high-lipped platter in a single layer. Pour the oil mixture over the balls, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Serve at room temperature with chives sprinkled over the top, accompanied by lavash or crackers.

Minnesota Wild Rice Salad

2011-06-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

June is here and this is the big party month: weddings, graduations, Dad’s day, garden parties, reunions—just to name a few. Any excuse will usually do for a party, but in June you have bona fide reasons and for many hosts it’s panic time.

Over the years that I have been a caterer and a bed and breakfast owner I have cooked for large and small groups in many different conditions and can share some really easy, really great recipes for your special occasion.

First, however, I must share a horror storiy, lest you think that I was born knowing how to do this. One of my first experiences in my own catering company, “Affairs To Remember,” was a home wedding for about 75 people. It was an outdoor ceremony and reception in early summer and the day dawned hot and sunny. The ceremony was scheduled for 3:00 with a full meal following. Chairs were set up on the lawn and a large tent nearby housed the tables for the reception. I had a crew of 3 young people (high school and college age) working—all had previous experience with me and were good workers. Everything went very smoothly at first—and although the temperature outside was rising rapidly; the house and kitchen were air conditioned and very comfortable.

Shortly before the ceremony, ominous clouds began to move in and the air became stifling and still. At 2:30 the downpour came—torrents of rain, so heavy you couldn’t see the white chairs sitting on the lawn right outside the kitchen window. The bride and her mother were distraught. Then, as suddenly as it started—it stopped. Relief showed on everyone’s faces as they hurriedly wiped off the chairs and set up the flower arbor. The ceremony went on as planned.

The reception was not quite as wonderful. The sun came out for about 1 hour and created a steam bath. After an hour, just as we were heating up food in the kitchen and beginning to carry the first dishes out to the tent, the wind came up and it began to pour again. The flaps came down on the tent making it stiflingly hot and humid inside. The amount of water that was running into the low spots in the yard was ankle-deep so that the workers rolled up their pants legs and sloshed through it from the house to the tent. All of the guests came into the house, overwhelming the air conditioning, and sweat was running down my face back in the kitchen.

Somehow we got the meal served and the party was going well—we were at the tail end of the clean up and about ready to leave when the clouds began to gather into walls and scallops. People were beginning to look at the sky and talk about tornadoes. Suddenly the sirens went off and everyone hustled to the house. Most of the people went down the basement—although there were a lot of young men who went into the garage and watched with the garage door open. The tornado touched down just 3 miles from the house. Of course my crew and I were in the basement and didn’t see the funnel cloud (okay by me), but I heard many descriptions and saw pictures that were pretty amazing.

Here’s hoping that our rough weather is over and it will be smooth sailing and sunny skies for your big event. Here are some tried and true large group recipes to make it easy and fun.

Wild Rice Salad (Serves 12)

4 cups cooked wild rice (1 cup)
4 large tangy red apples
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup slivered toasted almonds
4 ribs celery, sliced
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
4 tsp. sugar
2 cups halved red grapes

Chill the cooked wild rice. Dice the unpared apples and toss with mixture of lemon juice and brown sugar. Stir in the celery, wild rice, and grapes. Blend the mayonnaise with the sour cream and sugar; toss into the salad ingredients and mix well. Chill thoroughly, but no longer than 6-8 hours. Serve in lettuce-lined bowl. Sprinkle with almonds just before serving.

Strawberry/Spinach Salad

2 large bags baby spinach
1 bunch sliced green onions
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
2 pints strawberries

Dressing:

2/3 cup raspberry vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 cup canola oil

Wash spinach and sort. Discard any long stems. Wrap in terry towel and put into plastic bag. Chill no longer than 24 hours. When ready to assemble, slice green onions, halve or quarter strawberries and mix with almonds in large serving bowl. Mix dressing ingredients with a whisk or in a blender and serve on the side in a sauce boat with ladle.

