Cake and cranberries

Carol made Mrs. Billett's white cake  with vanilla butter cream for her games group.  It was delicious and the winning cake in a Southern Living contest.  Jennifer prepared sugared cranberries to garnish the cake.  I bet that was beautiful - the white cake with the red cranberries. 

 

I first had sugared cranberries at Bengy's and made them for Christmas last year.  They were a huge hit and simple to make.

Turkey and Pie!

I found my go-to turkey recipe for Thanksgivings to come.  It was easy, flavorful and moist.  I bought the least expensive type of turkey (HEB $0.97 a pound) because the store was swarming with zombies and I had to get in and get out as quick as possible so I grabbed the first one I saw.  Later I found $6 a pound turkeys in a specialty store and I started regretting my less than a dollar a pound turkey.  But not after I tasted mine! While the Bon Appetit recipe is partly responsible for my delicious turkey, the most important step was a meat thermometer in the thigh while cooking so I could remove it at 165 degrees.  I then let it rest for 45 minutes before carving.  The turkey skin browned in the first 30 minutes and after that I kept it tented in foil and it stayed brown.  I love cooking with fresh herbs and citrus and that is what this recipe used.  I prepped the turkey the night before - herb butter on the skin and cavity and onion, orange and lemons inside the cavity.  I tucked the wings under the bird and tied the legs together.  In the morning, I added the water to the roasting pan and cooking began!

I did need more cooking time than the recipe stated but that is where the thermometer came in to play.  Do not judge by time, judge by temperature!  I think it took about 3 1/2 hours.

A lemon meringue pie was requested so I baked my first one EVER.  What a stressful experience.   The recipe was not that complicated but it does involve many steps.   First, I made this pie crust a few days in advance.  I stored in the refrigerator and then set on the counter about 30 minutes before I needed to use them.  I blind baked the shell (almost forgetting to use my pie weights!) and then let it cool while I made the filling.  The pie crust was incredibly easy and the only thing I would do differently is not pulse too many times (my butter blobs were a little too small) and then roll out thinner when putting into the pie pan.

As far as the filling, I faced and defeated my fear of custards.  I am always afraid I will end up with scrambled eggs.  I tempered the heck out of the yolks.  I practically added all of the custard to the yolks, a half cup at a time.  I definitely erred on the side of caution and it worked!  For the meringue, just when I thought my egg whites would never peak, they did.  And when put into the oven, they browned beautifully.  I let the pie cool completely, then gently tented with foil and put in the fridge.  The pie had a delicious, tart, lemon flavor without being overly sweet.  Everyone loved it AND the pie crust.  Now that I have done it once it will be a breeze to prepare again!

Gingerbread, Man!

I was listening to Martha Stewart Living on Sirius yesterday (because that is what you do leading up to Thanksgiving) and there were guests on the show that brought in gingerbread.  The lady chef and restaurant owner said that making gingerbread is her Thanksgiving tradition.  I had never made it so I decided to give it a go and share with my coworkers for Thanksgiving Eve.  Who knew that the secret to gingerbread is not ginger (spice) but molasses!  

This bread comes out very moist and the house smelled amazing while it baked.  I served it plain though I wish I had sprinkled some powdered sugar on top.  Also, start checking after 45 minutes... in a glass pan, mine was ready after about 50 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes and Snickerdoodles

I love snickerdoodles.  I think this is so because I love cinnamon.  Cinnamon would even be my code name should I become rich and famous and need to use an alias at hotel rooms.  But that is a story for a different blog.

This recipe for snickerdoodle bars promises a blondie that stays moist and soft.  And they do!  When I ate a bit while still warm I promise this was the best thing I had ever tasted.  Even when cooled they were delicious.  The baking time seems a little low so just check with a toothpick like you would with a cake.  The recipe says these are ready when the surface springs back to the touch but I say go with the toothpick method or these will be undercooked.

I am making a new sweet potatoes recipe for Thanksgiving.  I "tested" it on my coworkers at our Thanksgiving pot luck.  I wanted the potatoes to be warm without having to be microwaved so I cooked them in my slow cooker.  In my office.  It was awesome to smell the sweet potatoes and apple sauce wafting down my office hallway.  The recipe was super easy to put together the night before and then simply plug in the crockpot the next morning.  I cooked these on high for about 5 hours.  The potatoes were very tender and lightly sweetened without covering up the main flavor.  The toasted pecans, which you add at the end, were a nice crunch. 

