Happy New Year!
What’s a great way to doctor up out of season berries? Whip them into a salad. Sweet or savory, marinate firm, tart berries in a citrusy spirit, with a squeeze of lemon or just a sprinkle of sugar to bring out their flavor. It’s shockingly easy to draw out an incredible depth of flavor… even with the briefest marinade.
And, after all of that rich holiday food… this is salad is a breath of fresh air.
Berry Salad
1 basket blueberries
1 basket strawberries, halved
3-4 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
3-4 Tablespoons Aperol
(or a substitute Grand Marnier for a sweeter salad)
Combine berries in large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with Aperol. Toss gently. Let sit for 3-5 minutes and give another brief toss before plating in a serving bowl. Garnish bowl with slices of kiwi.
Bon Appétit!
In honor of San Francisco…
Cloudy Sky
4 ounces Sloe Gin
2 ounces lime juice, strained
2 ounces club soda or ginger beer
Add ice to a highball glass. Fill glass with club soda, lime juice and sloe gin.
Stir, garnish with a wedge of lime, and serve.
Cheers!
If you’re going to be…
…on the road
Ginger beer, lime juice, ice and a twist of lime peel makes a perfect virgin cocktail, too!
These light, buttery and crumbly cookies are loaded with pistachio flavor. I’m a little surprised that the green color is so faint given the vividly bright green pistachios that I used. But, I still prefer this natural color to that of food coloring.
Pistachio Crumble Cookies
makes 3 dozen
1 cup butter, soft
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup corn starch
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1 cup finely ground pistachios
Cream butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and cornstarch. Beat only long enough to combine. Then, add flour and pistachios. Once again, beat only long enough to combine. Chill dough for at least 2 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Roll into balls. Place balls on parchment lined cookie sheets. Space evenly. Then, flatten gently with a flat bottomed glass dipped in superfine sugar. Bake for 15 min. (Or, until very light golden at the edges.)
This is an all-purpose vegetable that works well with grilled meat, roasted chicken, sausage or pork. Or, even better, toss with al dente whole wheat pasta, butter & crumbled goat cheese.
Roasted Red Cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced
olive oil, as needed
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste
butter, as needed
In a large dutch oven, saute onion in olive oil until golden. Sprinkle with sugar and allow sugar to caramelize slightly. Then, deglaze the pan with red wine and red wine vinegar. Simmer rapidly for a minute or two. Add water and cabbage. Allow cabbage to wilt for 3-4 minutes before placing the dutch oven into a hot 375 degree oven. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Dot butter over cabbage and give a toss before serving.
There’s more than a little bit of molasses in this recipe. A lot more. It dominates the taste with ease. And, that large dose of molasses adds a density to this gingerbread that gives it an Old English feeling. I’m on the fence. I think I like it.
A strong cuppa tea makes the best companion for this hearty loaf.
Molasses Gingerbread
makes one full-sized loaf
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift all dry ingredients into a small bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter, egg and sugar. Then, add molasses and continue to beat. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and beat until smooth. Next, add the dry ingredients. Gently beat in 1/2 of the dry ingredients. Then, add the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Beat to combine. Pour into buttered loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. (Or, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.) Cool briefly before plating.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.
Chocolate and caramel… two of my favorite things.
And, yes, don’t say it. I know… I know. This recipe includes sweetened condensed milk AND corn syrup. Shocking! But, you’re only going to eat a square or two, right? You might consider this a lesson in self control.
The one little trick is knowing how long to stir at the end. It needs to thicken before you pour it onto a marble slab or piece of baking parchment paper. If it doesn’t thicken before you pour it, it will create a dangerous mess of scalding hot caramel sauce. Please use extreme caution. Caramel burnt skin is not a good thing.
If you don’t feel comfortable pouring this onto a marble slab, butter and line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with coated baking parchment.
Ooey Gooey Chewy Caramel
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 stick butter
Add all of the ingredients to a deep heavy bottomed saucepan. The saucepan should allow enough room for caramel to boil. Mixture should fill LESS THAN HALF of your saucepan.
