New Blog Site: CookLikeMad.com

WordPress.com, you’ve treated me well, but I’m ready to take off the training wheels. Please come to my new website (still a blog, of course), CookLikeMad.com, for all new posts, pictures, and recipes. Seafood Gumbo will be the next post, so check there later tonight for your new favorite recipe for this comforting Southern dish. No new posts will be added to With Relish, but if you come back here, this “final page” will stay up for a few months, so you can always click on the link below to get you to the new site.

CookLikeMad.com

Thanks!

Maddy

Scallops with Spicy Asian Barbecue Sauce

Spicy scallops garnished with fresh torn basil

Scallops are one food most people love to eat in restaurant but rarely cook at home. Why? They are just as quick to cook as shrimp, easier to clean than shrimp, and when seared on high heat, make for a beautiful presentation. The reasons I compare scallops to shrimp are their like nutritional values (did you know they are both high in B vitamins?), and their market prices. However, like shrimp, scallops are brought to your supermarket frozen. Now, some supermarkets are honest the state of their shellfish and leave them in their frozen state. Others- one major gourmet grocery store comes to mind- “refresh” (read: defrost) their scallops, shrimp, and lobster tails, so they appear to have been fresh all along. My problem is not with the refreshing process, but with the presentation in the fresh fish case- almost every other fish in the case is shipped fresh, so why would a normal shopper think to ask about the state of the shellfish? All I’m saying is I wish customers paying top dollar had full disclosure. Ok, that’s the end of that rant.

Now for another one. Scallops can be totally tasteless. Its true- they’ve been frozen as we know, and refreshing them causes them to lose flavor. Did you think all scallops, even perfectly cooked ones, must taste like nothing? Sure, the texture is wonderful, but to me at least, the taste is always lacking. if you want to see what scallops are supposed to taste like, go to a restaurant where you know they’re flown in fresh, like the Grand Central Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station in NYC. You’ll truly believe the scallops you’ve been eating are muted versions of the real deal. Right, Dad? (Dad introduced me to the scallops at Grand Central, so he gets a shout out).

Ok, Maddy, get to your point. The point is, scallops are great for you, and are still yummy in their refreshed, albeit muted, state. Here is a recipe that brings intense flavor to those texturally decadent morsels. Sea scallops are best here, as they develop a nice sear when dropped in a hot oiled pan. Don’t be discouraged, just informed! Enjoy : )

Scallops with Spicy Asian Barbecue Sauce

Serves 2

1 lb sea scallops, small muscle on the side removed

salt and pepper

Sauce:

4 tbsp hoisin

2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (found in every asian supermarket)

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

optional addition: 1 tsp mung bean sauce (also found at asian supermarkets- its like bean peanut butter (peanuts are legumes, after all)

4 leaves fresh basil

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a saute pan on high heat. Season scallops liberally with salt and pepper. Sear scallops for 2 minutes on each side, allowing a nice brown crust to form.

2. While you sear the scallops, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. When scallops are done, plate them, then, makign sure the pan is on low heat, add the sauce to the pan. Just warm the sauce in the pan, don’t cook it, and drizzle it over the scallops. Tear basil leaves over each plate and serve immediately. Enjoy!

-M : )

Soft Pumpkin Cookies (Pumpkin Cake Bites)

Some people like crunchy cookies, other likes soft, chewy cookies- I like both, but today I’m standing up for cakey cookies. Perhaps these would be better named as cake bites, since the dough is looser than normal cookie dough and the resulting texture is more like a cakey pumpkin blondie than a cookie, but the shape and size beckon me to continue to refer to them as cookies. The fact is, in order to make the cookies taste enough like pumpkin to merit their title, you have to moisten the batter with so much pumpkin puree that there’s no way this cookie could come out chewy, let alone crunchy.

pumpkin cookie innards

Since the recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin puree and most cans are over 14 oz, use the extra for mini pie fillings, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, or freeze it in a ziplock bag to defrost when you want to make these cookies again- it won’t be long. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake Bites (Soft Pumpkin Cookies)

Makes 40 small cookies

• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white or milk chocolate chips (or both)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat or lightly grease it.

2. Mix first seven ingredients (the dry ingredients) in a small bowl and set aside. Combine butter and sugar in another bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and lightened in color, about 5 minutes.

3. Beat in egg, then stir in pumpkin puree. Add dry ingredient mixture all at once and stir until just combined. At this point you can fold in white or milk chocolate chips if you;re making drop cookies, or if you;re piping the cookies, add the cookie dough to a pastry bag fitted with a tip at least 1/2” wide. Drop or pipe cookies onto baking sheet and if you piped the cookies, place one chip, white or milk, in the center of each cookie.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be fairly firm to the touch, but not dry, and they should only be barely browned on the top and bottom. Move to a rack, cool, and enjoy! Cookies keep in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

-M : )

Chicken Pot Pie with Easiest Pastry Crust

Just look at that photo above- do I even need to say anything to encourage you to make this pot pie? Feel free to bake this in individual ramekins so you can serve them in their baking dishes. With this rustic dish, that would be a beautiful presentation. Interestingly enough, this dough is very similar to the dough I created to make those Chinese five spice pinwheels. If you find yourself with leftover dough, you can always bake up a few of these cookies while you wait for the chicken to cook through. Dinner and dessert in one recipe! What’s better than that? Enjoy : )

Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 3 Servings

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (broth is fine)

2 large chicken breasts

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

6 tbsp beurre manie (3 tbsp flour mixed with 3 tbsp oil or melted butter)

vegetable oil, as needed

1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp water

salt and pepper, to season

1 sheet Frozen puff pastry or use the recipe below:

Easiest Pastry Recipe:

1. Mix 1 1/4 cups flour with 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 6 tbsp diced cold butter. Mix in 4 tbsp water until dough just comes together, wrap in plastic and set in fridge. Roll out to 10” circle when you’re ready to cover your pie.)

uncooked pastry crust, with a decorative topping made from extra crust

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish that has a diameter of about 9” (I prefer a cast iron dish, but any baking dish will work). Bring chicken stock to a boil in a 4 qt pot, turn down heat, and keep hot over medium heat, covered.
2. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil in it, and add carrots, celery, onion and a pinch of salt.

3. Meanwhile, set up another pan (that has a fitting lid) with 2 inches of water and heat on high. Place chicken breasts in pan, cover, and once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and shallow poach the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. When cooked, remove from water to a clean cutting board and let cool slightly. Once cool, shread or cut into large dice.

4. Add vegetables to chicken stock once golden brown and slightly soft. Add chicken also, then whip in beurre manie. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes, then pour into baking dish. (Note, you can stop here and refrigerate mixture, if you want to serve the dish tomorrow.)

