Yeast Waffle Experiences

Long ago I found a recipe for Marion Cunningham's Yeast Waffles in the local newspaper. I tried the recipe and it was fantabulous! The smell of the waffle baking with its yeasty aroma so like bread baking; the flavor with the yeast right out there and apparent, the tender crispness of the waffle - all these made for one heady breakfast experience. I have been making them almost exclusively ever since.

I have tried other kinds of waffle recipes. Though I am not particularly fond of chocolate at most times and really not for breakfast, I did try a recipe that uses cocoa and Porter beer with its chocolatey undertones. That recipe is wonderful, and I usually serve those chocolate waffles with strawberries cut up into sour cream with a little sugar. Wonderful. I also spent time exploring ways to add fiber into the diet and made lots of waffles with added oat bran or wheat bran or corn meal. Nothing beats the yeast waffles recipe for flavor.

My Refrigerator Yeast Waffles with Pecans and Blueberries

Waffle irons come is many sizes and shapes. These days many also have perfected the timing so one no longer has to make a guess when it might be done. I got a waffle iron from Williams Sonoma about 10 years ago. It has a slide bar to set, from 1 to 7, how done you want the waffle to be. It has a little red light to tell you it is heating or cooking, and a green light when the waffle is done, along with a little high-pitched whistling sound. It works great, and I have absolutely no complaints. It is a round waffle maker. If the batter goes all the way to the rim (which usually means it will overflow a little), it makes about an 8-inch diameter waffle. If the batter stays inside the rim, it makes about a 7-inch waffle. I have never had a Belgian waffle maker. I have never cared for the exceptionally deep wells it creates. I don't know why. It's just my thing. 

M.C.'s recipe calls for mixing the yeast, milk, butter, salt sugar and flour and mixing well, then lightly covering and leaving the bowl on the counter overnight. In the morning, or when ready to make the waffles, the batter will have risen noticeably. The smell is heavy with the slight fermenting of the yeast. At this point eggs and a little baking soda are added and whisked in and the batter is ready to bake. Obviously, I cannot just publish Marion Cunningham's Yeast Waffle recipe as mine (which I just read she got from Fanny Farmer's Cookbook), so I decided to try making a recipe for a yeast batter and see how it would go. 

Batter after 24 hours in fridge

I wanted to make a batter that was ready to use right away. I mixed basically the same ingredients, but in different proportions, adding in baking soda. I am not a chemist, and am not sure exactly what the soda does in a yeast mixture (as opposed to it working with soured milk or buttermilk in a quick bread, cake or pancake). I feel it must help with the bubbling and puffing, particularly if the batter is left out to ferment. Well, my batter had not been fermented, but I added it anyway. I made the waffles yesterday. I was unimpressed. There was absolutely no yeast smell from the batter nor any aroma while baking. The waffles were fine. While there was nothing inherently "wrong" with them, they were just - plain - waffles.  I also made a couple of pancakes with the batter, and those worked fine, too, but were similarly uninteresting.

Consistency of the batter

I decided to put the rest of the batter in the fridge. I covered it lightly with plastic wrap. The batter grew to completely fill the bowl by this morning. I stirred it down and tried again. This morning the batter noticeably smelled like yeast, though without that wonderfully pungent fermented quality. I had hopes. I made waffles. I sprinkled ¼-cup chopped pecans onto the batter in the iron. The waffles tasted better, but still no real yeasty aroma while baking, nor anything to indicate they are yeast waffles while eating them. I am going to give them another day in the fridge and try again tomorrow. I like things that are ready right away and not something I have to wait for days to develop flavor. I think I am going to go back to making a new recipe that will ferment overnight and see what I can come up with. Meanwhile, this is my recipe, to date:

Refrigerator Yeast Waffles

¼ cup warm water
1 package yeast
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or use all-purpose for the total amount)
2 cups all-purpose flour

Refrigerator Yeast Waffle with pecans

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2¾ cup milk or half & half
3 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Stir the yeast into the warm water and let it froth. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt and soda. Whisk together the milk and eggs; add in the melted butter. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the yeast and beat to combine. Store in a plastic or glass bowl in the refrigerator overnight and up to 4 days: make sure the batter has a LOT of room to grow, or you will find a mess next day. Cover lightly. If you top with a lid that seals tightly, it could explode as the batter expands.

This will make approximately 10 (7-inch) round waffles or about 20 pancakes. As each waffle iron is different size and shape, you will have to experiment to see how much batter to use per waffle. Bake according to waffle iron instructions. I had mine set on the higher side of medium.



