Buttermilk mashed potatoes

I love it when you come up with a recipe that uses the leftovers you have in your house AND comes out amazing.  Case in point: the buttermilk mashed potatoes recipe that I just came up with.  It used two things I've had sitting around for a while: red potatoes from a long-ago recipe and buttermilk from the stuffed-crab corn muffin recipe.  I had been hesitating a while on using the red potatoes as I didn't think one could make mashed potatoes from them (I've always heard to use more starchier potatoes like russets).  However, after looking it up online (isn't the internet a wonderful thing?), I found out people do make mashed potatoes out of reds.  Knowing the basic principles of making mashed potatoes, I decided to try.  Along with a special step (see recipe below).

Buttermilk mashed potatoes

Note: As I just used what I had leftover around the house, I can't really give the exact quantity on the ingredients used.  I suggest going to my previous blog http://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-feast.html if you want a more exact recipe.

Ingredients:

Red potatoes, quartered

Butter (I used 1/4 cup)

Buttermilk to tasted

Procedure:

1) Boil the quartered potatoes until they are cooked enough that you can poke a fork in them.

2) Process them in a food mill using the largest holes.

3) Put potatoes in a small saucepan and add butter.  Heat over medium heat.

4) When butter is melted, add buttermilk to taste,  Keep stirring until everything is incorporated.  Add salt and pepper if you would like (I didn't).

And that's it!  But, the special step was putting the cooked potatoes through a food mill.  I had always wanted to try this, but I didn't this last Thanksgiving because I actually wanted the skins in my mashed potatoes (and the food mill would have removed the skins).  This time, I didn't particularly care one way or the other and was just curious how it would come out.  OH. MY. GOODNESS.  I loved it!  As it turns out, the food mill did leave a few of the skins in the mashed potatoes, which is the way I like them.  But the texture; oh, the texture is something to die for!  These taste like good restaurant quality mashed potatoes: fluffy, buttery, delightful!  Now I know.  And I don't think I'm ever going back to mashing them by hand... Yum yum yum!  Perhaps I ought to make mashed potatoes more often...

Buttermilk mashed potatoes (along with a salad and oven-fried
chicken drumsticks).

This picture might look familiar...  Buttermilk mashed potatoes
as leftovers the next day with garlic-rosemary chicken
and romanesco.

Crab-Stuffed Corn Muffins

Scott and I love dungeness crabs.  I think we discovered them two years ago after reading about them in the food section of our local newspaper, The Santa Cruz Sentinel.  Anyways, they are amazing and delicious (I think they taste like the best parts of lobster and crab combined) and I highly recommend going out there and eating one whenever you come across them.  Alas, dungeness crabs can be a bit on the pricey side, so they are only a once in a while treat for us.  But, of course, when you come across the perfect recipe that you just have to try, exceptions can be made.  While perusing through one of my favorite cooking blogs, foodwishes.com, I came across just that recipe.  Here it is:

Crab-stuffed Corn muffins from foodwishes.com http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2012/09/crab-stuffed-corn-muffins-just-one.html

Ingredients for 12 Crab-stuffed Corn Muffins
For the crab filling:

8 oz crabmeat

1 1/2 tbsp mayo

1 tsp crushed red chili sauce

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp fresh grated lemon zest

2 oz grated pepper Jack cheese (about 1/2 cup)

salt to taste

For the corn muffins:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup corn meal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp minced green onions

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

Watch the video.  And then try the recipe.  You will be amazed.

Crab-stuffed corn muffins

Close-up of the top

More cheesy goodness

The delicious insides.  I'll have to admit, the corn muffin part
was just okay but the crab more than made up for it...

Yum!!

Christmas cookies, part 1

Lately, I've been making a lot of cookies.  I mean, a lot of cookies.  I think the inspiration comes from two or three things:

1) We are not going back east this year to visit Scott's family and friends in Massachusetts for the holidays.  When we are back there, one of our dear friends Rachel (plus other friends) usually makes lots of cookies (esp. the gingerbread men) which we feast on to our heart's content.  Since I won't be having Rachel's cookies this year, I decided to make my own.

2) A desire to use my standing mixer again.  Lately, it's just been sitting in the corner gathering dust.  Time to break it out.

3) They're cookies!  How can one say no to cookies?  Plus the oven warms our house up nicely (we've been  having heater troubles lately).