5. Place round of pastry crust (or puff pastry) on top of baking dish, ensuring that the pastry overlaps the side of the dish slightly, so you can crimp the sides shut. Brush top of pastry crust with egg mixed with 1 tbsp water and bake in oven on a sheet tray (to catch drips) for 20 minutes, or until top is golden and cooked through. Serve in shallow bowls and enjoy!

cooked pot pie, straight out of the oven

-M : )

Balsamic Braised Chicken with Broccolini and Potatoes

Ignore those button mushrooms next to the broccolini (or don’t)- I just sauteed them and put them on the plate to use up leftover mushrooms in the fridge. They married well with the other ingredients, though.

I’m cooling off from my sugar rush and getting back to my culinary school basics. While I cooked some great recipes in school, there’s one that stood out for its easy yet powerful flavor. Balsamic braised chicken is deceptively simple and sensible, and easily multiplied for extra guests. The rich brown sauce that drenches it isn’t ladden with butter, but instead, its full of rich, slow cooked chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, vegetables, tomato, and a touch of flour, to thicken it. No roux, no heavy cream, just a deep, dark, delicious sauce.

Now you may be wondering what in god’s name are those potatoes on the plate. Good question. In culinary school we were tortured by this exercise where we made “tourne” potatoes. (There should be that little accent over the “e” but alas, I’m new to this blogging thing, and don’t know how to add accents, so forgive me French cooking masters, as you roll in your graves.) Anyway, “tourne” means turned, and that’s what’s done to these potatoes. You peel and quarter your russet potato, then trim it, turning it dangerously in your hand as you point the tip of your knife towards your finger, to create a football shaped potato nugget. Yum. Now you could make any shape you want, but having a food blog makes you an anal cook, so I made pretty shapes with my potatoes. Also, football was on that evening. Get it? Yeah, dorky, I know. Parboil them in salted water for about 10 minutes (or until they barely resist being poked with a sharp knife tip), dry them with a clean towel, and saute them in olive oil, sprinkling with coarse salt as they come out of the pan. You’ll find they are a perfect pairing for your chicken (the main squeeze) and your broccolini (your obligatory veg). Double yum. Or is that triple?

The only trick to making this recipe excellent instead of just “good” is to taste your sauce and add more balsamic if the flavor isn’t coming through. It looks as dark in person as it does in the picture, so don’t be shy. Also, balsamic vinegars vary greatly in sweetness, viscosity, and acidity, and I won’t dare to tell you which you should buy, so feel free to add a touch of sugar or lemon juice, to balance the flavors of the sauce. Enjoy!

Balsamic Braised Chicken

Makes 3 Servings

6 chicken thighs, bone-in

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp flour

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar (the better the quality, the better the outcome, but don’t go crazy)

vegetable oil, as needed

salt and pepper, as needed

Sauteed broccolini and tourne potatoes, to serve (factor in 1 small bunch broccolini and 1 medium potato per person)

Method

1. Add 2 tbsp oil to a large, deep pan (one that has a lid that fits, ideally) and turn heat to medium-high.

2. Sear chicken thighs, meaty-side down, turning once, to color both sides a nice golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add carrots, celery, onion, and a pinch of salt to the same pan (do not wash between steps!) and saute until golden brown and slightly softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, “pincage” until the tomato paste turns an even darker red and add the flour, mixing well. Cook 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.

4. Add chicken stock and balsamic vinegar to the pan, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken thighs back in and reduce to a simmer. Cover immediately and let cook for 25-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. You may want to turn chicken over after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking, as the liquid will not cover the chicken entirely.

5. Remove chicken to serving plates, taste sauce for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with salt and pepper. If you desire, the sauce can be strained, but I prefer it unstrained. Thicken a little if necessary by cooking the sauce a little longer on the stovetop, without a lid, and pour sauce over the chicken. Add broccolini, potatoes, or whatever sides and vegetables you wish, to the plates and enjoy!

-M : )

Eggless Chinese Five Spice Cookies

pretty pecan pinwheels!

As I continue with my baking kick, my mind turns to cost. What ingredients can I cut out and still have a great cookie? Butter? No way. Sugar? Not in a million. Flour? Fat chance. Eggs? Hmm….And that’s where we begin.

In nearly every traditional cookie recipe, eggs lend texture, flavor, rise, and even sheen. But what if you’re secure in the ability of butter, sugar, and flour to add texture, pecans and warm spices to add flavor, and the layers created by the careful combining of butter and flour to create rise? Then you’ve got yourself a great cookie recipe. These Chinese Five Spice Cookies are not only fun and easy to make, but also resourceful. Change the filling to cinnamon, sugar, and currants, or fig jam and chopped almonds-any way you make these, they’re flaky and delicious.

Eggless Chinese Five Spice Cookies

Makes 25 cookies

Dough:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, in small cubes, chilled

3-4 tbsp cold water

1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp chinese five spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet or use a silpat to line one.

2. Mix the salt into the flour. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly incorporate the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the butter is still cold. If butter begins to warm, place mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes and begin again. Add just enough cold water to make a rough dough that stays together. You should be able to see butter streaks in the dough. Wrap in plastic and set in the fridge for 10 minutes to relax the gluten you may have developed in mixing and to allow the butter to cool.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Unwrap dough, lightly flour a flat surface, and roll out dough to a rectangle (about 12” x 8”), making sure it’s 1/4” to no less than 1/8” thick.

5. Sprinkle filling on top of the dough to make a thin, even layer and roll lengthwise until you’ve created a log. Place in the freezer to firm up for 10 minutes.

6. Slice the log into 1/4” to 1/2” slices, depending on how big you’d like the cookies, using a sharp knife. Place cookies flat on the baking sheet and into the oven, for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

-M : )

Easiest Cookies Part 2: Palmiers (Mini Elephant Ears)

Aw, they look like hearts… Good thing v-day’s coming up!

Palmiers are the biggest trick in the book. They not only require two ingredients, frozen puff pastry and sugar, but maintain their addictive crunch for days after they’re baked. Using a silpat makes clean up especially easy, but the puff pastry has enough butter in it, and the sugar retains pliable enough out of the oven, to ensure easy removal of the cookies from the baking sheet even without pre-greasing.

A recipe really isn’t necessary for these scrumptious cookies, as they’re really a cinch, but here we go. Enjoy!

Palmiers (i.e. Mini Elephant Ears)

Makes 20 cookies, but can be easily multiplied

1 4” x 7” sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting

flour, as needed, for rolling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat baking mat. If you’re not using a silpat, leave the baking sheet ungreased.

2. Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured flat surface until it is less than 1/8” thick and sprinkle heavily with sugar. The layer of sugar should be nearly as thick as the layer of puff pastry dough.

