Happy Thanksgiving!

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is eating the pumpkin pie. I like turkey, ham, stuffing and potatoes, but it's all just "filler" until we get to the pumpkin pie - straight up, no ice cream or whipped cream. I let others have their pie with all that creamy accouterments, but I like mine neat, all by itself. I love the spicy flavor - it doesn't need anything else for me.

My recipe for pumpkin pie starts with the instructions on the can of Libby's pumpkin - that requires 2 eggs, a can of canned milk, a small amount of salt ....but then I add more. Much more. About three times the cinnamon (or more if I'm feeling cinnamony), at least 2 times the recommended amounts for ginger and cloves, and then I add a half teaspoon of allspice and a hefty grind from my nutmeg grinder. A spoonful of good vanilla gives the pie a nice aroma.

I substitute brown sugar for the white sugar (and if I'm dieting, I use half brown sugar and half splenda) and then I add another egg (using 3 in all) and about a 1/4 cup of half n half (if dieting, omit the cream and use fat free canned milk and 4 egg whites) .

I also like to gussy up the crust - using festive autumn pie crust cutters. Because I use more egg and more liquid, the pie pan I use is a bit larger than the usual smallish metal pie pan. I think it's supposed to be used for an apple pie but I rarely make that...I'm a pumpkin pie person. This is not a pie for those people faint of tongue...don't try this unless you like spicy sweet things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Final delivery! lots of okra...which I still haven't come to "love" yet.

I may try roasted okra slices. Tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, then roasted til crunchy. OR batter fried.

I'm told that okra is very healthy for you..but I miss the lovely burpless cukes, the crunchy yardlong beans, the honeydew, cantelopes and tomatoes that were part of the delivery during the early summer season.

Tomorrow will be my last "summer" organic vegetable delivery. I have not yet decided if I will sign up for the winter deliveries as the vegetable list includes a lot of things that I am not really fond of. Or as my mother would say "I'm not fussy about those". Okra, Kale, turnip greens, to name a few.

Maybe I should broaden my horizons? Any suggestions?

Here's a link to the winter delivery description:

Scott Arbor Farms

Enjoy the fall weather!

Pear & dried Cherry sweet gallette

One of my favorite fall desserts to make is this recipe for a pear and dried cherry gallette, particularly now when the pears are filling the produce aisles and you can choose from many different types of pears. This pastry recipe works nicely with ripe juicy pears that give off a lot of gooey juice, as the dried cherries soak up quite a bit of the flavorful juice. This gallette recipe is actually quite easy to make. Sometimes, you may thing that it is not forming up exactly as you wish it to do (like it did for me today) but don't be afraid -- it always turns out fine, and you can't mess it up. Even if it looks a bit messy, it always tastes delicious.

Sweet pastry dough:

2 cups flour (use a soft flour, but not cake flour)
1/2 c butter (1 stick), cold but cut into about 8 chunks
1/2 c confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 egg

To mix: 

Using a Cuisinart with the knife blade attachment, pulse the flour and butter for a minute until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. (Alternately, you can cut in the butter and the flour with either 2 knives or with a pastry cutter).  Add the powdered sugar and pulse once or twice. Add the egg and pulse until just mixed, do not overmix. You will have what looks like crumbs.  Pour the crumbs into a bowl and knead a few times with your hands until you can form a ball. Flatten the ball into a round disc. Today I tried to make 3 smallish gallettes, so I made 3 smaller discs. Hint: it's easier to make this with only 1 disc, 1 pear gallette. I'm not sure why!! Wrap the disc (s) in plastic and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Pear & Dried Cherry filling:

4 large firm but ripe pears, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup dried cherries
1 Tbls cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toss the pears and the next 5 ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Let stand for 1 hour.

Have ready:

3 Tbls butter, softened
1 egg, beaten with:
2 Tbls water

1 Tbls sugar


Preheat the oven to 375F. Roll the pastry into a 12 inch circle on a floured piece of parchment paper. Trim the edges to be smooth and regular. Try to make sure that the disc of dough is of a uniform consistency.  Spread 2 T of the soft butter onto the dough and spread in an 8 inch circle in the center of the disc. Spoon the pears and cherries in the center of the 8 inch circle, reserving the juices. (Or, if you made 3 small ones, roll each dough disc out to be a 6 inch circle, spread the butter on the inner 3 -4 inches, spread 1/3 of the pears/cherries onto each circle.) Fold the edge of the pastry up partially over the edge of the pear filling; pleating the pastry carefully. Try not to crack the pastry, particularly at the bottom of the gallette so that the juices will not leak out. Slide the pastry carefully (which is still on the parchment paper) onto a cookie sheet.  Once you've carefully moved the pastry to the cookie sheet pour the reserved juices in the middle and top with the remaining 1 Tbls of butter.