Okay, back to the blog.  Let's start out with the original inspiration: Gingerbread men

My rather mutated looking gingerbread men.  See notes on decorating below

Gingerbread men from http://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board_2/2006/NOV/19982.html

Notes from author:  For a hotter effect, try adding more ginger to the recipe you usually use.

This is the recipe I like to use. It has a nicely balanced flavor, but you can add more ginger if you like. Bake only about 8 minutes for softer cookies. 

GINGERBREAD MEN (SOFT) WITH ROYAL ICING
Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies

A good, soft gingerbread men cookie recipe.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add molasses and egg. Beat until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add to creamed mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut out the men. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer to a wire rack with waxed paper underneath to cool completely.

Ice with royal icing, or decorate before baking with cinnamon candies, nonpareils, etc., or after baking with decorating icing.

FOR THE ICING:
Royal icing follows, but this icing tastes AWESOME on the gingerbread. Dries to a smooth, shiny finish that can be stacked:

ICING FOR GINGERBREAD COOKIES

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp almond extract
food coloring, if desired

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Add more corn syrup to thin, if necessary. Paint on baked cookies.

ROYAL ICING

2 2/3 cups sifted powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. warm water
2 Tbsp. meringue powder
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Beat sugar, water, powder and lemon extract in a medium bowl with electric mixer 7 to 10 minutes or until stiff. Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe icing on cookies, outlining features of gingerbread men and decorating tops. Allow icing to harden. Store in airtight container.

Notes from Katie/Rachel: For the icing, use 2 tbsp. of milk, not 2 tsp.  Also, add three drops food coloring into the icing if desired.  You can use milk instead of corn syrup to thin and pipe or squeeze the icing onto the gingerbread men.

These are the cookies that I absolutely love eating when we visit Rachel and Darren over the holidays.  However, the dough is damn sticky to work with.  It took way more flour than I thought it would to get it to not stick to the table or the rolling pin.  Also, trying to transfer gingerbread men from the table to a cookie sheet was rather tricky.  It was only long after the last gingerbread man was gone that I read another recipe where it says that you have to refrigerate the dough first before you work with it.  I think next time (and there will be a next time...), I will do this and it should make a big difference.  I used the Brer rabbit molasses full flavor, which I read later has a stronger taste, so I think that's why the cookies tasted a little molassesy for me.  However, Scott absolutely loved the flavor and called them the best gingerbread men he had ever had.  If you remember to, pull out the molasses ahead of time so it comes to room temperature.  There is a reason behind the saying "slow as molasses."  

I also realized I am not a cookie decorator in any way, shape, or form.  Every time I tried to make a shape on the cookies, it just came out demented (see above picture).  However, all hope is not lost.  Upon further reading on cookie decorating, I discovered that I should have let the cookies completely cool off before I started.  Also, my icing was way too thin.  Plus I didn't have a good decorating tool (just a cut off plastic bag).  Learn from your mistakes (and research to see what went wrong).  Till next time...

White Christmas Dream Drops

I first saw this recipe in a Sunset magazine in the waiting area of the doctor's office.  It looked so good that I wrote it down and looked it up later.  A nice variation on traditional meringues (and especially easy using a standing mixer).

White Christmas Dream Drops

Note from recipe: Unlike traditional meringues, which are crisp all the way through, these are still chewy on the inside, like mini pavlovas—but with white chocolate chips and plenty of peppermint. For an elegant touch, dip the edges in melted dark chocolate.

Ingredients: 

• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp. coarsely crushed peppermint candies
• 
  
• Procedure: 
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 250°. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a deep bowl with a mixer, using whisk attachment if you have one, just until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and salt. With motor running and mixer on high speed, pour in 1 tbsp. sugar and beat 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat until all sugar has been added. Scrape inside of bowl and beat another 15 seconds. At this point, meringue should form straight peaks when beaters are lifted. Fold in chocolate chips and 1/3 cup candies with a flexible spatula.
• 2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, using a bit of meringue at corners as glue. Using a soup spoon, drop meringue in rounded 1-tbsp. portions slightly apart onto sheets, scraping off with another spoon. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. candies.
• 3. Bake until meringues feel dry and set when touched but are still pale, 30 to 35 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through. Turn off oven, open door, and let cookies stand about 10 minutes. Let cool on pans.
• Make ahead: Up to 2 days, stored airtight.
• Dustin and Erin Beutin, Tustin, CA, Sunset 
• These were delicious, especially dipped in dark chocolate as recommend.  I really liked how they were soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.  The white chocolate chips never seemed to melt but just stayed there on the inside (waiting to be eaten).  Yum! 