3. Fold both ends (lengthwise) into the middle so they meet. Repea, doubling over your last fold. Fold in half lengthwise, so you have a log, roll in sugar, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

4. Slice cookies with a very sharp knife, each should be about 1/4” thick. Place cookies down on the baking sheet or silpat so you can see their layers (i.e. lay them flat) and sprinkle again with sugar. Bake 10 minutes, or until they turn light golden. The bottom will be a darker golden than the top- that’s what you’re looking to see. Cool on a rack. These cookies are best once completely cool, when they’re at their crunchiest. Yum!

-M : )

Easiest Cookies, Part 1: Chocolate-Dipped Pecan Meringues

Ok, so I guess I’m on a baking kick. Its just that D and I have a few friends coming over to watch football tonight and tomorrow night, and I couldn’t help but bake some goodies to munch on during the game. I made both palmiers (recipe in part deux) and chocolate-dipped pecan meringues (recipe below). I am particularly fond of cookies that are easy, cheap, and can be made small, and these two recipes match all the criteria.

Not only do smaller cookies take less time to bake, they are also a wiser bet for satisfying your guests and making sure that your baking doesn’t go to waste (and frankly, your feelings don’t get hurt). Bigger cookies require the guest to contemplate the size of their appetite, normally an evaluation that takes place after a meal. If you want your baking to be put to good use (i.e. chomped and digested) then make those cookies smaller! Smaller cookies means more cookies to enjoy, and fewer people saying no to trying one. No one’s going to need to consult their diet commandments to eat one. All the pleasure in a couple fewer bites, that’s all. You can even feel good having seconds. And trust me, you’ll want more than one.

What I love about these cookies is not only that they’re easy and liked by all, but also that they have a certain adult quality about them. Its that almost-burnt flavor, that caramelized, brown sugar taste that deepens and balances the sweetness. They are crunchy, light, and even great without being dipped in chocolate, white or dark. Serve a few in a bowl with some raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, add a little whipped cream or ice cream, and you have a more formal dessert. Whether you share them with friends while watching football or enjoy them crushed into ice cream, cuddled up with a good book, enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Pecan Meringues

Makes 25-30 1 1/2” cookies

1/2 cup pecans

2 egg whites

pinch salt

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/8 cup white chocolate chips

1/8 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (your choice)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and lightly grease baking sheet, or better yet, use a silpat baking mat on top of the baking sheet.

2. Pulse pecans in a food processor (preferably a small one) until coarsely ground. Take care not to over pulse, or else oils will release and coarse texture will be lost.

3. Whip eggs whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form and add sugar slowly, while continuing to beat whites. Beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Immediately fold in pecans, taking care not to deflate the egg whites (the sugar does help to stabilize them, though).

5. Drop or pipe about a tablespoonful of batter onto baking sheet or mat, and leave 1” of room between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 285 degrees. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden all over. Cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch, but they will harden as they cool out of the oven, yielding a crunchy texture.

6. While cookies cool, melt the chocolates in separate dishes in the microwave. Dip bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate once completely cool and firm and place them on wax paper, then in the fridge, so the chocolate can harden.

Note: white chocolate-dipped cookies will not need to be refrigerated to harden, but the milk or dark chocolate-dipped ones probably will.

Enjoy!

-M : )

Pumpkin White Chocolate Cream Puff “Napoleon”

There are some no-brainer food combinations that come to mind when I think of things to make for dessert: chocolate and mint, chocolate and cherry, chocolate and coconut, chocolate and almond, chocolate and peanut butter, white chocolate and berries, hmm…chocolate, white, milk, or dark, seems to compliment an inexhaustible list of flavors, huh? However, chocolate desserts, even when they contain fruit, can be quite heavy. The solution? Use the chocolate as a background flavor, as I’ve done in this take on a napoleon, using pate a choux (cream puff) disks in place of the traditional puff pastry rectangles, and pumpkin white chocolate puree in place of the heavy pastry cream filling. The result is a light, texturally interesting, and visually impressive dessert. And, of course, it’s delish- would I post the recipe if it wasn’t? Be assured, its a winner. Enjoy! : )

Pumpkin White Chocolate Pate a Choux “Napoleon”

Pate a Choux Dough (adapted from Nick Malgieri’s “How to Bake“)

Makes 30 3” rounds

1 cup water

6 tablespoons butter (I actually prefer salted butter, here)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

2/3 cup coarse white sugar, for sprinkling (coarse brown sugar is a fine substitute- look for demerara sugar)

pastry bag with 1/4 inch round tip

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet, or place a spat mat on the baking sheet. Arrange racks so that they are in the center of the oven.

2. Combine water, butter, and salt in a medium size saucepan or pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil. When mixture boils, turn off heat, add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated and mixture leaves the sides of the pot cleanly.

3. Transfer paste to a bowl and spread the paste up the sides of the bowl to quicken cooling process. Let cool for 1 minute, then add eggs, one at a time, stirring until each is absorbed before adding the next.

4. Spoon mixture into pastry bag fitted with 1/4 inch wide round tip and pipe 3” pinwheels onto the baking sheet, keeping 1” between each puff. Pipe pinwheels by starting in the center first and coiling the dough around the center. When you’ve made a 3” pinwheel, release pressure on the bag and pull the tip away to the side (don’t pull the tip up) in a quick motion. Sprinkle tops of pinwheels liberally with coarse sugar. Don’t worry about shaking excess sugar off the baking sheet or mat, it will just caramelize in the oven and add extra crunch to the pinwheels.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and fully cooked through. Puffs should retain their shape out of the oven. If they collapse on themselves, bake for an extra minute or two.
Pumpkin White Chocolate Puree

Makes enough for 4 Napoleons

1 small can pumpkin puree

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 tsp molasses

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave

Method:

1. Mix 1/2 pumpkin puree (1 of the two parts) with the rest of the ingredients, except for the white chocolate, together in a bowl. Divide in half. Add melted white chocolate chips to one of the halves, mix and set both bowls aside.

Construction of the “Napoleon”

Pate a Choux Pinwheels

Pumpkin Puree

White Chocolate Pumpkin Puree

white chocolate chips, about 1/8 cup per person

1. Place a pinwheel cream puff in the center of a plate. Spoon or pipe about 1 tbsp of the non-white chocolate pumpkin puree onto the pinwheel and repeat layering process until you have used 3 pinwheels. Repeat with other plates.

on top: the recipe; on bottom: a variation

2. Drizzle white chocolate pumpkin puree over each stack and sprinkle with white chocolate chips so your guests know the components of the dessert. Enjoy!

-M : )

Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing, Two Ways

A warm bowl of stuffing and baked eggs

Every January, I find it tough to snap out of the holiday mindset, and this year is no different. In fact, I think I’m finding it particularly challenging to snap back into work mode, since keeping a food blog makes my mind dwell on food in a way I’ve never experienced before. The fact is, during the holidays, everyone’s a foodie. Normally, people are happy to listen to my most recent concoction or latest favorite recipe, but once December rolls around, everyone, food enthusiast or not, can’t hardly stop talking to me about family recipes, food traditions, and foods they await to taste every Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year’s.

