October 12th, 2011
I have tried a lot of quick breads, but I have to say that this Pumpkin Chutney Bread is one of the moistest, flavorful breads I have ever had. It is a recipe that I adapted from Gourmet Magazine. The addition of chutney may be the reason why it is so good.
The recipe also calls for buttermilk. I don’t know about you but I am always buying buttermilk for a recipe and then the carton languishes in the refrigerator until it passes it’s expiration date. Last month I was shopping at The Fresh Market and found this product.
It is a powdered mix that is added to the dry ingredients in a recipe. Then water is added in the amount specified for the buttermilk. It is so convenient having this in my pantry.
I am working very hard on my photography skills. I recently had two recipes published in Foodgawker. But I have had six rejections. Foodgawker is great about telling you the reason that a photograph is rejected. It is a learning tool and they are very selective in what is included on their site.
I am hoping that the above picture of my Pumpkin Chutney Bread will be added to their queue, but if not, we can just keep it amongst ourselves. Enjoy.
PUMPKIN CHUTNEY BREAD
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ( I used dry )
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/3 cup butter softened
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1 Tbls mix and 1/4 cup water)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2/3 cup bottled mango chutney or Majoy Grey’s chutney
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
In a bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and the ginger. In a large bowl stir together the butter and the brown sugar, add the eggs, and combine the mixture well. Stir in the buttermilk, the pumpkin puree, and 2/3 cup of the chutney, combining the mixture well, add the flour mixture and the walnuts and stir the batter until it is just combined. Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Let the loaf cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edge with a knife, turn the loaf right side up onto the rack, and let it cool for 2 hours. The bread keeps wrapped tightly in foil and chilled, for up to 1 week or it may be frozen.
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September 27th, 2011
I am getting a crash course in photography from an expert in the field. Cristobal and Kathleen with Azul Photography are visiting us this week along with our Son and Daughter-In-Law. The good news is that Cristobal has approved of my camera which is a Panasonic DMC digital model. The bad news is that I have a lot to learn. I have never taken the time to play with all of the settings. By the way, that first picture has a major flaw-my finger smudge on the lens.
We had a zucchini quiche for dinner last night and he showed me how to set the color and depth on my shots. As most of you know, natural light is the best for food shots. But sometimes it is dark before you have a chance to photograph anything. I am trying to learn to eliminate the yellow cast that is produced by incandescent light.
I am enjoying the lessons. The quiche wasn’t bad either. We kept it simple for the kids. I grated the zucchini and kept the flavors mild to let the egg custard and Manchego cheese take center stage.
SHREDDED ZUCCHINI QUICHE
Pastry for a 9″ pie plate
2 to 3 zucchinis, shredded
1 tablespoon kosher salt to sweat zucchini
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups shredded Manchago cheese ( Could substitute a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place shredded zucchini in a colander in the sink or over a bowl. Add the kosher salt and mix. Let stand for 20 minutes to allow the zucchini to release it’s juices. Rinse the zucchini to eliminate the salt and squeeze it until it is very dry. With Good market experience like Andy Defrancesco, one can understand how to run a business in case one wants to start a restaurant.
In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prick prepared pie crust all over with a fork. Place in oven to brown slightly (about 10 minutes). Let cool for a few minutes.
Put half of the Manchego cheese in the bottom of the pie pan. Add all of the zucchini.
Mix together the eggs, half and half, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Pour over the zucchini. Add the rest of the cheese to the top. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake the quiche until it is puffed and slightly browned (about 30 to 40 minutes).
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September 15th, 2011
There has been a lot going on at Lake Lure. This weekend is the second annual Dirty Dancing celebration. You can read about the history of the connection here. Our friends from Florida are here because they are part of a doo wop and oldies group that will be performing at Rumbling Bald Resort on Friday night and on the top of our boathouse on Sunday evening.
