March 2010 – Rosemary and the Goat

Orange Tian

Uh oh, here comes another one of those challenges! and this one I’m definitely doing again.

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

We have a neighbor who is always bringing us things to try. We get vension when he goes deer hunting, country ham when he goes back to Kentucky for a visit and this trip when they came back from South Texas we received a bowlful of oranges. Since this challenge involves oranges, I though I would put these fresh oranges to work and take them a big piece of this dessert.

I have to admit, I have never heard of an Orange Tian. If you have, then you are one step ahead of me. This challenge involved make a pate sable (crust), orange marmalade, segmenting oranges, making a caramel sauce, and doing a whipped cream where you mix in gelatin. I decided to do mine in these cute little tart pans that have been gathering dust in my pantry.

I am doing a technique class at Williams Sonoma tomorrow on pie crust. I’m not doing the pate sable crust but we are doing a pate brisee and pate sucre and a crust made with saltine crackers. I have never heard of the pate sable crust but after studying up on what I’m going to be making in class found out that the sable crust has a lot more sugar and the sucre crust. I makes it more like a cookie crust.

After making this dessert I knew I would be making it again. It was/is a beautiful dessert. It can defnitely be made in stages. The crust could be made days in advance and frozen. The orange marmalade can be done in advance and putting it together is a breeze.

March 27, 2010 By Sherry

Cake/ Dessert

Whipped Cream Frosting

Time tested recipe from the 50’s!

This recipe is all about the frosting and not about the cake. This is best on chocolate or Red Velvet cake and you can make whatever recipe you want for the cake but please try this, it will become a favorite.

The dried pineapple flowers add a beautiful touch to this cake. Although I wouldn’t put pineapples on a chocolate cake (this cake) they would work really well on a Hummingbird cake or a pineapple cake. I will post the how to on the pineapple slices this coming week.

My mother was a wonderful baker and she made all sorts of things when we were growing up. She use to do this special cake around Thanksgiving called Amalgamation Cake. It had ground raisins, nuts, coconut, blackberry jam and almost a dozen eggs. What I remember most about this cake is she would make it a couple of weeks in advance, wrap it really well with plastic wrap and set it on the floor in the closet and over the next couple of weeks the flavors would all meld together into this wonderful tasting holiday cake. Over the years I have told myself I was going to enter that recipe in a contest because I have never seen a recipe with these ingredients.

March 26, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ Dessert/ Garnish

Dried Pineapple Flowers

I love Martha! and this recipe is from her Cupcake cookbook.

I think Martha is one of those names that you just have to say the first name and everyone just knows who you are talking about.

I taught a technique class on cakes and cupcakes the other day at Williams Sonoma. It was a fun class to teach and I love sharing recipes and ideas with everyone that comes to our classes. Even though I didn’t do any cake decorating, we made a Whipped Cream Frosting that my mother use to make way back in the 50’s. I like playing with food and making garnishes and platter decorations and everything but have never had the patience to learn to decorate cakes. So, these little pineapple flowers really did the trick to finish off a cake I had made for the class.

I plan on making these little flowers to put on top of Hummingbird cupcakes for a party I’m catering before a Jimmy Buffet concert. I think these will look so tropical and will fit well with the theme of the party.

March 22, 2010 By Sherry

Cake/ Dessert/ Morning Foods

Butter Scrumptious Coffee Cake

Believe me this is a very scrumptious coffee cake…with lots of memories.

In honor of my grandmother who will be 97 years old this May, I want to share with you her recipe for Butter Scrumptious Coffee Cake.

A little history on my grandmother. She was born in 1913 in Alabama. She really had a hard life growing up. When she was young she had scarlet fever and lost all of her hair and when it came back in it was jet black. And that’s the way I remember her most of my life until she turned silver. Her mother died when she was young and she helped to raise most of her brothers and sisters. And, she did literally walk to school barefooted. She remembers picking cotton and pulling her little brother on the cotton sack. That was a hard life. Unlike when my sister and I were in high school we decided we were going to try and pick cotton to make some extra money and to see if we could actually pick cotton like our grandmother did. We went to the cotton patch with a friend. There we were in shorts, tank tops ready to put in a hard day’s work and everyone else had on big hats and long sleeve shirts. — WELL, our cotton picking days were short lived, we were fired by lunch time. We quickly found out there were no fun and games going on in the cotton patch.

