Beautiful and delicious, elements of the Autumnal equinox come together in this salad. Choose firm, yet ripe local pears. Freshly harvested walnuts from the Farmer's Market are especially good in this salad.
Caramelized Walnuts
Make these days ahead and keep in an airtight container
1 lb walnuts- shelled and briefly toasted in pan or oven.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper, have toasted walnuts nearby in a glass or metal bowl.
In a heavy saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine sugars, cinnamon and water. Stirring occasionally, let mixture come to a boil, continue to boil over medium heat until the sugar is of a very thick, honey- like consistency. Pour hot sugar over walnuts and toss to cost immediately. Pour coated walnuts out onto sheet pan with parchment paper. Let cool briefly and break apart any clumps.
Pear Vinaigrette courtesy of my friend Kris
1 large pear- peeled and cored
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tblsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Puree all ingredients in blender or food processor, adjust seasoning if necessary.
Assemble the salad using fresh mixed baby greens and fresh sliced pear. Drizzle salad with pear vinaigrette and sprinkle with caramelized walnuts. For color and flavor, add dried cranberries.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Holiday Notebook: Banana Spice Bread
While Banana Bread is fabulous year round, adding it to your Holiday repertoire is always a good idea. Especially easy to "throw together" when you are invited to Holiday parties and don't want to show up empty handed!
Banana Spice Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 5 X 7 loaf pan with butter.
You can also divide batter among 3-4 mini loaf pans and cut baking time in half.
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter- very soft room temperature
2 eggs
3 tblsp soured milk
Note: To sour milk add a few drops of apple cider or white vinegar to the milk and let set for a few minutes.
3 very ripe bananas -mashed
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, eggs, soured milk, and mashed banana. In a smaller bowl combine all dry ingredients, including nuts. All at once, add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into a well greased 5 X 7 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F, for about 1 hour, or until skewer inserted in middle, comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
Banana Spice Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 5 X 7 loaf pan with butter.
You can also divide batter among 3-4 mini loaf pans and cut baking time in half.
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter- very soft room temperature
2 eggs
3 tblsp soured milk
Note: To sour milk add a few drops of apple cider or white vinegar to the milk and let set for a few minutes.
3 very ripe bananas -mashed
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, eggs, soured milk, and mashed banana. In a smaller bowl combine all dry ingredients, including nuts. All at once, add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into a well greased 5 X 7 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F, for about 1 hour, or until skewer inserted in middle, comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
Holiday Notebook: Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe is a Holiday staple for my family. Adapted from the 1960's children's book by Wende & Harry Devlin "Old Witch & the Polka Dot Ribbon". The recipe is originally named Old Witch's Magic Nut Cake.
Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 5 X 7 loaf pans with butter.
You can also divide batter among 6-8 mini loaf pans and cut baking time in half.
3 eggs
1 -1 lb can pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil (may sub canola oil)
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may sub 1/2 of the flour with Whole Wheat)
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Combine eggs, pumpkin, oil and water in a small mixing bowl. In a larger bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Divide batter into two well-greased 5 X 7 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon juice
1/2 box confectioners' sugar
chopped walnuts to sprinkle
Cream together ingredients for icing.
Frost tops and sides of loaves and sprinkle with more chopped walnuts if desired.
Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 5 X 7 loaf pans with butter.
You can also divide batter among 6-8 mini loaf pans and cut baking time in half.
3 eggs
1 -1 lb can pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil (may sub canola oil)
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may sub 1/2 of the flour with Whole Wheat)
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Combine eggs, pumpkin, oil and water in a small mixing bowl. In a larger bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Divide batter into two well-greased 5 X 7 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon juice
1/2 box confectioners' sugar
chopped walnuts to sprinkle
Cream together ingredients for icing.
Frost tops and sides of loaves and sprinkle with more chopped walnuts if desired.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Recipe: Lamb Meatballs filled with Smokey Blue Cheese & Chevre
Sounds hard? It's incredibly easy. A tender, nicely spiced lamb meatball reveals a center filled with melted Smokey Blue cheese from the Rogue Creamery, and tangy Cypress Grove Fresh Chevre. For 18 medium sized meatballs you'll need:
2 lbs freshly ground lamb (you may substitute finely ground lean beef)
1 egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley-minced
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves- minced
3 cloves garlic-minced
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
For the filling:
Mash together at room temperature:
5 oz Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue Cheese
5 oz Cypress Grove Fresh Chevre
Mix ground lamb with egg, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs and spices.
