Cinnamon Rolls

Unfortunately, the blog that this came from (What Geeks Eat) is down! And I didn't write the recipe down anywhere...hopefully it'll be back up soon.

Autumn Soup

Ack, it seems we missed October! Who's in charge around here anyways? Though to be honest this soup was made in October, it just took me until today to be avoiding work so hardcore that I'm posting something. I didn't actually make this, I just invented it and typed up the "recipe" and Carter made it and then I adjusted it (like I do) and we ate it. And it was awesome. Truly, truly awesome. It could easily be vegetarian if you leave out the sausage (but if you aren't sausage-averse keep it in!!). Here's how it goes:

ingredients:

3 largish potatoes, chopped (peeled if you want)

1 bunch leeks, light parts sliced (dark green parts not needed)

1 celeriac bulb, peeled and chopped

3 or 4 carrots, chopped

8+ cloves garlic

1 qt (or more) stock (chicken/turkey/pork/veggie)

chicken bouillon cube or salt

a few heavy shakes of marjoram

3 bay leaves

much black pepper

1 c. half and half (or less cream)

8in section of kielbasa or andoiulle sausage

do this:

Roast garlic, then peel them and leave whole.

In a large pot, saute leeks until they're starting to brown, then add everything but garlic and saute for a few more minutes.

Add garlic, spices, stock and then 4 or 5 cups of water until the pot is at least about half full. Simmer for 1-2 hours. When it's cooked, rescue the bay leaves and puree about half of the soup in the blender. Add cream, adjust seasonings, remove from heat.

Meanwhile: broil, grill, or otherwise cook your sausage. Cut into bite-size pieces and toss into the soup just before serving. Garnish with parsley and eat with rustic bread.

Beef Rendang

I made this like, erm, 6 months ago and just found the picture. Here's the recipe:

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/featured-recipe-coconut-braised-beef/

I'm going to be lazy and tell you that I just followed the instructions (though I halved everything) and that it was really really delicious. And went really really well with asparagus! (That's the night I made it-- I'm not sure why I didn't post this picture then.)

Thai Pork Chops and Stir Fry Veg

I recently came across this on Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/07/thai-style-chicken-legs/ and I was determined to try it out. (First I had to get to the Asian grocery store to get hoisin.) I didn't have any chicken legs and while I thought it might be good on turkey drumsticks, I'm saving those for turkey pot pie when it gets cooler. :-) We did have pork chops, and that sounded like an excellent combination. (To preview: it was! I'm practically drooling as I write this, remembering...) I'll repost the Smitten Kitchen instructions here, which we mostly followed, aside from snubbing the oven entirely (particularly at 450 degrees!!) and using a cast iron skillet instead.

for the marinade:

5 garlic cloves

1/4 c cilantro

1/4 c fish sauce

1/4 c canola oil

4 T hoisin sauce

1 1/2 t coriander

1 t salt

1 t black pepper

2 porkchops (we used boneless but bone-in would be fine)

Whirr together everything but the chops in a blender or food processor until it's mostly smooth. Use about 1/2 of the marinade to generously coat the chops and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Reserve the rest of the marinade for veggies, see below.

Once pork is marinating, chop veggies:

1 medium onion, sliced

2 japanese eggplants (no need to peel)

1 bell pepper

a handful of shitakes wouldn't be amiss here either

Mix the veggies together with the remaining marinade and throw in the fridge too.

Start rice (jasmine is excellent with this).

Take a cat nap or otherwise occupy 10 minutes...

Then heat a large skillet over high heat with a heavy splash of oil. When the oil is shimmering add veggies and any marinade that wasn't absorbed. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until onions are starting to brown, then reduce the heat and add a few T of water, let cook until eggplant is tender (about 3 more minutes).

There are two chop-cooking options:

Skillet: While the veggies are cooking heat a heavy skillet (cast iron if possible) to med-high head with more oil. Add the pork chops and cook about 3 minutes per side-- they should brown and be barely pink in the center when done. If the marinade starts to carmelize in the pan that's fine (in fact, delicious), but if it's starting to char (carefully) add a T of water. Remove chops from pan and let them stand five minutes, then slice.

Wok: Reserve cooked veggies to a plate and add more oil to wok. Slice chops (only boneless work here) into 1/4 in strips and cook over med-high heat (in batches if needed) until slightly browned and no longer pink. Serve immediately.

If the veggies are done and have cooled, reheat them over high heat in the wok. Serve over rice. And HOLY CRAP, this is good. Go make it now. No excuses, just do it. Trust me on this one. (Have I ever steered you wrong?)

