A yummy cauliflower variation.
Pie Crust Cookie Search
Saturday, June 18, 2022
Roasted Leeks and Cauliflower
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Spiced Black Lentil Salad with Potatoes and Fish
Spiced Black Lentil Salad with Potatoes and Fish
Source: Alison Roman's book Dining In.
Begin with the lentils (these can be used as a side dish or in other recipes):
1 c black beluga lentils (or Le Puy or French green lentils), picked over and rinsed
salt
1/2 c olive oil
2 teas coriander seed, crushed
1 1/2 teas fennel seed, crushed
1 teas cumin seed, crushed
1/2 teas crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lemon
6 small scallions, cut into 2" pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring water to boil in a large saucepan and add lentils and a couple teaspoons of salt. Cook until the lentils are just cooked through 20-30 minutes. Drain them and set aside on the counter.
In a smaller pot, combine the oil with the spices and the garlic over your stove's lowest heat. Cook the spices and garlic in the oil until it is fragrant and the garlic has started to brown, approximately 15 minutes. Peel the lemon skin with a peeler in strips and add them to the pot along with the scallions and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Remove it from the heat.
Place the lentils into a bowl and toss with 1/4 c of the oil, strained if you think you won't like the texture of the seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take the skinned lemon and squeeze half of it through a strainer into the lentils and stir to combine everything. Serve with the remaining oil to pass. Or use these lentils in the following recipe:
For the salad:
2 boiled and peeled eggs (or more if you prefer), halved
1/4 pd fresh green beans (I used home-frozen)
salt
1/4 pd small potatoes (purple are particularly pretty, but any boiling potato will do)
1 T lemon juice
freshly ground pepper
lentils and oil from above recipe
6-8 oz good oil-packed tuna or smoked trout, broken into chunks
4 radishes
1/2 c dill, cilantro, tarragon, and/or parsley, tender stems and leaves (any combination)
lemon halves
Blanch the green beans for a few minutes in a pot of boiling water, cooking for 4 minutes. Scoop out of the water and drain and place in a large bowl.
In the same water cook the potatoes until tender, 10-15 minutes add water if necessary. You can also steam the potatoes if you prefer. When they are tender, remove from the water, allow to cool and cut into bite size pieces (again your preference) and place in the bowl with the beans.
Add the lentils to the bowl. Add the herb leaves and stir. Top with the fish, radishes and egg halves. Serve, passing lemon halves and any remaining spiced oil.
Monday, May 16, 2022
High Altitude Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
My local grocery store has had a long run of cheap flats of berries this spring (see http://www.piecrustcookies.com/2022/04/lemon-ricotta-pancakes.html). Recently I bought raspberries, thinking my boys would help me eat them, but instead I had to come up with ways to use them because I couldn't eat a whole flat by myself before mold began growing. This recipe was so delicious that they disappeared within a day and I had to make a second batch. A double batch of the chocolate raspberry oatmeal here http://www.piecrustcookies.com/2015/12/baked-oatmeal-three-stick-to-your-ribs.html was devoured within days as well!
This recipe comes from Dough Eyed, a baker in Colorado, and will work at elevations for 4,000-6,000 feet. I can't vouch for what will happen at sea level.
High Altitude Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
Source: https://www.dougheyed.com/chocolate-raspberry-muffins/
Yields 12 or a few more muffins, depending on how full you fill the tins
2 c flour
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted
2 T vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/4 c sour cream
1 1/2 teas vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk
1 c mini chocolate chips
1 pint fresh raspberries, washed and dried gently
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk together the melted butter, oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and fold together gently, until there are a couple of flour pockets remaining. Stir in the chocolate chips and raspberries until just barely combined. Cover, then let the batter rest for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375F and prepare the muffin tin by lining with paper liners. (I didn't, and wish I had. the berries stuck to the pan, even though it was greased generously.) After resting, fill the tin generously with muffin batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. If you can stand it, let the muffins cool a bit, then enjoy!
Monday, May 2, 2022
Chocolate Chip Coffee Scones
I discovered this recipe in a Cuisinart food processor manual which is ironic since cook's aren't instructed to use a food processor at all. Instead bakers are told to cut the butter in small pieces and use a stand mixer to mix it into the flour. When Betsy and I first baked these while at an Airbnb in Tennessee we had neither a food processor or a mixer so grating the cold butter was our only option. I find I prefer this method of incorporating butter into the flour so I'm modifying the instructions.
Chocolate Chip Coffee Scones
Adapted from Cuisinart Instructional Manual
Yields 8 scones
Ingredients for sea level follow. I found the recipe worked at my altitude (5000 feet).
2 c AP flour
1/2 c sugar
1 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
2 T fine finely ground coffee, optional
1/2-1 c chocolate chips (I used dark chips, but you can use semi-sweet or milk)
1 c roasted chopped pecans
8 T unsalted butter, cold (frozen or straight from the fridge) grated on a cheese grater
1/2 c sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
1 large egg
1 T vanilla extract
1 egg white
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, coffee grounds, chocolate chips and pecans in a bowl.
Stir in the grated butter and lightly mix it into the dry ingredients.
In a liquid measuring cup mix the sour cream, 1 egg and vanilla together. Stir this into the flour mixture with a fork, stirring until a ball forms.
Drop the dough onto a floured counter and form into a 3/4 inch thick 7-8 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges and place on prepared baking sheet.
Whisk the egg white until loosened and brush some on the top of each scone. Then sprinkle with sugar or turbinado sugar.
Place into the oven and bake 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Place on a rack and allow to cool. You can eat them after a 5 minute cool-down or allow to completely cool and drizzle ganache over the tops. You may simply melt chocolate chips for a thick smear of chocolate but if you want something thinner, heat 2-3 tablespoons of half and half cream in a microwave and stir in an equal amount of chocolate chips. Allow them to sit in the hot cream until they melt. Drizzle over the top of each scone.
Friday, April 22, 2022
Beet and Carrot Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
A truly beautiful salad.
Beet and Carrot Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
What is it about ricotta that makes everything taste magical? I generally don't like pancakes but these are light, bright, and tender. Also, it's spring and my grocery store has had cheap flats of strawberries. I pureed some and added a bit of sugar for a thick fruit syrup, which was a perfect complement to the lemon. I think these will be my Easter breakfast tomorrow.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Source: New York Times Cooking https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022931-lemon-ricotta-pancakes
The amounts are doubled from the original, because I'm cooking for a crowd every day.
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 teas baking powder
1 1/2 teas fine salt
1/2 c sugar
2 lemons
3 teas vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 1/2 c ricotta (whole-milk is preferable)
1/2 c buttermilk
2 T unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking and serving
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Place the sugar in a large bowl. Use a microplane to grate the lemon zest right into the sugar. Gently rub the zest and sugar together using your fingers. Using your fingers, gently rub the zest into the sugar. Then add the vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk until foamy. Add the ricotta, buttermilk, and butter, then whisk until blended. Mix in the dry ingredients and stir lightly until the flour is incorporated.
Melt some butter in a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Cook pancake batter until the tops are bubbling, then flip to finish the other side. I had some trouble with the pancakes being undercooked in the middle, but I used more batter than the recommended 1/4 c so make sure you cook bigger pancakes longer.
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Cast-Iron Skillet Brownies
Made with melted whole marshmallows and baked in a skillet, these brownies have a chewy edge and a fudgy point. When baked in a muffin tin, there's lots of chewiness for those on a chewy brownie quest.