In fact, if I’m fair, I think this frenzy really begins in mid November, with the planning of Thanksgiving menus. So for a good month and a half, I have camaraderie like I’ve never had before. Being a foodie in Washington D.C. could have been lonesome if I hadn’t covertly converted my boyfriend into one, especially after spending a year in NYC. Still, most of my friends are not foodies, so having everyone so excited about food this time of year is particularly fun!

Here’s my problem, though, although I suppose it’s a “high-class” one. A month and a half of being essentially bombarded with new ideas and recipes means, for me, another month and half to digest all of this information. So each year, and I’m sure this year will be no different, I can’t get over holiday food until March. How to cope? Keep cooking holiday food! This recipe for Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing is delicious any time of the year, but in January, making this will certainly keep you feeling festive long after the icicle lights come down. I’ve crumbled it into omelettes, stuffed it into pork roasts or baby squashes, and grilled slices to accompany a light salad, but my hands-down favorite way to serve it is in the recipe below. The eggs add extra richness and creaminess to the stuffing, while the simple act of eating the dish in the bowl it was baked in, and with a spoon no less, makes it the ultimate comfort food. Enjoy!

straight from the oven

Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing
Serves 8

1 small yellow onion, or ½ large one, small dice

1 large stalk celery, small dice

1 9×9 pan prepared cornbread, crumbled (I used 1 container of pre-made cornbread from Whole Foods Market and it was the perfect amount- it filled a 9×9 pan about 2 ½ inches high).

2 cups chicken stock

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 jalapenos, with seeds, minced (you can use one jalapeno if you want it less spicy)

½ tsp each, salt and pepper

canola oil, for sautéing

cooking spray, or more oil, for greasing pan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat and and about 1 tsp oil to the pan. When oil is hot, add diced onion and celery and cook until translucent and slightly golden, 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add cornbread to a large mixing bowl and add chicken stock, egg, and jalapenos. Mix well.

4. When onion and celery mixture has finished cooking, take off heat, let cool slightly, and add to cornbread mixture. Add seasoning and stir well.

5. Transfer mixture to greased baking dish and smooth top to ensure even cooking (and nice presentation!) Place on center rack in over and bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few small crumbs are fine). Serve immediately but be sure to save leftovers for second recipe below! Enjoy!

Stuffing, Round Two:

Eggs en Cocotte with Stuffing
Serves ? (Depends on how much you ate the night before…Count on 1 cup stuffing per portion)

Leftover Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing- 1 cup, per person

2 Eggs, per person

1 Slice bacon, per person, cooked and crumbled, (optional) (Applewood smoked bacon is killer here)

1.5 oz Aged cheddar, per person, thinly sliced (optional, or substitute favorite cheese)

Pinch of salt, per person

Cooking spray, as needed

Maple syrup, hot sauce, or whatever you like, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Count the number of people you’re feeding and coat that many small oven-safe bowls with cooking spray.

2. Spoon about 1 cup (depending on the size of your bowl) cold leftover jalapeno cornbread stuffing into each bowl and press down with the back of a spoon or your hand to make a flat surface.

3. If you are using bacon, sprinkle it over the stuffing now. If not, move on to step 4.

4. Crack two eggs over each filled bowl, trying not to break the yolks. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggs (remember, only the stuffing has been seasoned so far).

5. Set directly in the oven, or place bowls on a baking sheet and then move to the oven. Bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, but thick. If you prefer firm yolks, simply cook 5-7 minutes more.

6. If you are using cheese, once the whites are nearly set, take the bowls requiring an addition of cheese out of the oven, place cheese slices on egg whites and return to oven for 2-3 minutes more.

7. Remove once the eggs are done to your liking, but be careful! The bowls remain very hot for some time after they’re out of the oven- warn your guests : ) Serve with desired accompaniments and enjoy!

-M : )

Sweet Recognition!

No, this isn’t the corny name of a new dessert I’ve created, but an expression of my excitement about having my Kashi Apple Pancakes named one of the best food blog recipes of 2007!! Amusingly enough, I found this out while perusing my blog stats and clicking on a link I was unfamiliar with. The link took me to a page of the Best of 2007- Foodblogger’s Recipe Collection.  Entries came from many countries and I am delighted to be listed among such talented cooks and bloggers. My recipe is under the “U.S.” heading, of course, and is several entries down. How exciting- Happy New Year indeed!

-M : )

Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Baked Pears

Healthy and decadent are two words that seldom appear in the same sentence, but this breakfast is entitled to both descriptions. While winter doesn’t offer as plentiful a bounty as the other seasons, there is no excuse to exclude fruit from your breakfast. When its cold outside and snow covers the ground, all we can think about is heavy food- stews, braised meats, and tummy-warming baked goods- but in reality, these foods take our bodies out of balance. Sure these foods are nourishing, but often, they are more comforting to our inner child than beneficial to our physical selves. What I mean is, the foods we eat during winter time weigh us down; they make us lethargic, sleepy, and slow. They require so much energy to digest that we feel drained after such heavy meals. So many casseroles, meats, sausages, and potatoes, and too little veggies and fruits- why do we put our bodies through this?

Perhaps I am more sensitive than many, but these foods truly wreak havoc on my body and after a winter of heavy eating, I spend all of spring just getting my energy back. Is that large breakfast worth the bloating you’ll suffer through an hour later? Try this oatmeal and baked pear breakfast combo and you’ll soon realize that satisfying (there’s 10 grams of fiber per serving!) and heavy don’t have to be synonymous. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Baked Pears

Serves 6

Oatmeal:

1 small slow cooker

1 cup steel cut oat groats (these can be found in most health food or natural food stores)

4 cups water

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp chinese five spice powder (optional)

Method:

1. Dump ingredients into a small slow cooker, stir to combine, and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. In the last hour of cooking, open top and stir in cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and five spice powder, if using. Place top back on and finish cooking.

2. Place cooked oatmeal in a large container, cool, and score top of oatmeal with a knife to mark six even sections.

Baked Pears:

6 bartlett pears, ripe but not mushy

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup dried cranberries (the higher the quality the better)

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp brown sugar

cooking spray

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray ceramic or glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Halve and core pears. Place cut side up in baking dish. Soak raisins and cranberries in 2 cups boiling water for 10 minutes.

3. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small dish and sprinkle over cut sides of pears. Drain raisins and cranberries, but save the liquid, and place in the holes in the pears where the core used to be. Pour soaking liquid from dried fruit into the bottom of the baking dish.

4. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 35-45 minutes, or until pears are soft and a knife pierced into a pear faces no resistance.

Pears soft and juicy after a long, hot bath in the oven!