Mixed Berry Tart!

I recently made this: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Strawberry-Mascarpone-Tart-with-Port-Glaze-352272 But with raspberries (black, purple and red) and blueberries instead of strawberries. It. Was. Amazing. I boiled a handful of raspberries and a dash of sugar with the port, which made a delicious glaze which would be really amazing on pancakes. (In fact, I saved most of it in my fridge for that purpose.) Oh and I used lime juice/zest instead of lemon because that's what I had. Other than that, I followed the recipe. I took no pictures because I have no camera still/again, but it was beautiful. Go pick some berries and make yourself one!!

Tortilla española in fotos

Start with a few handfuls of potatoes,

slice into 1/4" slablets,

and fry in olive oil

until brown but not crisp.

Chop a handful of green onions

and fry in leftover oil.

Crack 7 eggs for a 10 inch skillet,

add a fair measure of salt,

and beat into oblivion.

Layer potatoes on top of the onions,

pour in the eggs,

And cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the edges look set. Then broil for 5 minutes (top will become fully set) and let cool for another 5.

(Eat!)

recipe from: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spanish_tortilla/

Asparagus!

I Poached Eggs

I followed the poaching instructions here: http://almostturkish.blogspot.com/2007/03/turkish-poached-eggs-with-yogurt-lbr.html# but did not have them with garlicky yogurt, I had them with toast and champagne mangoes. The first one went well, the second went okay, and the third one tried to be egg drop soup-- I rescued it but it wasn't very photogenic.

Eggs two and three. Two is on the left, the amorphous blob and general cloudiness of the water is number three...

Thanks to Lisa for her loan of a camera that actually works-- mine is now doing this:

For comparison, here's the same tree with Lisa's camera:

Easy as pie!

I've wanted to make pie crust from scratch for a long time now...so I did! I had some moral support from here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/ and my mother, who was visiting, so I went to town. (She was the photographer for most of this too, after I got flour all over my camera... And she helped with everything else, too!) As the above blog will tell you, it seems to help to have everything really cold. Particularly if you don't have a food processor and pastry blender because it makes everything take that much longer-- I periodically stuck the whole bowl in the freezer for a few minutes to help the butter firm back up. Nor do I have a rolling pin (!) so I used a cylindrical stainless water bottle, which worked great. Despite all that, it was quite easy! The recipe is for two crusts-- if your pie/quiche only takes one crust you can wrap the second well in plastic wrap and a bag and freeze it. I didn't have enough AP flour for rolling out the crust so I used WW pastry flour, which was fine. I wrote a lot of notes on how to combine the dough, but it's really not terribly complicated, I promise!

All-butter pie crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold

2.5 c. AP flour, plus more for rolling

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. ice water

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place in freezer while you dice the butter into small cubes. Retrieve the very cold dry ingredients and sprinkle the butter lumps over it. Combine with a pastry blender or food processor or knifes or your hands until the butter lumps are the size of large lentils or small peas (in the picture I'm about halfway to that stage). In a food processor err on the larger side. The lumps will be uneven, but that's okay. If you're combining with a processor or other tool it will go quicker than you expect, or so I'm told. If you're combining by hand you'll need to stop periodically and put the whole bowl into the freezer for a few minutes while you rest your hands.

You don't want to butter to melt. Once you have the proper sized butter bits, pour in about 1/2 c. water and combine with a spatula. Add more water, 1 T. at a time, until the dough is in a few large lumps with minimal dry flour at the bottom. Stop and combine the rest of the way with your hands-- you want a lump that sticks together but you should still see the butter bits distributed through it.
Split dough into two halves (should be about 12 oz each) and refrigerate them in a plastic wrap for 1 hour or longer. (If your refrigerator is odiferous you might want to put them in a baggie too.) Go start dinner.
When you're ready to roll out the dough, generously flour a nice clean counter or silicon mat. Also generously flour your rolling implement and hands. Plop one cold dough lump in the middle of your surface and slowly start to roll it out, taking care to roll from the center out towards all directions evenly.
Re-flour the top of the dough and your rolling implement as needed so it doesn't stick. Stop when your dough is approximately circular with a diameter of 12 inches for a standard pie tin. In the picture I was almost done-- the second-to-outer circle is 12 inches.

Then you have a few options for transferring the crust to the pie tin. If you have a flexible mat you can put the tin upside down on top and flip the whole business over, otherwise you can roll the crust over your rolling pin and then unroll it into the tin or carefully fold the crust into quarters and unfold it into the tin. You may need extra flour to coax the crust off the counter/mat; be patient with it so it doesn't tear. If needed, trim the edges that hang over the tin, and crimp the edges as desired. Set the crust in the freezer while you prepare the pie filling. That's it! You've done it!

