I love summer time. The beach, the sun, vacations, all that. However, all good things must come to an end and the best consolation to me is the crispness of Fall. Even better than that, is the warm, comforting dishes that come with it. I would never make a stew or casserole in June but in October, it just hits the spot. Complex flavors and food that is slow cooked warms you from the inside out and on a chilly night, it helps you relax, unwind and get ready for the cold days ahead.
One of my favorite baked dinner dishes is Chicken Pot Pie. I’m not talking about the frozen brick you take home from the freezer section of the grocery store that has thousands of calories. Instead, I’m referring to a meal that can be made in under an hour (if you choose) and can be heated up for days.
I have two versions of my Chicken Pot Pie recipe. One, for a quick weekday night dinner in a flash and another, that I will tackle on a weekend and spend three to four hours on.
Depending on your culinary prowess, you can do one or the other. They both taste great and for most, I recommend starting with Recipe One (quick dish) and maybe, when feeling more ambitious, go for Recipe Two (longer version).
The basic elements are the same. The difference is how much “help” you accept from the grocery store. I love roasting chicken, seasoning it, basting it and developing those soft roasted vegetables that bathe in the chicken juices. However, for some, it’s a daunting step that just might take too long. Therefore, grocers are happy to roast hundreds of chickens a day and sell them for about $8 apiece, juicy and ready to go.
Same can be said for pie dough. On the holidays, the pre made pie dough that you can roll out go flying off the shelves, floured and ready to hit the casserole dish. For others, making dough from scratch provides a deep satisfaction and a flakey consistency that just can’t be replicated. It’s all a matter of TASTE.
So, of course, I am in LOVE with Recipe Two but I will be completely honest in saying that I have probably made Recipe One many more times. Sometimes, we just need a little help from our (grocer) friends. Both create a delicious meal that will be remembered. So, do what you feel you can handle, what time allows, and how tired you are from the day’s activities.
Chicken Pot Pie in a Snap
Rotisserie Chicken (removed from bone and chopped up, 1 inch dice)
Two Pre Made Pie Doughs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup baby carrots (boiled and chopped, 1 inch dice)
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup parsley, fine chop
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large frying pan melt butter in olive oil on medium heat. Toss in onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add carrots and frozen peas and heat until carrots begin to brown. Sprinkle in flour and mix so it forms a thin paste on all the veggies. Drop in the chicken stock and mix until veggies are swimming in a gravy like sauce. Add chicken and mix until combined. Add parsley and remove from heat to cool.
In a greased pie plate, lay one down down and add cooled chicken filling. Place other dough on top and crimp the top and bottom dough together along the edge. Brush egg wash over the dough for a shiny finish. Make a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape and pastry doesn’t get soggy.
Bake for 45 minutes or until top is a golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Chicken Pot Pie (Boy, I love you, version)
Roasted Chicken (removed from bone and chopped up, 1 inch dice) *recipe to follow
Biscuit Dough *recipe to follow
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup roasted onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup roasted carrots (chopped, 1 inch dice)
2 Tablespoon Flour
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup brandy
¼ cup parsley, fine chop
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large frying with reserved liquid from chicken road, add olive oil and butter. Toss in chicken, onions and carrots from roasting pan, add peas and combine. Sprinkle in flour and mix so it forms a thin paste. Pour in the chicken stock and brandy and mix until veggies are swimming in a gravy like sauce. Add parsley and remove from heat to cool.
Make the biscuit dough.
In a greased 9x13 glass pan, pour the chicken mixture in the bottom and spread until even. Drop the uncooked biscuits on the top in two uniform lines. Brush the biscuits with egg wash and cook until filling is cooked and biscuits are plumped and browned.
Biscuit Recipe
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Cut butter into mixture until it begins to look like small peas.
Make a well with flour mixture and slowly add milk into the middle. Knead dough with your fingers and add milk when necessary. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut with a glass or biscuit cutter.
Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into inch pieces
2 garlic heads tops cut off and rubbed with olive oil
2 lemons
1 large onion cut into 1 inch wedges
Salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil
3 ½ lb whole chicken (preferably organic)
Sprig of Oregano and Thyme
1 cup white wine
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place carrots, garlic and onion in the bottom of roasting pan and cover with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Place chicken on top. Cut one lemon in half and stuff into bird cavity along with spices. Take other lemon, and squeeze all over outside of the bird. Rub another 3 tablespoons of olive oil on the outside of the bird as well.
Place in the oven for about an hour. Check on it every 15 minutes and baste it if skin looks dry. In the last 20 minutes, pour wine into the bottom of the pan.
Once done, take the chicken and veggies out and pour any remaining liquid into a clean frying pan. Add a little butter to this liquid and put over medium heat. This will be the base for your chicken pot pie filling.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
C is for Cookie - Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that didn’t like warm, chocolate chip cookies. They are the perfect dessert, for any occasion. They taste good in summer, winter, spring and fall. No matter what is wrong, a chocolate cookie will always make it all feel better.
I’ve been on a quest for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe for a long while now. The main problem I faced when making them, is, they never had that bakery quality I craved. Meaning, they tasted great upon first coming out of the oven, but by morning, the cookie became hard and just not that special anymore.
I wanted a chocolate chip cookie that was golden brown crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. This is a tall order given that I wanted something to have one consistency on the outside and the opposite consistency on the inside.
After college, I purchased a book by Nick Malgieri entitled, ‘Cookies Unlimited’ and his “Loaded with Chocolate Chips” cookie recipe came the closest to what I was looking for all these years. The cookies call for double the chocolate chips of any other recipe (which keeps the middle really soft) and has a nice crisp outside that holds for days after they are baked.
I would make this recipe whenever I had a chocolate chip cookie craving. I have it memorized. However, still, it lacked that big puffed up middle I wanted. I wanted a chocolate chip cookie that you really sink your teeth into! So I figured I could use his recipe as a base and tinker with the ingredients in order to get where I wanted to go.
I kept the large number of chips because I just love chocolate so, why not, and like I said before, it helps keep the middle moist. I just upgraded to bar chocolate cut up in chunks because bars melt more than chips. Chips are actually designed to keep their shape while baking and I didn’t want that. I want the chocolate oozing out everywhere.
I also wanted the height. In order to get the height, I applied a principal I learned making boxed brownies (yes, my brownies are not always from scratch). If you want “cakey” brownies, you add 2 eggs to the mix, if you want “chewy” brownies, you only add 1 egg. So, I added another egg to the recipe. I also added baking powder in addition to baking soda because again, baking powder allows the mixture to rise.