Two plus Two Potatoes

2 large packages frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup green onions, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
Dash pepper
2 cups crushed potato chips
¼ cup butter, melted

Mix sour cream, soup salt and pepper and green onion. Put hash browns, ½ cup butter and cheese in 9x13 sprayed baking dish. Pour soup mixture over. Mix gently. Top with crushed potato chips and drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Here Comes Summer

2011-05-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is—the official beginning of the summer season and it’s about time! We’ve had our fill of winter and cold, dreary spring weather here in Minnesota and I, for one, am going to enjoy the warm weather with a vengeance.

That really means simplicity in cooking—out of the kitchen—out of the pot-roasting, bread baking mode and in with the new potato salad, brats on the grill and, of course burgers!

If I had to name the one quintessential American food, it would be hamburgers and I don’t think there’s even a real close second. Even though the fast food variety of hamburger is a great American institution for grabbing and going—nothing beats the summertime hamburger on the back yard grill.

If you’re going up to your lake cabin to open up or down to one of the city parks to picnic with family—it’s a perfect time to fire up the grill and make burgers. Typical go-withs are fine—but why not spice things up a little with some easy to make and tote salsas, relishes, and a variety of toppings—to give the burgers some style? The great thing about grilled hamburgers is that you can put hot dogs on for the kiddies—if they prefer them—and still have grown up fare as well. A make-ahead macaroni salad and giant, soft cookies for dessert and you’re done.

Now that the sweet onions are in the market (Vidalia and Walla Walla, to name two), caramelized onions as an adult topping are really wonderful. Along with the onions, the adults will enjoy avocado slices sprinkled with lemon juice or easy guacamole, a selection of lettuces such as arugula, spinach and Bibb. Ketchup spiked with Tabasco sauce, grilled bell peppers, chopped pickled jalapenos, horseradish mayonnaise—and a homemade chili sauce will make a grand array to complement the burgers. Just fill some plastic containers with these and any others you like and bring them along to set out in the center of the picnic table.

Barbecued Burgers (makes 8 child-size and 4 adult-size burgers)

3 ½ pounds lean ground beef
½ cup purchased barbecue sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
12 sesame-seed hamburger buns
Sliced tomatoes

Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl until blended. Mix in pepper. Shape half of meat mixture into eight ½-inch-thick patties. Shape remaining meat mixture into four 1-inch-thick patties. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill patties to desired doneness, topping with cheese for last minute of cooking, if using.

Caramelized Onions with Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large sweet onions cut into slices
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup canned beef broth
½ cup purchased barbecue sauce
1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper; cook until onions begin to brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add broth, barbecue sauce and vinegar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Hamburgers have suffered a reputation for being an unhealthy food choice—and that certainly can be true if they are made with high-fat hamburger or too much hamburger (read 1/3 to ½ pound burgers) and slathered with mayo and/or butter (hmmm…butterburgers?) But it doesn’t necessarily need to be that way—especially if you make your own ground beef. Lean sirloin can be purchased in a large quantity (such as a sirloin tip roast) for a lot less than when sold as steak. Lean sirloin has about the same saturated fat as ground turkey.

All you really need is either a meat grinder attachment to a stand mixer or a heavy-duty food processor. The beef should be partially frozen; then cut into 1 x 4” strips and fed through the meat grinder with the large blade. If you are using the food processor, put about ½ pound at a time (cut into cubes or strips) and pulse until ground to your liking. If you like, you can add salt and pepper and form them into patties; then freeze with waxed paper separators. Just take out the number you want, throw the rest back in the freezer and put them right on the hot grill, frozen. You must control the heat to keep the inside from being raw when the outside begins to char—but it only takes a little experience to know when they are properly cooked. These burgers are really better than the store-bought, already ground beef types.

Happy Memorial Day and welcome summer cooking!

Raspberry Creme Brule

2011-05-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

This year the Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association, of which we are members (Zig is on the board of directors, as well), did not hold its annual conference. There were several reasons—among them the economy and a change of executive directors twice during the year—but, nevertheless, I was disappointed. I look forward to this conference every year for lots of reasons: a chance to meet old friends that we haven’t seen because they’re innkeepers, too and very busy; a renewed vigor for innkeeping; lots of information on marketing, decorating, special events, website updating, and—of course—food! However, I was in for a surprise.

