First Look, Then Cook

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

Published on October 30, 2009October 30, 2009 by Dawn3 Comments

I just love it when I have some leftover pumpkin in the refrigerator, and it just so happens that I find a recipe that calls for exactly that amount. I had to make either a cake or cupcakes for the annual Boo Ridge event at my daughter’s school. I have to admit that I live for these requests. Someone is asking me to bake – not just asking, pleading. I just wish I had time to bake more! I found this recipe, which I adapted slightly, in this month’s Bon Appetit. We had leftover Halloween sprinkles left over from the cupcakes my daughter made the other week with her grandmother, so I was set. These cupcakes were divine – but the frosting, wow. Cream cheese frosting gets me every time. It is so simple, yet so ridiculously good. The combination with the pumpkin cupcakes was perfect. I am actually shoving one in my mouth as I am writing this now. I saved a few out for us to enjoy, I just couldn’t give them all away. Happy Halloween!!!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
decorative sprinkles

Special Equipment: Mini muffin pans 13/4×1-inch paper liners

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 mini muffin cups with 1 3/4x 1-inch paper liners. Mix flour, golden brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. Whisk egg, canned pure pumpkin, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Add mixture to dry ingredients; stir to fully combine. Spoon batter into paper liners (batter will almost fill liners). Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on rack.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar. Chill frosting 2 hours or until firm enough to easily spread. Frost cupcakes; decorate using sprinkles or candy as desired.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Published on October 28, 2009October 31, 2009 by Dawn8 Comments

One of my daughter’s friends has a special place in my heart – aside from being a fantastic kid, he thinks I am a good cook. He first said this when he was 5 years old, which I think is a huge compliment given how picky kids are at that age. Besides the quesadillas I make though, he was talking about the desserts we always have in the house when he comes over for dinner. He is what I call a purest. He likes chocolate, and likes milk, but doesn’t like chocolate milk. He likes peanuts and likes butter, but doesn’t like peanut butter. So, needless to say, I was always a little worried that he wouldn’t like the desserts I would make, because I am always trying new stuff. One night he burst into tears because he didn’t like what I made – good thing that didn’t happen often. So, last year when I first made this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – I was definitely worried that he wouldn’t like the combo. He even looked skeptical when I handed it to him after dinner – but he took a bite, and got a big smile on his face. He even asked for seconds – and his mom, who hates to cook – asked for the recipe!

This is super easy to make – you don’t even need a mixer – it is all done by hand. This recipe really came from the Pumpkin Walnut Bread in The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet. I just switched walnuts for chocolate chips, and I think it was a very good choice – everyone loves chocolate chips. The bread is very mild in flavor, which works perfectly with the chocolate.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper that extends 1″ beyond the edge of both sides of the pan (this is to easily remove the loaf from the pan).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, and salt until thoroughly blended. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and the water together. Add the sugar and whisk until combined. Then add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla and whisk until blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture into the pan and cook for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean all the way through. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the bread and place directly on a rack to continue to cool. Stores very well wrapped in plastic for a couple of days.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Roasted Pork with Fennel

Published on October 26, 2009 by Dawn1 Comment

In my opinion, fennel is the most underrated vegetable there is. I discovered fennel a few years ago, and have been hooked ever since. It is contagious too – I remember telling a good friend of mine about the roasted fennel I made, so she made it one night. She was hooked, and couldn’t get enough of it. Yes, it is on the more expensive side, but so well worth it – especially when roasted with pork. This is one of my favorite recipes from Gourmet – even though it only came out about 9 months ago, I have made it at least a few times. The crushed fennel seed rub on the pork really knocks it out of the park. I have adapted the recipe slightly for temperature and cooking time.

Ingredients

1 tsp fennel seeds (or better yet, ground fennel)
1 lb. pork tenderloin
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, reserving fronds
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 C dry white wine
1/2 C reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 with rack in middle.

Crush fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle if you feel like your arms need a good work-out. If you are lucky enough to have a mini-cuisinart, use this to grind the seeds – also, a coffee grinder would work as well – just don’t plan on grinding coffee in it afterwards. If you can find ground fennel seeds in the store – you just won the jack-pot.

Pat pork dry, then sprinkle with crushed fennel seeds and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cut fennel bulbs lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges.

Heat oil in a 12-inch oven-proof heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown pork on all sides, about 6 minutes total, then transfer to a plate. Sauté garlic and fennel wedges in skillet until fennel is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then stir in broth and butter. Put pork on top of fennel and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145 to 150°F, about 25 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer skillet to stove top (handle will be hot) and boil, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice and 1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds. Thinly slice pork and serve over fennel with sauce.

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Zucchini Bread

Published on October 23, 2009November 1, 2009 by Dawn7 Comments

Years ago my college roommate sent me a cookbook created by the members of her mother’s church. I really had no idea how valuable this cookbook was. Of course I was thrilled, at this point in my life I was trying to build my library of cookbooks – and branch out from the Moosewood Cookbook and Fanny Farmer. I realized later on in life that these types cookbooks are like a treasure hunt. Many people send in their best recipes – you just have to find them. Well, I found one in this cookbook that I have been making for over 15 years – Zucchini Bread. Every person that tries this bread is a fan. I love this recipe because it makes two breads, one to eat immediately, and one to freeze for later. For best freezer results, cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap first, then in foil.