Final preparation:

1. Place 1/6th of oatmeal in 6 separate bowls and add 1/4 cup of water (a little less if you like really thick oatmeal) to each bowl. Microwave each bowl on high for 2 minutes (approx) and top each with two stuffed pear halves. Enjoy!

-M : )

Your New Favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie

I used to work at this company where a few of my friends who like to cook would get together every Wednesday and one person would make lunch for the rest of the group. People in the group called it the “lunch club”, while people who wished they were in the group called it the “finer things club” because it reminded them of the club by the same name in The Office. While we didn’t sit around reading poetry and sipping tea from fine china the way they do in The Office, we were very lucky to have incredibly good food one day a week. Needless to say, while they were excited to have a culinary school grad a part of their club, I felt honored to be included. To shake things up for the holidays, we decided to have a potluck last week instead of burdening one person with cooking an entire holiday meal.

Now I choose to bring dessert for one reason and one reason only- it was an excuse to make my mom’s chocolate bourbon walnut pie. Now I know what you’re thinking- that’s not the title of the post! You promised Chocolate Pecan Pie and who said anything about Bourbon?? Well, us girls on a budget can’t buy bourbon just to add 1/4 cup in a pie, and we also can’t go searching around town for walnuts when there aren’t any at the supermarket. Thankfully, pecans are a great subsitute, and despite being non-alcoholic, its still going to be your new favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie. And if you don’t have an old favorite, you’re really in for a treat!

Now before I go into the recipe, I’ve got to say, corn syrup is not my favorite ingredient. It has no nutritional value, it spikes your blood sugar, and it can be substituted with honey when an invert sugar is called for in a recipe (such as in fudge making). However, I have found that in pecan pie, corn syrup lends the perfect texture to the finished product; the pie remains moist, the nuts distribute evenly, and there’s never a grainy feel in your mouth from crystallized sugar. So if you’re opposed to nutritionally devoid ingredients like corn syrup, feel free to substitute honey here, but if you’re willing to loosen the reigns this once, use corn syrup.

Mmm..don’t you love it when the top gets golden and caramelized?

Your New Favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie

Serves 8

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a bowl over simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and cool slightly.

3. While the sugar mixture cools, sprinkle chocolate chips over the pie shell.

4. In a large bowl combine eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour sugar mixture into egg mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell, over the chocolate chips.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center is just set and the top is golden. The pie is great warm, but I prefer it at room temperature, once the texture has fully set. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even creme fraiche, which counters its sweetness. Enjoy!

-M : )

Autumn Pork Chops with Stuffed Tomatoes

Tonight’s dinner was both simple and impressive- simple for the chef, impressive for the bf. Does weeknight cooking get any better than that? I named these pork chops “Autumn” since they share the plate with mushroom-stuffed tomatoes. Stuffing, in any form, epitomizes fall to me, and here, crammed inside hollow tomatoes, it enriches a would-be tasteless fruit this time of year.

The pan sauce is simple and efficient and there’s no need to follow my recipe if you don’t have cherry tomatoes on hand (they can be kind of pricey this time of year). Instead, replace the cherry tomatoes with the chopped innards you removed from the large tomatoes and save yourself 4 bucks. The point of adding tomatoes is twofold: color and acidity. While the pan sauce has thyme in it, the red perks up the color while simultaneously balancing the stock-based sauce. The sauce, having been thickened with flour, needs the acidity to draw it out of “dullsville,” as my mother would say. No need to go there- sliced cherry tomatoes, tomato scraps, or even some lemon juice, will keep you far away.

No story necessary for this dinner, its just good, fresh, healthy food. Oh, and the stuffed tomatoes are an excellent vessel for getting more veggies into your child’s diet (or your boyfriend’s!). An untrained palate will never know there are mushrooms hiding in there, but the body that mouth feeds will reap the benefits. Enjoy! : )

Autumn Pork Chops with Stuffed Tomatoes

Serves 2

2 boneless pork chops
2 3” wide tomatoes, insides removed so only 1/2″ thick shell remains
3 large mushrooms, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced, separated in two equal portions
2 ribs celery, diced, separated in two equal portions
1 tsp fresh thyme (dried can be substituted), separated into 2 equal portions
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp parmesean, grated
1/2 cup (about 8-10) grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tbsp flour (all purpose works well)
salt and pepper to taste
oil for sauteing vegetables (about 2 tbsp)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place cover a small cookie sheet or ovensafe dish with a layer of aluminum foil.

2. In a small saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add mushrooms and one portion each of onions and celery. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Saute until golden over medium high heat, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn the heat to low, add 1/2 cup chicken stock and mix well.

4. Take the pan off the heat, add breadcrumbs and 1/2 tsp thyme to pan, and once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg and mix well.

5. Using a spoon, distribute the stuffing evenly into the two tomatoes. Pack tightly and place the tomatoes on the aluminum foil covered baking sheet and transfer to oven. Cook for 25 minutes or until stuffing is golden.

Stuffed tomatoes ready for the oven!

6. While tomatoes bake, place heavy skillet over high heat and season pork chops with salt and pepper. Add pork chops to pan and leave undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, until topsides look very moist and the sides look cooked halfway up. Flip and cook other side until you have reached your desired level of doneness.

7. Remove pork chops to clean cutting board to rest and redistribute juices; reduce heat to medium high and add tomatoes and remaining portions of onions, celery, and thyme to the pan. Cook until golden, add flour and incorporate well, then add remaining chicken stock and raise heat to high.

Thickening the pan sauce

8. Cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and turn off the heat. At this point the stuffed tomatoes are ready, so take them out of the oven and place one on each plate. Top each with 1 tbsp parmesean. Place one pork chop on each plate and spoon desired amount of sauce over each. Serve and enjoy!

-M : )

To-Die-For Pumpkin Ginger Bars

Of all four seasons, autumn has the best food. Its like Goldilocks and the three (well, four..) bears: Winter’s food is too heavy, Summer (and Spring) food is too light, and Autumn’s just right. Vegetables and Fruits get the attention they deserve, and the spices are warm without being heavy, simultaneously sweet and savory. It is often a time of indulgence, as people are eager to make desserts with the apples, pears, pumpkins, and even sweet potatoes that crowd the market shelves, but our bodies are pushed back into balance by the amount of nutrients in the available food: brussel sprouts, winter squash, leeks, green beans, and broccoli, are a few that come to mind (in addition to those mentioned above, of course).

Using fruits and vegetables in desserts has always been an interest of mine. I much prefer zucchini breads, banana muffins, sweet potato pies and berry cobblers to cheesecakes, pecan pies, and other (in my opinion) more cloying treats. Produce in desserts adds depth of flavor, texture, color, and boosted nutrition. Its also a great way to help introduce kids to unfamiliar and perhaps intimidating foods.