October 21, 2012

Mary was our hostess this month and she set a beautiful, fall table.  All current Gourmet Gals were in attendance.

Appetizer:  Evelyn, Tomato, Cheese and Puffed Pastry

Salad:  Angie, Grape and Watercress Salad with Caraway and Granola

Bread:  Angie, Killer Garlic Bread

Side:  Janet, Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

Side:  Mary, Cauliflower Mash

Wine:  Janet, Taft Street Pinot Noir

Main Dish:  Mary, Osso Buco

Dessert:  Carol, Pumpkin Swirled Cream Cheese Brownies and Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Evelyn started our dinner off with puff pastry shells filled with tomato and cheeses.  She said the original recipe called for sheets of puff pastry and she bought the shells by mistake.  I LOVED the shells and thought it provided a prettier presentation than sheets as well as it was easier to eat as a finger food.  Puff pastry sheets look pretty until you slice it and then crumbs are everywhere.

 For the salad I found a recipe from Oxheart restaurant in Houston in an issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  The salad seemed "fancy" enough for our group as well as a feeling of fall with the arugula and granola.  All components were simple to put together and I made most of it the day before.  The caraway seeds in the dressing are a must and bring such a distinctive flavor to the salad.  I used my mortar and pestle to crush the seeds, something I have never done before.  I love a new cooking technique!!

We served the main meal family style with the Osso Buco on a bed of cauliflower mash.  Mary used veal chops as this is all her butcher had and it was delicious and a good choice.  The meat fell off the bone and the vegetables were so flavorful.  The cauliflower mash was insanely tasty and Mary promises it is guilt free and a great substitute for mashed potatoes.  I went for seconds and I cannot stop thinking about this dish and when I can make it again!

Cauliflower Mash

 

1-2 head of raw cauliflower

Evaporated milk (I normally use fat free but regular is a little richer)

Salt

Cream cheese (use the light but the FF is not so great)

Fresh parsley

 

Steam the cauliflower until very soft.  Put the cauliflower in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to break it down a bit.  Add some salt, just a bit at first.  Add a little bit of milk, pulse a time or two.  Add a tablespoon or two of cream cheese and a couple tablespoons of milk.  Do several longer pulses to start smoothing the cauliflower to a near mashed texture.  Do a taste test for salt and let it process until very smooth texture.  This recipe does not require much liquid so careful with the can milk, just add a bit at a time... same with cream cheese-- a little goes a long way.   At the very end, add some chopped  parsley and do one last pulse.  Ready to serve.

 

Super healthy, nearly guilt free side dish that everyone will love.

Our second side dish was from Janet.  She prepared Sauteed Swiss Chard with the following modifications to the recipe:

1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil (rather than 2 tbs of both)
1 shallot (rather than onion)
2 bunches of Swiss chard (rather than 1)
1/4 cup dry white wine (rather than 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (rather than 1)
4 tablespoons Parmesan (rather than 2)

I loved the chard.  It tasted fresh and healthy and the shallots and cheese gave it lots of flavor.  Janet had previously made this recipe which is how she knew to modify it.  Remember, WWTD (What Would  Teresa Do) and make the recipe as is first, and THEN modify.  That is a great lesson that I wish I had learned earlier in my home cooking career!

I fixed garlic bread as our bread component of the meal.  I did bake it a little too long (I thought the oven was off!!), which made the crust slightly tough, but the flavor was nice and garlicky without being over powering.  Rather than melt the butter I softened it and stirred in all the other ingredients.  I spread it on the bread and wrapped it up and put into the refrigerator until time to bake.  I had never used Ciabatta bread for garlic bread before but I really liked it and will use it in the future.

We concluded our meal with two desserts.  Boohoo.  I HATE IT when we have more than one dessert.  JUST KIDDING!!  Carol also brought some pumpkin ice cream.  The group then spent several minutes discussing seasonal ice cream flavors such as pumpkin and egg nog.  YUM.  Those are two reasons why I avoid the ice cream aisle of the store.

The Pumpkin Crunch Cake was my favorite of the two and I brought some home and had it for breakfast.  It is super easy to prepare and when I made it and brought it to work for a Halloween baking contest, I won first place!  Hooray!  