This recipe comes from Dorothy Cochran published in the Shared Blessings cookbook.

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups zucchini, skins on and shredded
1 T vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation

Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Zucchini Bread

Gingerbread Bars

Published on October 21, 2009 by Dawn12 Comments

I love gingerbread; my favorite is when it comes right out of the oven with a carmelized top, and just melts in your mouth. The combination of all those fall spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves is just beautiful. I was going to make my usual standby gingerbread recipe, when I came accross this one printed in Bon Appetit. It is a cross between a brownie and cake – but more on the brownie side. I used a 13×9 pan because I didn’t have a 15×10, and they worked out just fine – just don’t sprinkle as much flour/sugar on top. They stored very well in an airtight container in the pantry for a few days.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
7 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1/4 cup light (unsulfured) molasses

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Place 2 cups flour in medium bowl; transfer 2 tablespoons flour to small bowl and reserve. Add spices, baking soda, and salt to flour in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then molasses. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat to blend. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Sift reserved 2 tablespoons flour evenly over batter, then sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake gingerbread until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes; cool completely in pan on rack. Cut gingerbread crosswise into 4 strips, then cut each strip into 6 pieces, forming 24 bars, each about 31/2×13/4 inches. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead.Store airtight at room temperature.

For a printer friendly version of this reciple, click here.

Garden-Rice Casserole

Published on October 19, 2009 by Dawn8 Comments

It was the last big harvest of the year – and I ended up with too many vegetables in the refrigerator. In combination with our CSA market basket, we were overflowing. When this happens, there is really only one thing to make – Garden-Rice Casserole. This recipe is yours to customize any way you want – I never make it the same way twice, because it always depends on the vegetables I have on hand. If you don’t have something I list below, just substitute it for something you do have – there are really no bad combinations. You could add shredded chicken to this, cooked ground turkey, the sky is the limit! If anyone makes this, do me a favor and comment on your substitutions. Hopefully you will think this is as foolproof as I do.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green or red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 zucchini, shredded with skins on
2 cups carrots, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 T fresh dill, chopped
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus 2 T
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and peppers and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add shredded carrots, zucchini and salt and cook until soft, about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and cool.

In a separate bowl, mix together dill, rice, cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and bread crumbs. Add cooled vegetables and mix carefully. Add beaten eggs just until combined.

Spread mixture into a glass baking dish covered in cooking spray – I use a 10×10 square, but an 8 1/2 x11 would work as well. Sprinkle the remaining 2 T of parmesan cheese over the top. Bake until bubbly for 30-45 minutes. Broil for the last couple minutes until nicely browned on top.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Garden rice casserole

Pear Crisp

Published on October 16, 2009October 16, 2009 by Dawn2 Comments

I’m not sure how we ended up with so many pears in the house this week, but we did. I really wanted to make a gingerbread pear cake, but the recipe only called for one pear – and we had at least 6 that I needed to bake with or else they would go bad. So, I searched and searched until I found a recipe I was satisfied with that used a lot of pears. Somehow, I managed to find an amazing recipe – one that I will definitely make again – even if I don’t have a lot of pears to get rid of. This recipe comes from Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, WA. I know why the head chef there won a James Beard award – she knows what she is doing. If you do not have a vanilla bean handy, you need to go to the store and get one (hopefully from the bulk foods section) because this is definitely the key to this delicious crisp. Also – same goes for the apple brandy, just call all your neighbors, one of them is bound to have some. Then give them a crisp in return…although they are so good you may not want to part with any.

Ingredients

For topping

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole almonds with skin, unsalted
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 lb firm-ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears (about 6), peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons pear brandy or eau-de-vie

Equipment: 6 (8-ounce) gratin dishes or shallow ramekins

Preparation

Make topping:
Pulse together flour, almonds, brown sugar, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and pulse just until blended. Coarsely crumble in a shallow baking pan and chill at least 1 hour.

Make filling and bake crisps:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan, then add pod and butter and cook over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes.

While butter browns, stir together sugars, flour, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add pears and brandy and toss to combine.

Discard vanilla pod, then toss butter with pear mixture. Spoon filling into gratin dishes and sprinkle with topping, mounding it slightly in centers. Put in a shallow baking pan and bake 30 minutes, then rotate baking sheet and bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool to warm or room temperature on a rack.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Pear Crisp

Cranberry Almond Granola

Published on October 14, 2009October 14, 2009 by Dawn2 Comments

This granola recipe is becoming a staple in our house – it is certainly a staple in my mother’s house. Whenever we come to visit, we can always count on a big tin of granola to eat throughout our stay. You can have it for breakfast with milk, for lunch with yogurt, and for dessert after dinner with ice-cream. Yes, I seem to focus my meals around the granola… Of course my kids just like it plain – and so do I – it is the perfect snack food. What I also love about this granola is how easy it is to substitute your favorite dried fruit or nuts. I highly suggest the slivered almonds though because they are so thin that they stick nicely to the oats. Instead of dried cranberries – I used Trader Joes Dried Berry Medley. This granola stays crunchy for days – especially when stored in a tin. This is my mother’s recipe – enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup pecan halves
1/3 cup frozen concentrated cranberry juice cocktail, thawed
3 T brown sugar, packed
3 T canola oil
3 T honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 C dried cranberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 convection, 350 regular.

