Archive for November, 2008
November 26, 2008 at 8:49 pm
· Filed under Fruit recipes, Sauce Recipes ·Tagged citrus zester, cranberries, cranberry juice, cranberry sauce, easy recipe, easy recipe for cranberry sauce, orange, orange juice, orange zest, stockpot, sugar, versatile recipe
About 11 years ago, I wandered into a small, family-owned sandwich shop and ordered a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce on a hearty stone-ground wheat bread. Wow, that was some homemade goodness. I have to admit I’m a cranberry sauce addict. Nothing against my friends at Ocean Spray…in a pinch I’ll get out the can opener and dive into a can of their cranberry sauce (might add some chopped orange just for good measure), but if you have a few minutes and I do mean just a few, you can make your own.
I wanted to share a recipe I’ve been using for about 12 years. It’s really very simple, so head to your favorite grocer and pick up the few ingredients you’ll need to make this traditional sauce. By the way, it will keep in your fridge for a couple of months, so any leftovers from Thanksgiving can be used for several more weeks.
The ingredients are tossed in the pot.
Recipe
2 bags of cranberries (I used Ocean Spray; they come in 12 oz bags)
3/4 Cup cranberry juice
3/4 Cup orange juice
2 1/4 Cups sugar
zest from one orange
Method
Wash and pick through fresh cranberries. Add cranberries and the remaining ingredients to heavy-bottomed stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring gently. You’ll see the cranberries “pop.” Skim foam off top of pot. Pour sauce into container and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for up 2 months.
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November 20, 2008 at 11:48 pm
· Filed under Calling all kids! ·Tagged ghost cake, Halloween, tradition
How many times do each of us think back to our childhoods and one or more happy memories come to mind that are centered around a special dish lovingly prepared by our Mom? Earlier in the week I knew (besides roasting pumpkin seeds) that I would be making my Mom’s famous Ghost Cake. After dinner, she would disappear into the kitchen and light the eyes on the ghost cake and then carry it into our dining room to eager kids and some oohs and ahhs.
This year marked the first time I would make her ghost cake and admittedly I was running short on time. I had to rely on boxed cake mix and prepared white frosting to make things run smoother for me on Halloween night. I was going for effect and not “homemade goodness.” You understand.
While finishing up dinner preparations, my Mom came over with homemade guacamole and chips and her cheese and onion puffs (also famous from my childhood) and then proceeded to cut the cake into its ghostly shape and frost it as well. Thanks, Mom!
Here is the finished cake from Friday night.
The famous ghost cake.
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November 3, 2008 at 10:29 pm
· Filed under Soup Recipes ·Tagged carrots, fresh ginger, ginger, grapeseed oil, potato, six ingredients, soup
Just five fresh ingredient to chop.
Halloween is over, though I have few faux tombstones to tuck away into the attic, so for me November means the start of incorporating great tasting soups into my weekly menus. Tonight I’m making a carrot-ginger soup which has only seven ingredients if you don’t seasoning with salt and pepper.
Admittedly, it took me a few minutes to chop the five cups of carrots but it’s not difficult and this soup is quite easy to make. Fresh ginger gives it just a little zing and the end result is a satisfying soup to enjoy for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
5 1/2 Cups (about 1 1/2 lbs) of carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 Cup (about 2 stalks) celery, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger (about 1 1/2 inches long), minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
6 tbsp half and half
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Add 2 tbsp oil to Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until soft (approximately 7 minutes). Add chopped carrots, chopped potatoes, and chicken stock to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
In small batches, add soup to food processor or blender. Process each batch until smooth. Return soup to Dutch oven, adding half and half and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat soup over medium-low heat.
Note: You can also add fresh nutmeg to the top of each serving or let your guests grate nutmeg over their bowls if they wish.
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November 2, 2008 at 8:58 pm
· Filed under Vegetable Recipes ·Tagged black pepper, butter, fresh thyme, jelly roll pan, mandoline, nutmeg, potato gratin, whipping cream
I’ve been wandering around my home searching through old recipes that feature potatoes and before I even found one, I started daydreaming about potato gratin. There are many variations on this wonderful dish, in fact, I’m sure you have several recipes you’ve made over the years or you have a favorite in mind that your Mom used to make.
Think thinly slice potatoes, butter, milk or whipping cream and your favorite seasonings. I happen to love fresh thyme in my potato gratin, but you may prefer to keep things simple with just salt and freshly ground pepper or nutmeg.
A classic gratin dish by Emile Henry.
The hallmark of a gratin is shredded cheese place on top or even breadcrumbs. Some gratin recipes use no cheese at all and just cream (equally as tasty, I assure you). The finished gratin will have that tell-tale crust, while the ingredients underneath it will be moist and flavorful. Of course, we have the French to thank for this technique.
Some things to keep in mind, the next time you pull together a delicious potato gratin. First, be sure to thinly slice the potatoes to the same thickness (using a mandoline would be helpful). This will ensure even cooking. Once you’ve placed your layers into the gratin or baking dish, consider using a baking sheet or jelly roll pan on te rack below your gratin dish to catch any drips. Finally, allow the finished gratin to sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving.
I’ll be making my version of a potato gratin later this week and plan to post my method and photos.
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November 2, 2008 at 7:34 pm
· Filed under Kitchen Tools, Vegetable Recipes ·Tagged black truffles, butter, Kuhn Rikon, mashed potatoes, milk, potato ricer, Russet potato, Yukon Gold
- The potato ricer from Kuhn Rikon.
Earlier this week I made mashed potatoes as a surprise for my husband. He’s your typical meat and potatoes guy. In fact he calls himself a “meatatarian.” So to accompany some pork chops I prepared mashed potatoes using a funny looking tool called a potato ricer. He was pretty happy and I have to admit: I love mashed potatoes.
But let me tell you a little bit about this interesting kitchen tool. About 11 years ago I was reading a magazine article that talked about obtaining the best consistency for mashed potatoes by using a potato ricer. No more big lumps or gluey texture. I promptly headed off to my nearest kitchen supply store and found a potato ricer for about $20.
Now the one that I use has these very long handles, which can make things a little difficult for pushing the cooked potato through the metal disk with the holes in it. It does deliver the wonderful bits of potato that can be gently mashed into potato perfection, but it does tap into your upper body strength (or lack of it).
Just recently, I stumbled across a great LA Times article in which staff writer, Leslie Brenner writes quite eloquently about the benefits of Kuhn Rikon’s potato ricer. She tested one from Oxo as well and found the former to be much easier to use. Just taking a quick look at the photo, you can see that the handles are shorter and it also has a storage place to hold the disks. I’m always misplacing mine.
Her article includes a fantastic recipe based upon an original recipe by well-known French chef, Joel Rubochon for mashed potato puree with fresh, black truffles. I think it may be worth trying especially with the holidays approaching.
Here’s some food for thought, the next time mashed potatoes are on your menu consider using Yukon Golds or thin-skinned red potatoes. Along with Russets these two varieties are wonderful mashed. In fact, the Yukon Golds have such a wonderful buttery taste, I think you can cut down on the butter and keep the ingredients simple by adding just warmed milk, butter, fresh ground black pepper and a little coarse salt to taste. I may have to run to the store to pick up some of those (along with steak) for tonight’s dinner!
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