Twisted Krispies!

Recently, my husband and I visited Martha's Exchange up in Nashua.  We enjoyed a few craft beers and burgers...you know good old pub grub. 

On our way out, we passed their famous candy counter where upon I spied chocolate covered caramel Rice Krispie Treat "pops".  I turned to Bill and said,"I can do that!".  And he replied," Then by all means do!"

So as Halloween approaches and the neighborhood goblins look for something to gobble...I think I'll have these treats on hand.

Bon appetit...or as the holiday may dictate...Bone appetit!

Salted Caramel Marshmallow Crispy Cookies

Ingredients                                                                                                                                         Yield   24 2”x2”cookies

¼ cup unsalted butter                                         1 10 ounce package of white marshmallows

12 soft caramel candies, chopped                    6 cups crisp rice cereal

1 large pinch sea salt                                           4 ounces dark chocolate pieces

Method

Lightly butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray, a 9x13x2 inch pan.

Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat.

Add marshmallows and half the caramel bits to the pan.

Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until completely melted.

Remove from heat.

Add cereal and remaining caramel bits.

Stir until well coated.

Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, press the mixture evenly into the well-greased pan.

Set aside

Using a microwave safe bowl, place chocolate in the microwave, set at medium power (50%) for 1 to 1 ½ minutes. 

When time is up, remove bowl and stir chocolate. 

If not melted, return to the microwave, repeating the heating step for 30 second increments, being careful not to scorch the chocolate.

When small lumps remain, remove bowl and continue to stir pieces until completely melted. 

Using a large fork dipped in the chocolate, drizzle over the crispy cookies.

Sprinkle the pinch of sea salt evenly over the warm chocolate.

Cool completely.

Cut into squares.

Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.   

Triple Gingerbread Pancakes

So, while I was reading some food blogs, it was brought to my attention that today, September 26th is National Pancake Day!

Being more of a French Toast gal, I usually only make pancakes when the family is all together...but seeing this is a national day of foodom remembrance, I'll chime in with one of my newer developments in the quick bread category:  Triple Gingerbread Pancakes.  This spicy, sweet flapjack is perfect for a cool autumn morning and a strong hot cup of Joe or better still breakfast for dinner!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp candied ginger, minced
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cold
1/2 cup molasses
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 fresh orange or lemon juice
Vegetable oil for brushing the griddle
Maple Syrup

Method
Sift together flours, baking powder, soda, salt and dry spices in a large mixing bowl. 
Stir in sugar and candied ginger.
In another mixing bowl, whisk together coffee, water, molasses,  grated ginger, eggs, butter, juice and applesauce.
Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until combined.
Let the batter stand for 15 minutes to thicken.

Heat a 12 inch non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat.
Brush surface with oil, heating until hot but not smoking.
Working in small batches of 3 or 4 pancakes at a time, pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto griddle.
Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and edges of each pancake, about 2 minutes.
Flip the pancakes with a pancake turner and continue to cook until cooked through and the edges are slightly brown about another 1-2 minutes.
Transfer to a platter and keep warm in a low over while you prepare the rest of the batch.
Wipe the pan occasionally with a paper towel to remove dark bits and re-oil the pan as needed.

Serve with warm maple syrup and or warm spiced apples.

Bon Appetit!

Fall and French Onion Soup

It is a bit early, but it appears Autumn has fallen in these here parts.  Temperatures in the mid-forties this morning and a slightly brisk wind have me reaching for a long sleeved sweater and my chef's knife...so I can cut up onions for one of my favorite soups, French Onion Soup.  The first time I ever had REAL French onion soup was way back in 4th grade.  Madame Robinson took us to Maison Robert in Boston for a French class field trip.  We all were offered soup l'oignon and had a choice of coq au vin or boeuf bourguignon...I opted for the latter and this along with Julia Child's TV show, The French Chef, started my francophile tendencies.  I love coq au vin too!!