Chuck Dougherty, innkeeper of the Water Street Inn in Stillwater, invited the membership to a one-day annual meeting and workshop at his beautiful hotel. I don’t know if any of you have stayed at the Water Street Inn, but it keeps good company with other historic hotels in Minnesota such as The St. James in our own Red Wing and a handful of others. One of the special features that Chuck offers is a pre-fixe, several-course dinner with wonderful foods and choice wines to match each course. It really is an experience you should all have. This was my second chance to enjoy the hospitality and fine food that The Water Street Inn offers.

The food was marvelous!! The entrée was a stuffed flank steak that was so tender it really almost did melt in your mouth—quite a trick for flank steak. It was stuffed with vegetables which gave it a fresh and healthy edge over the old-fashioned stuffed flank steak from my youth which had a sage-flavored bread stuffing. (That’s good, too, but a tad on the heavy side). While everyone was raving about the ample-portioned and delicious entrée, the chef sneaked in a dessert that was too good to believe: Raspberry Crème Brule. From the first crackling-of-the-sugar crust, through the creamy interior laced with vanilla and down to the raspberry bottom, it was a food delight. I begged for the recipe which was a secret and never given out. After persistent pleading and a solemn promise to given proper credit to the origin, I was given the recipe and permission to put it in my column.

I was about to leave, somewhat smug and triumphant when I ran into a foodie bonus. Linda Hayle from the Park Street Inn in Nevis, Minnesota, who was also attending the meeting, heard me carrying on about my treasured recipe and gave me one from her inn that she says her guests clamor for—both the dish and then the recipe. I was thrilled to get this one, too, as I love Eggs Benedict but they are difficult to make for a crowd and this is the answer to that problem. I love innkeepers! Thanks to Chuck Dougherty and Linda Hayle for these new additions to our breakfast menu.

Raspberry Crème Brule from the Water Street Inn in Stillwater, MN

4 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
2 vanilla beans
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
8 egg yolks
1 pint fresh raspberries
Extra sugar for caramel topping

Combine cream, first amount of sugar and vanilla beans (seeds scraped out of pod), in a heavy sauce pan. Bring just to a boil. Mix second ½ cup of sugar with cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to egg yolks. When cream mixture comes to a boil, add a small amount to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly; then add back to pan. Stir and strain mixture. Put washed fresh raspberries into 12 8-oz. ramekins. Add cream mixture over the top of the raspberries. Bake in a water bath at 300 degrees until firm (about 40 minutes). Cool completely or refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon of superfine sugar evenly over the top of each ramekin. Using a small propane kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar, moving the flame back and forth over the sugar until it bubbles and browns, and tilting the ramekins to even out the caramel. Alternatively, after sprinkling the sugar over the tops of custards, as above, set the ramekins on a large baking sheet and put under the broiler as close to the heat as possible. Broil until light brown, careful not to burn, about 1 ½ minutes. Remove and chill.

For Bonus recipe, Eggs Benedict Strata from the Park Street Inn in Nevis, MN go to my blog, www.btkd-lynette@ blogspot.com or Area Voices (http://areavoices.com/members/lgudrais/activity/2132442 ).

Eggs Benedict Strata from the Park Street Inn in Nevis, MN

4 English muffins, split
2 Tbsp butter, cut up
1 cup chopped onion (optional)
10 oz. Canadian bacon, chopped (2 ½ cups)
1 (10-oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (optional)
¾ tsp. salt, divided
½ tsp. black pepper, divided
½ tsp ground nutmeg, divided
8 eggs
3 cups milk

Hollandaise Sauce

5 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 to ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks), cut up

