• “Butter chicken (aka “Murgh makhani”) is an extraordinarily popular Indian dish that can be found at the top of menus in restaurants around the world. Butter chicken originated in Delhi, during the reign of the Mughal Empire. According to a documentary by the Discovery Channel, the murgh makhani curry was invented by a person employed amongst the kitchen staff of a famous Indian restaurant called Moti Mahal located in Daryaganj, the central region of Delhi. Even though its general recipe is widely known, the actual flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant. . .”

You can watch the video of this dish, the full butter type, made by a chef at the Tamarind Restaurant (it’s a lot more complicated).

THIS recipe below came from Christie’s Corner, Charmian Christie’s blog, and I was intrigued because it said NO butter chicken. We like Indian food, and I have my fair share of Indian spices. We have several small markets nearby that carry more, much of it imported and not always translatable (by me, anyway). But this recipe used just turmeric and garam masala, both spices I keep in my spice cupboard. And the garam masala you can make yourself. I’ll include a recipe for that below, although I have a bottle of it from the grocery store.

In the true Butter Chicken method, there are a number of different steps. The sauce is made separately, the chicken marinated, grilled, then chopped. Well, I didn’t have time to do all that (we’d decided to go to a 7:30 movie and I didn’t start dinner until about 6 pm), so this easy recipe was right down my alley. But I’d also decided I was going to use chicken pieces. Certainly not authentic, but again, I didn’t have time to debone the chicken. So I improvised and made it all in one pot, using all the additions. I didn’t add the brown sugar, but the onions add plenty of sweetness in my book. I had Greek yogurt and used more water than Charmian did, to keep the sauce from burning.

This dish was not only easy, but delicious. I served it on millet (most Indians serve this with naan and possibly over rice too). Interestingly, millet is a common Indian staple, so even though it’s not authentic for this dish, it could be. If you happen to use chicken pieces, I recommend you remove the skin, as it isn’t very appetizing to eat once this is cooked. You could also remove the meat from the chicken after the chicken is fully cooked. I just didn’t have time for that, either. Don’t be tempted to use sour cream in this (it separates when simmered). That’s why using yogurt is such a good “cream” for sauced dishes. And if you use the Greek style, it’s already very thick. But, however you make it, you should try this.

And here’s the recipe for the Garam Masala:

A year ago: Mocha Pecan Roll

It was at a cooking class that I heard about this dish. Phillis Carey just talked about this, but didn’t make it. Someone in the class asked a question about Brussels Sprouts and Phillis just off-handedly mentioned that her favorite way to cook the baby cabbages was simmering them in cream. She elaborated just slightly to say halve all the sprouts, leaving the stem intact (although trimming the base of any brown edges). They’re piled into a big pot, some cream is added. Once they’re at a simmer, turn down the heat, cover and cook for 9-10 minutes, then remove lid and continue cooking until the sprouts are fully cooked and the cream is hardly visible in the bottom of the pan, or gone. Season with some freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and you’re done. I scribbled down that recipe in about 10-12 words on the back of one of the class recipes, and pulled it out the other day to try.

Here are the sprouts raw and halved. Making these, though, was easy – well, my DH cleaned and trimmed the Brussels Sprouts for me, so all I had to do was the cooking part. I had smaller sprouts, so cooked them about 7-8 minutes, I think, then removed the lid and continued. They weren’t quite done when all the cream had disappeared, so I just added a smidgen of water to the pot. You don’t want to add milk as it will separate with that kind of cooking. That’s why you use cream because it can be boiled and not separate. These are scrumptious. I couldn’t get enough of them, and even reached in the refrigerator the next day and had them as a snack. I didn’t use much cream (about 1/3 cup for 2 pounds of sprouts), but the nutmeg is a real capper. And don’t skimp on the salt, either. Taste to make sure. Mine needed more than I thought.

A year ago: Cardoons (uh, my one and only venture with this veggie, and I didn’t like it at all)

- – - – - – -

Carolyn: So, Debbie, where did this recipe come from, this pie, your famous apple crumb pie?

Debbie: I have no idea where the original came from, but it goes w-a-a-ay back. The only recipe I have is on a piece of paper in my own handwriting. The directions are vague. I must have tried it at someone’s house and asked them what was in it. Since I’ve had the recipe, I’ve done lots of experimentation and received advice from different sources – what kinds of apples to use, how to line them up in the pie shell, etc. – to come up with my current version. The pie crust recipe came from my friend Betsy who I’ve known since the 70’s.

Carolyn: What’s unique about the pie?

Debbie: Hmmm. I suppose part of its secret is the use of two kinds of apples – Granny Smith and another kind of crispy apple. A non-acidic apple. That part was in my notes, actually; the non-acidic part. I still use Red Delicious for the crispy ones, but have been a little unhappy with the texture, so have used Fuji sometimes. You must not use a soft apple, even a Golden Delicious. It must be crispy. I’m still experimenting with apple varieties to find a firmer, crisper apple instead of the Red Delicious.