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

1 Yellow Cake Mix

1 15 oz Can Pumpkin Puree

1 12 oz Can Evaporated Milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Pour mixture into greased pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans.  Drizzle melted butter over pecans.  Use a fork to press/lightly stir any dry cake mix.  Bake 50-55 minutes.

The second dessert was very rich brownies with swirls of pumpkin and cream cheese.  The brownies looked pretty with the orange swirl and were quite decadent.

Pumpkin Swirled Cream Cheese Brownies

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup plus 1 tbs flour, divided

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs canned pumpkin

1 tbs butter, melted

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup salted butter

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing edges to overhang pan to create handles.  Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbs flour, cream cheese, pumpkin and melted butter.  Beat at medium speed with a mixer until smooth and creamy.  Set aside.

Melt chocolate and salted butter in double boiler or microwave and let cool slightly.  

In a large bowl, combine eggs, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup sugar, whisking well.  Set aside.

In small bowl combine remaining 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt, whisking well.  Set aside.

Add 1/4 cup chocolate mixture to egg mixture, stirring vigorously to incorporate and temper.  Add remaining chocolate mixture in thirds, stirring to incorporate.  Add flour mixture, stirring to incorporate.  Spread mixture into prepared baking pan, creating a smooth and level surface.

Drop pumpkin mixture by spoonfuls onto surface of chocolate mixture.  Drag a knife through batter to create a swirled pattern.

 Bake until brownie is slightly puffed and set, 57 to 60 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, approximately 4 hours.  Remove from pan by lifting foil handles.  Peel foil from brownies and cut into 16 squares.  Keep in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Lastly, our wine was so tasty that I wanted to document it for future reference.  

Crack Brownies*

*does not contain crack or any other illegal substance

I made these crack brownies for an office party.  I thought to myself "WOW, these have a lot of STUFF on top of the brownies...maybe I should leave some of it off".  Then I thought "self, what would Teresa do?  She would make the recipe as is the first time and the second time you can make changes".  Yes, that is what I would do.  I would add the peanuts, marshmallows, peanut butter cups, chocolate, peanut butter and rice crispies and see if these really were addictive.  THEY ARE and I am joining a 12 step program tomorrow.  

The brownie is just the stage to all the deliciousness on top.  Mostly, you taste chocolate, with a hint of peanut butter and a crunch of rice crispies.  I do not notice the peanuts at all and the marshmallows just add an "oohey goohey" factor.  

These are best when served cool so the chocolate does not melt.  And these will last a while.  I prepared them Thursday night, they were served Friday and the remaining were put in the refrigerator and I just had one today (Monday) and still just as fabulous.

Soup and Cake

On the weekends I enjoy making new recipes for a main dish and a dessert.  The main dish I eat during the week (I LOVE left overs) and the dessert is given away minus one piece....ok, two pieces. 

Both recipes that I cooked featured new cooking techniques.  I find that to be very exciting. 

In my crock pot I prepared Tomato Basil Parmesan soup.  I loved the flavor and the fact that it is full of vegetables.  It also has fat in the way of butter, cheese and half and half.  Our brains need fat plus if I make something sans fat I am left feeling hungry.  Fat is our friend.  Some tips for the soup:  cut the vegetables in very small pieces.  Likewise with the herbs if you use fresh. 

The new technique in this recipe was you make a roux with butter and flour then add some of the soup and then you put that back into the crock pot.  I have not made a lot of roux and I found it fascinating how the butter and flour paste became a super thick concoction when some of the soup was added.  Then when added back to the crock pot it thickened it all.  I liked the flavor alot and I think next time I will use my immersion blender to make it a smooth, creamy soup.  

For the new dessert recipe I made a most excellent Banana Cake with Brown Butter Icing.  YUM YUM YUM.  This is baked in a jelly roll pan (looks like a cookie sheet with 1 inch sides) though I am sure you could bake it in a 9 x 13, just adjust the baking time. The cake could not be simpler to put together - the recipe practically says to just throw it all in together and blend.  I used my stand mixer and first I mixed the butter and sugar, then added the other wet ingredients and then the combined dry ingredients.  The only substitution I made was using pecans instead of walnuts.  

The frosting is super simple as well and the secret is browned butter, which I have never prepared before.  Melted butter cooks and browns, whisk in some powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and voila, icing.  I used only about 3 cups of powdered sugar and enough milk to make it thin enough to stir.  You cannot mess it up unless you burn the butter!