Persimmon cookies

Closeup of cookie with persimmon goodness...

I first tried persimmons (the fruit) a few years ago when Scott introduced me to them.  I couldn't say I cared much for them then.  However, this year, I decided to give them another try.  Well, after having one that Scott didn't want to finish (it dried his mouth up way too much), I concluded that I still didn't like them that much.  However, my father happened to mention that he liked persimmon cookies when I told him about my persimmon problem.  Persimmon cookies?  I had never even heard of such a thing!  So, I let the persimmons sit and sit and sit (apparently you are supposed to use super ripe persimmons) and looked up a recipe.  Here is that recipe:

Persimmon Cookies from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/persimmon-cookies-i/

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe persimmons, pureed 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 cup raisins 1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2.	Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside.
3.	Sift flour, spices and salt together, set aside.
4.	Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until fluffy, beat in egg and persimmon. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and raisins.
5.	Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

These are amazing!  Having never had persimmon cookies before, I can't compare them to anything but themselves, but I can tell you is that they were all gone within twenty-four hours (then again, so were the rest of the cookies I made. Hmmm....).  Anyways, Scott called them "horribly addicting."  And they are!  Plus, they give the illusion of being healthy for you because they have persimmons in them.  They can't be that bad, right?  Well, I'll let you judge that for yourself.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1) Use very ripe persimmons.  I used the two common type found here, the heart-shaped hachiya and the tomato-shaped fuyu.  The fuyu persimmon is good for eating all on its own, but the hachiya persimmon is best for baking.  This is because a) it breaks down into a very nice goo that makes it easy to puree and b) if you try to eat it on its own when it is under-ripe it has a very astringent quality that you will not forget (which is why Scott didn't finish his first persimmon).  

2) I used a food mill to make the persimmon puree.  It worked a lot easier with the over-ripe hachiya than the fuyu.  The fuyu stayed firm even though it was equally as old as the hachiya (which is why there are bits of persimmon in the cookies [see picture above]).  Remove the top from the persimmon, cut it into quarters and and process it using the smallest holes in the food mill.

3) Some people found it too spicy.  I, however, found it just right.  It had kind of a similar texture to oatmeal cookies but a taste all of its own.  I think I am going to add more persimmons the next time I make it.

There you go!  I hope you enjoyed my Xmas cookies, part 1.  There will be a part 2, but I am still waiting to make some cookies.  Now, go out there and enjoy them!  Oh, and share some with me...

Garlic-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Jus

Wow.  Just, wow.  This has been a recipe that I've been wanting to make for literally years.  I first had the absolutely amazing garlic-rosemary chicken when my ex Wendell served it for us one night for dinner.  I loved it so much that I asked for the recipe (I was just starting to learn to cook at this time, thanks to Wendell [he was the one who introduced me to Mark Bittman]).  Anyways, he sent me something that approximated the recipe, but I wanted the real thing which was from America's Test Kitchen (ATK for short).  So, long story short, years later I finally ended up joining America's Test Kitchen online and downloaded the recipe.  Did I make it then?  Nope.  I just saved it on my computer until, finally, now I have made it.*

*As a quick tangent, part of the reason that it took me so long is that I almost never cook meat just on its own.  I will cook meat as part of another recipe, but anytime we cook meat on its own, Scott usually does the cooking (think Thanksgiving dinner).  The one (only one) time I tried to roast a chicken before with my friend Andrew it turned out kind of disastrous (it took way too long and kept coming up undercooked).  So I was a bit nervous...

Garlic-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Jus

Our meal tonight: chicken, mashed potatoes and romanesco

Garlic-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Jus from Cooks Illustrated

Note: If the roasting pan is considerably larger than the chicken, keep an eye on the pan drippings; the greater surface area may mean more rapid evaporation and a risk of burnt drippings. Add water to the pan as necessary if the liquid evaporates. 