Heat broiler. Spray 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Place English muffins on baking sheet; broil 2-4 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cut into ¾-inch pieces (you should have about 4 ½ cups); arrange English muffin pieces over bottom of baking dish. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion 3 to 4 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add bacon; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in spinach, garlic and ¼ tsp each of the salt, pepper and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium . Cook and stir 1 minute. Spoon over English muffins. Whisk 8 eggs in large bowl until frothy. Whisk in milk and remaining ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and ¼ tsp nutmeg. Pour over mixture in baking dish, pressing to make sure all bread is moistened. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until puffed and golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Meanwhile, blend 5 egg yolks, lemon juice, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and cayenne pepper in blender 1 minute or until combined. Place ¾ cup butter in glass measuring cup; microwave on high 40 to 60 seconds or until melted and just starting to bubble. With blender running, slooooowly pour in butter in a very thin stream until sauce is thickened, 1 to 1 ½ minutes total. (If butter is added too quickly, egg yolks won’t be able to absorb butter fast enough and sauce won’t thicken.) Beat egg whites in medium bowl at medium high speed, 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gently fold hollandaise sauce into egg whites. Heat broiler. Spoon hollandaise over hot strata; broil 1 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Double Chocolate Malt Shop Cupcakes

2011-05-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder why a recipe wins in a recipe contest? You look over the recipe and it seems like a little twist on a million other recipes you’ve seen or even made. What makes this one make thousands or even a million dollars for that lucky cook? I’ve decided it’s that little twist.

You probably know by now that I have a very large cookbook collection and I’m very fond of trying out recipes in them. But it has occurred to me many times that there really are only so many possibilities to combine foods and make them taste good. Or are there? I started to watch the program “Chopped” on the Food Network a while back and was astounded at the ingredients these cooks were given from which to make a tasteful dish—and even more astounded that they seemed to do it. So I strayed from my usual habit to stick strictly with a recipe and decided to be a little innovative and sneak some different ingredients in the old standards. It actually turned out to be pretty easy and a lot of fun.

Next, I perused a few of my cookbooks that have contest-winning recipes in them, most notably, The Cooking Contest Cookbook by Joyce and Don Campagna. I did find that most of the recipes were standard at inception and then just deviated a little bit to put it over the top; in one contest an imaginative man spread pimiento cheese on pizza crust, cut it into small pieces and served it as an appetizer. Of course it is imperative that the cook has a knack for knowing what tastes good and looks good and, less importantly, is fashionable in food. Looking through my old copies of the Pillsbury Bake Off contest, the style of the winning recipes is very different in later years than in earlier ones.

A friend of mine, originally from Poland, loves to cook and her food is always wonderful. I can never believe the marvelous dishes she prepares—and they look as good as they taste! I queried her about the recipes she uses and her reply was, “Recipes? I never use recipes—I look in the cupboards and the refrigerator at what I have and then I cook.” The same philosophy was part of my late mother-in-law’s renowned recipe for bacon rolls or, in Latvian, piragi. Every woman in Latvia made them and each one a little differently. She changed her basic recipe when she came to America to suit the ingredients available here and also to lighten them up for the trend to healthier foods. They became so famous and loved that people still talk about them and some ask me to make them and send them if I can. (I can and do!)

I found this recipe in the April 1, 2009 copy of Family Circle magazine and wondered, at first, how Julie Hession of Las Vegas, NV, could win a big check with a simple-sounding cupcake. Three ingredients set it apart from the usual chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting—and they made all the difference. I have had rave reviews from these from guests and friends:

Double-Chocolate Malt-Shop Cupcakes with Cherry-Vanilla Buttercream
Makes 20 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup malted milk powder (such as Carnation)
½ tsp. espresso powder
2/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup miniature chocolate chips

Cherry-Vanilla Buttercream:

4 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp heavy cream
2/3 cup tart cherry preserves
Malted milk balls or maraschino cherries, for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with 20 paper liners. (I sprayed mine lightly with Pam—lg). Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended. Beat milk, malted milk powder and espresso powder on medium speed. Add canola oil and eggs; beat until blended. On low speed, add flour mixture to milk mixture; beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in miniature chips. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling halfway. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove cupcakes to rack; cool completely.