While living in Paris, I tried onion soup at a few bistros and cafes and sadly was often disappointed.  I think because Soup l'Oignon is so oft requested by tourists, quantity over quality takes precedence...along with escargot, boeuf bourguignon and quiche Lorraine...all can be found in just about every cafe, restaurant and bistro along the main boulevards...but to know these real French classics, they are best enjoyed at home with friends!

I have been developing and reworking my versions of these classics for years.  Today, with the appropriate chill in the air, I am tackling the soup!


French Onion Soup a la Alice Anne
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 pounds sweet white onions, sliced from stem to root
2 leeks, washed and sliced into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups white wine (really good wine!)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
      For a darker soup and deeper flavor, use half chicken and half beef broth
1 beef bouillon cube (in lieu of salt)
*** Yes beef!  The beef adds a depth of flavor that I find key to the soup base.

Salt
Pepper
Sugar

4 thick slices of French baguette, toasted
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese


Method
 In a large soup pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions, leeks, and thyme.
Season with a teaspoon each of salt, pepper and sugar.
Reduce heat to low.
Add minced garlic.
Simmer for about 40 minutes or until the onions are a lovely caramel brown color.

Increase the heat to medium.
Sprinkle flour over onions.
Stir until onions are evenly coated and the flour browns slightly (about 3-5 minutes).

Add wine, bouillon and broth and bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler.
Pour boiling water into 4 ovenproof soup crocks and set aside to warm.

Remove water from bowls.
Set bowls on a foil lined sheet pan and ladle in soup.

Place toast on soup and immerse slightly.
Top each toast with some cheese.

Carefully move bowls on the sheet pan to oven, about 4 inches under the broiler.
Heat crocks until cheese melts and starts to brown; about 3 minutes.
DO NOT leave the crocks unattended.

Garnish with chopped parsley and or chives.

Serve immediately but proceed with caution...this soup is always HOT!

Wine pairing: 
2009 Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse
OR
2008 Trimbach Riesling


Bon appetit!

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit!

I don't know if it is circadian rhythms or what, but I have had a desire for legumes lately.  I have added chickpeas to salads, ladled lentils over spicy sausage and practically lusted after frijoles negro!

Despite the nay-saying of many a culinary expert, I use canned beans...a lot.  When I am really organized or feeling exceptionally frugal, I'll soak dried beans and peas for recipes that I know will go low and slow.
But when I have a hankering for one of my favorite carb-o-proteins, I'll crank and dump a can or two and after a good rinsing, pull together something that screams comfort.

In recent weeks, I whipped up a Tuscan Baked bean dish, an awesome black bean soup, spicy red beans and rice,  and developed a pickled green bean and chick pea snacky-relish deal...great out on the deck with a cold beer on a hot afternoon.

But my new favorite bean dish is so easy...crank and dump...that I feel guilty calling it cooking!  Okay, there is some sauteing involved and the dish is finished off in the oven, but really it is soooo easy and beyond good.  It is a perfect addition to a Meatless Monday repertoire too!  This dish is so hearty that the first time I made it, my husband asked me what was the meat in the dish! 

Here we go...

Easy Cheesy Black Bean Tortilla Bake                            serves 4

Ingredients
2  19 ounce cans black beans rinsed (I use Pastene or Goya beans)
1   cup  diced fire roasted tomatoes
2/3 cup salsa verde (I use and LOVE Trader Joe's Salsa Verde)
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
2 ribs of celery, cut into small dice
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

6 ounces  vegetable stock or beer  (I use Sam Adams Lager...half a bottle for the beans and half for me!)

2 1/2 cups shredded Manchego or other sharp white cheese (Monterrey Jack, Cheddar)

8 small fresh corn tortillas (I use La Tortilla Factory Hand-made White Corn and Wheat Tortillas; available at Donelan's Market)

Sour Cream, for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Lightly oil a 2 quart rectangular baking dish.