Serves 3 to 6

Ingredients: 

Chicken and Brine
1/2 cup table salt 
10 cloves of garlic unpeeled
3 sprigs fresh rosemary 
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), giblets discarded

Garlic-Rosemary Paste
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary 
2 medium cloves of garlic minced or pressed through garlic press (2 teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon table salt 
ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing chicken

Jus
10 cloves of medium-large garlic unpeeled
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
1/2 cup water 
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 sprig fresh rosemary 
table salt 
ground black pepper 

Instructions:

1. FOR THE CHICKEN AND BRINE: Combine salt, garlic, and rosemary in zipper-lock bag; seal, pressing out air. Pound with meat pounder or rolling pin until garlic cloves are crushed. Transfer mixture to large container or stockpot and stir in 2 cups hot tap water; let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1 1/2 quarts cold tap water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set V-rack in small roasting pan and lightly spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

3. FOR THE PASTE: Stir together rosemary, garlic, salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl. Rub about 1 1/2 teaspoons of paste in cavity of chicken. Carefully loosen skin over breast and thigh on each side; slip half of remaining paste under skin on each side of breast, then, using fingers, distribute paste over breast and thigh by rubbing surface of skin (see illustrations 1 through 3, page 11). Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. Rub all sides of chicken with 2 teaspoons oil and season with pepper. Set chicken breast-side down on prepared V-rack and roast 15 minutes.

4. FOR THE JUS: While chicken is roasting, toss garlic cloves with 1/2 teaspoon oil; after chicken has roasted 15 minutes, scatter cloves in pan and continue to roast 15 minutes longer.

5. Remove roasting pan from oven; decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees. Using tongs or wads of paper towels, rotate chicken breast-side up; brush breast with 1 teaspoon oil. Add 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup water to pan and continue to roast until chicken is medium golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thigh registers about 160 and 175 degrees, respectively, adding more water to roasting pan if liquid evaporates. Tip V-rack to allow juices in cavity to run into roasting pan. Transfer chicken to large plate.

6. Remove garlic cloves to cutting board. Using wooden spoon, scrape up browned bits in roasting pan and pour liquid into 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Allow liquid to settle; meanwhile, peel garlic and mash to paste with fork. Using soup spoon, skim fat off surface of liquid (you should have about 5/3 cup skimmed liquid; if not, supplement with water). Transfer liquid to small saucepan, then add wine, rosemary sprig, remaining ¾ cup broth, and garlic paste; simmer over medium-high heat, until reduced to about 1 cup, about 8 minutes. Add accumulated juices from chicken and discard rosemary sprig; adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Carve chicken and serve with jus. 

     So, how did it come out?  Well, the good news is that this recipe is as amazing as I remember it.  The jus is amazing and definitely worth the extra step to make it.  Brining the chicken made sure that every part came out moist* And the paste just made everything taste rosemary garlicky.  So amazing!  If you like rosemary, garlic and chicken, I definitely recommend this recipe.  It is not too garlicky or rosemary-tasting but has an amazing flavor all of its own.  I, of course, used my trusty cast iron skillet rather than a roasting pan with v-rack (which I don't have) and didn't even bother with the trussing (although I did hook the wings up behind the back).  I really think the cast iron made a difference as the chicken came out nice and browned (as compared to yesterday when we baked chicken drumsticks and it took forever to cook).  I then made the jus right in the cast iron; no need to transfer everything over to a smaller pot.  Anyways, make it!  You won't be sorry! Don't wait years like I did.  Enjoy!

*As a quick aside, I skipped the first part about putting it in a bag and pounding the garlic.  It just seemed like a ridiculous extra step to me.  I just used my garlic press and minced the garlic and put it all in a stock pot and went from there.

Scalloped potatoes (a.k.a. Heart Attack on a plate)

This is one of those rare times when I didn't really follow a recipe.  Well, kind of.  I called a friend/former co-worker of mine, Marie (see her cheesy potato soup recipe http://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/search?q=cheesy+potato+soup) and asked for her advice on making Scalloped potatoes.  What follows is basically her recipe:

Bacon scalloped potatoes

Ingredients:

5-6 russet potatoes, sliced 1/4" thin
oil or butter
milk
flour
cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
chopped onions, optional (I cooked mine in bacon fat)
chopped bacon or ham, optional
butter, optional

Procedure:

1) Slice the potatoes about 1/4" thick.  I used a food processor for this (so easy!).  Grease a casserole dish.

2) Layer the potatoes on the bottom of the casserole.  Sprinkle salt and pepper.  Add chopped onions or bacon if using.  Finally, layer with about one tablespoon of flour and top with cheese.

3) Repeat layers, omitting the flour, onions and bacon on the top layer (salt, pepper and cheese only with butter if using).

4) Pour about 1 cup of milk on top.

5) Bake,covered at 300 for 30 minutes (use aluminum foil if your casserole dish does not have a lid).

6) Take the lid off and cook for another hour. Potatoes are done when they are soft and you can poke them with a fork.