The final change I made to the recipe was in the technique. I noticed that in the past, when I made cookie dough ahead of time and stuck it in the freezer for a few days, the frozen dough produced a more compact cookie. Reason being, the butter had less time to melt and spread in the oven. So, I figured, if I got the dough really cold (like you do with sugar cookies), they would have less time to unmold from the ball on the cookie sheet.
The results were pretty amazing! I’m not saying I’m the next Debbie Fields here but I think I came pretty close! My final note to you would be to invest in a Silpat liner for your baking sheet. I found that when I put the dough direct on the sheet, the heat made the cookies spread almost instantly in the oven, NO GOOD. Also, make the cookies 8 tablespoons each. The bigger the better!! This allows more time for the outside to crisp and the inside to just cook to (medium rare, ha!)
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup of cold butter, cut up
2 ½ cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon (my secret ingredient)
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups of semi sweet, high quality bar chocolate, chopped
Mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk to ensure even distribution. Cut the butter up into small squares and add. (I use the food processor and act as I’m making pie crust). Once the butter looks like little peas, add sugars and eggs until combined. Fold in the chips. Pack them into “meatball size” balls and lay them, only 4 per baking sheet. Put them in the fridge for 3 hours to chill.
Then, Cook for 16 minutes at 375 but check them at 8 minutes. If they are brown, flip the tray back to front and let them stay the full 16 minutes. Everyone’s oven is different so you might have to tweak the time to your liking. Take them out when top is light brown and middle is puffed but still soft.
I’ve been on a quest for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe for a long while now. The main problem I faced when making them, is, they never had that bakery quality I craved. Meaning, they tasted great upon first coming out of the oven, but by morning, the cookie became hard and just not that special anymore.
I wanted a chocolate chip cookie that was golden brown crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. This is a tall order given that I wanted something to have one consistency on the outside and the opposite consistency on the inside.
After college, I purchased a book by Nick Malgieri entitled, ‘Cookies Unlimited’ and his “Loaded with Chocolate Chips” cookie recipe came the closest to what I was looking for all these years. The cookies call for double the chocolate chips of any other recipe (which keeps the middle really soft) and has a nice crisp outside that holds for days after they are baked.
I would make this recipe whenever I had a chocolate chip cookie craving. I have it memorized. However, still, it lacked that big puffed up middle I wanted. I wanted a chocolate chip cookie that you really sink your teeth into! So I figured I could use his recipe as a base and tinker with the ingredients in order to get where I wanted to go.
I kept the large number of chips because I just love chocolate so, why not, and like I said before, it helps keep the middle moist. I just upgraded to bar chocolate cut up in chunks because bars melt more than chips. Chips are actually designed to keep their shape while baking and I didn’t want that. I want the chocolate oozing out everywhere.
I also wanted the height. In order to get the height, I applied a principal I learned making boxed brownies (yes, my brownies are not always from scratch). If you want “cakey” brownies, you add 2 eggs to the mix, if you want “chewy” brownies, you only add 1 egg. So, I added another egg to the recipe. I also added baking powder in addition to baking soda because again, baking powder allows the mixture to rise.
The final change I made to the recipe was in the technique. I noticed that in the past, when I made cookie dough ahead of time and stuck it in the freezer for a few days, the frozen dough produced a more compact cookie. Reason being, the butter had less time to melt and spread in the oven. So, I figured, if I got the dough really cold (like you do with sugar cookies), they would have less time to unmold from the ball on the cookie sheet.
The results were pretty amazing! I’m not saying I’m the next Debbie Fields here but I think I came pretty close! My final note to you would be to invest in a Silpat liner for your baking sheet. I found that when I put the dough direct on the sheet, the heat made the cookies spread almost instantly in the oven, NO GOOD. Also, make the cookies 8 tablespoons each. The bigger the better!! This allows more time for the outside to crisp and the inside to just cook to (medium rare, ha!)
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup of cold butter, cut up
2 ½ cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon (my secret ingredient)
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups of semi sweet, high quality bar chocolate, chopped
Mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk to ensure even distribution. Cut the butter up into small squares and add. (I use the food processor and act as I’m making pie crust). Once the butter looks like little peas, add sugars and eggs until combined. Fold in the chips. Pack them into “meatball size” balls and lay them, only 4 per baking sheet. Put them in the fridge for 3 hours to chill.
Then, Cook for 16 minutes at 375 but check them at 8 minutes. If they are brown, flip the tray back to front and let them stay the full 16 minutes. Everyone’s oven is different so you might have to tweak the time to your liking. Take them out when top is light brown and middle is puffed but still soft.
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Hostess with the Mostess - Brie En Croute - Party Version
Because I really love to cook, I really love to host parties...so I can feed people. When I moved to Connecticut from THE city, I thought my social life was over. I mean, who of my friends was going to get on a subway, to get on Metro North, to cab it to my house just for a party? A three legged journey just seemed too much to ask of my Manhattanite crowd. So, the thought of a housewarming just seemed like a waste of time.
I was convinced no one would come. I figured the EVITE would have all NOs and we would be banished to the suburbs forever! Ok, a bit dramatic but when you have a party, you always want a great turn out, no? However, my husband, the eternal optimist figured we would invite everyone we knew and even if it turned out to be a few people, we would still have fun, and lots of good leftovers.
It turns out; I have some pretty amazing friends. We had a great party, with lots of guests and finally, a place with lots of space to enjoy. At one point in the night, as I was grinning from ear to ear, I turned to a friend and said, “I can’t believe you all came!” He looked at me and said, “Anna, do you think we would ever miss an opportunity to eat YOUR food?” Now that made my night!
So, the moral of the story is that if you want your friends to travel far and wide to come to an affair, you have to feed them and feed them well. Therefore, some nuts and pretzels aren't gonna cut it. Here are a few things I do to plan and execute a successful party:
1. Le Menu – Planning the menu is the most important part. I sift through cookbooks, web surf and review old menus of mine (yes, I keep them all) to figure out WHAT I want to serve.
2. Theme – This step goes hand and hand with menu planning. I decide if I’m doing one particular cuisine like Italian or Mexican. I also decide if I am doing all finger foods or maybe a sit down with a few passed appetizers.
3. SHOP! - As I’m picking recipes, I start making a shopping list of ingredients I will need. Then, I have one master list of all items for all the dishes.
4. Prep– A few days before I see what recipes or portions of recipes can be made before the big day. Then, on party day, I’m not cooking for 8 hours and exhausted by the time the guests arrive. I’ll even chop veggies and make dips because most items stay fresh for at least 24 hours. I also store ingredients together in the refrigerator so they are easier to grab as I make each dish.
5. Game Day – Get everything as close to done before guests arrive. Make sure all appetizers are out when people walk in so they can munch (and not bug you) while you work on last minute touches like plating and removing hot foods from the oven.
