Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I want to love chicken casseroles, but there are few that do anything for me. I love chicken and dumplings, a Mexican king ranch casserole, and chicken pot pie, but that is about it. Most casseroles start with a can of cream of “something” soup and I am not being a snob by avoiding these recipes. For health reasons we are trying to avoid processed foods. That eliminates a whole slew of recipes. One of the chicken casseroles I used to like was chicken divan. The last time I made it with cream of chicken soup and mayonnaise I could hardly eat it in spite of the presence of the broccoli and chicken. Mayonnaise does not belong in a casserole! I’m sure some of you will disagree. I have adapted some recipes that call for cream of chicken soup by thickening chicken broth with butter and flour so it is doable, but I am still underwhelmed. I tried this recipe yesterday because it sounded promising. It is Chicken and Green Onion Cobbler.

It sounded promising. It included saffron, ham and lots of green onions with a cornmeal and cheese crust. The chicken stock was thickened with flour and butter and there were lots of vegetables in it. I halved the recipe for the two of us. I had high expectations. I was disappointed. Saffron is expensive and it did nothing for this casserole. It called for such a small amount that it disappeared, neither flavoring nor lending a yellow hue to the finished product. I will save my saffron for paella which I do love. The raw green onions were overpowering and the cobbler crust was bland. I expected that the ham would be a nice touch but it seemed out of place for some reason. I am including the recipe here if you would like to try it. I could be wrong. It could be tweaked. If you have a chicken casserole that you love, please email me with the recipe and I promise that I will try it. I want to love chicken casseroles.

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There is so much to love about spring in the mountains. The early morning sun kisses our deck at about 9:00 AM and warms the geraniums in their window boxes so that they reach out eagerly for nurishment and light. Later in the summer they may droop and fade, but in the spring they bring smiles to the faces of all who view them. Someone in a passing boat yelled to me that my deck looked pretty. I yelled back that I was happy to be here and happy with the wonderful weather that allowed my to plant flowers in my window boxes so early. The spring awakening is such a universal renewal of hope and promise that you can’t help but feel energetic and enthused about the future.

We had family visiting. The night before I suggested sausage and pancakes for breakfast, but cousin Chuck said they were not big breakfast eaters. I awoke early on the next morning and decided a simple coffeecake and fruit would be just the thing for breakfast. I flipped through my recipe notebook and found a Cook’s Illustrated recipe for a quick cinnamon streusel coffeecake that sounded good and I had all of the ingredients. It took me no time to assemble it and we were very pleased with the results. The only thing I changed was to make half of the cake recipe in an 8×11 inch casserole and all of the streusel topping. I cooked it for just 30 minutes and the cake was just right.

QUICK CINNAMON STREUSEL COFFEECAKE ( Cook’s Illustrated )

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One of the reasons I love being back at the cottage is that I have access to my considerable collection of Gourmet magazines. They fill the lower shelves of our bookcase and date back to the 1970’s. I still miss my favorite magazine and wish Conde Naste would bring it back. In the meantime, I will continue cooking the well thought out recipes that were published over the years and feel myself lucky to have been such a pack rat. You can still go to Epicurious to download many of their recipes.

Sunday night in our house is either pizza night or experimentation night. This black bean tart is just the kind of meal that fits the offbeat unusual meal that I favor. I love the spice accented buttery crumbly crust that is so easy to assemble and pat into a 10″ tart pan. I love the vibrant colors of the bean, corn, and red pepper toppings. And I love the flavor combination with the accompanying lime sour cream on the top. Add a salad and you have a supper to savor.

BLACK BEAN TART WITH CHILI CRUST (Gourmet Jan. 1996)

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A cookie is a cookie . . . right? Not this cookie. Ina Garten has done it again. She has transformed a ho-hum oatmeal cookie into something very special indeed. I tried to exercise my weight control strategy of portion control by eating just one cookie to see if it was worth the effort and found that I needed just one more . . . and then another. By bedtime, I could not resist a glass of milk and just one more cookie. Even my husband, who loves all things chocolate said these were really good cookies. I am trying to analyse what made them so good. Was it the buttery flavor? Was it the generous amount of cinnamon? The dark brown sugar or the vanilla? Maybe toasting the pecan pieces first brought out the nutty goodness. Whatever it was, it was a “perfect storm” of flavors that came together from the first bite to the last. The only advice I would pass on to you is that I ended up with 52 cookies and Ina says that the recipe makes 30 to 35. Mine were smaller and crispier. Not a bad thing in my opinion.

It is Barefoot Blogger Thursday again and I want to thank Leslie of Lethally Delicious for choosing an Ina Garten recipe that I normally would have passed up as just another ordinary oatmeal cookie. It is anything but ordinary. Come and join the rest of our group and cook up everything Barefoot Contessa on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. How easy is that?

RAISIN PECAN OATMEAL COOKIES

1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon groun d cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachement, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2 inch mound of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

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We have gone from winter to summer with nary a moment to enjoy spring. The weather has been extremely warm in the North Carolina mountains. People are cruising the lake in their boats, children are swimming, and the doors and windows are wide open. If it weren’t for the blooming trees and the pollen covering everything, I would think it was the month of August. We will spend the day today painting the Adirondack chairs and planting geraniums in the window boxes on the deck. Spring is supposed to return with cooler temperatures at the end of the week, but we are enjoying this opportunity to put things back in order for the summer.

If you have leftover ham from Easter this is a great casserole to assemble early in the day and have ready to put in the oven at dinner time. Belgian endive is not a vegetable that I cook often. I first became interested in it when I saw a recipe for a caramelized endive tatin on Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook blog. I have had Belgian endive raw in salads and it’s leaves used as scoops for various appetizers and have always found it to be bitter. But when it is braised it becomes mild with none of the unctious taste I usually associate with it. Lucy’s caramelized endive is a wonderful recipe. I decided to experiment further with it. Because of the torpedo shape of Belgian endive, it lends itself to being wrapped. Enclosed in ham slices, the braised bundles can be placed in a casserole, covered with a white sauce and sprinkled with cheese and breadcrumbs and baked to creamy perfection. If you do not have leftover ham, you can use good quality ham slices from the deli. This is a great casserole to have ready to bake after a busy day working outside in the yard or garden.

GRATIN OF ENDIVE AND HAM (Adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe)

1 14 ounce can chicken broth
6 small heads of Belgian endive

6 thin ham slices
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup Swiss cheese
1 cup Panko crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Bring broth to simmer in heavy medium skillet over medium high heat. Add endive and simmer uncovered until tender, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain thoroughly. place endive on paper towels and cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a baking dish. Roll each endive in ham slice to enclose. Arrange rolls in single layer in prepared dish. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook 1 minute. Add milk, cream, mustard, and nutmeg; bring to boil, whisking constantly. Boil sauce 1 minute; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over rolls. Sprinkle cheese evenly over casserole. Heat olive oil in small skillet. Add panko crumbs and toss to combine and brown lightly. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake until sauce is bubbling all over and top is beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.

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