Whisk the egg and the water in a small bowl. Carefully brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash, and sprinkle the washed pastry with 1 Tbls sugar on the edges.

Bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until pastry is golden brown and juices are bubbly. Don't worry if the juices leak out, I've never been able to make one with no leaked juices, but they still taste great! You can see from my picture that they didn't turn out as pretty as I would have liked, but they tasted great. Next time I make these, if they turn out prettier, I'll upload a better picture. You can see that I also ran out of parchment paper so I had to bake them directly on the jelly roll pan, and they did stick badly. Next time I won't forget!

Let stand to cool for 30 minutes and serve warm or cool. Warm, serve with ice cream, cold, serve with whipped cream.

Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Gallette

Butternut squash has been very plentiful lately, but recently I have become very tired of the usual: butternut squash soup, roasted butternut squash, or squash casserole. Yummy, all, but I was bored with the tried and true.

Happily, I found a recipe for a "Butternut Squash & Carmelized Onion Gallette" on a foodie site: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/butternut-squash-and-caramelized-onion-galette/

With squash on the counter and few ideas, I decided to try the recipe. The pictures on the site of the dish weren't terribly inspiring but I thought, I'll give it a go.

It was delicious and very tasty, but I thought that I could make the recipe simpler and also make the gallette much prettier than the one on the site. See my finished product, above.

NOTES: you can use more or less squash, depending on what you have, but when I made the recipe once with only 1 medium sized squash, it wasn't as good as when I used 2 medium squash. Also, don't forget the sugar, I did, once, and it really made a difference!

Here's  my recipe:

Butternut Squash and Carmelized Onion Gallette:


Ingredients:


For crust:
1 1/4 cups flour (I used unbleached whole wheat pastry flour, but any wheat flour will do)
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 Tbs) very cold butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup ice water (put an ice cube in a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, then fill with cold water up to 1/4/cup)
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (cut a lemon in half, dump the seeds and squeeze a teaspoon from each half)




For Filling:
1 large butternut squash OR 2 small butternut squash, peeled (I used a veggie peeler), seeded and cut into small, 1/2 inch chunks
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt


One very large white or yellow sweet onion (cut in half, then sliced very thin into half moon slices. The thinner the better)
2 Tbs butter (not margarine)
1/8 tsp sugar

2 tsps fresh sage, chopped fine
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 cup baby swiss cheese (or fontina, or your favorite melting but strong cheese), cut into very small chunks or grated.


1)  Mix pastry crust:  Mix sour cream and lemon juice into the cold water, stir until no lumps of cream appear. Place flour, salt and butter chunks into a cuisineart with the sharp blade in the bowl. Pulse until the butter is incorporated and the flour is crumbly. (If you don't have a cuisineart, cut the butter into the flour/salt mix with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until crumbly). Pour the liquid into the cuisineart and pulse until all flour is wet, but DO NOT overmix. (By hand, pour liquid into a well in the center of the flour, mix with a fork making sure that all flour is wet, but don't over mix). Place in a plastic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.


2) a: Make squash filling: Preheat oven to 375F.  Mix squash chunks with the olive oil to coat, sprinkle on the 1 tsp salt. Line a flat pan or sheet with either foil or parchment paper, and layer the chunks in one layer on the pan. Roast in oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until fork tender but not too soft. Roast longer with bigger chunks, less time with smaller chunks.


2) b: Caramelize the Onions: Melt 2 Tbs butter in a medium frying pan, then add the onions. Over medium heat, cook the onions, stirring often, until they are nicely browned and caramelized. Add sugar, cayenne pepper and sage. Leave onions in frying pan but remove from heat.


3) When squash is done, remove from oven and dump the squash into the unheated frying pan with the onions and spices. Stir to mix the onions carefully with the squash. Add the cheese and mix to incorporate all the items evenly. ( I prefer to sprinkle the cheese onto the top of the mound of squash before making the dough border, then the cheese melts down into the squash).


4) Form pastry crust:  Place the cold pastry dough on a well floured very flat surface, turn to coat well with flour, and form with your hands into a round flat disc, about 5 inched wide and 1 inch in depth.  Roll dough into a uniformly flat 12 inch circle. Try to make sure that your edges are not too flat, roll from center out and don't press too hard as your rolling pin gets to the edges. Turn dough over at least once as you roll, and continue dusting with flour so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin or surface.  Dough will snap back a bit, so if you make an edge too thin or raggedy, push the edge in towards the center with your fingers and lightly roll over the edge to make uniform. 