That's it.  Any mistakes in the recipes are mine and mine alone.  The final product didn't have enough of a sauce for me, it was more like layered potatoes with bacon, onion and cheese.  But, oh was it so good!!

Bacon and cheese scalloped potatoes

Dinner that night consisted of a large ham steak, artichoke and
scalloped potatoes.

Thanksgiving 2012

As I said earlier, I'm catching up on blogposts.  This year for Thanksgiving, Scott and I stayed up in Nor Cal and had the opportunity to house-sit at our friends Lynelle and Derek's house.  It was so very lovely having already written the painstakingly long Thanksgiving post last year, as I had most of my recipes already in one place (see http://insearchoftheperfectmacaroniandcheese.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-feast.html).   However, I did decide to try a couple of new recipes and thought I'd blog about them just to share.

Green Bean Casserole from http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Green-Bean-Casserole

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chicken stock
½ oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
Kosher salt, to taste
2 lbs. green beans, cut into 2" pieces
Canola oil
1¼ cups flour
2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
5 tbsp. butter
⅓ cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring stock to a boil in a small pot. Remove from heat; add mushrooms. Cover; let soften for 20 minutes. Strain; reserve broth. Thinly slice mushrooms; set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans; cook until tender, 6–7 minutes. Chill beans in an ice bath; drain and pat dry.


2. Pour oil into a large pot to a depth of 2". Heat over medium-high heat until oil registers 350° on a deep-fry thermometer. Put 1 cup flour into a bowl. Working in batches, toss onions in flour; shake off excess and fry until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt.

3. Heat oven to 375°. Grease an 8"× 8" casserole with 1 tbsp. butter; set aside. Melt remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining flour; cook for 1 minute. Pour in reserved broth while whisking; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk in cream and combine with beans, half the onions, reserved mushrooms, and salt and pepper in a bowl; transfer to casserole. Top with remaining onions; bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

 Cranberry Sauce (recipe from Trader Joe's cranberry bag)

Ingredients:

12 oz bag Trader Joe's Fresh Cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice

Procedure:

1) In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

2) Stir in the cranberries and simmer until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes).

3) Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl.  Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Anyways, nothing really new here except for the green bean casserole.  This recipe for green bean casserole was first served to me by my sister-in-law, Sarah Gentile, during Christmas last year.  After begging her and my brother-in-law, Steven, for almost a year, I finally got the recipe.  I loved it then and I love it now.  The fried onion bits are particularly delicious, although I've realized that I definitely need to work on my frying technique.  For one thing, I used olive oil which is nowhere near the ideal oil but it was all I had.  For another, I didn't have a frying thermometer which I think I'm coming to see is kind of important.  There were a few under-fried and a few over-fried bits, but all in all it was really good.  It was definitely the best fresh out of the oven and it made A LOT (so much so we eventually ended up throwing some of it away).
The cranberry sauce is definitely nothing new, but I included it as it is slightly different proportions than I listed in my blog last year and I liked it cooked in the orange juice.  I cooked it slightly longer than the 10 minutes indicated here.  

Green bean casserole

Cranberry sauce

Our Thanksgiving plate.  Some of the recipes should look
familiar to those who read my Thanksgiving blog last year.

Sitting down for dinner

Poultry pot pie (a.k.a. Chicken or Turkey pot pie)

I am happy to report that, after a temporary setback where stupid blogger told me I had reached my uploaded photo limit (which I didn't even know about grrrrr....) that I think I've figured a way around it.  Which has inspired me to do more blog writing, including a dish that I've made a couple of times around the holiday season (a dish I've wanted to make for a long long time): Chicken Pot Pie (followed later by Turkey pot pie after Thanksgiving).

It took me a while to figure out which recipe I wanted to follow to make this, knowing how I like to make everything from scratch.  After looking at various recipes, I decided to follow Mark Bittman's recipe, but I'll also include modifications for a slightly easier version afterwards.

Chicken Pot Pie from Mark Bittman's How to Cook everything iPod app

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs, trimmed of excess fat

2 onions, quartered

3 bay leaves

10 whole black peppercorns

salt

1 recipe sweet tart crust, chilled

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup pearl onions

2 large-4 small to medium carrots, diced

2 tbsp AP flour

1 tsp dried sage

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup cream

1 cup peas (frozen are fine, don't bother to thaw)

1 egg, beaten

Procedure:

1) Put the chicken and onions in a large pot with just enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low.  Skim any foam that rises to the surface.  Add the bay leaves, peppercorns and a generous pinch of salt.  Simmer until the chicken and vegetables are nearly tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes; the bird is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in to the thickest part of the thigh reads 155-165 F.