In a large high sided saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. 
Add onion, jalapeno pepper and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. 
Reduce heat to medium low and add the spices, garlic and bay leaf. 
Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the flavors of the spices "bloom", be careful to not over-brown the garlic.
Add the beans, tomatoes, salsa verde, and stock/beer simmering over low heat for 30 minutes.
Remove 1 cup of beans in a heat safe container and set aside. 
Using an immersion hand blender, blend the bean mixture until smooth, or puree the bean mixture, 1/3 of a batch at a time in a standard blender and return to the saute pan.
Place 2/3 cup of the smooth bean mixture in the baking dish and coat the bottom.
Take the tortillas and one at a time immerse them in the bean mixture, coating them thickly.
Place each tortilla in the baking dish and sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla.
Fold the other half of the tortilla up over the cheese, creating a half circle.
Continuing this procedure,slightly overlapping the tortillas in two rows of four in the baking dish.
Lightly spread the remaining pureed mixture over the tortillas.
Top with the remaining reserved beans and cheese.
Bake in the over for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley, a dollop of  low fat sour cream and or remaining salsa verde.

Bon Appetit!

Bringing Back Tea Time

I have been a tea drinker for as long as I can remember.  One of my fondest memories of my Grammy is when she would wake me, as a child at 6am and wrap me up in a blanket and take me out onto the breezeway, just the two of us, for pink tea, a sweetened concoction of strongly brewed Red Rose tea and just enough milk to give the tea in my bone china teacup a pinkish hue.

Nowadays, I usually drink my tea strong and straight up...no milk, lemon or sugar.  I love it iced...and yes in this case, I'll take some lemon...but no sugar.  Much like wine, I enjoy sniffing the tea first, detecting floral, smoky or herbal notes.  I don't swirl my tea, but I do sip and savor the flavors as they hit the various taste centers on my tongue. 

I have a store house of loose leaf and bagged teas in one of my cupboards.  White tea, green tea, black tea, herbal tea, spiced tea....it is all in there.  I have tea caddies, tea trays, tea chests and teapots galore...I even have a silver tea service...which is coming out of storage as soon as I finish this post!  Guests who request tea at my home are presented with an array that would make the Dutch East India Tea Company proud!

In Paris, we adopted the habit of popping into a cafe' late in the afternoon for an espresso or glass of wine, but now that we are back in the States, I think I will revive teatime...especially with the price of coffee these days! There is something so civilized in slowing down in the afternoon, regrouping over a cup a tea before the second shift begins....dinner, dishes, dashing from point a to point b with this errand or that...teatime is me-time.

One of my favorite tea purveyors is Tea Forte'.  I first discovered this brand about five years ago on a family outing to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.  After a full morning and afternoon of culture and art, Bill, Emily and I were a bit peaked and lo and behold, the museum was offering afternoon tea.  Perfect!  Bill ordered Earl Grey.  Em tried Raspberry Nectar, and I, the Forte'.  Wow!  Aside from the stunning little silk pyramids that held the leaves, the perfectly brewed tea was aromatic and full flavored.  I was hooked.  Lucky for me, they had samplers of the tea in the museum gift shop...and lucky for them, they have a website which I frequent often... http://www.teaforte.com/ !

A while back, I went on a sugar purge...and at first, drinking black tea was fine...but then the afternoon hungry horrors, complete with sweet fangs would hit.  Gosh, although I was never a big sweet freak, the minute you cut added sugars from your diet, don't you just crave the stuff?...this is why I do a regular sugar purge...if your body gets so crazy that you experience withdrawal, then maybe there is too much of a good thing in your food!  Anyway...back to the tea...I was getting bored with my current assortment and that nagging sweet thing was pecking away at my brain, so I visited Tea Forte and discovered Vienna Cinnamon, a naturally sweet tea flavored with cinnamon and clove...no sugar, just the sweetness from the spices...can I just say singingly, AWESOME!