[Sidenote: it was at this point that I told Debbie the story about Red Delicious and what happened to the breeding of them and why they’re so mealy and un-delicious anymore. If you’re interested, go look at my post about it.]

Carolyn: Well, I remember when you used to bring this apple crumb pie to our office potlucks we had a few times a year, and it was the topping that was special. And the fact there was never a crumb leftover by the time we were all done with it!

Debbie: Yes, the crumb topping isn’t as common in apple pies, although there isn’t anything unusual in it – just flour, sugar and butter, crumbled up and sprinkled on top, with a little bit in the layer below it. I started sprinkling the crumb mixture in the lower layers thinking that the flour would thicken the juice from the apples – nothing worse than a runny pie.

Carolyn: When you slice the apples, do you put them in a bowl of acidulated water to keep them from getting brown, or does it matter?

Debbie: Oh, no, no water. If you soak the apples in acidulated water, the pie will be too watery and soggy. I learned that the hard way! I sprinkle fresh lemon juice over the apples as I slice them, and just toss them around with my free hand to get most of the apple surfaces. Plus, just that little bit of acidity from the lemon juice counters the sweetness of the apples. I think it makes a good combination.

Carolyn: Tell me about your pie crust.

Debbie: Actually, I’ve made different kinds of pie crusts over the years, but have in the last few years settled on this one made with vegetable oil. No shortening. No butter, or egg either. A little healthier, I think. Just flour, oil, water and salt. It’s a very easy dough to work with – the dough is soft and pliable. But once it’s baked, it’s firm enough to hold its shape when you wedge a piece out of the pan.

Carolyn: Is there any special technique you use to layer in the apples. Like any particular pattern?

Debbie: Yes, definitely. I place the apple slices in circles around the outside edge and work in, slightly overlapping the apples with the outside edges, the thicker edge of the apple facing out. Some of the cinnamon sugar mixture is sprinkled on top of each of the 4 layers. I don’t toss the apples with the cinnamon mixture, but sprinkle it on each layer. Maybe it would work to toss it all, but that’s just the way I remember doing it. I think, a long time ago, I tried mixing the cinnamon mixture in the apples before placing them in the shell, but something must have gone amiss causing me to return to the sprinkling method.

[Later . . .]

Debbie: So what do you think of the pie?

Carolyn: Oh my goodness, this pie is SO, SO good, Debbie. It’s been years since I’ve had your apple pie, and it’s every bit as good as I remembered. I love the crumb topping – nice and crispy, crunchy. The pie shell is flaky, but it’s also firm. I noticed how easily the slice came out of the pie plate. Everything held together so I got even the first slice out with no trouble at all. That’s an accomplishment! There’s just the right amount of gooey-ness to the apples. No liquid to leaking out at all and the bottom crust isn’t soggy at all; just perfectly cooked apples inside. The cinnamon adds just the right amount of high note. I love cinnamon. The vanilla ice cream adds a nice foil to the apples. Got to be vanilla, though. Nothing fancy. Do you ever serve this with whipped cream?

Debbie: Nope. Ala mode is the only way! I’m glad you liked it!

Carolyn: Thank you so much, Debbie, for coming over to my house and baking with me.

[The next day Debbie emailed that she’d had fun too, and that instead of lunch, she had a slice of, you guessed it, apple pie!]

Here was our pie-baking process. First we made the pie crust.

It comes to a ball very easily – really easily – you knead it some and then you plop it out on a flat, floured surface.

It looks like it would be dry, but once you begin rolling it out, you’ll see. Very easy to roll, even for me who is moderately pie crust challenged.

Don’t turn over the top edge – it will make it too thick. But, gee, isn’t that a PERFECT lookin’ crust? I thought so, thank you! Okay, teach’, do I get an A so far?

You set aside the pie crust, then start peeling, coring and slicing the apples. In the bowl above you can see the two different kinds of apples, the greener ones are Granny Smith; the yellow ones are Red Delicious. I’d just sprinkled a little bit of lemon juice over them. A half a lemon is enough for one pie. Just toss the apples around a bit so the lemon juice gets on most of the surfaces.

Note how the slices are arranged in concentric circles but the outer edges are lifted up and overlap. Debbie was just sprinkling the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top.

There’s a better shot of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Divide it up between all 4 layers.

The crumb topping was mixed up and about 1/3 was sprinkled on the next to the last layer. Another layer of apples went on top. I got demerits for my apple layering . . . see below on the finished pie.

Here’s the top – we gently poured the crumb mixture in the center and lightly moved the crumbs outward so they almost completely covered the apples.

There. All done and ready for the oven. I got demerits for not-fine-enough crumbs. Should have kept mixing them up (by hand) until they were more like bread crumbs. I left too many bigger chunks.

Talk about golden brown, huh? Salivary glands are working in overdrive! That was my pie, and Debbie told me that I hadn’t quite positioned the apples correctly to the outside edge on the top layer – you want no gaps where topping can sink down through. Right there at the bottom, you can see a hole between the crust and the apples. More demerits. Hmm. Can I re-register for this class – to just audit? I don’t want a letter grade, okay?

