Plum Cake

Sunday, September 16, 2007

we had lots of plums from simon's nana so i made plum cake (who's heard of that before?!) today (adapted from bbc recipe)

ingredients

• 150 g butter softened
• 150 g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 75 g plain flour
• 1.5 t baking powder
• 75 g minced almonds
• 75 g chopped pecans
• 30-40 tiny plums or 15 normal sized plums; pitted and halved (or quarted if using big plums)
• powdered sugar for decorating top
• whip cream to serve

to do

1. heat oven 180 c / 355 f; line base of 20 cm deep (6 cm) cake tin (i used round) with baking paper
2. beat butter and sugar with mixer
3. break eggs and beat with fork then add slower to butter/sugar and continue using mixer
4. mix flour and baking powder and then fold into the butter/sugar/egg mix slowly
5. fold in nuts
6. spread into pan and add plums (you can be clumsy if you want) on top
7. cook for 45 min (until tooth pick comes out of center clean)
8. flip upside down onto plate, add powdered sugar
9. serve with whip cream on top or side

Italian White Beans (with sausage)

this is a great and healthy recipe! influenced by jamie oliver again, i think i'll have a lot of this italian beauty in the winter. a real tummy warmer and makes the house smell lovely! i can't believe how simple it is too. about 5 minutes actual work in total!

to make it healthier, omit the sausage and either have it on it's own or add some fish at the end.

serves a hungry 2

ingredients

• 2 cups white beans (not sure what kind i used)
• potato
• tomato
• celerey stick
• bundle of fresh herbs-- rosemary, thyme, parsley, anything goes!
• 2 cloves garlic
• optional-- 4 sausage links
• s & p
• 4 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• parmasean

to do

1. soak beans night before
2. put beans in pot and add enough water so the beans come up half of water level
3. boil the following until beans are soft (about 1.5 hr): beans, potato (maybe cut in half), tomato, garlic (skinned and whole), herb bundle, celery, sausages cut into thick slices
4. discard herbs and celery; may need to remove some water, depending on how liquidy you want it (we ate it on plates, but would be lovely as stew in bowls)
5. remove tomato, garlic and potato and mash with fork; return puree to beans and boil down the remaining liquid until nice consistancy
6. add s & p and spinach leaves until slightly wilted, remove from heat and serve!
7. parmasean would be great on top!
   

Midwest Chili

Monday, September 03, 2007

• 3 lbs beef chuck, coarse chili grind
• 2 lbs beef chuck, hamburger grind
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 5 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbl ground hot red chile
• 5 Tbl ground mild red chile
• 3 Tbl ground cumin
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 c water
• 2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
• 2 28-oz cans peeled whole tomatoes
• 4 c freshly cooked pinto beans, drained (or 2 16-oz cans)

1. Add the meat, onions, and garlic to a heavy 5-quart pot or Dutch oven. Break up any lumps with a fork and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is evenly browned.
2. Stir in the ground chile, cumin, and salt, thoroughly blending the mixture. Add the water, tomato sauce, and tomatoes, mashing them with a fork.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 1-1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the beans and simmer, uncovered, 1/2 hour longer.

Footnote: Easy to prepare, this chili recipe calls for a combination of coarsely ground and finely ground meat, giving the finished product a nice texture. You might like to substitute butter beans for the pinto beans as some Midwesterners do.

After trying this, I felt that less water should have been added--maybe 1 cup--since lots of liquid is liberated when cooking the onions. The result would be a heartier, less soupy, chili.

Being a chilihead, I also felt that the hot red chile could be increased by a factor of 4 - 8!

Enjoy with a hearty beer (ale, stout), and your favorite shredded cheese on top. Serves 10 to 12.

Chicken Braised in Balsamic Vinegar

• 1 (3- to 4-pound) frying chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 large shallots, cut into halves
• 4 carrots, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 - 2 Tbl flour
• 1/2 c chicken stock or broth
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 c Zinfandel
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbl chopped Italian parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Brown in the heated olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch Dutch oven or oven-proof skillet. Remove the chicken to a dish and drain all but 2 Tbl of the drippings from the Dutch oven.
   
2. Add the bacon, onion, shallots, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until the onion begins to become tender, stirring constanttly. Sprinkle with the flour and mix well. Stir in the chicken stock or broth, vinegar, wine, and bay leaf. Add all the chicken pieces but the breast pieces.
3. Braise, covered, in the oven for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add the chicken breast pieces. Braise, uncovered, for 20 minutes longer. Serve over egg noodles or rice, discarding the bay leaf; garnish with the parsley.