6. HAVE FUN! No point doing all this work if you are just going to stress around your guests. Whatever you do will be much appreciated as most people love anything that didn’t come from the frozen food aisle or a greasy paper bag.
This post’s recipe is Brie En Croute – Party Version. This appetizer is served in the middle of a serving platter garnished with crackers and maybe some fruit for color.
It is always GONE by the end of the night and so easy to make!
Brie En Croute – Party Version
1 Brie Round
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup dried cherrys or cranberries
1 square puff pastry
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350. Cut Brie in half sideways and remove top. Cover bottom half with brown sugar, then sprinkle nuts and dried fruit. Place top half and press down.
Roll out puff pastry to make it more pliable and place on top of Brie. Fold over sides so the brie is covered completely like a package. Beat egg and brush all over pastry.
Place in the oven and heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove once puff pastry is golden brown and puffed.
For presentation, cut one small sliver out so inside oozes out. Eat small sliver before guests arrive, haha!
I was convinced no one would come. I figured the EVITE would have all NOs and we would be banished to the suburbs forever! Ok, a bit dramatic but when you have a party, you always want a great turn out, no? However, my husband, the eternal optimist figured we would invite everyone we knew and even if it turned out to be a few people, we would still have fun, and lots of good leftovers.
It turns out; I have some pretty amazing friends. We had a great party, with lots of guests and finally, a place with lots of space to enjoy. At one point in the night, as I was grinning from ear to ear, I turned to a friend and said, “I can’t believe you all came!” He looked at me and said, “Anna, do you think we would ever miss an opportunity to eat YOUR food?” Now that made my night!
So, the moral of the story is that if you want your friends to travel far and wide to come to an affair, you have to feed them and feed them well. Therefore, some nuts and pretzels aren't gonna cut it. Here are a few things I do to plan and execute a successful party:
1. Le Menu – Planning the menu is the most important part. I sift through cookbooks, web surf and review old menus of mine (yes, I keep them all) to figure out WHAT I want to serve.
2. Theme – This step goes hand and hand with menu planning. I decide if I’m doing one particular cuisine like Italian or Mexican. I also decide if I am doing all finger foods or maybe a sit down with a few passed appetizers.
3. SHOP! - As I’m picking recipes, I start making a shopping list of ingredients I will need. Then, I have one master list of all items for all the dishes.
4. Prep– A few days before I see what recipes or portions of recipes can be made before the big day. Then, on party day, I’m not cooking for 8 hours and exhausted by the time the guests arrive. I’ll even chop veggies and make dips because most items stay fresh for at least 24 hours. I also store ingredients together in the refrigerator so they are easier to grab as I make each dish.
5. Game Day – Get everything as close to done before guests arrive. Make sure all appetizers are out when people walk in so they can munch (and not bug you) while you work on last minute touches like plating and removing hot foods from the oven.
6. HAVE FUN! No point doing all this work if you are just going to stress around your guests. Whatever you do will be much appreciated as most people love anything that didn’t come from the frozen food aisle or a greasy paper bag.
This post’s recipe is Brie En Croute – Party Version. This appetizer is served in the middle of a serving platter garnished with crackers and maybe some fruit for color.
It is always GONE by the end of the night and so easy to make!
Brie En Croute – Party Version
1 Brie Round
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup dried cherrys or cranberries
1 square puff pastry
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350. Cut Brie in half sideways and remove top. Cover bottom half with brown sugar, then sprinkle nuts and dried fruit. Place top half and press down.
Roll out puff pastry to make it more pliable and place on top of Brie. Fold over sides so the brie is covered completely like a package. Beat egg and brush all over pastry.
Place in the oven and heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove once puff pastry is golden brown and puffed.
For presentation, cut one small sliver out so inside oozes out. Eat small sliver before guests arrive, haha!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Let's Do Brunch - Strawberry Filled French Toast
I’m a really big fan of brunch. Something about the combination of savory and sweet on the same plate really does it for me. I love when my maple syrup runs over everything else on the plate. Oh, it tastes so good. The other nice idea about brunch is that you were able to sleep in and this if your first meal of the day. Now, with two little ones, the latter is never a reality in my life however, on Mother’s Day, mommy gets to stay in bed while daddy and the girls watch cartoons until it’s time to eat.
I don’t usually cook on Mother’s Day. Instead, we go to a restaurant for Mother’s Day Brunch where I can enjoy sipping mimosas and reflect on how amazing it is to have the two best little girls in the world. I also get to think about how I’m so fortunate to have my mother as a constant in my life. She’s the best mom in the world, hands down.
But, when it’s not Mom Day, we do have a standing tradition in our house that on Sunday morning, once everyone is finally up and at ‘em, I make a pretty big brunch. The kids and my husband (the biggest kid in my house) love sweet food to start the day so pancakes, waffles and french toast are on always on the request list. I make a million different variations because as you might now know, I like to be creative with my culinary concoctions.
However, when you don’t have a kitchen staff and only two hands to work with (sometimes one if Veronica is on the hip) I have to find a way to make everything at once and on the table at the same time. So, while I’m at the cook top frying, it’s good to have a few items that go in the oven. Banana bread, frittata and bacon go great in the oven and so does my Strawberry French Toast. The best part about it is that if you are a real superstar, you can make it the night before and throw it in the oven in the a.m. with your eyes still half closed.
This post is dedicated to all the amazing mommies out there that sacrifice their looks, sleep and anything else that keeps their children happy, healthy and most of all, well fed.
Strawberry filled French Toast
Sliced Bread, one loaf (I really love Challah bread)
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Butter or PAM to grease the pan
Filling:
3 cup Strawberries
Juice of ½ lemon
½ c sugar
8 oz Whipped Cream Cheese
Topping
1 cup sliced almonds
½ sifted confectioners’ sugar
To make the French toast, mix the eggs with all the other ingredients in a shallow pan, dip each piece, forward and back. In a greased baking pan, line the bottom with ½ the wet slices. Put the filling in the middle and top with the remaining ½ loaf of saturated bread. Sprinkle the sliced almonds and sugar on top.
To make the filling, slice the strawberries and mix with lemon juice and sugar. This is called macerating. Once the strawberries and macerated, let it sit while you start dipping ½ the bread. Then, mix it with the cream cheese. It will look like strawberry cream cheese and tastes great on bagels too! Pour it over the bottom layer of bread (be careful, your mouth will be watering). Cover with the other bread and the topping.
Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. It’s ready when it’s puffed, golden brown and…heavenly. It tastes great heated up or right out of the fridge when no one is looking…
Friday, March 19, 2010
Saint Joseph's Day - Zeppoles
If you are Catholic AND Italian then you definitely know that zeppoles are delicious little balls of fried dough dusted with powdered sugar and served on St. Joseph's Day.