This recipe for Pumpkin Ginger Bars is special then, in two ways: it’s in tune with the season and it includes some healthy ingredients (like molasses, cinnamon, and pumpkin). It’s also the most addictive baked good I’ve ever made. The lightness of the filling combined with the chewy, crunchy base provides a textural contrast that most desserts lack. For me, when I have pumpkin pie, I find the crust to be superfluous, unnecessary, almost a dilution of the filling’s flavor. Not so with these; the crust is made with ginger snaps, and then covered in a thin layer of caramel, pairing perfectly with the homemade pumpkin filling. The filling is incredible on its own, but you’ll never leave tasteless crust behind when you eat these. So take a little time this afternoon to appreciate and share autumn’s bounty with these Pumpkin Ginger Bars. With two of these warm from the oven, a cup of mulled cider and a good book, you’ll be fully equipped for a cozy afternoon : )

Pumpkin Ginger Bars
Makes 28 bars

For Crust:
30 2″ gingersnap cookies (I like Sweetzels brand), crushed in a food processor
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/8 cup brown sugar

For Caramel layer:
2 bags Werther’s classic chewy caramels
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp butter

For Pumpkin filling:
1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 cup molasses

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a 13 x 9 in. pan (glass works especially well).

2. Combine the cookie crumbs, butter, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Dump the mixture into the greased pan and distribute evenly over the bottom. The mixture will be very crumbly but don’t worry. Press it down lightly with your hands and make sure the crust extends to the edges of the pan.

3. Bake the crust blind for 10 minutes in the 425 degree oven to help it firm up. Don’t let it get too brown!

4. Unwrap caramels and place in a bowl over a pot of simmering water to melt. Add 1/2 cup milk and 3 tbsp butter to the bowl. Once caramels have melted, stir the mixture until it is fully incorporated and keep it over the double boiler to remain warm.

5. When the crust is ready, pour the caramel mixture over the crust and spread delicately to distribute it evenly over the crust’s surface. It will be thin, but there is exactly enough.

6. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the caramel, again distributing the filling evenly.

E. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 then lower oven to 350 and finish cooking for 35 more minutes. Bars are done when the top feels firm and the filling no longer jiggles in the center.

Note: I recommend letting these cool to room temp before slicing them, and when you do slice them, make sure you use a sharp knife and press down firmly- the bottom crust is very dense. Additionally, I would refridgerate these, or they will be incredibly chewy. The fridge makes the crust crunchy rather than chewy and I tend to find them even better this way.

Enjoy!

-M : )

Kashi Apple Pancakes

I wrote a post a little while ago about using Pimms in turkey meatballs to avoid wasting it. Not surprisingly, it appears alcohol is not the only item in my cupboard that is in need of creative application! I opened a box of Kashi Go Lean cereal around the time I moved to DC two months ago and since I spend quite a bit of time at D’s place and also have breakfast provided at my office, its been sitting there, half full, since then…

Two month old cereal is not my idea of an appealing breakfast, no matter how hungry I am, but I’m disinclined to just chuck it- I mean, I had made those muffins with Smart Bran cereal a while back, and while that was fresh cereal, after it was soaked in milk, that couldn’t have made a big difference, right? So, I thought this Saturday morning, equipped with a fully stocked fridge, I’d make pancakes with my stale cereal. I figured, there is a similar preparation for both muffins and pancakes, so the cereal-soaking method could work nicely in my plan to use cereal in another warm preparation.

Before I go into the actual recipe, I must stay I did have trepidations about using Kashi Go Lean in the recipe rather than another cereal like cheerios or corn pops or anything less packed with fiber. I thought, isn’t this cereal going to make crunchy pancakes? That didn’t sound very appetizing… My goal was to make the cereal indistinguishable from the batter; to thicken it without standing out. Let me tell you, the food gods were behind me this morning. : )

The only evidence of cereal in this batter was the thickness it gave. As each pre-softened nugget of cereal melted into the batter as it was surrounded by the heat of the pan, it somehow retained its shape without adding any crunch, giving way to impossibly fluffy yet hearty pancakes! I added 1 fuji apple (diced) to sweeten the pancakes and add another dimension of flavor, but feel free to omit it. So now, I share with you my second cupboard-raiding recipe: cereal reincarnated. It’s not only a great use of another would-be wasted pantry item, but depending on which cereal you’ve neglected, it can also be a great way to sneak more fiber into your morning meal! Enjoy : )

Kashi Apple Pancakes
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups Kashi Go Lean cereal (or cereal of choice)

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder (baking soda is fine to substitute, though)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1 apple, diced (I prefer Fuji) -optional

Method:

1. Combine cereal and milk in a small bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3. When the cereal has almost finished soaking, lightly beat the eggs in another separate bowl and whisk in the melted butter, sugar, and yogurt. Stir in the diced apples, if using.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough.

5. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls onto a medium-hot skillet and flip when the bubbles that appear on top of the pancakes begin to pop. Finish cooking on the other side and serve.

Such a chunky batter! I was sure these would never be light and tender, but thankfully I was wrong!

Mmm..almost ready…

 

D and I ate these with maple syrup and boysenberry jam (utterly delicious), but anyway you choose to serve these, enjoy!

-Maddy : )

Getting Back to the Basics: Banana Muffins

Newton’s third law states that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” so it comes as no surprise that the fast food industry is currently being attacked by a stronger-than-ever coalition of extremely vocal and well-supported food alarmists. Now don’t get upset, I’m no fast food junkie. However, I do believe in a consumer’s right to choose and that birthday parties should involve cake, Halloween should involve kids collecting candy, and schools should have the ability to offer students a dessert option with their lunch.

In this time of feuding non-profits, where organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Center for Consumer Freedom are butting heads over “issues” like if a child should be allowed to bring birthday cupcakes into school to share (!), or whether non-chain restaurants should disclose the nutritional information of their menus, I find myself inclined to back away from this battle and get back to the basics. I say ignore the food-focused fear-mongering and rely on a little personal responsibility. All you need to know to be healthy is what you already know, intrinsically:

1. Fruits and vegetables are good for you. Eat a lot of them. Period.
2. For proteins such as poultry, fish, and meat, a portion size is closer to the size of your fist than the size of your plate.

3. Carbohydrates are easy access energy for your body, since they are more easily broken down into elements your body can use than protein is, for example. Whole grains contain more fiber and nutrients than refined grains, but white bread isn’t evil. Neither are cupcakes. Moderation is key.

4. A little fat in the diet does the body good. Some nutrients are only fat-soluble, meaning that without the presence of fat in the body, we can’t break these vitamins and minerals down for our bodies to use. Also, our brain is made mostly of fat. Think about that! The unsaturated varieties are preferable, but when it comes to saturated fats, Coconut Oil is a good example of a healthy one. This doesn’t mean you should eat it by the spoonful, but try substituting it for canola oil once in a while.