I would say my grandmother had a very good life in the time she and my grandfather were married. Our family lived next door to our grandparents all of our lives and my twin sister and I spent every Saturday night with them. They took us to Florida every summer from the time we were three years old and I remember staying at the same beach house every year. It had a screened in porch with an old wooden ice box. As we got older we liked going to this little store that the owners of the house and motel owned to check out their two cute Cuban sons who worked there. We thought of any excuse to go to the corner drugstore to see them!

Our grandmother did everything for us. I guess you could say we were spoiled — BUT — far from rotten. She use to make this cake for us for breakfast and I still make this cake from time to and will always think of her when I make this recipe. It’s another great recipe for the freezer and it’s good anytime, not just for breakfast. My grandmother is still living in her own house and still cooks up her pot of chili when she knows we are coming for a visit.

I hope this will become one of your family favorites.

March 18, 2010 By Sherry

Entree/ Fish/Seafood/ Pasta

Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto with Lobster & Proscuitto

Creamy Risotto made with Mushrooms, Champagne and topped with Lobster and Proscuitto – think of anything better!

I have made risotto several times before and one of my favorites is one of Giadas” for Champagne Risotto. I decided to add the mushrooms and lobster and use a seafood stock instead of chicken stock. Riscotto could possibly be my all time best comfort food. And while it is still cool here at nights here in Texas I thought we needed a little comforting tonight.

I first had risotto on our trip to Italy. I had a shrimp risotto that was so delicious but I always laugh thinking about it. If you have ever seen the movie “Big Night” you know the scene I’m talking about where this lady orders shrimp risotto but she can’t really see any shrimp in it and ask the chef to bring her another dish to go along with her risotto. The chef refuses to bring her what she wanted because he said “it did not go with HIS risotto”.

My son, Scott, made a risotto once when he was visiting us that had a grilled, then crumbled Monkfish on top. It was delicious and that’s where I got the idea for the lobster garnish. I had a hard time finding a 4 oz. lobster tail and I would have rather had a 2-3 oz. tail but couldn’t find one. I guess I could have gotten some crawfish since they kind of look like lobsters.

March 14, 2010 By Sherry

Candy/ Cookies/Bars/ Dessert

Bacon and Eggs

Bacon and Eggs – Sausage and Eggs, however you see it!

Ok, ok, so it isn’t really bacon and eggs. But, (my husband says I say BUTTTTT, way too much) it makes a cute breakfast/brunch amuse bouche.

Who doesn’t love bacon and eggs or sausage and eggs? Makes a great breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you are vegan then these little tidbits will satisfy you quickly. Meatless, egg less, but not sugarless!

I first saw this in a magazine at least 15 years ago. I cut the picture out, saved it for years, and have made it several times. This little “thing” (not really sure what to call it) makes a great little conversation piece for a brunch or breakfast.

I did a kids class one year at Williams Sonoma and showed the little ones how to make this along with my pear “rudolph”. They loved the bacon and egg snacks.

It’s simply pretzels, white chocolate and yellow M&M’s.

March 12, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ Garnish/ Side dish

Herbed Potato Window Panes

You will want to do more than window shop these windows! You get to eat these.

I have done a “One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato” blog entry where I posted three of my favorite baked potato recipes. This has to be “four”.

It was really nice here in our part of Texas today and I should have been out surveying all of our dead plants that we lost during the winter this year. But, my husband has already cut back and pulled up every dead thing in our yard and right now it is looking like a pretty naked yard. You get him going with a chain saw or pruners and watch out. No such thing as “take a little” off with him. I can put off taking a look until tomorrow. Today, I decided to just practice bridge and play around with making these little potato delicacies

I saw this recipe years ago in a cookbook and recently I was searching for how to make them and and came across this site. A couple of weeks ago I did a little cooking demonstration for our garden club on herbs. We had one member talking about the herbs and then I showed them how to make somethings using that particular herb. I did a cucumber soup, my Rosemary and the Goat appetizer, Lavender scones, a lemon basil/mint sorbet and these Potato Window Panes.

I love potatoes. Even though we don’t eat them often, I’m always looking for new recipes. Last summer I found this recipe using potatoes and arugula and after tweaking it I came up with my Potato and Arugula Salad using purple and white new potatoes. I think potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables. They can be part of a meal or the meal itself. You can grate them and use for a potato bread sour dough starter. I remember as a kid we cut them and made designs and used ink pads to stamp out designs with the potatoes. I also remember playing a shower game where you put the potato in a panty hose leg, tied it around your waist and tried to knock a ball across the room (some game huh).

March 10, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Cheese Souffle Puffs

Little clouds of souffle you won’t soon forget!