Bake on parchment lined half sheet pan. Combine oats, almonds, and pecans in large bowl. Combine juice, brown sugar, oil, honey, cinnamon and allspice in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour hot syrup over oat mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Bake carefully for 10 minutes. Mix the granola, and add the dried fruit. Bake 5 minutes more until toasted looking. The granola will not be crunchy at this point – and that’s good. Remove and press down on the granola to flatten out, using additional parchment paper so it doesn’t stick to your hands.

Let it cool – and store in a tin container for best results.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Cranberry Almond Granola

Olive Oil Cake

Published on October 12, 2009October 14, 2009 by Dawn2 Comments

When I saw the recipe for this cake, I just couldn’t imagine what an olive oil cake would taste like – in my mind it was still made with butter. I love olive oil, and just couldn’t resist making it. I was not disappointed. The texture was wonderful, and the orange peel paired beautifully with the olive oil flavor. This cake definitely wants to be eaten with a good strong cup of coffee. Make sure you use a mild olive oil or else it will definitely overpower the rest of the ingredients. This recipe comes from Manhattan’s Abraco Coffee Shop, and was printed in Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup mild-flavored organic olive oil
2 tsp finely grated orange peel

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325F. Oil and flour 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, olive oil, and orange peel in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk egg mixture into dry ingredients. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Invest pan to remove cake. Cool completely, top side up.

For a printer friendly recipe, click here: Olive Oil Cake

Beef Stew

Published on October 10, 2009October 15, 2009 by Dawn4 Comments

Beef Stew

This week I lost a close friend. It faithfully followed me around the country, and showed up in my mailbox every month for almost 20 years. I would flip through the pages looking at the beautiful pictures, imagining that I would make everything every month. Ok, well that never happened, but I did manage to create quite a notebook filled with my favorite Gourmet recipes over the years. When Ruth Reichtl took over as Editor for the magazine, I couldn’t have been more pleased – I read most of her books, and looked forward to reading her columns each month.

November will be the last issue for the magazine, and I am still in denial. I know that when December comes, I will be expecting the issue with the delicious cookies on the cover. I will just have to go to my notebook and find my favorites. Over the next few weeks look for recipes on my blog in honor of Gourmet – I may even pull out some of my all-time favorites.

This is my mother’s recipe for Beef Stew. This is a perfect meal for a cool fall day. This recipe is a little different from a typical Beef Stew recipe in that it is made with chicken stock and white wine, as opposed to beef stock and red wine. This gives the stew a lighter and sweeter flavor, making it perfect for the fall. As with most stews – it is even better leftover.

Ingredients

2-1/2 lbs. chuck shoulder roast, cut into 1-1/2” cubes, trimmed well
S & P TT (I use kosher salt and freshly ground peppercorns)
½ C All Purpose flour
3 T vegetable oil
2 C sweet onions, cut into 1” cubes
2 C carrots, cut into 1” lengths
12 baby red potatoes, cut in half
2 T tomato paste
2 C white wine (I use a mild wine like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc)
2 C low sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson but strong homemade broth would be better)
3 tsp fresh thyme

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325-350 degrees.

Salt and Pepper the beef. Place flour in plastic bag and add the seasoned beef. Shake bag to coat the beef. Remove beef, shaking off excess flour, and place beef on a plate.

Preheat a large, heavy dutch oven on top of stove on medium-high heat. Add oil and when shimmering, add beef. Do not crowd beef. Brown beef well on all sides and remove to a plate, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Repeat this process with the remainder of the beef, removing beef to the plate when finished. Add more oil if necessary. Be careful not to let the browned bits on the bottom of the pot burn, regulating the burner as necessary. When the all of the beef is finished browning, pour off all but 2 T oil.

Add onions and carrots to dutch oven. Salt and pepper the onions and carrots. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Remember; do not let browned bits burn on bottom of pan. Add the tomato paste to the onions and carrots and stir to coat. Add wine to dutch oven, bringing to a boil, stirring and scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the dutch oven. Reduce the wine by one half. Add the chicken stock to the dutch oven and stir. Add beef and the potatoes to the dutch oven and stir to combine. Liquid should come up to a few inches below the level of the beef and vegetables. Bring the stew to a boil.

Cover dutch oven tightly and place onto the middle rack of the preheated oven and cook gently for about 2 hours or until the beef is very tender. Remove beef stew to a cooling rack, correct seasonings, and add the fresh thyme, gently stirring. Let the beef stew cool, uncovered for an hour on the counter, then refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to serve, remove the beef stew from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about ½ hour. Gently reheat beef stew in a preheated 350 degree oven until heated through, about 45 minutes. You can keep beef stew in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Some say that it is better left-over.

Serves 4

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Beef Stew

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