Bring mixture to firm ball stage and remove from heat. Stir and allow to thicken. Then, pour onto parchment-lined baking dish or marble slab. Cool. Then, slice and wrap in waxed paper wrappers.
I love these cookies. All of that great pumpkin & spice flavor is dished up in bite-sized packages.
If you have a powerful food processor, you can incorporate the entire pumpkin (flesh & skin) into this recipe. Simply puree the roasted pumpkin until very smooth.
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
makes at least 25 cookies
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/4 teaspoon mace, ground
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup freshly roasted pumpkin, skin on,pureed until very smooth
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk, scant
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Sift dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar, olive oil, pumpkin, egg, vanilla and whip until smooth. Add milk and whip again until smooth. Then, gently stir in dry ingredients. Stir just to combine.
Drop small spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 14-16 minutes.
Let cool. Then, dust with powdered sugar.
Shrimp Poached in Marinara
…AKA lunch
This fabulous lunch was always the first clue that an even better dinner was soon to follow. The leftover (strained) sauce can be used in a number of soups, stews or as the base of an even richer seafood sauce.
Shrimp Poached in Marinara
1 – 28 oz can crushed DOP tomatoes
1-2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, roughly diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
olive oil, as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground basil
2 fresh bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb shrimp, heads on
Sweat onions, celery and carrots in olive oil for a couple minutes. Season with salt. Add all remaining ingredients (except shrimp) and simmer for 15 minutes. Add shrimp and allow to simmer gently for 5-7 minutes. Or, until the shrimp are fully cooked.
With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp and serve with rustic bread.
(After lunch, strain sauce and reserve for use in cioppino, soup or as the base of a future sauce.)
I confess. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. If I’m in the mood for an orange pie, I’ll pick sweet potato every time. When I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner, pumpkin pie rarely makes the cut. I love pumpkin in and with pasta, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake… you get the idea. So, why not pie? I guess I’d rather make a simple (barely sweet) pudding out of my pumpkin. A pumpkin pudding that goes something like this…
Pumpkin Pudding
makes one large casserole
4 cups pumpkin, roasted til tender & pureed
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
After pureeing your roasted pumpkin in a food processor, add all remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Pour pudding into a large, buttered casserole. Bake for 1 hour and 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
This barely sweet pudding works as a side dish or dessert. To make this a dessert, top spoonfuls of pudding with cinnamon scented whipped cream.
Not sweet enough for you? Add more sugar.
Two species of chrysanthemum are used for chrysanthemum tea. They range in color from white to yellow. The flavor of each is unique. Sweet florals dominate the taste with a touch of delicate lemon in the background. Very little sugar is needed to make the perfect cup of chrysanthemum tea. So, it’s a favorite of mine.
Chrysanthemum tea is said to be a cooling tea that aids in cooling the body and regulating body temperature. It’s a great tea if you have a bit of the flu or a sore throat. But, I’m not waiting to get sick to drink this lovely tea. It’s perfect with dim sum, breakfast and dessert. As a matter of fact, it’s great any time of day. Give it a try!
Goji berries can be added for flavor and additional health benefits. But, they tend to add a sour taste that I’m not crazy about. So, you won’t find goji berries in my teapot.
Chrysanthemum Tea
1 pot
1/2 cup chrysanthemum blossoms
1 tsp goji berries, optional
sugar, to taste
Fill one glass teapot with water. Bring to a boil. At the boil, reduce heat to barely a simmer and add your blossoms (and goji berries, if desired). Keep tea at a bare simmer for 3 minutes. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar to teapot. Give a gentle stir, then, strain your tea into your serving teapot.
Traditionally, it wouldn’t be uncommon to fill the teapot a second time with water. Bring the water and chrysanthemum blossoms to a simmer. Then, simmer for three or four minutes. The second pot of tea yields a lighter, more diluted tea. Try it, if you like.
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