So of course, any excuse to fry dough sounds really good to me! To make them, I actually combine two recipes, one for the zeppoles and another for the filling.
At the San Gennaro fesival in NYC every year they are just served, sans filling, coated in powdered sugar and usually in a paper bag to absorb the grease.
Mine are light and fluffy due to the fact that they are pan fried in olive oil. They are no means healthy but every little bit helps, right? Fill a deep frying pan with olive oil, about 2 inches deep and turn them when they puff up and get nice and brown.
My grandmother always filled them with a cannoli like filling which I'm not sure is traditional but is very good. That recipe comes from Leone's Italian Cookbook. The book was published in 1967 and is a true classic. Alot of my father's childhood food memories come from this book.
So this post is dedicated to my dad, whose name in Joseph and inspires me to be the best cook I can be.
Happy Saint Joseph's Day Dad
Zeppole Dough (adapted from Giada De Larentiis)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Olive oil, for frying
In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Filling (adapted from Gene Leone, Leone's Italian Cookbook)
1 c ricotta
2 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl rum
1 c heavy cream, whipped
Drain cheese in cheese cloth for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. Mix with sugar and rum. Fold in the heavy cream and pipe into cooled zeppoles
So of course, any excuse to fry dough sounds really good to me! To make them, I actually combine two recipes, one for the zeppoles and another for the filling.
At the San Gennaro fesival in NYC every year they are just served, sans filling, coated in powdered sugar and usually in a paper bag to absorb the grease.
Mine are light and fluffy due to the fact that they are pan fried in olive oil. They are no means healthy but every little bit helps, right? Fill a deep frying pan with olive oil, about 2 inches deep and turn them when they puff up and get nice and brown.
My grandmother always filled them with a cannoli like filling which I'm not sure is traditional but is very good. That recipe comes from Leone's Italian Cookbook. The book was published in 1967 and is a true classic. Alot of my father's childhood food memories come from this book.
So this post is dedicated to my dad, whose name in Joseph and inspires me to be the best cook I can be.
Happy Saint Joseph's Day Dad
Zeppole Dough (adapted from Giada De Larentiis)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Olive oil, for frying
In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Filling (adapted from Gene Leone, Leone's Italian Cookbook)
1 c ricotta
2 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl rum
1 c heavy cream, whipped
Drain cheese in cheese cloth for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. Mix with sugar and rum. Fold in the heavy cream and pipe into cooled zeppoles
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Its a small, small world - Empanadas
When I left my small hometown at the ripe old age of 18, I didn’t really know what to expect of my big move to the BIG Apple. Starting college is such a surreal experience and landing in the middle of Manhattan makes it that much more exciting. I think the main reason NYC is such a sensory explosion is because you spend most of your time walking, as opposed to driving. As you pound the pavement, you are forced to use all 5 senses to take the world in.
I think my favorite part of walking around is the smell. No, I’m not joking here because if you truly breathe it in, Manhattan smells like FOOD! If you are in little Italy, you can smell the rice balls frying by Tony’s. If you are in Chinatown, take a whiff in front of Noodletown and the smell of roast pork will knock your socks off. If you are by NYU, you can smell pizza and Starbucks on every corner. Those smells and the availability of food is what brought my inner foodie out to play. I never realized how much food fascinated me until I moved to, what I consider the international food capital of the world.
My fascination not only came from the accessibility of cuisine but the variety. My small town upbringing didn’t provide me with a vast array of foods to sample. We ate home most nights and ordered out for pizza on Fridays. But in Manhattan, I could have Thai on Monday, Korean BBQ on Tuesday and Indian on the weekend…hello Freshman Fifteen!
It was amazing to learn, through food, how other cultures live and eat. I realized that all over the world, we are all eating different versions of the same dish. My spaghetti is someone else’s lo mein. For every dish I grew up eating, I could find another with the same base, just the spices and ingredients tweaked to fit what was available to those who were preparing it in their far away land.
This revelation, for me, brought about a strong acceptance and understanding of all the different faces on the new streets I was exploring. I had a flashback to seven years old, sitting on a ride at Disney World I made my dad stand in line for over and over again because I loved all those little dolls singing about how similar we all really are. Maybe, through food, we can see it’s a small world after all.
This post’s recipe is Beef Empanadas because I remember that the first time I had this delicious Cuban food I thought, this is like a Jamaican meat pie or Polish pierogi or Chinese dumpling…just a bit different. Seems like every culture took some dough, added a yummy filling and serves it to their family for dinner!
Beef Empanadas
For the dough, I just take store bought pie crust (the ones that are rolled out) and cut circles with glass. Someday, I’ll make the dough from scratch but for now…
Filling:
Olive Oil
1 lbs of ground beef
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 onion
1/3 cup golden raisins
One lime, juice and zest
Slivered almonds
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ cup tomato sauce
Get a frying pan nice and hot and drop the olive oil in. Once its warm, sauté and onion and garlic until fragrant. Put the raisins in and move them around until they are plump. Toss in the lime zest, the juice the almonds and the spices.
Remove it all from the pan and drop a little more olive oil. Now sauté the beef until nice and brown, then drain the meat of any excess fat and water. Throw all the aromatic onion mixture back in and toss until combined. Throw ¼ cup of tomato sauce to make the filling a little moist but not too wet.
Use a tablespoon and drop some filing in the middle of each dough round. Fold them over and use a fork to make an imprint along the crease. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
If you have chicken, you can substitute the beef. Another good idea is if you have left over pork chops, make them into a small dice and use them too! Its fun to serve a variety. Make more of the onion mixture and then you can mix it into all three meats! Enjoy!!
I think my favorite part of walking around is the smell. No, I’m not joking here because if you truly breathe it in, Manhattan smells like FOOD! If you are in little Italy, you can smell the rice balls frying by Tony’s. If you are in Chinatown, take a whiff in front of Noodletown and the smell of roast pork will knock your socks off. If you are by NYU, you can smell pizza and Starbucks on every corner. Those smells and the availability of food is what brought my inner foodie out to play. I never realized how much food fascinated me until I moved to, what I consider the international food capital of the world.
My fascination not only came from the accessibility of cuisine but the variety. My small town upbringing didn’t provide me with a vast array of foods to sample. We ate home most nights and ordered out for pizza on Fridays. But in Manhattan, I could have Thai on Monday, Korean BBQ on Tuesday and Indian on the weekend…hello Freshman Fifteen!
It was amazing to learn, through food, how other cultures live and eat. I realized that all over the world, we are all eating different versions of the same dish. My spaghetti is someone else’s lo mein. For every dish I grew up eating, I could find another with the same base, just the spices and ingredients tweaked to fit what was available to those who were preparing it in their far away land.
