Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

My food photography has come a long way from the early days with my point and shoot camera in the kitchen snapping quick pictures of my dinner.  Now, more often than not, when I am photographing food you will find me in front of those sliding doors behind me with the sun shining in from the left.  But on cloudy rainy days and for night shots I have to get out my silver dome light diffusers and a white core board sheet to bounce back the light.  It has gotten complicated, but I am having fun with it.

Last week I received an invaluable book as a gift from my niece Jennie.  Thank you Jennie.  Helene Dujardin of the much admired blog Tartlette has written a book to help her fellow foodies take better pictures.

  
I recently upgraded my point and shoot camera to a Canon EOS Rebel T2i with an added 50 mm 1.8 lens.  I have been lax about learning my camera.  I have relied on the automatic settings like “close-up”.  Helene’s book has gotten me excited about taking control of my shots.  Here are some shots taken in low light with the diffuser in the AV (Aperture Priority) mode.

Composition is not good in this picture.  Clarity on the meatballs suffers also.

I like the way the meatballs look in this shot, but the plate is overexposed and again, composition could be better.

I like the composition in this picture.  The leafy maidenhair fern adds a softness to the shot.  I’m still not where I want to be.  Lighting is still my enemy, but I am learning to make friends with it.  And I am having fun doing it.

I am also having fun with blogger’s new designs.  This is a temporary look.  My Son ( in his spare time) is working on switching me over to Word Press and my new blog look will be totally different.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS (Everyone has a version of this recipe)

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 12 ounce bottle chili sauce
6 ounces red currant jelly
Zest and juice of one lemon

Combine meats.  Cook onion in oil until soft.  Add to meat mixture along with breadcrumbs, eggs and seasonings.  Form into 1 inch balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.  In the meantime, combine the chili sauce, red currant jelly and zest and juice of one lemon in a large skillet.  Heat and stir to combine.  Remove meatballs from oven and add them to the sauce.  Roll to coat.  Cover skillet and cook until flavors are combined, about 15 minutes.

Printable recipe

Yesterday was a cold and rainy day.  Our weather has been so unseasonably warm this Spring that I had already cleaned out my kitchen fireplace and placed a crockery bowl filled with dried hydrangeas in it.  But yesterday was a perfect day for a fire.  The flower arrangement came out and the logs were laid.

Now you are probably thinking I cooked that beautiful platter of sausages, potatoes, carrots and sauerkraut in my dutch oven over the coals.  It would have been a good idea, but I had a new cookbook and there was a recipe that I wanted to try.

My blogging buddy, the other Penny of The Comforts of Home, and I met for shopping and lunch on Tuesday in Asheville.  We met at one of our favorite stores, The Screen Door, where they sell antiques.  But they also have a dynamite book department devoted mainly to cookbooks and design and gardening books.  I always come home with at least one book.  What is not to love about this book?  My passion for all things French is well known and I have been using my slow cooker quite often lately.  A perfect fit.

What was also a perfect fit was the lunch we had at a French bistro called Fig.

We both chose the Salmon with couscous, micro greens, and lemon chive beurre.  All I can say is that if I could master this salmon dish at home I would feel that I was a chef- worthy cook.  The salmon was so crispy on the top with a coarse salt finish and so tender and flaky inside that we both were in awe of the dish.

So it was a great day with sunshine and warm temperatures.  Check out Penny’s blog for a glimpse of some of the shopping we did.

When Wednesday dawned with rain and cold temperatures, I thought it is time to make some comfort food from my new French slow cooker cookbook.  The choucroute garni sounded like the perfect recipe to try.

Bratwursts, kielbasa and smoked pork chops are all cooked in a white wine infused sauerkraut with potatoes,  carrots, onions and garlic cloves tucked in.  Choucroute Garni  is a dish from the Alsace region of France.  Because of its proximity to Germany, the food has Germanic links.  Pork and Sauerkraut are prevalent in many of its dishes.

It is best served with black bread, grainy mustard, horseradish and cornichons or sweet pickles.  This was a perfect recipe for the slow cooker.  You will need a large one.

CHOUCROUTE GARNI ( SAUSAGES WITH SAUERKRAUT)

2 pounds sauerkraut
6 medium waxy potatoes
1 large onion, sliced
3 large carrots,  peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
10 juniper berries, lightly crushed (could not find)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 whole cloves
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
6 cooked bratwursts (I sauteed them in a frying pan until browned and cooked through)
1 pound kielbasa, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 smoked pork chops (I used boneless and cut them in half)
1 cup dry white wine

Rinse the sauerkraut well in a colander under cool running water.  Squeeze the sauerkraut to remove the liquid.