2) Remove the chicken to cool and save the cooking liquid.  (This is a good time to make the tart dough if you haven't already done so).

3) Remove the chicken meat from the bones, roughly chop or pull into pieces, and reserve.  Return the carcass to the pot (break the pieces up a bit so they're all submerged, bu don't add any more water), and bring the liquid back to a boil.  Reduce the heat so the liquid bubbles steadily and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or so. Strain into a wide pot, bring the liquid to a boil, and reduce until you have about 1 1/2 cups, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how much you started with.  (At this point, the chicken and cooking liquid may be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days).  If you're baking the pie now, heat the oven to 375 F and generously grease a 2 qt baking dish.

4) Put 2 tbsp. butter or oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.  When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the flour; continue cooking and stirring until it just turns tan.  Add the sage and cook and stir for another minute. (At this point you can refrigerate the vegetable mixture for up to a day, then reheat just before proceeding).

5) Add the chicken-cooking liquid and the cream to the vegetable-flour mixture and turn the heat up to medium.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken, but don't let it come to a rolling boil.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, turn off the heat, and stir in the chicken pieces and the peas.  Put the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  (At this point, you may cover and refrigerate the filling for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding).

6) Roll out the tart crust large enough to cover the baking dish. Lay it on top of the dish and flute it as for pie crust or just leave it draped over the sides a little.  Use a sharp knife to cut 3 to 4 vents in the top. Brush the top with the beaten egg.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling.

Variations:

Faster chicken pot pie

For when you have leftover or pick up an already-cooked bird: Skip Steps 1-3 and start by putting 4 cups of chicken stock in a large pot and bringing it to a boil.  Reduce by about half.  Mean while, bone and chop the cooked chicken.  You should have about 3 cups, but ,if not, simply substitute more vegetables to make up the difference. Proceed with the recipe from Step 4.

Sweet Tart crust

Ingredients:

1 1/4 AP flour, plus a little more for rolling

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

10 tbsp frozen or cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 egg yolk

3 tbsp ice water, plus more if necessary

Procedure:

1) Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse once or twice.  Add the butter all at once; process until the mixture is uniform, about 10 seconds (do not overprocess).  Ad the egg yolk and process for another few seconds.

2) Put the mixture in a bowl and add 3 tbsp. ice water; mix with your hands until you can form the dough in to a ball, adding another 1 to 2 tbsp of ice water if necessary (if you overdo it and the mixture becomes sodden, add a little more flour).  Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  

3) Sprinkle a countertop with flour and put the dough on it; sprinkle the top with a little flour.  Use a rolling pin to roll with light pressure from the center out.  If the dough is sticky, add a little flour (if it continues to become sticky and it's taking you more than a few minutes to roll out, refrigerate or freeze again).  Roll, adding flour and rotating and turning the dough as needed; use the ragged edges of dough to repair any tears, adding a drop of water while you press the patch into place.

Whoo!  That was a lot to type out!  Makes me wish I had wi-fi internet in this place because then I could just e-mail it to myself.  Anyways, I digress....

The first time I made this pie, I followed the recipe almost exactly except I used leeks instead of pearl onions and I had Scott made the first step (chicken cooking) and refrigerated it.  It took me a while to actually make the pie as I kept getting intimidated by all the steps.  But, once you get everything all together, it actually comes together pretty darn quickly.  At the end, it was delicious, but didn't have enough liquid.

The second time I made the pie was with Thanksgiving leftovers.  I just made a regular pie crust, used turkey stock I had made from the carcass and all the leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat.  I used regular milk instead of cream and kind of guestimated on the liquid amount.  It still wasn't quite right, but it was definitely delicious.  Both times I made it in the cast iron and just put the crust on top, thus saving the "transfer to a baking dish" step.  I think I want to experiment and somehow figure out how to get a crust on the bottom and how to get the liquid to solid ratio just right (maybe individual dishes like my crocks used for French onion soup???).  Either way about it, definitely a delicious meal!!

Chicken pot pie

The almost identical turkey pot pie (Yes, these are two different photos.
And, just because I wondered, that's a cookie sheet in the background,
not a dirty wall).