Just in case you need a filling idea, here's an easy one. I like the apple peels in my pie, but many people don't...

Apple pie filling (adapted from Betty Crocker):

4-6 apples, (peeled?) cored and sliced (try Braeburn, McIntosh and Cameo apples)

2 dashes cinnamon (or more...)

dash nutmeg

dash cardamom

1/4 c. AP flour

1/3 c. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine all ingredients and pile into your pie crust. It should mound up pretty high-- don't forget that the apples cook down and shrink in the oven. Top with crumb topping.

Crumb Topping:

1/3 c. butter

1/2 c. AP or WW pastry flour

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/3 c. chopped pecans (or almonds, or walnuts)

Combine first three ingredients with a pastry blender or hands until butter is the size of lentils/oats. Then add oats and nuts.

Sprinkle generously and lovingly over the apples.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. Check after 30 minutes-- if the top is browning cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn. When done the pie filling should be bubbling in the middle and the top should be browned. Enjoy!

Two N.B.s: Yes, I lack both a pastry blender AND a rolling pin. Shameful, I know. Also, sorry about the picture quality-- my camera is REALLY on its last leg and has decided that its new trick is to put horizontal lines through every image...maybe it was a television in a past life. That makes three things for my wish list!

Chocolate Linzertorte

This is the recipe for the linzertorte from this post, which I finally typed up the other day to share with a friend... I transcribed it from a photocopy that came out of some cookbook or newspaper or something maybe years ago...I have no idea what its origin is but I certainly didn't make it up myself! (I did include my notes in the recipe.)

You need: 11in tart pan with a removable bottom.

linzertorte pastry:

1 cup blanched almonds

1/4 c. confectioner's sugar

1 c. sifted AP flour

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. cocoa powder

3/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. cloves

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/8 t. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, in 1-T. cubes

3 egg yolks (reserve whites)

2 t. vanilla extract

1 t. grated orange zest

1 t. grated lemon zest

raspberry filling:

12 oz. raspberry preserves (seedless is traditional)

2 t. lemon juice

meringue:

3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 egg whites

1/4 c. granulated sugar

make "pastry":

preheat oven to 350 F. (If using a tart pan with a "light shiny finish" preheat to 375)

in a food processor combine almonds and confectioner's sugar, process until finely ground. add flour, spices, granulated sugar and salt and process until evenly mixed. distribute butter, egg yolks, vanilla and zest around blade and process 35-45 seconds or until mixture is creamy. press into tart pan in an even layer. bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pastry springs back when pressed lightly. allow to cool briefly while preparing the filling and meringue.

filling:

stir together preserves and lemon juice. spread over baked pastry, leaving a 1/4 in border free along the edge.

meringue:

melt chocolate over double boiler. let cool until tepid. combine egg whites and sugar over a shy double boiler (water should touch bottom of boil but not simmer). whisk mixture constantly until it is white and creamy and hot to the touch/110 F and the sugar has dissolved. remove bowl from heat. using a hand-held mixer, beat mixture for 5-8 minutes until it's a stiff shiny meringue. fold in chocolate. place meringue in a pastry bag and pipe a lattice top over the filing and a line around the circumferece to cover the bare ring. bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the meringue is firm. let the torte cool fully in the tart pan and then place in an airtight container, it will improve with age.

Pimentón!

I got a fabulous present of some pimentón recently and, well, it's fabulous. (What is it? Smoked Spanish paprika.) I've only used it on one thing so far (turnips), but look forward to such things as pimentón'd chicken paprikash, pimentón'd fried eggs, pimentón'd pork chops, and pimentón'd quinoa with greens... For more ideas see: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/dining/24mini.html and http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/pimenton-junkies-have-your-say/ (Mark Bittman's recipe for pimentón'd swordfish and his call for pimentón ideas from others, respectively.)

Back to the turnips: they were easy. A few handfuls of turnips(chopped)+a few cloves of garlic (chopped)+some onion(chopped)+olive oil(a heavy drizzle)+pimentón(a few shakes)+salt+pepper, roasted in a pyrex dish at 400 for about 35 minutes, stirred every ten minutes or so. I put in some rosemary too (before I remembered about the pimentón) but it wasn't enough to influence the taste at all, as far as I could tell.

No pictures today (sorry), so you'll just have to make it for yourself to experience the beautiful deep orange color the olive oil turns and the golden crispy reddish turnips... Or make something else with it...and let me know!