This revelation, for me, brought about a strong acceptance and understanding of all the different faces on the new streets I was exploring. I had a flashback to seven years old, sitting on a ride at Disney World I made my dad stand in line for over and over again because I loved all those little dolls singing about how similar we all really are. Maybe, through food, we can see it’s a small world after all.
This post’s recipe is Beef Empanadas because I remember that the first time I had this delicious Cuban food I thought, this is like a Jamaican meat pie or Polish pierogi or Chinese dumpling…just a bit different. Seems like every culture took some dough, added a yummy filling and serves it to their family for dinner!
Beef Empanadas
For the dough, I just take store bought pie crust (the ones that are rolled out) and cut circles with glass. Someday, I’ll make the dough from scratch but for now…
Filling:
Olive Oil
1 lbs of ground beef
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 onion
1/3 cup golden raisins
One lime, juice and zest
Slivered almonds
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ cup tomato sauce
Get a frying pan nice and hot and drop the olive oil in. Once its warm, sauté and onion and garlic until fragrant. Put the raisins in and move them around until they are plump. Toss in the lime zest, the juice the almonds and the spices.
Remove it all from the pan and drop a little more olive oil. Now sauté the beef until nice and brown, then drain the meat of any excess fat and water. Throw all the aromatic onion mixture back in and toss until combined. Throw ¼ cup of tomato sauce to make the filling a little moist but not too wet.
Use a tablespoon and drop some filing in the middle of each dough round. Fold them over and use a fork to make an imprint along the crease. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
If you have chicken, you can substitute the beef. Another good idea is if you have left over pork chops, make them into a small dice and use them too! Its fun to serve a variety. Make more of the onion mixture and then you can mix it into all three meats! Enjoy!!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Pantry Diving - Roasted Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
If you want to be a good cook, you have to act like a good cook. If you are going to take your time in the kitchen seriously, you have to take cooking seriously. Be well equipped; that is to say, be prepared when you step in front of the stove. It creates an experience of ease and comfort as opposed to panic and fury. Quality pots, pans and knives will not only make your food taste better but if you look the part, you are more likely to BECOME the part. GOOD TOOLS HELP YOU WORK BETTER. I don’t recommend running out tomorrow and replacing everything you use to cook (caution: will break bank) but over time, begin to collect cooking utensils so that when you need a whisk…you actually own one.
Now that you have the tools, you need the food. The other crucial component to eating, no? A well-stocked pantry allows you to find inspiration for meals AND the ingredients on hand when you are ready to fire up and make a great meal.
For me, the place I dread most while toting my two little ones around, is the grocery store. So, when I do go, I try to pick up items that I need for tonight’s dinner and items that I know I'm going to use in the near future. I also form recipes and ultimately, entire dinners, in my head as I browse the aisles. This sounds very crazy (and probably is) but for me, it keeps me sane. I always begin in produce. This is where I pick up my lunch items like salad, deli meat, veggies and fruit. This is also where you can pick up fresh spices like thyme, basil and oregano. Fresh spices go bad FAST so if you are making a special recipe, splurge and get what you need. Otherwise, make sure you always have dried spices if you need to substitute.
The other end of the store is the dairy section and that is primarily where I get all I need for breakfast. For most, breakfast (especially during the work week) is a non-event, so not much ADVANCE thought needed.So, the rest of the store is where I focus my DINNER energy on. There are a number of items I just always have on hand for a quick weekday meal. Pasta is big in my house. Yes, I know the evil, diet-crushing item that many would never let pass their lips but hey, I am the first to admit I'm a carbohydrate girl living in a carbohydrate world. Pasta is easy, versatile and my daughter and husband could eat it every night of the week (but we don't).So after I pick up my pasta selections like linguine, mini shells and penne, I have to figure out what I'm making with them. Now, as a good Italian woman, I always have a few Tupperware bowls filled with marinara in the freezer for when we just want the traditional pasta with red sauce; but most of the time I like to spice it up. Also, if I'm going with a one-pot wonder, I try to add veggies and meat so I know we are getting a rounded out meal. Also, less pasta in the bowl gives you that pasta feel and not ALL the carbs...hey, I am still trying to keep my girlish figure here.I'm also in love with canned artichokes in water. I’m not talking out the marinated ones drenched in oil but the ones packed in water taste fantastic in some olive oil, lemon, garlic and frozen peas. Just throw it all in a skillet and cook your pasta of choice. If you want to be really special, cut up some pancetta too and it adds salt and a nice crunch.So, these are some of the items I have in the pantry; fresh, canned veggies, frozen ones too, lemons, garlic and chicken stock. I use chicken stock almost every night! You'll see it a lot in my recipes and it’s a quick way to make a sauce or a soup.
Cheese is also always in my shopping cart. Grilled cheese sandwiches for my daughter is a lunch stand by, we need Parmigiano for pasta, and mozzarella and cheddar are good to have on hand for recipes on the fly.
So this post’s recipe is made in honor of diving into your pantry at a moment's notice and grabbing what you need, any night of the week. It’s good for the kids, the hubby and even company, just serve it with some chicken and enjoy.
Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Butternut Squash
1 lb mini shell or elbow pasta
Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
Oregano, dried
1/2 cup onion, chopped in ¼ inch pieces
½ cup milk
1 ½ cup chicken stock
½ cup grated mozzerella
1 ½ cup mild, shredded cheddar
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 Cup Ritz Crackers, crushed
1 Butternut Squash cut into ½ cut dice and roasted in oven at 425 with olive oil and salt and pepper for 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Do not overcook or will end up as mush after baking. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a pot, melt olive oil (about a tablespoon) in the pan with butter. Once butter is liquid, add onion and sauté until translucent.
Then, add a pinch of oregano, a teaspoon salt and teaspoon of pepper and flour to the pot. WHISK all this together until the flour has turned a deep brown. Make sure the heat in on medium/low or the flour will turn black and you will have to start over.
Then, add ½ cup of milk and stir quickly until it becomes a paste consistency. This will happen very quick. Then, add the chicken stock and let all the ingredients come together to a boil. Now, turn the heat very low and add the cheddar and mozzarella and stir until thick and creamy.
Add the roasted butternut squash to the sauce and stir until combined. You will now have a light orangey goodness with squash floating all through. Taste it and make sure it has enough salt. IF it doesn’t, add a teaspoon at a time until you are happy with the flavor.
Now put it all in a big bowl with the cooked pasta and mix it all together. Pour the combined mixture into a buttered baking dish and top with crushed Ritz crackers and the Parmigiano.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Now that you have the tools, you need the food. The other crucial component to eating, no? A well-stocked pantry allows you to find inspiration for meals AND the ingredients on hand when you are ready to fire up and make a great meal.