Footnote: This recipe goes well with a glass of Zinfandel. Balsamic vinegar is concentrated by aging it in various kinds of wood barrels. The resulting flavor is too sweet for many red wines, but Zinfandel has the fruitiness to handle it. Serves four.

Green Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

• 1 oz sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 c extra-virgen olive oil
• 1 Tbl balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 large handfuls of mixed small lettuces
• 2 Tbl chopped fresh oregano, Italian parsley, and/or basil for garnish

1. Cover the dried tomatoes with boiling water in a heat-proof bowl. Let stand at room temperature until completely softened; drain on paper towels. Mince finely.
2. Combine the tomatoes with the olive oil in a bowl. Marinate for several minutes if time permits. Whisk in the vinegar, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss with the greens in a bowl. Divide among 6 salad plates. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs.

Footnote: This recipe goes very well with a glass of Zinfandel. Zinfandel and tomatoes make a winning combination in general. However, the sugar in tomatoes becomes very concentrated when they are dried. If added to a dish whole or in large pieces, this concentrated sweetness will overwhelm even a very fruity Zinfandel, leaving it dry, bitter, and/or sour. Mincing the dried tomatoes disperses the sweetness, which is additionally balanced by the acid of the vinegar. The result is another great pairing of tomato and Zinfandel. Serves six.

Fish with runner bean salad

Sunday, September 02, 2007

now my lovely brother eli got me this cool bean contraption ages ago and i never knew what it was used for really or how to use it... until jamie oliver showed me on his tv program this week. wow! i am a believer now, eli! sorry, i didn't appreciate it before (i actually didn't know how to appreciate it!)

this is gorgeous and makes you question ever not using anchovies (don't be afraid... you don't realize they are in the dish, but boy do they add to it!!!)

for 2 people

ingredients

• 1 Tb olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• can of anchovies
• hot pepper flakes (like serve in pizza restaurants)
• can chopped tomatoes
• 450g runner beans (also called pole beans, stick beans)
• s & p
• white fish for two people (monkfish or similar)
• lemon (rind & juice)
• handful parsley
• basil and olive oil for drizzling to serve
  

to do

1. use the cool bean contraption (see picture) to slice beans (if your brother hasn't gotten you this cool contraption, then you'll need to do it by hand... remove side strings from beans and then slice thinly)
2. heat oil in pan and then add 2 Tb garlic until heated
3. add anchovies and hot pepper until it's all happy and anchovies have disolved
4. add tomatoes and simmer couple of minutes
5. add beans plus s & p and cover
6. meanwhile heat hot griddle (til your fire alarm goes off-- about 5 min) with nothing on it
7. season w/ s & p the fish on both sides and add to hot griddle pan (only need cooking about 3 min per side)
8. stir your happy beans around and breath in the lovely flavors!!!
9. now as an added perk (although not necessary) grate lemon rind into small ramekin, add juice and chopped parsley and last 1 Tb garlic and mix together
10. add to beans and mix up
11. when all is ready... pile beans on platter (or plates), pile with fish then add fresh basil and pour on the olive oil (don't be shy here... sip your wine and be happy... with olive oil)

Banoffee Pie

still tackling my fear of dessert making (mom, this is your fault!) and making up for lost time with my news year's resolution to cook simon amazing desserts. to add to the incentives of dessert cooking, i'm now trying to impress/motivate the work colleagues!

this is fabulous but so rich. i can't handle more than three bites!

ingredients

• pack of cookies -- maybe with chocoate coating or chocoate flavor, but like Nabisco wafers
• 2 Tb butter (soften to room temp)
• can of 400g condensed milk
• ripe bananas (about 3)
• cup whipping cream

to do

1. use cuisinart for cookies until they are only crumbs
2. mix with butter and pack tightly into pie pan bottom (similar to cheese cake), thickness depends on your liking! and fridge it to harden it.
3. now this sounds crazy, but put UNOPENED can of the condensed milk in covered pot of boiling water for 2 hours (trust me here). after 2 hours, put under cold water until it's cold enough to touch can. then open it with can opener. (i'm always afraid it will explode, but it doesn't... but be careful anyway)
4. pour cold 'toffee' (what was condensed milk) into crust pan from step 2 and return to fridge.
5. after it's been in fridge for at least an hour, bring out and put sliced bananas on top (not sure best way of slicing, i did mine normal slices you'd use for cereal but next time i might try long slices (opposite direction) to maximize their coverage on pie).
6. whip up cream and smear on top of pie.
7. optional-- grate chocolate on top for "wow" effect!

mmmmmm!