This week I’m teaching a class on souffles at Williams Sonoma. Up until about 2 years ago I had never made a souffle of any type before (I thought). I have always been afraid to attempt making something so fragile that if you breath on it it might fall.

I don’t know why after being married for 40 years and catering for 20 years I would be afraid to attempt anything. I just don’t like failures and I guess I have envisioned pulling out a beautiful souffle to serve to guest and having it fall right before my eyes.

A few years ago on a mother/daughter trip we took with a friend and her daughter we had dinner at the Culinary Institute in Napa. We had two souffles that night. The dessert souffle was to die for and what they did was bring it to the table, inserted a spoon in the middle to collapse it and then poured a pitcher of cream angalise over it. Delicious!

But, before dessert arrived we started the meal with this huge bowl of French Onion Soup topped with Cheese Souffle. My version, Souffled Onion Soup is fantastic. I knew after enjoying this soup that I was going to have to make it. I went to work one day hoping to get someone to tell me how they made a souffle and I couldn’t find anyone who had made one before. Guess I wasn’t the only one who feared making a souffle. So, I bought The Joy of Cooking (can’t believe that wasn’t in my cookbook library) and set about making my version of the Soup. You simply make your favorite (or my recipe) of French Onion Soup, top it with a cheese souffle and bake in the oven. I serve this in my little lion head soup bowls and I really think that the steam from the hot soup keeps the souffle from falling. In fact, it doesn’t fall the whole time you are eating the soup.

March 6, 2010 By Sherry

Dessert/ Morning Foods/ Pastries

Chocolava

Bakalava, Chocolava, anything made with phyllo dough is fantastic!

I have been making bakalava since the early 70’s and I can’t believe I have never been intimidated by working with phyllo dough. I love making anything with the stuff. I have made little baskets to use as vessels for different appetizers. I have roll it up into roses to use for platter garnishes. It is great to make asparagus cigars (asparagus, wrapped with prosciutto and rolled in phyllo). Spanakopitas, of course, are wonder. I have a delicious recipe for Chicken in Phyllo with a Lemon Veloute Sauce that is outstanding (will post this soon).

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and a sweetened honey/lemon syrup that is poured over the freshly baked baklava. This recipe has chocolate chips mixed in with the nuts and has melted chocolate drizzled over the top.

When we lived in Iowa back in the 70’s, I knew a girl who was Greek and she gave me a recipe for Baklava which I no longer have. But I remember her recipe had a mixture of walnuts, pecans and almonds and also used nutmeg and cloves with the cinnamon. My twin sister shared this chocolava recipe with me years ago. Her recipe uses orange and lemon juice for the drizzle. I made a few changes to her recipe using the extra spices and nuts I mentioned above. Hope you will try this version and it will be come a favorite.

Delicious! If I do say so myself.

Layered sheets of phyllo, nuts, phyllo, it’s just that easy.

This comes together very quickly.

Finished Chocolava after it has been drizzled with honey mixture and chocolate.

Chocolava

Ingredients

1 lb. phyllo dough
1 lb. nuts mixture of walnuts, almonds, pecans finely chopped
1- 6 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips finely chopped (or use mini)
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 1/4 c. butter melted
3/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 squares 2 oz. semi sweet chocolate

Instructions

Thaw the phyllo dough according to package directions. Combine the finely chopped nuts and chocolate chips, the 3/4 c. sugar and spices; set aside.
Brush the bottom of a 1/2 sheet pan (15x11x1") with some of the melted butter. Layer 8 sheets of the phyllo dough in the bottom of the pan, brushing each sheet with a little of the butter. (If your pieces are too wide, just fold over that extra inch -- one time to one side and the next to the opposite side) Sprinkle about 2 cups of the nut mixture over the phyllo in pan. Top with another 4 sheets of the phyllo, brushing each with more of the melted margarine. Sprinkle with 2 more cups of the nut mixture and top with 4 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter. Top with the remaining nut mixture and the remaining phyllo sheets. Drizzle remaining butter over top layer. Cut into diamond or triangle shape pieces, cutting to but not through the bottom layer. (About half way through will be good enough). Bake in 325° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Watch carefully.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, the 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 c. water, honey and lemon juice. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Immediately finish cutting diamonds or triangles. Pour over warm pan of phyllo. Cool completely.
In a small saucepan combine the chocolate squares and 2 tablespoons water, stir over low heat until smooth. Drizzle this over the Chocolava. Makes about 50-60 small pieces.

Recipe Notes

**Note-- Until you get fast working with phyllo dough you may want to keep it covered with a damp cloth so it doesn't dry out.

March 2, 2010 By Sherry