On Rice and Peaches

Last month I had made a dinner for my son's birthday, that consisted of Chicken Madeira and a Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Risotto. Both were exceptionally great, flavors sublime, and I learned just how very important it is to not cook the risotto too quickly. With that in mind, I wanted to try a risotto again, and this time I was working on other flavors totally, so instead of using vermouth or Sherry in the mixture, I went with Tequila. I also used Romano Cheese rather than Parmesan, and the Romano gave a really great tang to the finished dish. As it happened, the flavors were so amazing that I think it is my new favorite rice dish. There are not huge changes in this dish from the last one, but this one came out perfectly cooked, just a bit al dente, and very creamy. I have learned to slow down the cooking time!

Roasted Garlic Tequila Risotto

Serves about 6

Roasted Garlic Tequila Risotto

FOR ROASTED GARLIC:

1 head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
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1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large shallots, chopped finely
1½ cups arborio rice
½ cup Tequila (or just use dry white wine or omit)
4 - 5 cups hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
¼ cup cilantro, finely minced

Make Roasted Garlic. This part can be done earlier in the day (or up to three days in advance and refrigerated in a sealed container). 

To Make Risotto: Heat a saucepan with the 4 - 5 cups of stock and have nearby. Heat a 4 - 6 quart saucepan and add in the tablespoon of oil and butter. Saute the chopped shallots until very soft. Mash the roasted garlic with a fork, and stir in, then add in the Tequila and cook quickly to evaporate most of the liquid. What remains should be very thick. Pour in the rice and stir well to coat all the rice grains with the thick mixture. Over medium to medium low heat (you do not want to cook the mixture too quickly, or the rice will still be hard at the end) begin adding in the hot stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring the rice until each ladle of stock is absorbed. To use all the stock should take about 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to leave a little bit of the liquid in the rice after the last ladle full of stock has been added, so the mixture remains soupy. More liquid will absorb even after off the heat, so remain vigilant.

When ready to serve, stir in the Parmesan cheese and the cilantro, reserving a bit of cilantro as garnish on top.

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Recently, I had opened up my last jars of Spiced Pickled Peaches, with the intention of making an upside down cake with them. Which I did, and then ended up with some of the peaches leftover. I went on to make a dessert loaf I called Just Peachy Loaf, and while making the batter, I utterly forgot about adding in the eggs. The loaf tasted amazing, but was hugely sunken in the center. Obviously, as I had used the last of my Spiced Pickled Peaches, that wasn't going to be an exact repeat any time soon, so I used canned peaches instead, and that time WITH eggs in the batter, it came out great! 

But then I realized I never put my upside down cake recipe here! So I am rectifying that now!

Spiced Peach Upside Down Cake

Spiced Peach Upside-Down Cake

Spiced Peach Upside Down Cake

Serves  8 to 10

CARAMEL TOPPING:
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
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- Spiced Pickled Peaches, or canned peaches in syrup
pistachios or other nuts, or cherries

CAKE:
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
    (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon peach flavoring)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
1 cup sour cream

Make the Caramel: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the first cup of sugar and the ¼-cup of water. Stir until sugar is melted and bring to boil. Cover the pan tightly and cook for 4 minutes, to ensure all sugar crystals have been melted down. Uncover and continue to cook until the syrup turns to a light amber in color, 8 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, grease an 8- or 9-inch cake pan, or an 8 to 9-inch square oven safe pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray. Once the syrup becomes amber colored, set the prepared pan onto an unlit burner or other surface that will tolerate high heat. Pour the syrup into the pan and using hot pads, swirl the pan to allow the syrup to reach all the edges. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the peaches by cutting them into narrow wedges. Set the peaches into the pan in a pleasing pattern, such as lining them along the outer edges first, then filling the center with more peach wedges. Use nuts of choice, or maraschino cherry halves to fill in open spaces. Remember that the pattern created by the fruits and nuts will be reversed when the finished cake is turned out. Set the pan aside, then make the cake:

In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter and ¾-cup of sugar. Once very creamy, add in eggs, one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding in the next. Add in the vanilla and or peach flavoring. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice and whisk to combine. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until completely incorporated. Stir in the sour cream until combined. Gently, plop small mounds of batter all over the peaches in the prepared pan. Once all the batter is in the pan, ease the batter together to fill any gaps, making sure it reaches the edges of the pan.

Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, or with only a crumb or two. Remove the cake to a rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outer edges to loosen. Set a plate upside-down over top of the cake pan, then quickly invert the cake plate. Set it down and gently lift the pan off the cake. 
 
 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Some Canning Ideas

I grant you, I have not canned of late. Between moving to another state and not having a simple 4-block walk to the Farmers' Market anymore, I have less farm-fresh produce so close at hand. But here are a couple of recipes I have made in the past and want to share here.

First; Spiced, Pickled Peaches. I made these some years back. Everything looked and tasted good when I made them. Over time, however, they turned dark. Not pretty at all. I suspect that it is because I left in the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. So, leaving them in is optional. I was looking for a powerful spice flavor, so I left them in the jars. This is a matter of choice. There was nothing at all wrong with the peaches. And they tasted great. They just looked unappetizing.

So, what does one do with such unappetizing spiced peaches, you might ask?

I made a Spiced Peach Upside Down Cake. What else? 

That said, somehow I have neglected to get photos of this cake, and yet the cake was truly delightful. I still have some jars of these peaches, so I will just have to make another to post here! 

Spiced Pickled Peaches

Spiced Pickled Peaches

Makes about 4½ to 5 pints

4 - 5 pounds freestone peaches
1 tablespoon whole cloves
5 (3 - 4-inch) cassia cinnamon sticks
1½ teaspoons allspice berries
2 small chunks dried whole ginger, optional
2 cups white vinegar
3 cups granulated sugar

In a large pan, mix together the vinegar and sugar and add in the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Use a mesh bag or a tea strainer to contain the allspice and ginger if using, along with the cloves and cinnamon stick if you choose not to leave them in the mixture, and place into the pot. Bring to a boil for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved.

Drop peaches into a pot of boiling water briefly, then into cold water. Slip off skins and cut peaches in half, removing pits. (Alternately, if you have a ceramic bladed peeler, they can be peeled without the boiling water.) As they are prepped, place them into a bowl of cold water with lemon juice to preserve color. Have your canning jars either fresh from the dishwasher or place them in a large pot of simmering water, along with the rings and lids. Place peaches into the vinegar and sugar solution for just a few minutes, until barely tender. As they are ready, place the peaches into the prepared canning jars. Wipe all the rims of the jars before placing on the lids and rings and sealing.

Place the jars into a canning pot with water to cover. Bring to boil and time for 20 minutes. Remove the jars from the boiling water and set on the counter to wait for the pleasing sound of the jars sealing.

Any preserving of this sort will be tastier if allowed to set for at least 2 weeks before using. 

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Second of my canning recipes that I just have to share here is my Tomato Salsa. When summer's bounty overflows, make salsa. But then, there are just times when there are too many tomatoes, or peppers.  

Tomato  Salsa

When I made this salsa, it did literally take me hours. The reason was that I did not want to use the food processor and possibly pulverize the veggies. I wanted them as distinct as possible, while still being cut very, very small. So, I chopped and chopped and chopped. And the results were just stunningly good, so I guess all the work was truly worth it. Manage your vegetables as you prefer. But the mixture is fantastic. Whether fresh or canned. If you need a really big bowl of fresh salsa, than make this recipe for a party sized occasion.

Tomato  Salsa

Tomato Salsa

Makes about 5 pints

6 pounds tomatoes
3 cups chopped onion
3 cups chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped jalapeno (about 5), seeds and membranes removed
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
10 - 12 cloves garlic, minced finely
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup vinegar
¾ cup chopped cilantro

Prepare the tomatoes first. Have a pot of boiling water and place tomatoes into the water for about 1 minute, or until the skins start to split. This can be done in stages. Peel the tomatoes and chop them as desired. Set them into a large colander over a bowl to drain while working with all the rest of the ingredients. Place the drained tomatoes with all the rest of the ingredients except the cilantro into a large stainless steel pot and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 15 minutes, then add the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes more. Have sterile jars ready; fill jars, place on the lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath to cover for 15 minutes.

NOTES: I added a little vinegar to the mixture as added insurance against botulism. Tomatoes have plenty of acid on their own, but the ratio of tomatoes to the rest of the non-acidic ingredients is high.

Just as cumin is not my favorite spice, particularly in salsa, cilantro is not everyone's favorite either. It can be omitted entirely, substituted with an herb or spice of your choice. It is all about which flavors you prefer. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.