Smoked Salmon Ravioli w/ Chipotle Cream Sauce

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Wow, this recipe was delicious!! It's time consuming, but worth it for the taste and the process is very enjoyable. I don't have a photo of the finished dish, so I will make it again just to take a pic!


For 4-6 servings
Ingredients

• pasta
• 1lb plain flour
• 5 fresh large eggs
• ravioli filling
• 1/2 pound smoked salmon
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• chipotle cream sauce
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 small shallot, minced
• 4-6 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk, mixed with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the chipotle adobo sauce
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cilantro

to do

pasta

1. put flour in a pile on working surface (i use dining table), stir in cilantro and make a hole in the middle of flour
2. pour in beaten eggs and yolks and slowly pull in flour into eggs, using fingers until it is all mixed
3. knead it and add more flour or water to obtain smooth consistency
4. divide it into workable chunks and feed through pasta machine (i used hand crank that has 7 levels; i stopped at level 3 for ravioli)
5. leave to dry but not until it's crisp; maybe 1 hr

ravioli filling

1. puree smoked salmon & eggs until smooth
2. slowly add 1/2 cup of cream, peppers, cilantro; mix thoroughly
3. layout dried pasta and space out fillings to leave about 1-2 inch gaps (i made large raviolis to maximize filling to pasta ratio, then served about 4 per person); i found it's better to use lots of pasta to be safe (ensure none break open or leak) and then trim excess pasta at end. (my mouth is watering just typing this becuase this tasted so good!!)
4. brush unsealed edges with beaten egg to then help seal the edges; press out any air when closing them since they will leak/burst otherwise
5. cut them apart and refridgerate/freeze until ready to use (a great thing to prepare before guests arive.... easy meal to make when guests are over but such an impressive taste!)
6. when ready to cook, boil large pot of salted water, cook for about 6 minutes

chipotle cream sauce

1. melt butter over medium heat in small pot
2. add shallot, cook until soft
3. add half minced chipotles and cream, heat slowly
4. mix in milk/adob sauce a small bit at a time until good to taste (depends on spice tolerance of you and guests!)
5. add salt/pepper and cilantro

to serve
arrange ravioli (i served about 4 per guest) on plates and drizzle the warm chipotle cream sauce on top. add chopped/sliced green onion, cilantro and freshly ground black pepper. have remaining sauce on the side.

wow!

French Tart

Saturday, August 18, 2007

From Mollie
recipe from bbc.co.uk recipe (slightly changed)

This is a very simple dessert to make and it looks so gorgeous and delicate! Fantastically tasty... definitely recommend it. I've done it with different types of jams to make different colored tarts. yum!

Ingredients

• pastry
• 1/2 pack pastry (enough to make 12" tart base)
• filling
• 900g/2lb cooking apples
• 50g/2oz butter
• 2 tbsp water
• 4tbsp apricot jam
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• grated rind of ½ lemon
• 225g/8oz eating apples (or cooking apples)
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• about 1 tsp caster sugar for sprinkling
• glaze
• 4tbsp apricot jam (these photos show what happens if you use blackcurrant jam-- makes it pretty!)

to do

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6.3.
2. cut the cooking apples into quarters, remove core and chop the apple into chunks (no need to peel).
3. Melt the butter in a large pan and then add the prepared apples and water. Cover and cook very gently for 10-15 minutes until the apples have become soft and mushy.
4. Rub the apple through a nylon sieve into a clean pan, add the apricot jam, sugar and grated lemon rind. Cook over a high heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly, until all the excess liquid has been evaporated and the apple mixture is thick. Allow to cool.
5. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a 20cm/8in loose-based fluted flan tin. Cover with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind in the oven for about 1-15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for about another five minutes until the pastry at the base of the flan has dried out.


6. Spoon the cooled apple purée into the flan case and level the surface.


7. Peel, quarter and core the eating apples, then slice them very thinly. Arrange in neat overlapping circles all over the apple purée, brush with the lemon juice and sprinkle with the caster sugar.



8. Return the flan to the oven and bake for about a further 25 minutes or until the pastry and the edges of the apples are lightly browned. Allow to cool a little.



9. For the glaze, sieve the apricot jam into a small pan and heat gently until runny. Brush all over the top of the apples and pastry. Serve warm or cold.