With about two tablespoon of the lamb mixture roll lightly into a ball, flatten slightly, and make an indent with your finger. Pinch off about 1 -1/2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture and tuck into the indentation. Wrap meatball around cheese, and re-roll lightly into a ball. Repeat with remaining lamb and cheese.
Heat a large saute pan over med- high heat with about a 1/4 inch of good olive oil in the bottom.
Gently place each meatball into the pan, not touching. Saute until meatball is no longer stuck to pan. Turn gently to another side of meatball and let cook until deep golden brown. Repeatedly turn meatballs until all sides are deeply golden. Internal temperature should be at least 155 degrees F.
Remove and serve immediately, alone or over your favorite pasta tossed with some sauteed mushrooms, onions, sundried tomatoes and olive oil... grate a little Parmigiano -Reggiano ....yum!!!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Travel Journal October 2007
While recently in Arizona, we took our second trip to the Queen Creek Olive Mill located in Queen Creek, Arizona (45 minutes Southeast of Phoenix). We were lucky to get a tour from the owner himself, Perry Rea, seems the regular tour guide lost her voice! I can see why, the in-depth one hour talk & tour was insightful, and full of good information, I know a heck of a lot more about Olive Oil than I ever did! You can taste just about every product they make in the tasting room.The infused olive oils are delicious and when owner Perry makes up a new flavor, it makes it to the tasting room very quickly.
They have also recently added a Mediterranean style cafe, Del Piero, serving breakfast, fresh salads and Panini sandwiches. Most of the menu choices include an Olive Mill made ingredient. The offerings are cleverly named after different types of olives. The cafe was PACKED while we there on a Saturday afternoon. Del Piero also has Gelato for dessert. Very tempting in the hot Arizona weather!
I stock up on their Tuscan style olive oil and the White Truffle infused olive oil whenever I'm there.Our daughter-in-law, Joy, has deemed visiting the Olive Mill a family tradition, and we are completely on board.We usually purchase the fresh crusty baguettes, brought in daily from a local bakery. Then we always get our favorite tapenades, Sundried Tomato and Basil, and Artichoke Roasted Garlic, then we rush home to make Bruschetta...it's a great tradition!
The Olive Mill happened to be hosting a Fudge tasting that afternoon. Heritage Fudge Company had us stopped in our tracks to taste some very yummy concoctions.The favorite was a sweet & salty roasted peanut fudge, naturally it was so good, it was sold out! Handmade in small batches, it is a family enterprise that seems to uphold an old fashioned tradition of fudge making. The young man hosting the tasting was the owner, and relies on his grandmother's fudge recipes for inspiration. The ingredients are all natural, and the amount of sugar is much less than traditional fudge, so the real flavor of the ingredients, really shines through!
They have also recently added a Mediterranean style cafe, Del Piero, serving breakfast, fresh salads and Panini sandwiches. Most of the menu choices include an Olive Mill made ingredient. The offerings are cleverly named after different types of olives. The cafe was PACKED while we there on a Saturday afternoon. Del Piero also has Gelato for dessert. Very tempting in the hot Arizona weather!
I stock up on their Tuscan style olive oil and the White Truffle infused olive oil whenever I'm there.Our daughter-in-law, Joy, has deemed visiting the Olive Mill a family tradition, and we are completely on board.We usually purchase the fresh crusty baguettes, brought in daily from a local bakery. Then we always get our favorite tapenades, Sundried Tomato and Basil, and Artichoke Roasted Garlic, then we rush home to make Bruschetta...it's a great tradition!
The Olive Mill happened to be hosting a Fudge tasting that afternoon. Heritage Fudge Company had us stopped in our tracks to taste some very yummy concoctions.The favorite was a sweet & salty roasted peanut fudge, naturally it was so good, it was sold out! Handmade in small batches, it is a family enterprise that seems to uphold an old fashioned tradition of fudge making. The young man hosting the tasting was the owner, and relies on his grandmother's fudge recipes for inspiration. The ingredients are all natural, and the amount of sugar is much less than traditional fudge, so the real flavor of the ingredients, really shines through!