Brewing the proper pot of tea isn't difficult, but there are a few things you should consider:
1.  Use fresh cold water...if your tap water has a strong or unusual taste, use spring water
2.  Never boil  or microwave water, bring the water just to the boil and shut it off...for black tea, herbal tea or oolong, heat the water in a kettle to about 208* F.  For green and white teas, to 175*F.
3.  Steep black tea for 3-5 minutes, green and white teas for 2-3 minutes, and herbal or oolong for 5 minutes.
4. Warm your tea pot and tea cups with very hot water while your tea is steeping.  Remember to discard the water!
5.  Take a taste of your tea before adding sugar,  honey,milk, lemon or mint...never add cream to tea. Save the cream for scones!
6.  Tea should NEVER, EVER be served in styrofoam cups...styrofoam is evil.

In the past few months, I have started cooking and baking with tea.  Tossing some black tea leaves in the smoker, with the wood chips while smoking meats adds a warm, exotic twist to the flavor.  Steeping tea in milk for cakes and quick breads leaves the consumer with a nuance of flavor that makes one go...hmmm...yummmm.  And using tea in addition to broth when making the sauce for stir fries is unusual, calorie conscious and a neat way to add depth of flavor to the sauces.

I am still working on those recipes and methods...but I'd like to share with you a recipe for a perfect little morsel for four o'clock tea...Sweet Potato Muffins.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup cooked sweet potato
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup unbleached AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1 Chai tea bag
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped raisins
Minced candied ginger or cinnamon sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 *F
Line mini-muffin pans with paper muffin cups

In a small sauce pan, warm the milk to simmer.
Add the tea bag and turn off the heat.
Steep for 5 minutes, then remove the tea bag and discard.
Allow milk to cool.

Puree sweet potatoes in a food processor or run them through a potato ricer.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugars. 
Beat in the eggs and pureed sweet potatoes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices onto a paper plate.
Add the dry ingredients alternately by hand, with the cooled milk, chopped nuts and raisins, mixing until just blended. 
Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling to the top. 
Sprinkle tops with minced candied ginger or cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 400* F for 25 minutes.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to a wire. 
Makes 2 1/2 dozen mini-muffins.  Store in a covered container.

Bon appetit!

Food tastes soo good outdoors!

I am pleased to report that I have a bit of a culinary reputation in town...a very wee bit, but I'll take it.  Recently my daughter was asked to write an article about things folks  can do in and around Groton during the summer for the local newspaper.  She featured some of our great trails and conservation properties and suggested that I write up a menu for a picnic!  I hope you get to read her article in the Groton Herald and I hope the menu inspires you to eat, drink and be merry in the great outdoors!

Main Streets and Back Roads of Groton Picnic

Featuring:

BLAST Sandwiches (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Sundried Tomato):  Makes 2 hearty sandwiches

Ingredients:

½ pound Bacon or 8 thick slices (bake on a broiler pan in a 400* oven for 15-18 minutes, turning the rack half way through cooking time

A large handful of Red or Green Leaf lettuce or Arugula (if you prefer a peppery note to your greens)

1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and sliced (about 6-8 slices)

½ cup julienned Sundried Tomatoes packed in Olive Oil (reserve some of the oil for dressing the sandwich)

 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

Sliced beefsteak tomatoes (optional…but highly recommended!)

4 slices sourdough or multigrain bread, toasted

Dill pickle spear, garnish

Method:

                Cook bacon as directed above. Allow to cool.

On  two of the slices of toasted bread, drizzle a small amount of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil.  On each of the other two slices,  spread one tablespoon of light mayo. 

On the oiled bread, layer the sundried tomatoes evenly over both slices.  Top with arugula (or your lettuce preference).

Next, layer on the bacon, evenly dividing between the two sandwiches.

Top this layer with the sliced avocados.

Add another layer of greens and top this with optional fresh tomato slices. 

Place remaining bread, with mayo side on the lettuce or tomatoes.

Slice sandwich in half and secure with a long food pick, if necessary.