5) Preheat oven to 400F.  Place a piece of parchment paper about 12 inches square on a flat cookie sheet.  Fold dough in half, then in half again (triangle shaped) and carefully place on the parchment paper, placing the point of the folded dough exactly in the center of the paper. Unfold the dough carefully, stretching if needed to make a good circle.

6) Mound the onion/squash mix into the center of the circle of dough, leaving 1 to 2 inches of dough uncovered. Fold the dough up and around the edges of the squash filling, making a border of dough around an open interior of squash. Pleate the dough carefully over the sides of the squash mound to make the dough border. Hint: if you have thin edges, fold the thin edges into a thicker pleat and leave the thicker edges unpleated or loosely pleated.


 Here's what it should look like before baking, below:

7) Bake @ 400F 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from sheet onto a plate. To serve, cut in wedges. Can be either reheated in a hot oven (10 minutes) or microwaved later. Enjoy!

Chinese long beans and squash casserole....oh and Melons!

Today's organic produce delivery (I subscribed to an organic weekly delivery, see last week's post for details about Scott Arbor Farms www.scottarbor.com) came to me with a big bag of 2 Honeydew melons...and the yard long beans with which I have fallen in love.  Also 2 nice butternut squash, another burpless cuke and some various colored peppers and more shallots. Oh and a large Tatume and a small yellow squash. I plan to make the yard long beans using a Chinese stir fry recipe and a squash casserole, using the yellow and tatume squash and onions (maybe some cheese, too?)  See recipes below the pictures...

I cut up all the rest of the squash, peppers and onions along with a couple of potatoes and I have them marinating in the fridge in my favorite roasted vegetable marinade (see my post a few weeks ago for that recipe). Tomorrow I'll have baby back ribs and roasted veggies. Right now, hubby and I are typing away on the laptops and munching from a shared bowl of melon...Yum!

Squash saute with onions, sweet peppers and cheese:
2 to 3 pounds summer squash (yellow, tatume, zucchini)
1 to 2 Tbls olive oil (if you aren't afraid of the fat, and like the flavor, use bacon fat, my favorite for taste!)
2 small shallots, chopped
1 small red or yellow sweet pepper, seeds and membrane removed, diced.
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese (swiss, cheddar, parmesan, whatever you have!)

1) Rinse squash. Scrape or cut rind off of squash if using squash with a heavy rind (tatume: I used a carrot peeler), and cut zucchini and yellow squash into 50 cent size pieces, tatume into 3/8 inch thick (or thinner) squares or rounds. Try to make the pieces uniformly thick/thin so that you don't have overcooked and undercooked pieces once they are done. Since zucchini and yellow squash cook faster, I cut them into slices with a knife, not too thin.  I used a mandoline to slice the tatume squash very thin.

2) Measure fat or oil into pan, heat, and stir fry the onions and sweet pepper until limp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add smashed garlic piece.

3) Add squash to pan and stir fry until fat is uniformly spread out over squash.  Sprinkle salt and grind fresh pepper over squash, cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook, stirring occasionally 8 to 15 minutes until done. (Cook more if you made your squash pieces thick, cook less if you cut them very thin.)

4) Uncover pan, stir squash and sprinkle cheese over squash. Cover and cook for a minute or 2 more just to melt the cheese.

Chinese Long Beans:
1 to 2 pounds Yard Long Beans, rinsed and cut into2 to 3 inch pieces
1 Tbls peanut oil

1Tbls garlic, chopped
1 Tbls ginger root, chopped
2 scallions (green onions) white and light green parts only, chopped
1 Tbls soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt; pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili paste (or a few sprinkles of ground chili powder)
1 Tbls peanut oil

1) Heat 1 Tbls oil and stir fry beans (keep them moving with 2 spoons) until shriveled/puckered, anywhere fro 5 to 15 minutes, depending on their thickness and your "done" preference.  Remove beans from pan to serving dish.

2) Heat 1 Tbls oil and add garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir fry less than a minute, then add chili. Return beans to pan, add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry until most of liquid has been absorbed and beans are heated through.

Enjoy!

Local Summer squash

Today, just after I had picked up my weekly organic produce delivery, I met a friend and gave away the eggplant, the basil and some peppers before I had a chance to take a photo of this week's vegetables.

Next week my plan is to take a picture before giving half away! The weekly delivery has proven so bountiful that I am forced to give a lot away -- Dan & I can't eat it all.  Tonight we will have the tatume squash, the cucumber and the peppers; I think I'll give the butternut to my daughter to fix this week. Next week I should get a melon or 2! I was disappointed that we didn't receive any of the yard long beans, those were scrumptious.