For me, the place I dread most while toting my two little ones around, is the grocery store. So, when I do go, I try to pick up items that I need for tonight’s dinner and items that I know I'm going to use in the near future. I also form recipes and ultimately, entire dinners, in my head as I browse the aisles. This sounds very crazy (and probably is) but for me, it keeps me sane. I always begin in produce. This is where I pick up my lunch items like salad, deli meat, veggies and fruit. This is also where you can pick up fresh spices like thyme, basil and oregano. Fresh spices go bad FAST so if you are making a special recipe, splurge and get what you need. Otherwise, make sure you always have dried spices if you need to substitute.
The other end of the store is the dairy section and that is primarily where I get all I need for breakfast. For most, breakfast (especially during the work week) is a non-event, so not much ADVANCE thought needed.So, the rest of the store is where I focus my DINNER energy on. There are a number of items I just always have on hand for a quick weekday meal. Pasta is big in my house. Yes, I know the evil, diet-crushing item that many would never let pass their lips but hey, I am the first to admit I'm a carbohydrate girl living in a carbohydrate world. Pasta is easy, versatile and my daughter and husband could eat it every night of the week (but we don't).So after I pick up my pasta selections like linguine, mini shells and penne, I have to figure out what I'm making with them. Now, as a good Italian woman, I always have a few Tupperware bowls filled with marinara in the freezer for when we just want the traditional pasta with red sauce; but most of the time I like to spice it up. Also, if I'm going with a one-pot wonder, I try to add veggies and meat so I know we are getting a rounded out meal. Also, less pasta in the bowl gives you that pasta feel and not ALL the carbs...hey, I am still trying to keep my girlish figure here.I'm also in love with canned artichokes in water. I’m not talking out the marinated ones drenched in oil but the ones packed in water taste fantastic in some olive oil, lemon, garlic and frozen peas. Just throw it all in a skillet and cook your pasta of choice. If you want to be really special, cut up some pancetta too and it adds salt and a nice crunch.So, these are some of the items I have in the pantry; fresh, canned veggies, frozen ones too, lemons, garlic and chicken stock. I use chicken stock almost every night! You'll see it a lot in my recipes and it’s a quick way to make a sauce or a soup.
Cheese is also always in my shopping cart. Grilled cheese sandwiches for my daughter is a lunch stand by, we need Parmigiano for pasta, and mozzarella and cheddar are good to have on hand for recipes on the fly.
So this post’s recipe is made in honor of diving into your pantry at a moment's notice and grabbing what you need, any night of the week. It’s good for the kids, the hubby and even company, just serve it with some chicken and enjoy.
Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Butternut Squash
1 lb mini shell or elbow pasta
Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
Oregano, dried
1/2 cup onion, chopped in ¼ inch pieces
½ cup milk
1 ½ cup chicken stock
½ cup grated mozzerella
1 ½ cup mild, shredded cheddar
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 Cup Ritz Crackers, crushed
1 Butternut Squash cut into ½ cut dice and roasted in oven at 425 with olive oil and salt and pepper for 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Do not overcook or will end up as mush after baking. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a pot, melt olive oil (about a tablespoon) in the pan with butter. Once butter is liquid, add onion and sauté until translucent.
Then, add a pinch of oregano, a teaspoon salt and teaspoon of pepper and flour to the pot. WHISK all this together until the flour has turned a deep brown. Make sure the heat in on medium/low or the flour will turn black and you will have to start over.
Then, add ½ cup of milk and stir quickly until it becomes a paste consistency. This will happen very quick. Then, add the chicken stock and let all the ingredients come together to a boil. Now, turn the heat very low and add the cheddar and mozzarella and stir until thick and creamy.
Add the roasted butternut squash to the sauce and stir until combined. You will now have a light orangey goodness with squash floating all through. Taste it and make sure it has enough salt. IF it doesn’t, add a teaspoon at a time until you are happy with the flavor.
Now put it all in a big bowl with the cooked pasta and mix it all together. Pour the combined mixture into a buttered baking dish and top with crushed Ritz crackers and the Parmigiano.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Happy Valentines Day! - Lady in Red Velvet Cupcakes
I think the best part of any holiday is the cooking. Yes, surprise, surprise, for me, the holidays are all about the food. So, when February rolled around, I immediately starting thinking about Valentine’s Day and all the delish desserts I would begin craving. While for most, the highlight of Valentine’s Day is the big box of chocolates you try to avoid but ultimately work your way through, I try to figure out which dessert will be the finale of my Valentine’s dinner.
Last year, I made chocolate cake. It was the real deal. Three layers, mounds of chocolate frosting and really moist chocolate cake. The recipe can be found on the back of Hershey’s cocoa powder. It’s HANDS DOWN the best chocolate cake you will ever eat; so I say, why mess with perfection. The recipe is also very simple, so I highly recommend it when you have a major chocolate craving, birthday or, you know, Wednesday.
This year, though, without explanation, as Valentine’s Day approached, I got the strongest craving for Red Velvet cupcakes. I love cupcakes because they are portable cake, so, what’s not to love? What I wanted to do, though, was freshen up the recipe because, while I love the moistness of red velvet cake, the frosting recipe in most cookbooks leaves much to be desired.
I’ll begin by saying I’m not a frosting fanatic. I hate the fake stuff in the can because it tastes just that, fake. So, most of the time, I make my own but still end up scraping it most of it off. Therefore, I was on a quest to rid my little cakes of the usual butter/cream cheese concoction that just leaves me feeling like why the heck didn’t I just take a stick of butter out of the fridge (à la Homer Simpson) and eat it whole. It’s kind of what you’re doing anyway. I still wanted the traditional cheese flavor but not all that butter. The butter is an integral part of the recipe as it smooths out the cream cheese so that the frosting will have a thin, spreadable consistency but I just thought there had to be a better, not butter, way.
I think my favorite spreadable cheese is MASCARPONE. It’s Italian (of course) It comes in a little plastic tub and you can find it the specialty cheese section of most grocery stores. It’s just like American cream cheese, but better. If you have ever had Tiramisù, you’ve eaten it. It’s really smooth and not as tart as cream cheese. It’s very mellow which allows for other ingredients to be added to it, and really shine. In addition, it feels like butter so I thought maybe this could provide me with an elegant substitution. Combining the Italian and the American really worked (just like me, HA!). I sweetened the two cheeses with some confectioners’ sugar. Not the FOUR AND A HALF cups that other recipes suggested (yuck!). Instead I used 1 cup and found it to be just enough (for me). You can add more if you wish. A splash of vanilla added the second layer of flavor and finally, what I think really “made it” was the lemon juice and zest I added: they took it from good to great.