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.

Gremolata or Persillade or Pesto or Pistou

Basic Ingredients

It seems that many countries have the same basic idea for an herbed topping for foods. The idea is implemented and played upon, given names to fit the language and voila. Similar, I guess, to how my sisters and I could all look at a recipe, but once we took that recipe and made it ourselves, we each would end up with a different final product. It is so simple to take a recipe and change this, add that, leave out another thing and make it reflect our own taste and style.

Gremolata

Gremolata, freshly made

Somehow, somewhere through all of my cooking career, I "knew" about Gremolata. Enough so that when I brought up the subject with one of my daughters, I instinctively knew what the basic ingredients were, though I had not yet made it myself, to date. I knew that it had parsley, lemon zest and garlic. I "knew" it could have olive oil.

Pesto

The same could be said of pesto. Up to just a few years ago I had never made pesto, though I knew the basic ingredients were basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and Parmesan. Now I make it all the time, and use it extensively. Pesto can be made by coarsely chopping all the ingredients, or finely chopping the ingredients. It can be made by pounding the ingredients in a mortar and pestle, or it can be made by either pulsing or pureeing in a food processor. It all depends on your particular need.

My Favorite Pesto

My Favorite Pesto

Makes about 2 cups
2 cups basil leaves, packed into measure
2 cups Italian parsley, packed into measure
4 - 6 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup olive oil

Combine all but olive oil in a food processor. Process until very finely ground, scraping down sides as needed. Drizzle in olive oil while processing, until well blended.

NOTES: This recipe is versatile, and many variations on the theme are in evidence these days. Pine nuts are very expensive, but walnuts make a perfect substitution. Some make pesto with young spinach leaves instead of basil. Some use no parsley at all.

The amount of garlic is completely “to taste”, though if raw garlic is a problem, chop it first and soak in a tablespoon of white vinegar for up to 10 minutes before using. Drain the garlic and add to the food processor.

If 2 cups of pesto is too much, but basil is in abundance, this recipe freezes perfectly. Divide into small containers and freeze until needed. I had so much basil and parsley growing last summer, I made 5 (2-cup) containers and froze them. I had plenty of wonderful pesto, redolent of summer, to keep me all winter long.

Persillade

Another herb mixture is the French persillade. In French, "persil" means parsley, so it is no stretch to realize that a persillade contains parsley. Beyond that, I was unsure. It appears that the basic ingredients for a persillade are parsley and garlic, chopped together.

Pistou

A sort of crossover is from Provence, France, bordering the Mediterranean to the south and Italy to the east. Pistou is a Pesto crossbreed. "Pistou", in the Provencal language means "pounded" so similarly to pesto, it is a pounded mixture of basil, garlic and olive oil, but without pine nuts. The cheese used in Pistou is dependent on the particular area and what is available, although because the Pistou is used as a garnish to the Soupe au Pistou (Pistou Soup, similar to Italy's Minestrone), the cheese should not be one that would become stringy in the hot liquid.

Chimichurri

Argentinian chimichurri is yet another type of topping/sauce with the main ingredients of parsley and garlic with olive oil. They take it much farther and add a lot more ingredients, such as oregano and red wine vinegar to name only a few. Most of the Latin countries have some version of a chimichurri sauce. Guatemalan Chimichurri was most often used as a marinade for meat to be grilled instead of a topping for after cooking the meat.


Okay, that was a lot of information. I guess it just struck me how many countries have a similar thing, changing it to suit their need or availability of products. So, back to Gremolata. Gremolata is an underused condiment. Being so easy to make, I hope to spread the word a bit here and give some ideas. In its  basic form, Gremolata is parsley, lemon zest and garlic, chopped together. It can have other things added, depending on need, such as olive oil, or salt and pepper. It is best to have the parsley leaves dry when chopping, so be sure that they are washed well ahead and allowed to become completely dry before proceeding. Wash the lemon well before zesting. The garlic should be fresh, for the best flavor. Once garlic begins that little green sprout it becomes bitter; it might be okay for cooked foods but not when the fresh flavor is so important. The amounts can be completely up to the person making it. Yesterday I made some using about 3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, 2 garlic cloves and the zest of one very small lemon. When I made Gremolata Walnut Pinwheels, I added salt and pepper and some olive oil so it would stick inside the puff pastry.

Gremolata Walnut Pinwheels

Gremolata Walnut Pinwheels

Makes approximately 70 pinwheels


GREMOLATA:
¾ cup parsley, chopped
2 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced (use amount of garlic to taste)
3 - 4 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
------
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 package Puff Pastry Sheets

Set the puff pastry sheets to thaw. This will take from 30 to 40 minutes, to thaw enough to open the sheets without breaking at the folds.