5. Sugar, refined or not, is still just a carbohydrate and a little candy, chocolate, or cake should be a source of pleasure not anxiety.

So with that said, I have a great banana muffin recipe to share. Yes, it calls for refined all-purpose flour, real butter, and white sugar, but you can modify the recipe if that suits you.

A couple notes:

*For a more substantial muffin, try dropping peanut butter into the centers, or add jam also and make them pb&j muffins. Apple butter, or other fruit butters also make delicious additions, as does chopped fruit, such as apples or pears.

*To add a center to your muffin, fill up the muffin tin halfway with batter, drop in a teaspoonful of your filling, and cover with a thin layer of batter so the filling is hidden. I also love to crumble two of these into an ovensafe bowl, crack two eggs over it, and bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Sprinkle salt on the eggs and eat from the dish- the sweet muffins with the salty eggs is a great combination! Either way you choose to serve them, enjoy. And see…without even trying you’re getting a little of everything you need here: carbs, fiber, protein and a little fat, as well as added vitamins and minerals from the bananas. Here’s to not over-thinking our food.

Fool-Proof Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large very ripe bananas (or 4 small), mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (oil can be substituted)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat muffin tins with liners or cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients together except for the flour in a large bowl and carefully stir in flour at the end just until incorporated. Don’t over mix or your muffins will be tough.

3. Fill muffin tin 3/4 way full and place tin in hot oven. Bake 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of your muffin tin, until a cake tester comes out clean. Rotate tins halfway through cooking if the heat of your oven is uneven.

Enjoy!

-M : )

Get Yourself a GreenPan!

picture courtesy of HSN.com

Ok, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but a few weeks ago while sleeplessly flipping channels late at night, I came across a special on the Home Shopping Network that I couldn’t turn away from. While I readily accept that I am a food tv-aholic, I have a hard time admitting that I purposefully watched a channel that sells useless trinkets and gimmicky makeup 99% of the time. However, when I saw Todd English, famed executive chef and restaurateur, selling GreenPans, I abandoned my usual assumptions about the HSN and set the remote down. I was sucked in, eyes wide, jaw on the floor, as Chef English and his team demonstrated the pan’s mind-blowing properties: 100% non-stick, non-toxic, and oven-ready, up to 900 degrees. No other piece of kitchen equipment can boast this trifecta.

I say mind-blowing with full confidence. Have you ever cracked an egg into a un-greased nonstick pan thinking that the pan, new or old, might actually live up to its name, and yield you a neat, whole, over-easy, only to find yourself making “i-meant-to-do-this” checkerboard scrambled eggs a minute later? Yeah, you know what botched eggs I’m talking about. Sure, they still taste good, but you’re not giving that to a guest. For the seasoned cook, this mishap will mean nothing, just a re-do, with some oil in the pan next time. For the beginner cook, this could mean discouragement and possibly less interest in cooking (clearly not a good thing!). So, when I saw Todd English and his team cooking with these pans, using no oil or fat to “saute” fish, make pancakes, and flip crepes, I knew these pans would be the perfect tool for a beginner cook in my life: my boyfriend. Since it seems to be the trend in blogs to not use real names, we’ll call him D.

D starting cooking in earnest about 6 months ago and has successfully ventured into the worlds of paninis, pastas, and omelets. In an effort to encourage him to continue cooking, I bought him a GreenPan and he’s never been happier or more confident in the kitchen! Not only is the GreenPan insanely non-stick, it can also withstand temperatures up to 900 degrees! Even with the gas flame maxed out, your stovetop doesn’t get hotter than that, and your oven and broiler can’t get close to 700 degrees, let alone 900. Unlike other non-stick pans that are coated in teflon (toxic at anything above a medium-low flame!), GreenPans are “Thermolon-based” and release no toxins into the atmosphere if overheated, thereby reducing our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. If you’re skeptical about the harmful effects of teflon, check out this article, or google “harmful teflon” and see what pops up. I assure you, you’ll never spend $35 more wisely.

So of course, even though it’s D’s pan, I was dying to test it out for myself! When I made brunch last weekend I gave it the ultimate test: sunny-side up eggs, with no oil/fat in the pan to lubricate them. When making sunny-side up eggs, its only the egg white, pure protein, that touches the pan, so if these didn’t stick, nothing could. The result? Perfect, intact eggs. In fact, foods are downright slippery on this pan’s surface, even with no fat present! No makeshift scrambles in sight.

Corn fritters shallow-frying in the GreenPan (I did use oil for these)

*No recipe this week, but here’s a pic of the resulting brunch dish I made from the sunny-side up eggs: Corn fritters (yup, same recipe as my earlier post) topped with guacamole, crispy applewood-smoked bacon, sunny-side up eggs and slices of raw milk cheddar.

Sunny-side up eggs on corn fritters for breakfast, yum!

Oh yeah, did I mention the health benefits of not needing fat to cook in this pan? No? Well, D and I figure, if we’re not using fat to cook our eggs, we might as well enjoy them with some bacon ; )

-M : )

Sweet ‘n Savory, Hot ‘n Cold: Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

People constantly ask me, “What’s your favorite thing to make?” As if I, having gone to culinary school, should have a set answer for this question. As if I’m not a great cook if I don’t have an answer. Please. The reason I don’t have an answer is because this is an unanswerable question. Do you ask a parent which child is their favorite? I hope not. How could someone choose a favorite dish? With every dish I make again and again I gain mastery of it, and with every new dish I make or create I expand my culinary repertoire. While these feelings of mastery and novelty are equally as satisfying in their own ways, I constantly find myself more inclined to cook a new dish over one that is tried and true.

Since I don’t cook much in my apartment in New York, when I go down to DC to visit my boyfriend, I love taking advantage of his larger kitchen and surprising him with new dishes. I also love the challenge of cooking something new. I don’t come from a family that has a rich culinary heritage, so when I started cooking when I was 12 years old, I started with a pretty clean slate. Sure, my mom taught me how to measure, mix, bake, and saute, and my dad taught me how to grill and make a mean dish of lox, eggs, and onions, but the food we ate was largely based on what we found at the supermarket that was fresh and healthy (and often, organic), rather than on recipes passed down through generations.

As a result, I feel no duty to keep certain dishes alive, nor do I feel compelled to learn family dishes before I delve into making others that truly pique my interest. I am in the clear. I can cook what I want. Maybe that lack of responsibility to pass down culinary traditions is what frees me to cook simply what I’m interested in cooking. I suppose I take full advantage of this freedom by cooking something new nearly every time I cook. Maybe not something completely new, but I always have to add a new twist. The only real exception to this is my omelet- which I have down to a science- but that’s for another post.