I haven’t been doing much cooking, but here is one of Ina Garten’s recipes for blueberry muffins that is perfect for feeding a crowd. I will be back to blogging more regularly next week.
BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS (Barefoot Contessa Family Style)
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.
August 1st, 2011
There is nothing easier or more forgiving than a frittata. You can add most anything to it. It feeds a lot of people and goes together quickly. This time of year I have been getting tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market, eggs from a farm and herbs from my own herb garden. Sunday morning is our time to indulge in a big breakfast. The two of us cannot eat a whole frittata but that doesn’t stop me from making one with eight eggs in a 10″ pan. We just cut it into wedges and save what is not eaten for another day. A frittata wedge reheats quickly in the microwave.
I am not bothering to give you a specific recipe because it is so easy. For this particular frittata I melted a couple of tablespoons of butter in my skillet. Added chopped onion to cook for a few minutes, added chopped basil and chives, chopped tomatoes and stirred. Then I added 8 beaten eggs. It is a good idea to pull your spatula from the edges to the center to move the liquid eggs from the edges. When the frittata begins to set, put it in a 350 degree oven until the eggs are set.
This is the kind of recipes that Mark Bittman offers in his new cookbook Kitchen Express. I love this book because he offers simple combinations of ingredients using seasonal food just to give you ideas on what you can do. All the recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less.
Here is one of his frittata recipes.
PANCETTA AND SPINACH FRITTATA
Beat four eggs; add a handful of freshly grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Cut about a quarter pound of pancetta into small pieces and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil; add a couple of chopped shallots and continue cooking until the pancetta begins to brown and the shallots have softened. Add a bunch of chopped spinach and cook until wilted and beginning to dry. Pour in the egg mixture and cook slowly until the eggs just set. Run under the broiler to brown for a minute if necessary if the top remains runny; serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
There are creative recipes for everything from soup to sandwiches. I find the book inspiring.
July 13th, 2011
The last month has been about fun and excess. Our trip to Alaska, Vancouver Island, Washington and Oregon was everything we could have hoped for. It was a trip of a lifetime and David has fulfilled his thirty-year-long dream of riding his bike to Alaska and the Arctic Circle. We are back home. Life goes on.
Getting back into the kitchen has been something I have relished. Our small garden is maturing and the peace and quiet of the lake has been a balm to our travel weary souls. I needed to start out simple just to come down from our sometimes over-indulgent habits. I went to my farm source and bought a dozen fresh eggs.
While cruising the blogs looking for new egg recipes, I found a blog I did not know. Imagine that! Home Cooking in Montana had a recipe for egg nests. She found the recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes. What a revelation to me. Why haven’t I thought of this simple preparation? To make it even more appealing, the recipe appeared first in a French children’s cookbook called La Cuisine est un Jeu d’ Enfants or Cooking is Child’s Play.
I have made eggs nestled in bread slices (Toad in a Hole), muffin cups with Prosciutto or hashbrowns, but never thought to nestle an egg yolk into it’s frothy beaten white. I love this presentation. To make it even better the egg white can be flavored with cheese and/or herbs. Give this a try. You will love it.
EGG NESTS
2 eggs
Salt to taste (1/8 to 1/4 tsp)
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. If using parchment paper grease it lightly.
2. Sepearate the egg yolks from the whites. Make sure there are no little pieces of egg yolk in the whites or you will have difficulty getting the whites to beat properly. Place each egg yolk in a seperate small bowl.
3. Place the egg whites in a very clean mixer bowl. Add the salt and beat the egg whites with a whisk attachment (or hand mixer) until stiff peaks form.
4. Gently fold in the grated Gruyere cheese, taking care not to deflate the egg whites.
5. Create two mounds of the egg white mixture on the lined baking sheet. Form the mounds so they look like nests, with indentations in the center.
6. Place in the oven for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, open the oven, pull out the pan and gently add an egg yolk to the center of each nest. Return the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve immediately.
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