Combine the first 6 ingredients (the gremolata). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
When the pastry is thawed, first take one and roll it in only one direction, making a long piece about 18 inches long by the width of the original sheet. Spread half of the gremolata over the sheet. It will be quite sparse, but this is fine. Sprinkle ½ cup of the walnuts over the gremolata. Roll up from the long side, creating a long narrow roll. With a sharp knife, slice the roll into generous ¼-inch thick slices and lay them onto a baking sheet. If they are too distorted, press them slightly to a rounder shape, but they will round nicely in the oven.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are nicely golden.

NOTES: My daughter and I feel that these would serve as a lovely accompaniment to a nice soup such as a creamy tomato soup, or a salad, as well as an appetizer. 

Freshly Chopped Gremolata

Beyond using in puff pastry though, Gremolata is a wonderfully fresh way to lift and brighten the flavors of vegetables. Sprinkle it on cooked green beans or asparagus to brighten flavors. Sprinkle it into a soup, much like the Pistou. Sprinkle it over fish or seafood dishes, bean dishes, eggs. It is great as is, but switch the parsley to mint and you have an instantly perfect condiment for lamb. 

Think up new ways to use it. It is too simple to not take advantage. Without adding olive oil  it has no calories to speak of. Mix up a batch of whatever combination suits your need or mood.




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.

Using up Leftovers Deliciously

The holidays are over, but some things still remain. Cookies - lots of them. I got crazy making cookies and now have a lot left. Thankfully I have a "sun room" which for all intents and purposes is now a walk in deep freezer. With temps hovering between -10 and -25 it is just plain frigid out there. Lucky for me, I have plenty of cold storage. But, cookies are not all that is left taking space in my actual refrigerator. 

My husband brought home some smoked pulled pork a week or more ago, and with everything else, it has mainly stayed in its bag. I ate a little once, but there were too many other things tempting. I also had pie dough in the freezer, left from Thanksgiving when I last made pies. I had made the pie dough using my even better Never Fail Pie Crust recipe with some new twists. I mentioned this in my blog post of December 11, 2013. I had been looking online for something, and as so often happens, stumbled upon an article in Food 52 about making pie dough in a slightly different way, and using vodka for part of the liquid called for. I have made pie dough twice now, using two different recipes and using these new updates and it works so wonderfully well. The pie dough itself is so lovely, with such great texture. The original idea came from Cooks Illustrated, but Food 52 is where I found it. Having made it for pies and for these empanadas, while the dough is great and the texture is perfect, I dislike how the dough seems to lose all definition once baked. If I crimp a pie, when it comes out of the oven, the lovely crimped edges are just a blurred suggestion. While these empanadas came out tasting great, they puffed so the fork-crimped edges lost most of the indent. The dough has no rising agent, but it seems to puff while baking. In certain applications this would be wonderful. For me, not really working much... Meanwhile, here is my Never Fail Pie Pastry recipe:

Never Fail Pie Pastry

Never Fail Pie Pastry for three 10-inch pies

Makes four single-crust 9-inch pie shells or two double-crust 9-inch pies, three single-crust 10-inch pies, or one double-crust 10-inch pie plus one single-crust 10-inch pie.

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1¾ cups shortening or lard
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ cup cold water

Combine dry ingredients, then cut in shortening or lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine egg, vinegar and water in a small bowl; stir into flour mixture. Do not over mix. Divide dough into 3 or 4 equal parts, shape each into a ball and wrap tightly. Chill.

Roll each portion to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Place in a pie plate. Trim off any excess pastry along edges. Fold edges under and flute.

For a baked shell, prick bottom and sides with a fork and bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. It is unnecessary to prick shell if it will be filled before baking.

NOTES: The pie dough may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for longer periods. If freezing, divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions and freeze them separately in freezer zip-top bags.

As suggested above, lard is by far the best fat to use for this pie crust recipe, though shortening will work fine, and makes a very good crust. While butter will give lovely flavor, it makes the final product quite soft, with not much of the flakiness you will get when using one of the other two fats.  

Larger-sized Pork Barbecue Empanadas

Getting sidetracked. I do that when I get excited, and that pie dough innovation was exciting.