Turkey pot pie

Teriyaki beets

Hello to my faithful readers out there (and you would have to be faithful after I took such a long hiatus)... I'm back!!  November was completely sucked up to the craziness that is NaNoWriMo.  NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month and is an online challenge wherein the participants try to write an original novel at least 50,000 words in length during the month of November.  I am proud to announce that I won (and finished early- on Nov. 25th)!  But, as you can imagine, writing a novel occupied most of my time and my blog was, sadly, ignored.  But no more!  Now I have a whole backlog of recipes to blog about.  Starting with....

Teriyaki Beets from Fresh from the Farm and Garden by Friends of the UCSC Farm and Garden 

Ingredients:

12 small beets (or one bunch full sized beets, quartered)
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbsp. butter or canola oil
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
Minced garlic, optional

Procedure:

1) Boil or steam beets until almost tender (10-15 minutes).  Rinse in cold water and cut in half.
2) Combine rest of ingredients in small pan.  Heat gently, stirring, until sauce is smooth.  Brush sauce on beets and heat under broiler 5-10 minutes, basting frequently.

Teriyaki beets

The most delicious beet recipe ever!  I first tried this recipe as I had bought into someone's CSA (community supported agriculture) for the week and they had Chiogga (a.k.a. Candy-cane beets) in the farmshare along with a little pamphlet with recipes (of which this recipe was one).  I tried it once and fell in love.  For some reason, I always slice the beets ahead of time and cook them like that.  I love using Chiogga beets, for you still see the candy cane stripeness even when they are cooked.  I tried used regular (red) beets once but that experience was too scary to repeat (let's just say that everything turned red when I used the restroom for the next day or two and leave it at that).  Definitely delicious.  Look for chiogga (pronounced key-oh-juh) beets.  Fun!

Oven-roasted tomato sauce

  This recipe comes to me from our good friends Leah and Jason Novak in Saugerties, NY.  Leah made this tomato sauce a few years ago and I loved it so much I asked for the recipe.  It is my go-to homemade tomato sauce.  Alas, I don't make it as often as I would like because of all the tomatoes involved, but when I do make it, I never regret it!

Oven roasted tomato sauce 

Ingredients:

8 cups (4 lbs) tomatoes, cut into 1.5"-2" chunks
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Procedure:

1) Heat oven to 450 F.
2) Combine all but basil.
3) Spread on shallow pan 1" depth.
4) Roast 40 min.
5) Stir in basil.
6) Mash lightly with potato masher.

  The result?  A delicious, flavorful, rich tomato sauce.  Try it out one of these days when you have lots of tomatoes and the need for a delicious meal!  Thanks again, Leah, for the recipe!

Homemade lasagna with oven-roasted tomato sauce

Gluten-free pasta with oven-roasted tomato sauce

We be jammin' (a.k.a., making strawberry jam)

     So I will fully admit that I have delayed writing this blog for a couple of months now.  Why?  Because canning is such a laborious, time-consuming project that I didn't want to take the time to write it down in a blog.  Don't get me wrong; it's not hard... it just takes a lot of time and effort.  But today I'm finally going to sit down and write about the fun of making jam...
     So why make homemade jam?  Here are my personal reasons:
-You control what goes into it (this means no High Fructose Corn Syrup or preservatives like most commercial jams have)
-It's a lot cheaper than buying store-bought (especially cheaper than buying good quality jam)
-They make great gifts; who doesn't appreciate homemade jam?
-Good way to use up a lot of strawberries (from going berry picking)
-Finally, it's fun!  It really is.  There's something very pleasing about picking your own berries, making a jam out of it, canning it, listening to those lovely pops that mean the jam is done and then enjoying it later!
     I highly suggest you try it!  It's not all that hard; just takes some materials and prep work ahead of time.

Homemade strawberry jam (from Ball's Blue Book guide to preserving)

What you will need:

*Boiling-water canner.  I borrowed mine from our good friends Lynnelle and Derek.  They have a 9-jar capacity one, which made it really nice for making large batches.
*Mason jars, 10, half-pint (8 oz) size
*Brand new lids for the jars
*Bands for the jars
*Small sauce pan
*Large sauce pan
*Stirring utensil
*Knife
*Cutting board
*Tongs (if you don't have a jar lifter)
*Kitchen towels
*Potato masher
*Ladle

Not necessary but handy to have:

*Jar lifter (tongs for lifting jars out of hot water)
*Jar funnel (a funnel that fits in your jars and makes pouring a breeze)
*Bubble remover and head space tool (a tool used to measure head space and remove bubbles that form on the side of the jar)
*Lid wand (a handy magnetic wand that allows you to lift lids out of hot water)

Ingredients:

Organic strawberries, enough to make 6 2/3 cup mashed fruit
Low/No sugar pectin, 7 1/2 tbsp.
water 1 2/3 cup
sugar up to 2 1/2 cups
butter, optional (for reducing foam)

Procedure:

1) Visually examine canning jars for nicks, cracks, uneven rims or sharp edges that may prevent sealing or cause breakage.  Examine canning lids to ensure that they are free of dents and sealing compound is even and complete.  Check bands for proper fit.