For those who haven't read my blog before, I signed up and paid a group of local organic farmers for a weekly stash of summer organic vegetables and sometimes melons each Saturday morning. The produce is fresh, local, organic, and delicious. Sometime in September or October, we can sign up for the winter produce, which of course I plan to do.

By the way, for those who live in the San Antonio area, the group that delivers the produce can be reached at:  Scott Arbor Farms

Summer bounty & Roasted vegetables

I recently signed up (and paid) to receive a weekly bounty of organic, local vegetables and sometimes fruit. The first week they surprised me a huge bag of squash, colorful sweet peppers, shallots, zucchinis and squashes and with 5 (FIVE!) melons...one beautiful honeydew and 4 cantelopes. That week I marinated and roasted all the veggies and ate the melons for dessert. Oh yes, and I gave away 3 of the melons. Dan & I can't eat that much melon, although we tried! This week's delivery included a delicious white cucumber, a long "burpless" cuke and a big eggplant. I took this picture after I had already cut and stir fried all the yellow squash and ate the cucumbers. I forgot to take pictures of the squash!

Here's my favorite roasted vegetable recipe:

Rinse and cut into large chunks any combination of sweet peppers, onions, potatoes (any kind: yams, new, yukons) squash, zucchini, carrots, baby corn. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Chunks should be anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in diameter, but try to keep them all uniform, with the exception of zucchini and squash which you should cut a bit larger than the rest, as they cook faster.

Marinade:

1/3 cup sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey (or brown sugar)
5 or 6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped

Mix the marinade ingredients in a large plastic baggie that can be sealed, or place in a large resealable leftover container (ziplock bags or tupperware). Add all the veggies into your bag or container and marinade for at least 8 hours, but overnight is better.

Preheat oven to 350F (190C) Cover the bottom of a large roasting pan with parchment paper.  If you don't have a roasting pan, a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) or a lasagne pan works fine. Place the veggies in the pan in one layer, without overlapping any veggies, and toss the marinade down the drain.

Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour  until all the veggies are nicely browned and soft. If the veggies were cut smaller, they may be done in less time; larger veggies, more time. Turn the veggies after about 30 minutes to roast all the sides of the pieces.

Blueberries! Muffins and Pie....

Blueberries are in season now - sweet, tangy and full of antioxidants. Blueberry crumble, blueberry pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry clafouti....make your favorite now! The cold winter with lots of rain, followed by a long cool spring and finally a hot summer, helped the berries to ripen beautifully and they are so good right now.

When fresh blueberries are in season, I like to buy lots of them. I keep a few (of the biggest) on the table for snacking, bake a few into my favorite pastry, and freeze the rest. Blueberries freeze wonderfully - just don't wash them to death. Rinse them lightly, and dry completely before bagging and freezing.

When I was growing up in Seattle, my father kept 2 large blueberry bushes in the back yard. He had to drape a net of sorts over the tops of the bushes to keep the birds from stealing the bounty. During the season, if I had a hankering for blueberries, I'd go out back, stick my head under the net and pick the berries and eat them right off the bush. Then I'd pick a cup or so to use in making blueberry muffins. Here's my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins:

Blueberry muffins:
Preheat oven to 400F (200C)

Mix together in a large bowl: 
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar (or half sugar/half Splenda or Stevia)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsps Baking powder

Beat in a small bowl:
2 eggs

Add to the eggs:
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (or use 1 cup plain yogurt)

NOTE: 1/4 cup melted butter if using buttermilk or yogurt, increase sugar to 1/2 cup

1/4 cup melted butter

Combine the liquids into the dry ingredients with a few folding strokes.  After one or 2 strokes, 

Add: 

1 full cup fresh Blueberries

Important:  Do not overmix, or else muffins will be tough. It's ok to have lots of lumps.

Place paper muffin cups into the muffin pan OR liberally grease the cups. Blueberries are notoriously sticky and juicy, it is recommended to spray the muffin cups with nonstick spray. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with dough.  NOTE: if a crumble topping is desired, make the crumble topping for the pie recipe, below, and divide evenly among the muffins, placing the crumbs on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size of muffin. Makes 12 medium or 6 very large muffins.

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Blueberry pie takes a lot of berries (5 cups!) and is best with a very sweet dough but with not too much sugar mixed in with the berries.

To keep the sugar calories low, use half sugar and half Splenda or Stevia mixed with the berries and the topping. Small amounts of cinnamon and lemon zest add a bit of punch to the flavor.  I prefer a pie with a crumble crust, and to make it healthy, I use whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats with either hemp seeds or flax meal.

Berry antioxidants and Omega 3's in a dessert! you can't beat that for taste and health.