So, there was pie dough in the freezer and pulled pork in the fridge. I got the pie dough (enough for a single-crust 10-inch pie) from the freezer and set it on the counter to thaw. It took about an hour to become usable. I also had some of my Sweet Tangy BBQ Sauce in the fridge. All set. I have been wanting to make empanadas, or little hand pies; whatever you call them, it is a filling encased in dough. Pie dough is great for this. The pulled pork was in large chunks or longer strands, so I chopped it far smaller before proceeding so it would fit in the small pies. The meat had been laying flat (not bulging full) in a quart zip top bag. I didn't think of weighing or measuring to see how much was in the bag. I would estimate about 1½ to 1¾ cups, total. I mixed the meat with a little bit of the BBQ sauce, just to moisten. I did not want it running all over in the oven. 

Making Pork Barbecue Empanadas

I wanted to try a couple of sizes of little empanadas. I used my 3-inch biscuit cutter for the smaller ones, and used a small dessert bowl with an opening about 4¼-inches in diameter for larger ones. Either size would be wonderful for use as a party appetizer. The larger ones give a few bites worth while the little ones give a couple of bites (I ate two of the larger ones as my dinner last evening). I cut out 8 larger rounds and 8 smaller rounds. If I had made all large rounds it would likely have made about a dozen; if making all small rounds it would likely have made about 15 - 20. Part of this depends on how thinly you roll the pie dough. Some of the first ones I cut were too thick. 


I did have a small amount of the pork barbecue mixture leftover after filling all the dough. For the filling, about 2 - 3 tablespoons filling went in the large rounds and a scant 1 tablespoon in the small rounds. I moistened the edges of the dough, set the filling slightly to one side, then flipped the one edge over to meet the opposite side, making little half-moons, and pressed down the edges to seal. I also used a fork afterwards to press indentations in the edges and help with staying sealed. I brushed the tops of the empanadas with light cream, poked them with the tip of a sharp knife to allow steam to escape and baked them for about 18 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Brushed with light cream before baking

The wonderful thing about a recipe like this is that most anything can be used to fill the dough. Scrambled eggs and bacon would make great breakfast treats - the bread is built in! A mixture of leftovers with gravy to moisten, such as turkey or roast beef are great ideas. More savory mixtures such as pizza sauce with burger and/or pepperoni or cheese and mushroom mixtures would be great. There is really no end to the possibilities for these little things, and as I mentioned earlier - they are great for parties as they are self-contained. Just be sure to keep the filling a bit on the dry side to prevent leakage in the oven. Here is a recap of the recipe:

Smaller sized Pork Barbecue Empanadas

Pork Barbecue Empanadas

pie pastry for one (10-inch) pie
1½ to 1¾ cups leftover pulled pork
⅓ cup barbecue sauce (if the pork is without sauce)
milk or half and half for brushing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop pork small for filling and mix with the BBQ sauce; set aside. Roll out the pie pastry to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 3 or more inch diameter rounds. Place a small portion of pork onto one side. Moisten the edges of the dough and fold one side of the dough over and seal on the opposite side, pressing well with fingers. Use the tines of a fork to make a decorative pattern that helps ensure the packets stay closed while baking. Brush the tops with milk of half and half and poke holes in the tops with a knife to vent. Set the empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, until browned and bubbling.



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.

Making Muffins on this Cold Day

This morning with temperatures at -12 degrees, I was in the mood for muffins. I have had some white whole wheat pastry flour in the pantry for a while and hadn't gotten around to using it. This flour is ground from white wheat berries, instead of red wheat, so the color is only a little off of the white of unbleached flour. My first intention was to use half cake flour and half all-purpose, but it just happened that I was out of cake flour. There wasn't enough to make the 1 cup I wanted for the recipe. This was when I noticed the white whole wheat pastry flour. Aha! Inspiration. The recipe can easily be made without the white whole wheat pastry flour; just use the whole 2 cups of all-purpose flour. If you do, try using only ½ cup of buttermilk. Whole wheat flours tend to soak up more moisture, and I used ⅔ cup of buttermilk. Just be advised.

Next step was to create a recipe. Usually I just sit there on my own and compile what I think will work. Sometimes these things work better than others, and this morning the muffins turned out just perfect. They were tender and light, with a nice amount of sweetness and lots of flavor. I wanted to use sour cream in these muffins, but I was out of sour cream, too. All the holiday cooking and baking just wiped out my pantry. I did still have buttermilk in the fridge, so I used that. The rest was simple.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins

Cranberry Walnut Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon dried orange peel, or 1 tablespoon fresh
2 eggs
⅔ cup buttermilk
½ cup craisins (dried cranberries)
½ cup walnuts, broken

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection). Cream together the butter, sugar and orange peel until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Separately, sift or whisk together the flour(s), baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Add this alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in the craisins and walnuts.