2) Wash jars and two-piece caps in hot, soapy water.  Rinse well.  Heat jars and lids in a saucepan of simmering water (180 F).  Do not boil lids.  Allow jars and lids to remain in hot water until ready for use, removing one at a time as needed.

3) Fill boiling-water canner half-full with hot water.  Elevate rack in canner.  Put canner lid in place.  Heat water just to a simmer (180 F).  Keep water hot until used for processing.

4) Wash strawberries; dry completely,  Remove stems and white under-ripe portions.

Organic strawberries picked from Swanton u-pick farm

Removing the tops from the strawberries and washing them

5) Crush strawberries, one layer at a time, using a potato masher.  Crushed strawberries should be a combination of fruit pulp and fruit juice.  Over crushing strawberries may add too much liquid for the recipe to gel.  Measure remaining ingredients so they are ready when needed,.

The mashed berry mixture

6) Combine crushed strawberries with water.  Gradually stir in the pectin and add in the butter if using.  Bring mixture to a rolling boil, one that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly.  Add sugar and return mixture to a full boil.  Boil hard for one minute.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary.

Strawberry jam reading for canning

7) Remove canning jar from hot water with a jar lifter; set jar on towel.  Carefully ladle hot jam mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.  This is where the head space tool comes in handy.  If you don't have it, 1/4 inch head space is approximately the space between the top of the jar and the first glass ridge inside the jar.

Ladling the jam into the jars

The frost on the outside is from the hard water in which
the jars were boiled

Measuring the head space using the head space tool

8) Wipe rim and threads of jar with a clean, damp cloth.  Remove lid from hot water using a lid wand.  Place lid on jar, centering sealing compound on rim.  Screw band down evenly and firmly, just until resistance is met; fingertip tight.

Wiping off the rims

Using the lid want to remove the lids from the simmering water

Screwing the top on finger tight

9) As each jar is filled, set it onto the elevated rack in the boiling-water canner.  Water in canner should be kept at a simmer (180 F).  After all jars are filled and placed onto the rack, lower rack into canner. Water level must cover the two-piece caps on the jars by 1-2 inches.  Add boiling water, if necessary.

Putting the filled jars in the hot-water canner

Ready to boil

10) Put lid on canner.  Bring water to a boil.  Start counting processing time after water comes to a rolling boil.  Process 10 minutes, at a gentle but steady boil for altitudes at or below 1000 ft sea level.

11) When processing time is complete, turn off heat and remove canner lid.  Let canner cool 5 minutes before removing jars. Remove jars from canner and set them upright, 1 to 2 inches apart, on a dry towel to cool.  Do not re-tighten bands.  Let jars cool 12 to 24 hrs.  Here you hear the most heavenly sounds to a home canner; the "pop" of lids sealing on tight.

Removing the processed jars

Waiting to cool

12) After jars have cooled, check lids for a seal by pressing on the center of each lid.  If the center is pulled down and does not flex, remove the band and gently try to life the lid off with your fingertips.  If the lid does not flex and you cannot lift if off, the lid has a good vaccum seal.  Wipe lid and jar surface with a clean damp cloth to remove food particles or residue.  Label.  Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

After they have cooled

Delicious homemade strawberry jam!!

     So, all in all, definitely worth it!  I was surprised how much time it took me (well over 3 hrs) and how much effort was involved but it was a lot of fun.  I think it took me a bit of time as I was still getting used to how everything works.  I kept having to look back at the instructions.  This is why I made such a large batch (figure why go through all that work for one jar?).  Ten jars is the maximum that they advise cooking so ten jars it was.  And now I've got a whole bunch of jam to give out.  Or eat.  Or both.  Yum!

     Did you know that jams are made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar or sugar substitutes.  Jellies are made from juice that is strained from fruit?  Well, now you know!