Place half of the sauerkraut in a large slow cooker, separating the pieces with your fingers.  Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, juniper berries, caraway seeds, cloves, thyme and bay leaves.  Arrange the remaining sauerkraut on top.

Push the sausages and pork chops down into the sauerkraut.  Add the wine.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.  Mine took only 7 hours and I added a little more liquid half way through cooking.

Arrange the meats, sauerkraut, and potatoes and carrots on a large platter.  Discard the bay leaves.  Serve with black bread, grainy mustard cornichons and horseradish.   Serves 6 to 8.

Printable recipe

One of the most popular blog posts I have ever had was my recipe for Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken.  I am still counting, but at last count it had received 20,000 hits on Pinterest and has garnered 66 comments on my post.  That tells me that there are many people out there who love their crock pots and enjoy recipes that require very little work.

This recipe for barbecued chicken falls into that category.  Ironically I found it on Pinterest, but  changed it somewhat to suit my taste.  I had a package of three large chicken breasts in the freezer.  I put them in my crock pot frozen, mixed up the sauce ingredients and cooked them on low for 6 hours.  We liked them but the flavor seemed a little intense to me.

One of the good things about the crock pot is that it turns any meat into a shreddable consistency.  By adding a little water or chicken broth to the shredded chicken I was able to achieve a most delicious BBQ chicken to serve on hamburger buns.  We enjoyed them for lunch several times.

I will be making this again in my crock pot.

CROCK POT BBQ CHICKEN

3 large chicken breasts (can be frozen)
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon grainy mustard

Place chicken breasts in crock pot.  Mix together the sauce ingredients.  Pour over chicken.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours, checking occasionally for doneness.  Remove chicken and shred.  If sauce is too thick add a little water or chicken broth to it.  Return chicken to sauce.  Spoon onto warmed hamburger buns and serve.

Printable recipe

One of the items on our brunch buffet over Easter was a pierogi dish.  One of my commenters asked what pierogies were.   Pieorgies are filled dumplings with origins in Poland.  The filling is usually potatoes and cheese, but there are many possibilities for fillings.  My Daughter-In-Law Kristen got her pierogies frozen from The Fresh Market.  My Fresh Market did not have them, but Harris Teeter did have fresh ones in the Deli department.  You could also make your own.  I remember years ago going to a party where all Polish dishes were served and the hostess had made her own.  Epicurious has a recipe here.

I grew up with pierogies.  My Father’s family was from Russia and there was also a large Polish population in our small town in Michigan.  But to be honest with you, I had not had them in years until Kristen served them at Easter.  So I was anxious to get home and try a recipe using them.  My “ever-reliable” Gourmet collection yielded up a terrific recipe.  What is more compatible than cabbage, bacon, potato dumplings and dill?  We enjoyed this simple, quick dish for dinner.  I am thinking about making them from scratch one of these days.

PIEROGIES WITH CABBAGE, BACON, AND ONIONS (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

12 Fresh or Frozen Potato and Cheese Pierogies
1 tablespoons olive oil
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lb Savoy cabbage, halved, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

If Pierogies are frozen,  parboil them in a pot of boiling salted water uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 minute less than package instructions indicated.  Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain.  Pat dry.  If they a fresh proceed with the following instructions.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute  the pierogies, turning over once, until golden, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a platter and keep warm loosely covered with foil.

Cook bacon in same skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, then transfer to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then add the sliced onion and saute over moderately high heat, stirring until golden, about 8 minutes.  Reduce heat to moderate  , then stir in garlic, cabbage, water and salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to platter with pierogies and sprinkle with bacon and dill.

Printable recipe

Spring is in full bloom and the Easter weekend was full of fun times.  Granddaughter Rachel and the neighbor kids enjoyed an early morning Easter egg hunt.

There were so many eggs that her basket was full.

Cameron will have to wait until next year to participate because he is still a little unsteady walking on his own.

But the older kids shared with him.

DIL Kristen made the most delicious Easter brunch for us.  The menu included Crispy Smoked Mozzarella with Honey and Figs, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Bangers and Pierogies, Leek and Herb Frittata and Mixed Fruit Salad.  She got the bangers from the local meat market where they are made in house.  They were recommended to her by British friends who claimed them to be very authentic.

The Smoked Mozzerella with Honey and Figs was a fantastic recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis.  You can find the recipe here.

After all of that wonderful food, some of us worked it off jumping rope.  I wasn’t one of them.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We certainly did.