Grease a 12-well muffin tin, or use muffin papers. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This worked so well, I will likely be trying other combinations soon. I hope you will try these out sometime soon.



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.

Twice Baked Potatoes are Simple as Can Be

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice-baked potatoes are certainly not "rocket science." If you have never tried making them, or are timid in the kitchen, it might seem so. They might also seem to be just one step too far, too much work, or any of a number of other excuses.

To be clear, it was not really all that many years ago that I made them for the first time, and then it was mainly because they were a request from my husband for a special occasion. He doesn't request things very often, so I decided it was time. As for a recipe - I will give one here below, but it is really more of what you happen to find interesting mixed with baked potato - and then implementing. It's kind of like making mashed potatoes. You can make them with butter and milk, as my Mom did, or you can get inventive and add all sorts of interesting things. These days, I usually make my mashed potatoes by first boiling them in water with at least a tablespoon of salt along with a couple of parsnips (peeled and cut into pieces smaller than the potato chunks). Then I scoop the cooked vegetables out of the liquid with a slotted spoon into a ricer (ensuring no lumps) over a bowl that already contains a mixture of cream cheese, butter and chopped scallion, or a mix of butter and Chevre cheese and scallions. Sometimes I substitute the scallions for caramelized onions. I have also occasion substituted one of the cheeses with Boursin Cheese, with rave reviews from guests. If liquid is needed, I use some of the potato cooking liquid still in the pot.

Tomato Corer, great for scooping

So while this blog is not about mashed potatoes, that was just a way to clarify that there are so many ways to make potatoes flavorful, even when they are "just" mashed! Back some years ago, my son and his wife were visiting. My husband decided we should have an impromptu wine tasting event. My idea for a wine tasting is to tailor certain appetizers to specifically go with certain wines, thus ensuring the wine and food will shine together. One of the appetizers we made was mini twice-baked potatoes, using very small, round potatoes. I baked them, and then gave them to my daughter-in-law to scoop out and make the mixture with some great ingredients, then re-fill the potatoes. I gave her a little tomato corer to scoop out the tiny insides of the little potatoes. She scooped them into a bowl and then asked if I had a recipe. I never thought about needing a recipe! I told her to fry some bacon, and then think about what tastes good mixed with potatoes. Things like sour cream, chives or scallions, shredded cheddar? She proceeded to mix these ingredients and then asked how she should know if this was enough? I said, "Taste it! That will surely tell you if it's going to be good or not." She said, "Oh!" It really is that simple. And potatoes are pretty forgiving. They are a nice blank canvas, upon which you can paint the picture you desire.

So, that all said, I have made them before, a few times. And I made them again for our New Year's Day feast a few days ago. I was serving a nice prime rib roast (without bones, so probably called something else: Rib-Eye Roast or Eye of Rib Roast, for example). My other side dish was my Green Beans with Gorgonzola. Since the roast was going to be made using a high temperature roasting that requires the oven door to stay shut for about 2½ hours (see my New Year's Day blog), I decided to bake the potatoes early in the afternoon, then start the roast and leave it to do its thing. Once the roast was out of the oven, I would heat the oven again and bake the re-filled potatoes just before sitting down to eat. This timing worked perfectly. I am telling this sequence of events to make it clear that sometimes it is really to your advantage to make Twice Baked Potatoes.

Scooped out potato skins

Twice Baked Potatoes

3 large russet baking potatoes
1 cup sour cream
½ cup scallions, chopped finely
3 slices (thick-sliced) bacon, fried and crumbled (about ½ to ⅔ cup, total)
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste

Wash the potatoes well, dry them and set them into a preheated 400-degree oven for about 1 hour, or until baked through. Use a thin skewer or toothpick to ascertain if they are completely cooked through, inserting the skewer into the side of the potato. You do not want holes poked all over the skins, which you want as intact as possible.

Re-filled Potatoes, before baking

Once baked, allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle, then with a very sharp knife slice them in half across the length. With a spoon, scoop out the insides, leaving about ¼ inch thickness (or slightly less) of potato in the skin for stability. Put all the scooped out potato into a bowl and lightly mash them before mixing with the rest of the ingredients. Re-fill the potato skins with the potato mixture. At this point they can be set aside for a few hours as needed, or can even be wrapped well and refrigerated for a couple of days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to about 350 or 375. Set the stuffed potato halves on a baking sheet and bake them for about 30 minutes, or until they are golden on top and heated through. If the potatoes were previously refrigerated, it may take slightly longer baking time to compensate for how cold they were when started.