Blueberry Pie with crumble topping:

Sweet pie pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
Using a food processor with the knife blade attached, process the flour and the butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Add the sugar and pulse briefly. Add the egg and pulse just until mixed, do NOT overprocess. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and knead briefly until a ball forms. Dough should be soft but not sticky. NOTE: if you are using older or very dry flour, you may need to add a few drops of water but only to make the ball form. Wrap ball in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Filling:
5 cups blueberries, picked over and lightly washed and drained
3/4 cup sugar (OR 1/4 & 1/8 cup sugar with 1/4 & 1/8 cup Splenda or Stevia)
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp grated lemon zest

Crumble topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup rolled oats (OR 1/2 cup rolled oats & 1/4 cup Flax meal & 1/4 cup Hemp seeds)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 to 8 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

Preheat oven to 375F (190C).

Directions:


Crust:  Place a large square of parchment paper (12 inches square or bigger) onto a level surface. Place chilled pie crust in the middle of the square and rolling out from the center, evenly roll crust to fit your pie pan. Lift the parchment paper and crust from one end and fold in half. Lifting the folded crust from the parchment paper, carefully place onto the half of the piepan, then carefully redrape the folded half onto the rest of the pan. Smooth down into the pan, being careful not to tear the crust. Cut the edges uniformly and using your fingers, fold the edges of the crust under and pinch to form a design that will hold the juices into the pan. NOTE: if your pie pan tends to stick to crusts when cooked, make a parchment layer for the pie pan. Cut 2 parchment paper rounds, 1 round about 1 inch bigger than your pie pan circumference, the smaller one, the same as the bottom of the pan. Fold the bigger one in half and then in half again, and snip the 4 folded edges with scissors about half way to the middle. Place in the pie pan, folding the snipped parts over each other to fit. Place the small one in the bottom of the pan. Carefully drape the crust over the paper and cut the edges of the paper to fit the pan after you've formed the crust edges.

Filling: mix all the ingredients for the berry filling in a medium size bowl and pour into the pie crust filled pan.


Crumble topping:  Place all ingredients into the same medium bowl that you used for the berry filling. Microwave for 20 to 40 seconds to melt the butter, watching carefully to not over cook! mix thoroughly with a spoon or fork. Crumble the topping over the berries in the crust, evenly distributing over the top of the berries.


Bake:  40 to 50 minutes in preheated center of the oven, until browned on top and crust appears lightly browned and done. Cool over a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Cupcakes!

I love to bake. I like to bake more than I like to cook. Cakes and cupcakes are a lot more fun to make than a pot roast, and you can even decorate the cupcakes for the season. A chunk of meat is, well, just a chunk of cooked meat, even if it is tasty.

When my children were small, I had an L shaped kitchen with a bar to the side where they would perch on the stools and lean over the counter to help me mix and shape cookies and of course, taste the dough. I like to think that as dough connoisseurs, we know even before something is baked if it is going to taste scrumptious. My son has become the world's best chocolate chip cookie baker; my daughter has started her own small catering business: making cupcakes for her friends for special occasions.

She's made cupcakes for weddings, valentines' day parties, little and big girl birthday parties, 

wedding showers, office parties and just for fun.

She makes red devil or carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, vanilla or lemon creme cupcakes with vanilla frosting, chocolate and chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  The cupcakes are made from scratch, never from a box. She decorates them with an eye to the type of party - but they are always delicious. Whatever the client wants, she can bake!

Here's our favorite recipe for carrot cake cupcakes. If you just want a great tasting cake, this recipe makes a wonderful single layer round cake, frosted with cream cheese frosting.

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Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

makes 8 to 10 cupcakes or 1 8-inch round cake layer

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease cupcake or muffin cups well with shortening, or place paper cupcake holders in each cup. Paper cupcake holders work best.  If preferred, cake can be baked in one round 8 inch pan, greased, and with a cut out parchment paper round placed on the bottom of the pan, also greased and floured. 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes (or single layer cake)

Mix together and reserve in a bowl:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsps cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Mix well in a large mixing bowl:

2/3 cup canola oil

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs @ room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

Grate and reserve:

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Add flour mixture to sugar & egg mix and mix lightly. Add grated carrots and

1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Fold nuts and carrots lightly until incorporated. Do not mix too much, cake will be too heavy.

Pour into prepared pan.