Serve with dill pickle spears and your favorite chips!

For a healthier crunch to go along with your sandwich, try Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips. Available at Donelan’s and other area grocers.

Beverage:  Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients

½ to 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like your lemonade)

¼ cup lavender (stems and buds), plus additional for garnish*

1  cup  fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

Fresh mint for garnish

Method

In a large saucepan, bring one gallon of water and the sugar to a boil. Remove from heat; add lavender buds and lemon and lime juices. Cool to room temperature, strain, and chill. Serve on ice, with additional lavender and mint for garnish.

Apple, Cucumber, Carrot and Radish Slaw with Honey- Poppy Seed Dressing (serves 2-4)

Ingredients

                2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into match stick sized pieces (julienned)

                Juice of ½ lemon                  1 large carrot, peeled and grated

                1 large English  cucumber, halved, seeded and julienned

                3 large radishes, grated

                Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large bowl, combine all the slaw ingredients and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Lightly drizzle  1/2 cup of the honey-poppy seed dressing over slaw, adding more to your taste, if desired.

Honey-Poppy Seed Dressing:  In a mason jar, mix the following and shake vigorously before drizzling over the slaw.

¼ cup apple cider dressing                                ½ cup safflower oil

¼ cup honey                                         1 tablespoon poppy seeds

½ shallot minced                                  ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper

½ tsp. mint minced (optional)

Zucchini Spice Cake with Cinnamon Icing

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour                           ¾ cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder                          ½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground cloves, ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. freshly grated black pepper, ½ tsp. salt

¾ cup unsalted butter                             ½ cup sugar                             ½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 whole egg                                            2 egg whites                           ¼ cup  unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract                           2 cups unpeeled shredded zucchini

1 cup flaked coconut                               ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Method

                Preheat the oven to 350*.  Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and spices and set aside.  Cream butter in a large bowl with a mixer.  Beat in the sugars.  Add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.  On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.  Remove bowl from mixer and by hand mix in the zucchini, coconut, and nuts, blending well.  Spread in a buttered, parchment lined  9”x13” baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost with Cinnamon icing (recipe below).

Cinnamon Icing

2 cups confectioners’ sugar                                    3 tbsp. milk                                             1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ tbsp. softened butter                                       2 tsp. ground cinnamon

                Beat all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. 

Bon appetite!

First Harvest: Green Bean Salad

I am so excited!  I collected my first harvest of the season from my little vegetable patch this morning;  haricot verts or French green beans!

Haricot Verts are long, thin beans that are very tender.  They have a subtle, sweet flavor and I love'em!

As it is early in the harvest, I don't have a lot of beans, but I didn't want to leave them on the vine too long...they have a tendency to get tough, or worse, become dinner for the resident chipmunks.  Tonight, I am going to make a refreshing salad using my beans and farm fresh cherry tomatoes. With the cold spring we've had, my tomatoes are about 2 weeks off pace...but there are loads of little green gems on the vines!

French Bean Salad  serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound fresh French green beans (Haricot Verts) , washed and stem ends clipped

1 pint  heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

1 half medium red onion , sliced thinly

1 cup canned chick peas, rinsed and drained ( or you can cook dried peas according to package directions)

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh herbs (I use thyme, parsley and basil)

1 tsp sea salt and  10 grinds of coarse ground  black pepper

Method

In a large pot of boiling water, plunge the beans and blanch for about 30 seconds.  Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain and set beans on a towel lined sheet pan.

In a bowl, mix the red wine vinegar with salt and pepper.  Add the red onion and allow to soak for a few minutes. This method mellows the red onion which can sometimes be hot/spicy/overly pungent.

In a large serving  bowl, add the beans, chick peas, tomatoes, and herbs.  Add the onion and vinegar mixture. Toss gently.  Drizzle with the olive oil.

Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.

Serve with grilled meats and crusty bread.

Wine recommendation:  A lovely, chilled 2009 Rose'

Bon appetit!