Add other ingredients if desired, or leave some out. This time I actually passed the potatoes through a ricer for a smoother effect, but a quick mashing with a fork is sufficient. They are so delicious, and this was a great way to time my dinner just right.


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.

Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake

I wrote a couple of days back about my inspiration for making a Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake. I made the cheesecake part then, and finished the toppings to serve it for our New Year's Day dinner last evening. It certainly delivered on every wish and hope I had. And - it is completely Gluten-Free! My sister-in-law suggested that this cheesecake might also be really good with a shortbread type crust, and I agree.

My goals while making this cheesecake were:

1. that it not be too cloyingly sweet
2. to use coarse salt, making it a "salted caramel" style
3. that the cheesecake part be smooth and creamy

After tasting the finished cheesecake last evening, I believe I accomplished all of those goals. The filling was dreamy-smooth. It was not too overly sweet. The salt balanced perfectly. Even a tiny amount more would have been too much salt, but it worked perfectly just as it was made. 

My Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake, finished

There are a couple of things that might have been better - not about the flavor, because that was, to me, perfect and just what I was looking for. The toppings were my sticking point. The flavors were great, so no problem there. My initial thought had been to use broken pecans, strewn over the top of the cake. However, I went back and forth, even discussing with my sister-in-law, about whether to leave the pecans on top whole, or broken. I selected whole pecans to toast, just in case I decided on decorating the top in a symmetrical manner. I ended up using whole pecans in a beautiful pattern, but in retrospect, broken pecans might have been the better choice. The reason? Trying to eat the cheesecake required trying to cut a bite around a whole pecan, making either a really large bite, or eating around it and then deciding on the pecan. Not a huge problem; not insurmountable, but still... 

The other thing that could have been better is the melted chocolate over the top. I used good-quality chocolate chips and placed them into a piping bag. I set the piping bag with the top edges turned down over a tall water glass to support the bag. I just stuck the bag with the glass into the microwave to melt the chocolate with short 20-second intervals. Initially, I was going to melt the chocolate with butter or oil, to soften it and then put it into a bag. Later I decided to just melt the chocolate alone. Once the chocolate was zig-zagged over the cheesecake and chilled, trying to cut through the hardened chocolate drizzle was almost impossible without destroying the slice entirely. I used the knife to rap sharply against the hardened chocolate drizzle to try and make a place to cut a slice. The slice still was not clean. In retrospect, I believe adding a tablespoon of cooking oil to the chocolate while melting would give a softer final result.

All in all, not huge problems, and the taste results were spectacular, so here is my recipe:

Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake

Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake, sliced

PECAN CRUST
1¼ cup pecans
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter
½ teaspoon coarse salt (Fleur de Sel)
¾ cup dark chocolate chips

FILLING
3 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
14 ounces dulce de leche; reserve ¼ cup aside for topping
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup sour cream
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
½ teaspoon coarse salt
4 eggs

TOPPINGS
1½ cup broken pecans
¼ cup reserved dulce de leche
½ cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

Make Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection). Combine the pecans, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor; process until the pecans are coarsely chopped. Add the butter and process until the nuts are finely chopped. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1 to 1½ inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for about 12 to 15 minutes or until very fragrant. As soon as the crust comes from the oven, sprinkle in the half teaspoon coarse salt and then the chocolate chips. Set aside while preparing the filling. The chocolate chips will become soft. With a spatula, spread the melted chips evenly over the crust. Allow to cool thoroughly. Reduce oven to 300 degrees (275 on Convection).

Make Filling: In a mixer bowl, first beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add in the dulce de leche, brown sugar, cornstarch, sour cream, vanilla and salt. Mix well on low speed until well blended. Whisk the eggs together in a separate bowl, then add them, mixing gently until just incorporated; do not over beat at this point. Pour filling over the chocolate in the cooled crust.

Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and set the springform pan in the center. Wrap the foil up the sides of the pan, encasing it completely. Prepare a roasting type pan large enough to accommodate the springform, filling with hot water to about 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Set the larger pan of water in the oven. Set the foil-wrapped springform pan into the larger pan in the oven. Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour or until just jiggly in the center. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Refrigerate the cheesecake, covered for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before topping and serving.

Toppings: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place broken pecans on a dry baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes. Cool the nuts before using. This can be done well ahead and the nuts stored in a sealed container until needed. The nuts may be left whole, to make a lovely pattern on top of the cheesecake, or broken to scatter over the cake.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, carefully, in 20-second increments, checking each time, until soft. Pour into a piping bag or a sturdy zip-top bag. Set aside.