For cupcakes, bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For round cake, bake 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a cake rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto the cake rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Beat:

3 oz. cream cheese

With

1 1/2 Tbls. cream or half & half

1 tsp vanilla

Slowly incorporate and beat well:

1 to 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

To ice the cupcakes:

Spoon the frosting into cake decorating bags (if you don't have any of these, you can use a large ziplock bag - just spoon the frosting into the corner of one of the bags).  Snip off the tip of the bag, making a small hole (or snip the corner of the ziplock bag) to pipe the frosting onto the top of the cupcake. If you want to be more creative, snip a jagged edge on the tip or corner, the piping will not be smooth but will have swirls.  Start with a small snip/hole, if you need to go bigger, you can snip more, but if the hole is already too big, you'll have to remove the frosting into another bag.  Squeeze the frosting out of the bag in a swirling, circular fashion on top of the cupcake. Decorate with nut halves or sprinkles.  NOTE: If you want to color the frosting, spoon 1/2 of the frosting into one bag, then use food coloring to tint the remainder. Pipe the white frosting first, then spoon the tinted frosting into another bag and snip the corner with a very tiny hole for piping or writing. 

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Empanadas a la Argentina!

Argentina - land of gauchos, Malbec wine, Mate, mountains, grass fed steak - and empanadas. Breakfast in Argentina is always cafe con leche and a media luna, a buttery, flaky croissant filled with dulce de leche, or caramel. Yum.

I can't think of Argentina without wanting to taste an empanada, washed down with a full bodied Mendoza Malbec. Many countries around the world have devised some kind of pocket or mobile "lunch":  Meat pasties in Cornwall, dumplings in China, tamales in Mexico, turnovers in Ohio. Some are fried, some are baked.  Many countries in Latin America boast their own incarnation of this portable feast, but the baked empanada from Argentina remains my own personal favorite.

My good friend, Aurora, is from Mendoza, and her recipe for beef empanadas is the one printed, below. When she invites us over for dinner we arrive early so that we can all sit around the table, drink wine, talk, and help to form the empanadas. We've also made chicken empanadas, spinach empanadas, and even once, I made leek and prosciutto empanadas, which were delicious, too. Here's a picture of a spinach empanada for my vegetarian friends:

First, we suggest you buy pre-made dough discs to make the empanadas. You could make the dough yourself, roll each circle out and then make the empanadas, but I've found that unless you are really good with making and rolling out thin dough, the pre-made and pre-rolled discs work very nicely and are much easier to handle.  The pre-made discs can usually be found at many "international stores" that offer Latin and Asian foodstuffs. If you can't find them locally, you can order the ones that we use from this website: http://www.amigofoods.com/lasatapaem.html - here they can be purchased as an order of 4 packages.  We usually use one or 2 packages, then freeze the others to use later.  Thaw completely before using them to form the empanadas.  In a pinch, you could use pre-formed chinese egg roll dough discs, but they don't bake as nicely as the ones mentioned here.

The first step is to make the meat stuffing (see recipe below), and cool in the refridgerator.  We've found that cooking the meat filling the day before and leaving it to rest in the refridgerator overnight seems to allow all the flavors of the meat, onions and spices to brew together for a more tasty empanada.

When you are ready to form the empanadas, start by making 2 hard boiled eggs, cool and peel them, and slice lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices, and then cut each slice into quarters again. You should have a bunch of small thumbnail size pieces of hard boiled yellow and white. Then slice about 5 olives into 3/4 inch slices, about 4 to 6 slices from each olive. Place the sliced olives in a bowl; place the slices eggs into another small bowl.

Now comes the fun part -- Open a bottle of Mendoza Malbec to breathe and share, and have ready a few appetizers so that the workers won't be tempted to eat the sliced olives!   Place the small reserved bowls of raisins, egg and olives in the middle of a table. For each person who will be helping to make the empanadas, place a small bowl of about 1/2 cup tepid water next to a cutting board or something that will protect the table while the workers are forming the empanadas. Have ready 3 or 4 cookie sheets covered with parchment paper, to lay the empanadas on when made, for baking.

Remove the meat filling from the fridge and stir it well to evenly incorporate all the juices. Place the bowl of meat somewhere on the table where everyone is able to reach it with a few soup spoons. Hold one dough disc in the palm of your hand. Spoon a heaping tablespoon (but not too much!) of meat filling into the center of the disc, then place 1-3 raisins (if you didn't add them to the meat when you made the filling) or 1 slice of olive and 1 slice of egg in the center. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and use your finger to moisten the edges of one half side of the disc. Carefully fold the dough in half to make a crescent and seal the edges with your fingers, making a "pie crust" crimp to hold the 2 dough sides together. Some people like to just pinch them closed, but my daughter makes very nice evenly rolled crimps on the ones that she makes. It's fun to see how everyone makes a different appearing edge; it's also fun to know which ones you made and into which ones you put 4 pieces of olives! Place the formed empanada on its side on the parchment covered baking sheet, have a sip of wine, and make another one.