Buttercream: Beat confectioners’ sugar and butter on medium-low speed until well blended. Add vanilla and heavy cream; beat for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in cherry preserves until well incorporated. When cool, frost the cupcakes with a knife or offset spatula. Garnish the top of each cupcake with a malted milk ball or cherry and serve.

Mother's Day and Healthy Snacks

2011-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day is tomorrow and it seems an appropriate time to mention the important role our mothers play in what we eat. From infancy on, moms are the number one source of food for most people. The amount of control this gives her over her children’s health and future eating habits is enormous. In this age where obesity in children is epidemic and the government is getting involved it bears looking at the family eating patterns and assessing what could be going wrong.

Do moms care less than they used to about their kids’ eating? I don’t believe that for a moment. Are moms busier and around their children less than they used to be? A definitive YES! There are so many temptations out there that influence what our kids eat, it is no wonder that Mom doesn’t have the control she used to have. Day care, school lunch, fast food, fast snacks from vending machines, missed meals, even eating disorders are involved. The days when kids came running home from school and grabbed the cookies mom baked that day and a glass of milk and then ran out to play are, sadly, gone for most kids. But that doesn’t mean that good, healthy snacks can’t be a part of today’s lifestyle.

I hunted for healthy snack foods that could be made ahead, easily portable, grabbed easily from the kitchen counter or refrigerator without a lot of preparation and that are healthy and delicious. Oh yes, and economical to make. Actually, anything you make yourself from raw and real ingredients (not processed foods) is economical compared to its store-bought equivalent.

Remember the snack cake? I haven’t seen a packaged mix (with a pan included) under the name “Snackin’ Cake Mix” in the store for a very long time, but this product was marketed for quite a while. The idea was great, the product, not so much. But a snack cake can carry all sorts of nutritious goodies in it and it is really simple to prepare. The recipe below is made from honey and therefore will keep for a longer time than cakes made with sugar. It actually improves after a day or two on the counter. You can vary the dried fruits and the nuts are sprinkled on the top, so if you have kids that hate nuts, you can leave them off. If it isn’t sweet enough, you can top with a little apricot jam or a drizzle of honey glaze.

Skillet Snack Cake

½ cup skim milk
½ cup nonfat yogurt
2 eggs or ½ cup fat-free egg substitute
¼ cup honey
1 cup unbleached flour
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)

In a small bowl, mix the milk, yogurt, eggs and honey. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the raisins and apricots. Place an 8 or 9” cast-iron skillet over low heat and warm for 3 minutes. Lightly coat the pan with non-stick spray. While the pan is heating, pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture. With a rubber spatula, mix very gently until just blended. Pour into the prepared skillet. Scatter the walnuts on top, if using. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes 6 wedges at 213 calories each.

Veggies and dip is always a winner at our house—even when I had young children. There’s something about already cut-up, colorful vegetables that appeals to children who dislike them intensely when they are cooked. The dip makes a big difference, too, of course. If you have all the vegetables cut and in ice water so they can grab a handful and pre-made dip is in a bowl or jar in the front of the refrigerator, I guarantee they’ll eat them. If they are hidden in the crisper drawer and the dip is in the back behind four other items, they will not. Accessibility is primary with children and husbands who are on their own.

Here is a dip that keeps well, looks beautiful, tastes yummy and is good for you:

6 sun-dried tomato halves
½ cup boiling water
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley (can substitute ½ tsp. dried basil)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes and water. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the tomatoes. Drain well and chop finely. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor. Add the tomatoes, scallions, basil (or parsley), lemon juice and pepper. Process with on/off turns until well mixed and somewhat smooth. Makes 2 cups at 32 calories per 2 Tbsp serving.

Suggestions for veggies: carrot sticks (homemade from full-grown carrots often have more flavor than baby carrots), cucumber sticks, jicama slices or sticks, radishes, cherry or grape tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower florets, celery sticks.