Finish the cake: Gently reheat the reserved dulce de leche for just a few seconds in the microwave. Scatter broken pecans over the top of the completely cooled cheesecake, or arrange whole nuts in a pattern. Snip a very small hole in the piping bag or zip top bag with the dulce de leche and drizzle a zigzag in one direction over the top of the nuts. Snit a small hole in the piping bag or zip top bag with the melted chocolate and drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern in the opposite direction across the dulce de leche. Keep chilled until serving.

Bon apettit!

 


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, trying new things weekly. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue 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.  

Happy New Year and Glorious Mushrooms

Our New Year's Eve Table

I hope everyone enjoyed the turn of the year 2014. When I was a child  back in the 1950s, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think of anything beyond 2000. And here I am, still young, and still enjoying each year as it passes. 

Some of my appetizers

Last evening was a very quiet one in our household. We are not great party-goers, my husband and I. It has been so frigidly cold here that it does not seem inviting to try and venture outside. Tonight it is supposed to get down to -24 yet again. Brrrrr! My sister-in-law would have been here to at least eat with us, but she had a tooth problem, got it fixed and stayed at home to let the numbness wear off. So, just the two of us, but I still made lots of little snack foods, as usual. I made more of the Smokies in Puff Pastry, Red Pepper Hummus with Caramelized Onion, another of those pre-made pizza shells with spinach dip, some sweet and sour meatballs (those made with chili sauce and grape jelly), a relish tray of sweet gherkins, hearts of palm and assorted olives, and one of those rolls of mozzarella with prosciutto. I had pita chips and carrot sticks for the hummus and some of my Herbed Onion Bread to go with the meatballs. It was all delightful, and we had more of the holiday cookies for dessert.

Smokies in Puff Pastry

Smokies in Puff Pastry

Makes about 75 (one package of "Lit'l Smokies")

1 (14 ounce) package "Lit'l Smokies"
1 (1.1 lb) box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets

Remove puff pastry from freezer at least 45 minutes before working with it. Remove one sheet to thaw on a flat surface. Check after about 15 to 20 minutes. If the first flap begins to lift a little (do not force it or it will break off), set the pastry up like a little tent with the flap lifted out, allowing for air flow. As the dough thaws, open the flap more and allow the inner flap to drop down. Once sheet is completely thawed, flour a large surface and roll out the sheet to about a 14 - 15-inch square.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a pastry cutter, cut strips one way a little less than the width of the Smokie. Measure length of strip needed by using one Smokie. Set it at one end and roll until there is enough to overlap. Cut the piece there, then use this as an approximate measure for all the rest. The length will be between 3 - 4 inches.

How to cut and roll Smokies in Puff Pastry

Roll one Smokie, and moisten the far end with water, so it will adhere. Set the rolled Smokie on a baking sheet, seam side down and continue until all the Smokies are used. Bake the wrapped Smokies for about 25 minutes, or until they are puffed and brown. 

NOTES: Do not try to re-roll any scraps from the puff pastry, as the dough will not puff up the same way.

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One of the appetizers I made for last night was the Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms. I love mushrooms. I do not love them quite so much as my husband, who, it seems, loves them "the more the merrier." I love them IN things, but not so much alone. Stuffed mushrooms are good, but there is too much mushroom to filling ratio, so they just seem flat. Mushrooms all by themselves are pretty bland, and need things to spice them up. Boursin Cheese is a very high fat content cheese, smooth and creamy and most excellent flavor. There are various herb combinations available. In my town, the only one available is garlic and herb. One of my favorites (eaten elsewhere) is black pepper. Anyway. looking up the fat content in Boursin cheese, I noticed that someone (many someones) had used Boursin to stuff mushroom caps. I thought, hmmmmm....I have some Boursin in my refrigerator.... So this is what I did:

Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms

1 (5.2 ounce) container of Boursin (I had garlic and herb) 

Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound "Baby Bellas" or Creminis
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 small cloves garlic
a few grinds of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (I used Alder Smoked Salt)

Set the Boursin in a bowl to soften. Brush clean the mushrooms and remove the stems. Chop the stems finely and put them in a skillet with the butter to saute until lightly browned. While the mushroom stems are sauteing, mince the garlic and thyme. (I also ran my finger around the inside of the mushroom caps, removing gills, for no other reason than that it allowed more room for the filling!) When the mushroom stems are light brown, add in the thyme and garlic and saute for another 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add this mixture to the Boursin in the bowl, along with the few grinds of pepper. With the salt in the palm of one hand, with the other hand take pinches of the salt and drop them into the dry mushroom caps, using a slightly larger pinch for the larger caps and smaller pinch for smaller caps. Mix the Boursin and mushroom stem mixture thoroughly and use all the mixture to fill the mushroom caps. Set them on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes. _________________________________________________________

Yum!  These have to be the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever tried. The little pinch of salt in the mushroom cap seems to have helped with the blandness of the mushroom, too. It is an easy recipe and Gluten-Free too.