I am really happy with the final product here because I took a classic, Southern favorite and made a better tasting version that my Valentines will know came straight from my heart.
Cupcakes:
Makes 12 or 6 Bakery Size (my preference, Just buy JUMBO muffin liners and add 5 min to cooking time)
1 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 cup(s) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup(s) sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of ½ lemon
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 tablespoon(s) liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 /2 teaspoon lemon juice
Frosting
8 ounce(s) mascarpone cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
Directions
Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tins and spray with PAM. I do this because I hate when ½ your cupcake ends up on the paper and let’s face it, licking the paper liner is just not attractive. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Then add buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and lemon juice. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk mixture, until blended. Beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a pick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Frosting: In a food processor, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and zest and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Frost cupcakes and try not to eat them all before your Valentine comes home. If you do, hide the evidence!
Last year, I made chocolate cake. It was the real deal. Three layers, mounds of chocolate frosting and really moist chocolate cake. The recipe can be found on the back of Hershey’s cocoa powder. It’s HANDS DOWN the best chocolate cake you will ever eat; so I say, why mess with perfection. The recipe is also very simple, so I highly recommend it when you have a major chocolate craving, birthday or, you know, Wednesday.
This year, though, without explanation, as Valentine’s Day approached, I got the strongest craving for Red Velvet cupcakes. I love cupcakes because they are portable cake, so, what’s not to love? What I wanted to do, though, was freshen up the recipe because, while I love the moistness of red velvet cake, the frosting recipe in most cookbooks leaves much to be desired.
I’ll begin by saying I’m not a frosting fanatic. I hate the fake stuff in the can because it tastes just that, fake. So, most of the time, I make my own but still end up scraping it most of it off. Therefore, I was on a quest to rid my little cakes of the usual butter/cream cheese concoction that just leaves me feeling like why the heck didn’t I just take a stick of butter out of the fridge (à la Homer Simpson) and eat it whole. It’s kind of what you’re doing anyway. I still wanted the traditional cheese flavor but not all that butter. The butter is an integral part of the recipe as it smooths out the cream cheese so that the frosting will have a thin, spreadable consistency but I just thought there had to be a better, not butter, way.
I think my favorite spreadable cheese is MASCARPONE. It’s Italian (of course) It comes in a little plastic tub and you can find it the specialty cheese section of most grocery stores. It’s just like American cream cheese, but better. If you have ever had Tiramisù, you’ve eaten it. It’s really smooth and not as tart as cream cheese. It’s very mellow which allows for other ingredients to be added to it, and really shine. In addition, it feels like butter so I thought maybe this could provide me with an elegant substitution. Combining the Italian and the American really worked (just like me, HA!). I sweetened the two cheeses with some confectioners’ sugar. Not the FOUR AND A HALF cups that other recipes suggested (yuck!). Instead I used 1 cup and found it to be just enough (for me). You can add more if you wish. A splash of vanilla added the second layer of flavor and finally, what I think really “made it” was the lemon juice and zest I added: they took it from good to great.
I am really happy with the final product here because I took a classic, Southern favorite and made a better tasting version that my Valentines will know came straight from my heart.
Cupcakes:
Makes 12 or 6 Bakery Size (my preference, Just buy JUMBO muffin liners and add 5 min to cooking time)
1 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 cup(s) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup(s) sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of ½ lemon
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 tablespoon(s) liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 /2 teaspoon lemon juice
Frosting
8 ounce(s) mascarpone cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
Directions
Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tins and spray with PAM. I do this because I hate when ½ your cupcake ends up on the paper and let’s face it, licking the paper liner is just not attractive. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Then add buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and lemon juice. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk mixture, until blended. Beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a pick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Frosting: In a food processor, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and zest and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Frost cupcakes and try not to eat them all before your Valentine comes home. If you do, hide the evidence!
Monday, January 4, 2010
A Julia Child New Years Eve - Nutella Crepe Recipe
So I'm sure I'll get a lot of flack for starting this blog AFTER watching Julie & Julia and I must admit, it did provide a spark of inspiration...and my purchase of 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking.'In all fairness though, my epiphany began a bit before Meryl Streep decided to don an apron.
The past five years of working a job I just don't like has forced me to really begin thinking about where I want to go with the rest of my life. And, since I spend more time in my kitchen than anywhere else, this path seemed obvious.So, on New Year’s Eve, when the babysitter had better plans and so did everyone else...I decided to treat my husband to my first venture into FRENCH COOKING...(gulp.)
I wanted to make the entire menu from the book and after reading it cover to cover I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I was in the mood for French basic favorites I had enjoyed but never made on my own. When I read the ingredient lists, butter, eggs, more butter, more eggs...I realized that basic French cooking is just that...basic.
So, Le Menu was as follows:
Starter: French Onion Soup
Main: Filet Mignon with Béarnaise sauce
Side: Creamed Spinach
Dessert: Crepes
So early in the afternoon I began the French Onion Soup when the kiddies took their nap.I had never truly watched onions caramelize before and it was pretty nice to watch...and smell. Lots of thinly sliced onion, butter and low heat was all I had to do. After half an hour I was getting impatient when, viola.…I had brown, gooey goodness in the bottom of the pan that just looked wonderful! Splash of wine, lots of beef stock and more heat created the same soup I had had in French bistros all over NYC! Add a toasted piece of baguette with melted swiss and it was ready to go! Also, the longer it sat, the better it tasted so its great to make in advance. Just remember to top with cheesy bread before service.
The sautéed spinach was also pretty easy to accomplish. I have made similar recipes before and I used some of the broth from my soup to make it really good. Now came time to grill the meat. I must admit that Phil took care of the cooking filets. [Geez, I can't be in charge of everything AND, I knew the béarnaise sauce was going to require all of my attention.] Béarnaise, I learned is just hollandaise sauce with white wine and white wine vinegar whisked in. However, it was not easy to make and mine did not make it...or it did but then fell over the edge. It curdled into a disgusting mess and I had to pitch it and start again. Luckily, Julia talked me through it and instead of rushing; I let the melted butter slowly drip into the eggs and whisk, whisk, whisk. This time, it survived and was oh so delicious. Trick was as soon as it looks done, it is! Took it off the heat and dropped it on the meat.**Side note, I ingested enough butter on NYE to last me all of 2010.