After the empanadas are formed and laying on the sheet, whisk an egg and a tablespoon of water in a small bowl or cup. With a pastry brush, brush the egg/water mixture only the top half of the empanada and over the crimped edge ( but not on both sides or they will stick to the parchment) so that they will brown nicely.

Bake at 400 for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. (I've heard others bake at 375 for 20 minutes) They should be nicely browned, but not pale, and not burnt. Since the filling is already cooked, the baking is done to crisp up the dough. Sometimes she makes them ahead of time, freezes them in plastic baggies, and then thaws them, sticks them all in a pan to reheat and serves them. They freeze and reheat very well, I can't really tell the difference, but Aurora says she can tell.

Aurora usually serves Empanadas with a salad (your choice!) and another favorite dish of mine, a salad of boiled new potatoes and green beans. I think she usually throws in the sliced eggs that were not used, and some dressing. Here's a picture of the salad, maybe I can get her recipe for this salad for my next blog.

To make 20 empanadas:

Ingredients:

1 large onion, sliced and cut up fine (or 2 medium)
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
1 lb ground beef (sirloin, 94%)
1 & 1/2 tsps cumin
2 tsps paprika (or more, the meat should turn a bit red when you mix it in...if it doesn't look red, use more)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (Aji molido) - or more, if you like them spicy.

1 package La Saltena empanada dough

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (can be omitted)
5 green olives, sliced - (can be omitted if you don't like olives)
20-60 raisins, depending on how much you like raisins

1 egg, whisked with 1 T water, reserved

Fry the onion in the olive oil, and before they are done, add the (optional) garlic and the ground beef.  Completely cook the meat, stirring and breaking up the meat until no pink is seen and the meat is crumbly with no big chunks. Add cumin and paprika; salt to taste. If desired, the raisins can be added at this point to plump them up. This is also a good idea if the meat appears to be very watery.  Simmer 15 minutes, uncovered.  Note: the filling is best if made the day before and left to rest and cool overnight in the fridge. When you are ready to form the empanadas, remove from the fridge and stir the mixture well to re-incorporate all the juices.

Form the empanadas as directed above, adding the raisins, olives, and/or eggs as directed. Brush one side only of the empanadas with the egg wash.

Bake 400 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Serve with a salad, or rice or potato dish. Goes well with Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon wine or a nice white tea mixed with Mate ( http://www.teavana.com/?SC=AFGI&cm_mmc=GAN-_-It%20all%20started%20when....-_-j29581893k378086-_-Primary&clickid=0004a79674e0f9ac0aec720843ca0221), my favorite is white ayurvedic/samurai mate. For wine, we like Trapiche Cabernet Sauvignon or Finca del Origen Malbec; both from Mendoza.

Dining out in Cuenca, Ecuador

When I lived in Ecuador back in the mid 70's as a Peace Corps Volunteer, "Cuisine" was not exactly a word that readily came to mind when discussing Ecuador and food.  But that has all changed, for the better, I must say. Cuenca, Ecuador is a walking and dining paradise for anyone who loves to sample fresh, local ingredients.

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Here's a picture of our favorite snack at the central old town mercado, fresh sweet corn and cheese pancakes. The corn is called "mote" and is not a sugary sweet corn, but has large, starchy hominy like kernal. The cheese is a mild, fresh cheese making the pancake a slightly salty bite with a gooey yummy inside 

Sure, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables have always been available in Ecuador, but back in the 70's the variety was much more limited....and bacon, good butter and cream were non-existent. This picture was taken at the central mercado, where they were making their own cheese that they use in the pancakes. Ecuador is so much different today, with good cuisine and great chefs are everywhere. In fact, cheesemaking has become an art in Ecuador - you can buy fresh cheese, slightly aged cheese, or sharper aged cheese. Truly aged or imported cheese can also be found in the big box stores.

Yummy Mousse de Maracuya with chocolate & bananas. Maracuya, or passion fruit, grows wild everywhere in Ecuador. Mousse de Maracuya (see recipe below) is on the dessert menu at many restaurants in Cuenca - sometimes very tart, sometimes very sweet....  This concoction was very creamy and delicious, and full of fruit and fiber. We ate this dish, along with 3 other wonderful desserts and coffee, at a lovely, modern restaurant in old town, next to a hotel. 

Here's a foto of a wall hanging made of clay, very detailed, depicting Cuenca old town, on the wall inside.

It is possible to find just about every type of food and vegetable and fruit and meat and spice that you may want to eat or cook in Ecuador. You might have to search a bit for it, but you will find it. I'm amazed at the wonderful variety that abounds in all the markets. I also love the fact that most everything is bought local and cooked fresh.  Packaged food is available, but why would you want it? 