Today I am going to be making a dinner, and my sister-in-law will be attending, now that she is feeling better. I am making a Prime Rib Roast as the main event, with twice baked potatoes and Green Beans with Gorgonzola as the sides. I found online a few years back a high-roast method for making the roast and it works so perfectly, I will be using it again today. In essence, you set the oven to 500 degrees put the roast in and time it for 5 to 7 minutes per pound (5 minutes being rare, 6 being medium and 7 being well), then when the time is up, leave the roast in the oven, shut the oven off and do not open the oven door for 2 hours. The roast is so perfect so following that recipe is my go-to these days.

High Temperature Roast Prime Rib 

High Temperature Prime Rib Roast

1 prime rib roast between 4 - 8 pounds
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, smashed into paste
2 teaspoons rosemary leaves, minced
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

The night before, unwrap the roast and leave uncovered in the refrigerator, to better brown in the oven later. Remove the roast from the refrigerator at least 4 hours before roasting, to come to room temperature. Mix together the salt, pepper, garlic rosemary, thyme and mustard and rob all over the roast.

To calculate the roasting time: multiply the weight of the roast in pounds. Multiply this number by 5. This number will be the amount of minutes the roast will be in the heated oven. This will yield a beautifully medium rare roast. If you prefer your meat at medium, multiply the weight by 6 minutes.

Examples: For a four pound roast, medium rare: 4 x 5 = 20 (minutes). For a 4½ pound roast, medium rare: 4½ x 5 = 22½ (minutes). For an 8 pound roast, medium rare: 8 x 5 - 40 (minutes). For a 5 pound roast, done medium: 5 x 6 = 30 (minutes).

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Yes, 500 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil (far easier to clean up later). Set a roasting rack into the pan and set the roast, fat side up, onto the rack. Once you place the roast in this extremely hot oven, begin the timing you have calculated for the weight of your roast. Once this time is elapsed, time the roast for another 2 hours and shut the oven off. At this point DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR FOR ANY REASON, until those two hours are up.

Once the time has elapsed, understand that since the roast has been "resting" for two hours, it has reached the best temperature and needs no "resting period" beyond this. Carve the roast at once and serve. 

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For dessert I am serving the Dulce de Leche Turtle Cheesecake I described in my last post. I will be finishing the toppings on the cheesecake a little later today. 

Right now I have my potatoes baking. They need to be out of the oven before I need to have the roast going in, since I cannot use the oven for approximately 2 1/2 hours. I will scoop out the potato and mix it with fried bacon, sour cream, chopped scallions, and shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, waiting to fill the potato skins until later in the afternoon. Once the roast comes out of the oven I can reheat the oven and bake the stuffed potatoes for a little bit to get them warm and delicious. Somewhere in between I will get the green beans prepared.
 

Green Beans with /Gorgonzola

Green Beans with Gorgonzola

Serves 4

1 pound fresh green beans or yellow wax beans
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or through a garlic press
1 teaspoon salt, more if needed
¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

In a very small saucepan combine the butter, oil and garlic and set the pan over the lowest setting possible, or even half off the burner. The desired end is a very low and slow heating of the oils and garlic. The garlic is gently poached in the oils. Allow the garlic to steep for about 20 minutes, never boiling.

Snap off stem ends and cut the green beans as desired, whether French cut, blunt cut, or left whole. Place them in a steamer basket and bring the steaming water to a boil, lower heat to medium and steam for about 10 - 12 minutes, or until just tender. Drain off the water and return the beans to a pan. Add in the butter and garlic mixture (you may, if desired, strain out the garlic at this point) to the beans and toss well, with the salt. Pour the hot beans into a serving bowl and strew the Gorgonzola over top. Once the cheese is on top it will begin to melt, so serve immediately.


I give my very best wishes to all my readers for a most wonderful New Year's Day and a terrifically blessed year 2014.


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, trying new things weekly. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue 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.