Oh, but was this ever tasty! Most folks wouldn’t notice all my mistakes, and they surely didn’t make any difference to the taste. Thank you, Debbie!

A year ago: Rack of Lamb with Mint Crust

Rice pudding may not be on everyone’s radar. Maybe too comforty. Too old time. Too yesterday. But even though I don’t make it very often, whenever I do, it’s just so gosh darned GOOD. Hits the spot. And this one may be my forever go-to recipe from now on. My friend Norma thought rice pudding sounded good. She’s still recovering from very major surgery and because of radiation damage to her throat, has a very hard time swallowing. She’s had major skin cancer caused by anti-rejection medication she must take for the rest of her life. Taking the medication allows her to live with her transplanted lung, but she seems to be one of the many who develop skin cancer because of it. She’s getting better, but slowly.

A day or so ago I made another big, huge batch of the Italian Sausage and Tomato Soup that I just posted about 3 weeks ago. It was so good I had to make more of it. Half went to Norma and she says it tastes good. She just can’t swallow very much of it. But puddings she can do. They go down more easily, as long as they’re kind of soupy. There isn’t a pudding I haven’t made. I’ve done butterscotch, chocolate, tapioca, vanilla, milk chocolate and rice. So we’re starting back on ones I’ve made before, this time rice.

I did a search for rice puddings – even though I’d made Dorie Greenspan’s recipe the last time, I wanted to try something different. Norma wanted a thin, not too rich one. I found one at Elise’s blog, Simply Recipes that intrigued me. Basically I used her recipe, but I changed it a bit. I like the proportion of milk to rice (I added a tetch more rice than Elise did). And I used part 2% milk and part half and half. I used converted rice because I’d read a story awhile back about why it provides a better texture in rice pudding. I also used a part of a cinnamon stick to flavor enhance the milk/rice mixture. I also used  half the amount of brown sugar. I tasted it and thought it was just fine. I also added nutmeg. The real freshly grated stuff – both to the pudding and just a whiff of it on top too. This one’s a keeper.

A year ago: Butternut Squash Soup with Pancetta

So, what’s the big deal about an Over the Top award? Well, from your end, probably nothing. And maybe from my end nothing I can hold or put on my mantel. I just get to give a big cheesy grin and say thank you. But I’m asked to answer these questions below with one-word answers. That’s a whole lot harder than you might think. Lots of these kinds of blog quizzes are inane; this one among them. But oh well . . . here goes. If you want recipes, skip this and wait until tomorrow. If you’re interested, scroll down to the bottom and see the other bloggers I’m awarding the Over the Top Award.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? RealBlonde
3. Your mother? Heaven-land
4. Your father? Heaven-land
5. Your favorite food? Everything
6. Your dream last night? Uhm. . .
7. Your favorite drink? Champagne
8. Your dream/goal? Centenarian
9. What room are you in? Kitchen
10. Your hobby? Watercoloring
11. Your fear? Drowning
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Healthy
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Atheist
15. Muffins? Chocolate
16. Wish list item? Camera lens
17. Where did you grow up? California
18. Last thing you did? ApplePie
19. What are you wearing? Sandals
20. Your TV? HDTV w/Tivo
21. Your pets? None
22. Friends? Dear
23. Your life? Busy
24. Your mood? Calm
25. Missing someone? Hubby
26. Vehicle? BMW
27. Something you’re not wearing? Watch
28. Your favorite store? Trader Joe’s
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Last week
32. Your best friend? Cherrie
33. One place that I go to over and over? Peet’s
34. One person who emails me regularly? Jerry
35. Favorite place to eat? Jalapeno’s

The bloggers I’d like to recognize . . . ARE (cue dramatic music and drumroll):

Cheryl from 5 Second Rule – Cheryl is a professional food writer living in Northern California. Since she IS a pro at this writing game and well-connected in her field, you can guess her blog posts are exceptional. She composes essays and informational posts about a broad range of food-oriented subjects, and shares some very different recipes. She also takes great pains to compose striking photographs.

Marie’s blog, A Year From Oak Cottage – Marie lives in the country in England. She’s a very spiritual person, is madly in love with her husband and is not bashful about broadcasting it. She is also a professional cook who has an unlimited number of recipes she unearths from her old, but precious “blue notebook.” Marie also writes a second food-only blog called The English Kitchen. Even though she’s from Canada, she has embraced English food with a vigor.

Britt-Arnhild at Britt-Arnhild’s House in the Woods (not all blogs I read are about food) – This one comes from Trondheim, Norway. Britt-Arnhild is an avid photographer, travels often all over Europe for her job, loves lattes, her family and Venice, not necessarily in that order! She’s a published author, but you’ll learn a lot about her through her very soul-sharing blog. She writes five blogs (at least one of them written in Norwegian, her native language), one being a photo-blog about her home town of Trondheim.