This is a foto of our favorite Gringo meal @ Bananas restaurant in old town, and the ladies who make the wonderful freshly grated potato hash browns to order. I've tried to make them at home, they don't taste the same. Not as good. And I think I'm a good cook!Panaderias, or bread stores, are everywhere. When you walk around old town, if you pass by one of these, you can't resist the rich, yeasty aroma of the bread and pastries baking...especially in the morning. A whole bag of fresh bread, pan dulce (sugar buns) pan chocolate (bread stuffed with chocolate) and even cheese or meat stuffed buns (or plain ones, great with butter and jam) runs about a couple of dollars.

If you love roasted pork, potatoes and beer, Ecuador is the place for you. Potatoes originated in the Andes, and every color, size and type of potato can be found here. Top floor at the main mercado in old town, a plate of delicious roasted pork and potatoes with mote, a starchy hominy, is about $1.85. Pilsener, a huge bottle of cold beer is pretty cheap, too. Select a pork seller, with a big roasted pig, point to the part of meat you want, say yes to potatoes and mote, and she'll heat it up in a pan for you. Great lunch. Try the crunchy skin for a salty treat.

Or pick up some potatoes, beans and grains for a wonderful soup - or maybe some mora (blackberries) for a cobbler. 

At a favorite restaurant in Quito, next door to the Holiday Inn Express, wonderful bread appetizers with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices for dipping along with a glass of wine could have made a meal for us. But we went ahead and ordered Italian pasta dishes, anyway.

Whew! I think I'm hungry now!


Mousse de Maracuya


Combine the following 3 ingredients in a saucepan, heat until sugar dissolves and then let cool completely:
1 C passion fruit concentrate or fruit pulp (see note 1 below)
1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1 cup sugar


In a small saucepan, sprinkle
1 envelope gelatin
over
2 Tblsp water
Allow gelatin to soften in the water, about 5 minutes, then heat very slowly until it dissolves. Once it is dissolved, stir in fruit juices and sugar mixture.


Fill a large mixing bowl about half full of ice cubes. Place the saucepan with the mixture of juices and gelatin over the ice cubes.  Cool the juice mix for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be completely cooled. Or if you prefer, you can place saucepan into the refrigerator but be sure to check often to stir the mixture.


Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whip
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
until very stiff. When juice mixture is completely cooled, slowly incorporate the juice mixture into the whipped cream, folding carefully.


In a very clean large mixing bowl, whip
3 egg whites (see note 2)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the juice and whipped cream mixture.


Spoon into molds (makes 6 individual or 1 large).   Refrigerate at least 6 to 8 hours, unmold onto plates and garnish with a few maracuya seeds, a spoonful of maracuya pulp or concentrate, a dollop of whipping cream and a mint sprig. Enjoy!


note: 1)  if you can't find fresh passion fruits, frozen pulp can usually be found at international food stores. Concentrate will also work, but the flavor is best when using fresh fruit. Be sure to strain the seeds from the pulp before mixing in.  note: 2) if not using fresh, local eggs that you trust, use pasteurized eggs as the egg whites will not be cooked.

Welcome to my world of Global Cuisine

Welcome to my world of Global Cuisine! My mother was raised in Canada, my father in South Carolina. My maternal grandparents were Ukrainian, my husband is a Mexican American from Arizona. We've lived in Texas for 20 years, but I've lived at times in the Pacific Northwest, France and Ecuador.  My daughter has lived in Argentina and South Korea; our friends are from Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand and Australia, Spain and many more.

While I grew up with cream, butter, sugar and starches as my staples, my palate has expanded to include the wonderful fruits, grains, vegetables, beans, and meats that I've had the pleasure to taste during my travels around the world. My friends have helped to expand my culinary horizons to include healthy foods such as olive oil and whole grains. I love to re-create the gastronomical delights that I have sampled over the years in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy my recipes.

Spanish Grilled Shrimp


Have ready:
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled & de-veined

Blend the following ingredients in a blender until well blended:
2 tbsp. dry sherry
3 tbsp capers
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp caper liquid (from the jar)
Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 -2 tbsp.)
Grated zest from 1 lemon (about 1-2 tsp.)

Next add in a slow steady stream while blender is on:
1 cup olive oil (extra virgin is best)

Pour the marinade and the cleaned shrimp into a large plastic zippered bag (or covered dish) to marinate for 1 to 3 hours. Turn often to coat all the shrimp pieces.


Remove shrimp from marinade and grill or broil for 1-2 minutes on each side. 


Serve on a platter arranged with lemon wedges and capers. Serves 6 to 8.