Recipe: Classic Manicotti
I had the opportunity to make Manicotti in Arizona for dinner one night, we are a family that LOVES pasta & cheese. This recipe gives us the chance to have it all in one dish and use a variety of cheese for the filling. I do like the shortcut of jarred pasta sauce, since there are so many really good sauces available now. One of my favorite jarred sauces is Muir Glen Organic, sweet and mellow sauce with practically no acidity or bite, which is a detrimental feature of some other sauces.
Boil one package of manicotti shells short of al dente, because they will finish cooking in the oven covered in sauce. Toss them with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together until you are ready for them. Note that you can also use jumbo shells for this recipe.
CHEESE SEGWAY........
Since I am a cheese nerd, I feel compelled to offer my humble opinion on the cheese you may use in this and other recipes. For best flavor use fresh cheese, pre-packaged shredded or pre-grated cheese is usually a sub-par product. If I haven't begged you to throw out the "green can" yet, please do....it's as far away from real cheese as you can get. If you have access to a quality cheese shop you are going to want to splurge every so often for some excellent cheese. High end grocery stores are paying much more attention to their cheese tables, and you are much better off purchasing hunks of real Parmigiana Reggiano, and fresh Mozzarella for your cooking. Even Costco carries decent Grana Padano, Parmesan and fresh Mozzarella. If it seems like a lot of work to grate large amounts of cheese by hand for recipes, hint heavily that you are in need of a food processor, a 10-12 cup Cuisinart style is perfect for the job.... besides it's almost Christmas, and your partner will be thankful that they know of a least one thing you want under the tree!
Basic Cheese Manicotti Filling
16 oz tub fresh part-skim ricotta cheese
8 oz freshly shredded Grana Padano cheese (or Parmesan)
16 oz freshly shredded Mozzarella cheese (save half for top)
1 egg
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 F, lightly oil a baking dish with olive oil. Stuff manicotti with a small spoon, pastry bag or your fingers. Arrange in baking dish, pour 1- 2 jars of your favorite sauce, depending on how "saucy" you like your dish. Sprinkle remaining shredded Mozzarella on top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until everything is bubbling and cheese is lightly golden. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Variations on the filling:
Try 8 oz of fresh Goat cheese (Chevre) and 8 oz of Ricotta mixed together.
If you have a favorite cheddar, (I have access to Rogue Creamery's Rosemary Cheddar), shred an 8 oz block of that in place of the Mozzarella, then shred 8 oz of Mozzarella just for the topping.
In place of the Grana Padano, you can use Vella Dry Jack, or Mezzo Secco.
You can also add chopped, drained spinach to the cheese filling, very yummy!
Sauce variations:
Try adding sauteed, drained ground beef, Italian sausage, lamb, veal or turkey to your jarred sauce before pouring over the manicotti shells.
Boil one package of manicotti shells short of al dente, because they will finish cooking in the oven covered in sauce. Toss them with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together until you are ready for them. Note that you can also use jumbo shells for this recipe.
CHEESE SEGWAY........
Since I am a cheese nerd, I feel compelled to offer my humble opinion on the cheese you may use in this and other recipes. For best flavor use fresh cheese, pre-packaged shredded or pre-grated cheese is usually a sub-par product. If I haven't begged you to throw out the "green can" yet, please do....it's as far away from real cheese as you can get. If you have access to a quality cheese shop you are going to want to splurge every so often for some excellent cheese. High end grocery stores are paying much more attention to their cheese tables, and you are much better off purchasing hunks of real Parmigiana Reggiano, and fresh Mozzarella for your cooking. Even Costco carries decent Grana Padano, Parmesan and fresh Mozzarella. If it seems like a lot of work to grate large amounts of cheese by hand for recipes, hint heavily that you are in need of a food processor, a 10-12 cup Cuisinart style is perfect for the job.... besides it's almost Christmas, and your partner will be thankful that they know of a least one thing you want under the tree!
Basic Cheese Manicotti Filling
16 oz tub fresh part-skim ricotta cheese
8 oz freshly shredded Grana Padano cheese (or Parmesan)
16 oz freshly shredded Mozzarella cheese (save half for top)
1 egg
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 F, lightly oil a baking dish with olive oil. Stuff manicotti with a small spoon, pastry bag or your fingers. Arrange in baking dish, pour 1- 2 jars of your favorite sauce, depending on how "saucy" you like your dish. Sprinkle remaining shredded Mozzarella on top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until everything is bubbling and cheese is lightly golden. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Variations on the filling:
Try 8 oz of fresh Goat cheese (Chevre) and 8 oz of Ricotta mixed together.