The Grande Finale was the easiest and BEST part of the meal. Crepe batter is a cinch and you make the entire thing in the blender. I knew right away I wanted my crepe to take exactly like the one I used to get on MacDougal Street near my college dorm. So, I picked up bananas, hazelnuts, strawberries and NUTELLA! Yes, not French but the best chocolate spread this world has to offer. I am convinced you can spread it on a shoe heel and it would taste good. Julia said the first crepe would a throw away and it totally was. Limp and tough, I just tossed it. But magically, when I ladled the second one in, it just formed with the swirl of my wrist and flipped over without hesitation. We slathered the nutella, dropped the fruit and rolled it up.What a sweet way to start the new year!
Recipe of the Day:
The past five years of working a job I just don't like has forced me to really begin thinking about where I want to go with the rest of my life. And, since I spend more time in my kitchen than anywhere else, this path seemed obvious.So, on New Year’s Eve, when the babysitter had better plans and so did everyone else...I decided to treat my husband to my first venture into FRENCH COOKING...(gulp.)
I wanted to make the entire menu from the book and after reading it cover to cover I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I was in the mood for French basic favorites I had enjoyed but never made on my own. When I read the ingredient lists, butter, eggs, more butter, more eggs...I realized that basic French cooking is just that...basic.
So, Le Menu was as follows:
Starter: French Onion Soup
Main: Filet Mignon with Béarnaise sauce
Side: Creamed Spinach
Dessert: Crepes
So early in the afternoon I began the French Onion Soup when the kiddies took their nap.I had never truly watched onions caramelize before and it was pretty nice to watch...and smell. Lots of thinly sliced onion, butter and low heat was all I had to do. After half an hour I was getting impatient when, viola.…I had brown, gooey goodness in the bottom of the pan that just looked wonderful! Splash of wine, lots of beef stock and more heat created the same soup I had had in French bistros all over NYC! Add a toasted piece of baguette with melted swiss and it was ready to go! Also, the longer it sat, the better it tasted so its great to make in advance. Just remember to top with cheesy bread before service.
The sautéed spinach was also pretty easy to accomplish. I have made similar recipes before and I used some of the broth from my soup to make it really good. Now came time to grill the meat. I must admit that Phil took care of the cooking filets. [Geez, I can't be in charge of everything AND, I knew the béarnaise sauce was going to require all of my attention.] Béarnaise, I learned is just hollandaise sauce with white wine and white wine vinegar whisked in. However, it was not easy to make and mine did not make it...or it did but then fell over the edge. It curdled into a disgusting mess and I had to pitch it and start again. Luckily, Julia talked me through it and instead of rushing; I let the melted butter slowly drip into the eggs and whisk, whisk, whisk. This time, it survived and was oh so delicious. Trick was as soon as it looks done, it is! Took it off the heat and dropped it on the meat.**Side note, I ingested enough butter on NYE to last me all of 2010.
The Grande Finale was the easiest and BEST part of the meal. Crepe batter is a cinch and you make the entire thing in the blender. I knew right away I wanted my crepe to take exactly like the one I used to get on MacDougal Street near my college dorm. So, I picked up bananas, hazelnuts, strawberries and NUTELLA! Yes, not French but the best chocolate spread this world has to offer. I am convinced you can spread it on a shoe heel and it would taste good. Julia said the first crepe would a throw away and it totally was. Limp and tough, I just tossed it. But magically, when I ladled the second one in, it just formed with the swirl of my wrist and flipped over without hesitation. We slathered the nutella, dropped the fruit and rolled it up.What a sweet way to start the new year!
Recipe of the Day:
Nutella Crepes – Adaptation of J Child’s Crepes with my Nutella Fruit filling
Pate A Crepes (Batter)
Get your blender out, it does all the work! Add 1 c water, 1 c milk, 4 eggs and pinch of salt and blend until smooth. Then throw in 1 ½ c flour and 4 Tb melted butter. Blend again. DONE!
Put the batter in the fridge for 2 hours to chill.
Make the filling.
Scoop 1 cup nutella into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of milk. On its own, nutella is thick and will rip the crepe. So, thin it out a bit. Then, slice up strawberries, bananas or any other fruit you want. Make the slices thin so the crepe doesn’t get too overloaded. If you like nuts, toast up some hazelnuts because nutella is made with them and just takes these crepes to a whole new level.
Ok, tick tock…two hours later you are ready to go.
Get a NON STICK pan and heat it up. I added a bit of butter to the bottom for insurance and it helped make the crepe slide. Get a ¼ measuring cup and slowly pour it in to the medium hot pan. Now with some wrist action swirl the batter all around the bottom. Now its magic time. You will see the crepe quickly (like a minute) start to harden. Move your wrist back and forth so it starts to groove around. Put the pan down, lift one edge (careful for your fingers)and FLIP it over. The first (or maybe a few) will be hard but after a few you will get the hang of it. It only needs about 20 sec on the other side. Have a dish right there to flip the crepe into.
Pate A Crepes (Batter)
Get your blender out, it does all the work! Add 1 c water, 1 c milk, 4 eggs and pinch of salt and blend until smooth. Then throw in 1 ½ c flour and 4 Tb melted butter. Blend again. DONE!
Put the batter in the fridge for 2 hours to chill.
Make the filling.
Scoop 1 cup nutella into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of milk. On its own, nutella is thick and will rip the crepe. So, thin it out a bit. Then, slice up strawberries, bananas or any other fruit you want. Make the slices thin so the crepe doesn’t get too overloaded. If you like nuts, toast up some hazelnuts because nutella is made with them and just takes these crepes to a whole new level.
Ok, tick tock…two hours later you are ready to go.
Get a NON STICK pan and heat it up. I added a bit of butter to the bottom for insurance and it helped make the crepe slide. Get a ¼ measuring cup and slowly pour it in to the medium hot pan. Now with some wrist action swirl the batter all around the bottom. Now its magic time. You will see the crepe quickly (like a minute) start to harden. Move your wrist back and forth so it starts to groove around. Put the pan down, lift one edge (careful for your fingers)and FLIP it over. The first (or maybe a few) will be hard but after a few you will get the hang of it. It only needs about 20 sec on the other side. Have a dish right there to flip the crepe into.
YOU DID IT!
Now, the fun part: Spread nutella down the middle. Leave the sides clean. Line up some fruit, nuts on the spread and your crepe is almost there. Now, think of a buritto for folding. Lift bottom up, lift the top down and then roll it up. Top it with whip crème and serve!
Enjoy and if you DO try this recipe, tell me ALL ABOUT IT!
Happy Eating.
Now, the fun part: Spread nutella down the middle. Leave the sides clean. Line up some fruit, nuts on the spread and your crepe is almost there. Now, think of a buritto for folding. Lift bottom up, lift the top down and then roll it up. Top it with whip crème and serve!
Enjoy and if you DO try this recipe, tell me ALL ABOUT IT!
Happy Eating.
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