Archive for April, 2007
I’ve been busy creating recipes for my cookbook project, but I haven’t forgotten about you!
On Thursday Stewart and I are taking our honeymoon to Belize, and since I’ll have access to a kitchen, I’ll hopefully have some fun tropical recipes to share while I’m there.
In the meantime, here is a sneak peak of some of the things I’ve been working on!
Lemon Cranberry Muffins
Picnic Sandwich
Pasta Gremolata with Sundried Tomatoes and Garlic Breadcrumbs
The recipe for the Pasta Gremolata will be available in the next online edition of Herbivore Magazine, so get yourself a subscription already!
April 24th, 2007
I’ve been running around trying to get a bank of recipes together for my cookbook project. I made these today, and they would have been so good had they not melted my mouth. Apparently jalapenos range from 2,500 to 10,000 scovilles, and I guess the peppers I picked up were closer to the latter. I took one bite and had to fly into the kitchen to rip a chunk of bread off the nice loaf that Stewart bought earlier today.
I ended up eating the breading off, and scooping the filling out with my fingers. Not very good table manners, but I wanted to eat them! Next time I make these I should test the heat of the peppers before I begin filling them.
I’m saving the recipe for the book/zine/whatever, but I can give you some tips on how to fill them:
Use the tip of a sharp paring knife to cut a little door out of the side of the pepper. Some recipes say to cut the entire pepper in half, but those recipes have sticky cheese in the middle to help the pepper glue itself back together.
Again, with the tip of your knife, try to remove as much of the seeds and membranes as possible. They sort of hang down in the pepper in a cone, so if you cut the top and slide your knife down the sides, it should come out without too much fussing. Remove any membranes from the little door, too, since you’ll be using that piece.
Oh, and leave the stems on!
If you have a pastry bag, use that to fill the peppers. If not, a ziplock with the corner cut off will work just as well. You want to put enough filling in so that the door sticks to the pepper when you put it back in place. If a little of the filling squishes out, just wipe it off and eat it, as long as no one is watching.
They should hold up well enough while you’re covering them in batter, and once they’re fried they’ll be sealed shut. I need to go find some peppers that don’t want to kill me so I can make this again.
April 21st, 2007
Stewart has been asking for danishes. For weeks. I finally made them.
The recipe needs a lot of work. And when it’s done, it’ll be available in my upcoming cookzine!
I’m going to start work on a collection of recipes with the help of some friends over at the Post Punk Kitchen Forums. When I have more details about the format, release date, and availability I’ll be sure to let you know.
Previews of cookzine recipes will be posted on weekends, but regular posts with recipes will still be put up on the weekdays. I think this will be a fun project and I can’t wait to get started. In the meantime, danishes!
April 19th, 2007
I’m always looking for two things: tasty food that’s quick to prepare, and more ways to incorporate dark leafy greens into my diet. This little number does both. To eveyrone who doen’t like kale (but knows they should be eating it anyway!) this one is for you. You can’t really taste the kale in this, and blended up you don’t notice the texture, either. Try it out on all those kale-hating husbands you’ve told me about. I dare you!
Serving it on grilled bread is an extra treat. The grill marks add a nice smoky flavor that can’t be duplicated with a toaster. Don’t break out the grill pan unless you really want to; a toaster will do just fine. Even crackers are acceptable. Heck, eat it with a spoon!
Fresh herbs and cracked black pepper build more layers of flavor which, while aren’t necessary, are totally worthwhile. This is a lovely lunch, but change the bread to crostini rounds and you’ve got an elegant appetizer. What’s not to love about this Kale Delivery System?
Kale and Sundried Tomato Hummus
Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups
1 Can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Tbs Tahini
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Sundried Tomatoes (about 5)
1 Small Head Kale, de-veined and steamed
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Fresh herbs (Optional, I used oregano)
Rinse chickpeas and place into food processor. Add salt, tahini, water, oil and blend until very smooth.
Remove and discard tough stems from kale with scissors. Steam until tender and bright green, shock under cool water, then squeeze as much water out as possible (see photo to the left). Break kale ball apart and place in processor with sundried tomatoes. Gently pulse until ingredients are well combined, but you can still see chunks of kale and tomatoes. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
For a light lunch, snack or appetizer, grill or toast some high quality bread and spread with hummus. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and fresh herbs of your choice, if available.
April 16th, 2007
Two of my friends are celebrating their birthdays today (though today isn’t either of their actual birthdays), so I decided to make mini pineapple upside-down cakes. These are really easy and so so so tasty. I made an extra so I could have one too.
Do you have a favorite yellow cake recipe? Do you have access to pineapple rings, brown sugar, and cherries? Guess what? You can make a pineapple upside-down cake too!
Mini Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes
Makes three to four mini cakes, or one 8-9″
1 Yellow Cake Recipe (I use the golden vanilla cupcakes from VCTOTW)
1 Can Pineapple Rings
1 Jar Marischino Cherries
1/2 Cup Earth Balance
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
Melt sugar and earth balance in a DRY sauce pan over medium heat, stirring only when necessary. The presence of water, even a drop, can make your sugar seize and become gross. When sugar mixture bubbles up, remove from heat. It should cool and look (and taste!) like a caramel sauce, because that’s what it is!
While the sauce is cooling, prepare your cake mix. If you’re making one large cake (like 9″), pour all the caramel in the bottom. 2-3 tablespoons worth of sauce is perfect for mini cakes. Arrange pineapple rings on the bottom, and fill their center with cherries. You can decorate the sides of the pan, too, like the photo on the left.
Pour in your batter, being careful not to dislodge the pineapple slices. If you’re using a springform pans, you might want to cover the outside in foil or bake them on a cookie sheet. My caramel sauce dripped out during the first few minutes and left a mess on the bottom of my oven. Bake for as long as your cake recipe tells you too - mini cakes will be done between 18-25 minutes at 350º F.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove rings (if springform) or run a knife around the outside (if regular cake dish) and invert onto a serving plate. It’s easiest to put the plate on top, upside-down, then invert the whole shabang and remove the pan. Serve warm, but really, they’re just as good room temperature. Definitely unmold them while they are warm, since the cooler the sugar gets, the harder it’ll be to get them out of the pans.
I only told you that I made these for friends so I can’t eat them all myself and pretend I “just didn’t have time to bake.” This might be my new favorite cake. So good.
April 14th, 2007
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