If you have a favorite cheddar, (I have access to Rogue Creamery's Rosemary Cheddar), shred an 8 oz block of that in place of the Mozzarella, then shred 8 oz of Mozzarella just for the topping.
In place of the Grana Padano, you can use Vella Dry Jack, or Mezzo Secco.
You can also add chopped, drained spinach to the cheese filling, very yummy!
Sauce variations:
Try adding sauteed, drained ground beef, Italian sausage, lamb, veal or turkey to your jarred sauce before pouring over the manicotti shells.
Recipe: Compound (Flavored) Butters
A friend of mine recently asked about flavored butters, also known as compound butters. They are very easy make with endless possibilities. Choose a stick or a pound of butter, depending on how much you want to make. Try not to use anything except real stick butter, salted. Let the butter soften at room temperature. One of the most popular compound butters is made with fresh herbs. Fresh herbs contain oils that add to the flavor of the butter, the further ahead you make your butter mixture, say the day ahead, the butter will develop more flavor.
Small amounts of butter can be worked by hand with a pastry blender or fork. Large amounts of butter, say a pound or more, are better worked with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Chive Butter is a good place to start and is great on baked potatoes, fish & steamed vegetables.
Chive Butter
2 sticks softened salted butter
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Work chives and sea salt into softened butter, cover and refrigerate for at least a day.
From Chive Butter you can use the same concept and add as many fresh minced herbs as you want to your softened butter. Amounts of the herbs and seasonings can be adjusted to your taste, don't be afraid to taste your butter and add more herbs, salt or even pepper to your liking.
Some ideas for savory butters include, garlic and basil butter for spreading on slices of baguette, dill butter for halibut, herbs de provence butter, spicy cayenne and cilantro butter, the possibilities are endless!
Sweet compound butters are equally as fun and tasty! Blend butter with confectioner's sugar and vanilla, you will have the perfect pancake and waffle butter. Butter blended with honey is a classic spread on fresh, dark, whole grain bread.
Cheese butters are decadent and really great for entertaining. One of my favorites is to blend Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue cheese and Cypress Grove's fresh Chevre with softened butter. Spread this intriguing mixture on a fresh baguette slice, from there you can top it with fig jam, onion jam, or you can slide it under the broiler until just barely melted.... not to be missed when you top with fresh garden tomato!
Hope this gives you some inspiration, with Holiday entertaining right around the corner you may be able to showcase your favorite compound butter. Most of these butters will stay fresh and ready to eat for up to one week. Keep in mind that strongly flavored butters will only get stronger with time, something to keep in mind when working with the garlic based butters.
Small amounts of butter can be worked by hand with a pastry blender or fork. Large amounts of butter, say a pound or more, are better worked with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Chive Butter is a good place to start and is great on baked potatoes, fish & steamed vegetables.
Chive Butter
2 sticks softened salted butter
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Work chives and sea salt into softened butter, cover and refrigerate for at least a day.
From Chive Butter you can use the same concept and add as many fresh minced herbs as you want to your softened butter. Amounts of the herbs and seasonings can be adjusted to your taste, don't be afraid to taste your butter and add more herbs, salt or even pepper to your liking.
Some ideas for savory butters include, garlic and basil butter for spreading on slices of baguette, dill butter for halibut, herbs de provence butter, spicy cayenne and cilantro butter, the possibilities are endless!
Sweet compound butters are equally as fun and tasty! Blend butter with confectioner's sugar and vanilla, you will have the perfect pancake and waffle butter. Butter blended with honey is a classic spread on fresh, dark, whole grain bread.
Cheese butters are decadent and really great for entertaining. One of my favorites is to blend Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue cheese and Cypress Grove's fresh Chevre with softened butter. Spread this intriguing mixture on a fresh baguette slice, from there you can top it with fig jam, onion jam, or you can slide it under the broiler until just barely melted.... not to be missed when you top with fresh garden tomato!
Hope this gives you some inspiration, with Holiday entertaining right around the corner you may be able to showcase your favorite compound butter. Most of these butters will stay fresh and ready to eat for up to one week. Keep in mind that strongly flavored butters will only get stronger with time, something to keep in mind when working with the garlic based butters.
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