So the more “new” dishes I cook, the more I realize that creating a satisfying meal is more than just finding a balance in its taste elements (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami); it’s also about finding a balance- or an appropriate contrast- in its temperature. Often, we take this for granted. For example, aren’t most fried foods served hot with a cold sauce? Have you really ever thought about how pervasive this is? I have, and here are some examples: crab cakes with remoulade, fried fish with tartar sauce, falafel with hummus, chicken wings with blue cheese dressing….I could go on and on. The thing is, all of these cold elements aren’t healthy (save, hummus), so while they add a cold contrast, they only really serve to make an already unhealthy food even unhealthier. My solution was to create a healthier fried dish with an even healthier cold element to satisfy my craving of having a dish with a contrast in temperatures: corn fritters with mixed fruit salsa! The corn fritters are sweet and savory, as is the salsa, which includes peaches, mangoes, pineapple, red onions, lime juice, and cilantro. Serve this as an appetizer, as a vegetarian entree, or add grilled shrimp, for a heartier meal. Enjoy! We did : )

Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

Yield: 4 Servings

For Salsa: (hint: make this first so it can macerate in the fridge while you cook the fritters. The flavors will meld and yield you a better result. Adjust the salt right before serving. )

2 yellow peaches, diced

1 large mango, or two small mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 pineapple, trimmed of rough exterior and inner brown seeds, diced (eat the other half as a snack or save for later)

1 small red onion, minced

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup cilantro (or to taste), minced

1/4 cup canola oil

slightly less salt than desired, to taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to macerate, at least 30 min, but up to 5 hours.

For Corn Fritters:

3 ears fresh corn (white, yellow, or mixed), shucked, kernels cut off the cob with a large knife.

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal (don’t buy cornmeal just for this, you can substitute 1/4 cup flour if you don’t have it in your pantry)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk, if you’re feeling adventurous)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/8 cup cilantro, minced

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced (optional)

salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Canola oil (or peanut oil, if no one’s allergic), for frying

Method:

1. Mix flour and cornmeal in a large bowl. Mix the egg and milk in a separate bowl until well incorporated and add to dry ingredients. Mix gently, leaving some flour in clumps. Fold in corn kernels, cilantro, jalapeno (if using), and 2 tbsp canola oil. Be careful to only mix to incorporate the ingredients, no further. Over-mixing will activate the gluten in the flour and yield you a tough fritter rather than a delicate one. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Batter will be very thick.

2. Heat enough oil in a large pan to come a 1/2 inch up the sides, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, test a spoonful of the batter to check the seasoning, and adjust the salt/pepper/cayenne as necessary. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and spread each with the back of a spoon to a diameter of 2-3 inches. They should be about a 1/4 inch thick. Shallow fry on one side until golden brown, flip, and finish browning on the other side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the salsa piled on top, or served on the side.

*Note: These are also excellent with guacamole! (Guacamole: Mash 2 avocados, add 1/2 small onion (minced), 1 small tomato (seeded and diced), the juice of 1/2 a lime and 2 tbsp minced cilantro, and adjust salt to taste. Add 1 minced jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed) or 1/2 minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce, if you want it spicy.)

Enjoy!

-M : )

Baking with Lorna Sass (2007 James Beard Award Winner!)

Smart Bran Whole Wheat Raisin Cookies

Photo from Nature’s Path

Let’s face it, many of us cooks pride ourselves on knowing how to make something healthy taste good, even if we’re not super health-conscious eaters. After all, its much easier to make something with loads of fat and sugar taste good, since as we know by now, “fat is flavor!”, than it is to make something with brown rice and kale taste good (at least to most people’s palates). Maybe its a pride thing, maybe its a desire to at least know how to make something healthy for that stray vegan friend who might happen to drop by, but I always like to have a few healthy food tricks up my sleeve. The thing is, all of my healthy recipes are savory, never sweet. For some reason, every recipe I have tried for vegan, low-fat, or low-sugar desserts has disappointed and I refuse to subject my friends to foods I wouldn’t eat myself.

So when I met up with Lorna Sass last Friday for a recipe testing session, and she told me we were baking vegan cookies and muffins, I was thrilled. For her most recent book, “Whole Grains: Every Day, Every Way,” Lorna won a 2007 James Beard Award in the Healthy Focus category. Additionally, it was chosen as 1 of the 20 best cookbooks published in 2006 by Leite’s Culinaria and named as a notable cookbook of 2006 by the New York Times. Clearly, if anyone could teach me how to make nutritious baked goods taste great, it was her. And so I left there armed with two new recipes that are guaranteed to please vegans and die-hard butter lovers alike. Enjoy!

Note: The cookies and muffins we baked both use Smart Bran cereal (by Nature’s Path) as a primary ingredient, but honestly, since the cereal in the recipe becomes very soft once soaked in the apple juice, I would suggest playing around and substituting your favorite high fiber cereals here, such as Go Lean or Optimum (two of my faves, for sure). The muffins, I can assure you, were impossibly moist and teeming with dried cranberries. As for the Smart Bran cookies, they were soft, chewy, and full of macadamia nuts and raisins. These trump those ubiquitous oatmeal raisin’s by far. Neither are cloying, but both the cookies and the muffins will satisfy the sweet tooths of the health-conscious and the not. : )

Smart Bran Whole Wheat Raisin Cookies

By Lorna Sass, for Nature’s Path

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1/2 c. vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp. for preparing cookie sheets
2 c. SmartBran® Cereal
1 -1/4 c. apple juice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. whole wheat flour (spelt flour also works nicely here)
1/3 to1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 -1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 c. raisins
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

1. Brush two cookie sheets lightly with oil. Place racks in center and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine the cereal, apple juice, and vanilla. Set aside to soften for 15 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.

4. Stir the oil into the cereal mixture. Pour the cereal mixture on top of the dry ingredients. Add the raisins and walnuts. Stir to combine. Taste batter. Stir in more sugar, if you wish.

5. Using your hands, shape bits of dough into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Place about an inch apart on the 2 oiled cookie sheets. (If dough is moist and sticky, drop heaping table spoons directly onto sheets.) With your fingers or the back of a spoon, flatten dough into rough circles with a 2-inch diameter.

6. Bake for 9 minutes. Rotate the pans back to front and bottom shelf to top. Continue baking until the bottoms are golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. When cool, store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 4 months.

Smart Bran Fruit & Flax Muffins

photo from Nature’s Path

Smart Bran Fruit & Flax Muffins

By Lorna Sass, for Nature’s Path

Yield: 12 Muffins

1 1/4 c. SmartBran™ cereal
1 3/4 c. unsweetened apple juice
5 tbs. Nature’s Path Flax Plus™ Flaxseed Meal** (or substitute: freshly ground whole flax seeds)
1 c. wholewheat flour (again, 2 cups of spelt flour works well as a substitute for both flours) 1 c. unbleached white flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice or cardamom
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/3 c. vegetable oil (plus more for greasing muffin tins)
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. dried cranberries,