Farfalle with Mushrooms and Sausages
May 6, 2010 at 8:24 pm | Posted in cooking, Flexitarian, Food, Italian food, Pasta Dishes, photography, Recipes, Weeknight Dinners | 17 CommentsTags: cooking, designer pastas, farfalle, Food, garlic, Italian American, Italian cooking, Italian food, Italian sausage, main dish, mushrooms, Pasta, photography, pottery, recipe, Torino, Weeknight Dinners
Have you seen this beautiful Farfalle pasta by Torino? I was shopping at World Market’s Cost Plus, when this jumped out at me! Look at the beautiful colors.
It cost more than what I like to spend on pasta, but I couldn’t pass this up. They call it “designer” pasta. I’m not into designer fashion, but apparently I’m a sucker for designer pastas now.
The recipe on the back of the box made my final decision. It’s SO simple to make and it tastes so fresh and earthy!
Farfalle with Mushrooms and Sausages
Adapted from Torino pasta recipe
8.8 ounce farfalle pasta
6 ounce mushrooms (possibly porcini or 2 ounce dry porcini put in water to soften for 2-3 hours)- I used a package of wild Italian mushrooms I found at World Market
6 oz fresh sweet sausage-I used Italian sausage from Whole Foods
5 oz white wine
1/4 white onion
1/2 clove garlic- I used whole
1 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 oz light cream — I used whole milk
3 oz grated pecorino or parmesan cheese- I used both
pepper and salt to taste
In a skillet, sautee x-tra virgin olive oil with garlic and onion–finely chopped. Add the sausage without skin, and cook for 5 minutes to color. Add the mushrooms and cook slowly and add the white wine. When it looks ready, add the salt and pepper and light cream.
Cook the pasta al dente in plenty of salted water. Drain pasta and place in the sauce skillet mix on top of stove for 2 minutes and then serve with cheese.
The mushrooms are SO earthy!
I served it with chardonnay
ENJOY!
Simple enough for a weeknight meal, and flavorful enough to impress company.
Spanakopita and Gardening in April/May
May 2, 2010 at 6:48 pm | Posted in baking, cooking, Flexitarian, Food, gardening, photography, Recipes, Vegetarian | 9 CommentsTags: angelnina, angelnina's cottage, baking, cooking, ethnic, flowers, Food, gardening, gnome, Greek food, photography, phyllo, recipe, spanakopita, spanokopita, spinach, spinach pie, tulip, vegetable garden, Vegetarian
Spanakopita or Spinach Pie
Adapted from a recipe posted online–years ago–by Jack Roemer
14 Phyllo Pastry sheets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tbsp olive oil + 4 Tbsp melted butter
spray olive oil
40 ounces frozen spinach, chopped OR 2 – 16oz pack
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian(flat leaf) parsley
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
3 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup cottage cheese –I use lowfat
1 egg
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
a light sprinkling of white wine vinegar- approx 2 tsp
Instructions:
Thaw and drain the 2- 16oz packages of spinach.
Crush the garlic and drop into the olive oil and butter. Set aside.
To make the filling, squeeze the spinach between your hands to remove most of
the liquid. Place in a bowl or in a food processor. Add the parsley, onions,
dill, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in the cottage cheese, egg and
feta. –NOTE- I do it all in the processor except for the feta. — Combine well. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Lay one sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the dish and drape the edges overthe
sides of the dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray and cover with another sheet of phyllo dough. Brush that sheet with the garlic-olive oil mixture.
Layer a total of four sheets, coating each alternately with nonstick cooking spray and olive oil. Spread half the filling over the prepared phyllo dough. Lay another sheet of dough over the filling and coat lightly with cooking spray. Lay down another sheet and lightly coat with olive oil mixture. Continue alternating spray and olive oil for a total of four
sheets. Layer remaining spinach filling on dough. Sprinkle on the vinegar-as evenly as possible.
Continue layering phyllo dough over the filling, spraying the first sheet and alternately brushing with olive oil and spraying subsequent sheets. The last layer has 6 sheets.
When finished, brush the surface with olive oil mixture and roll the edges of the doughin ward to create an attractive rim around the outside. Score the surface with a sharp knife into 12 portions.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for 40 minutes until golden. I turn on the broiler at this point for 1-2 minutes (keep pan in center of oven) WATCH IT, or you will burn the top layer! Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 portions.
Test kitchen notes: Phyllo means “leaf” in Greek. The dough is usually available in the frozen food section of most supermarkets or in Greek or Middle Eastern markets. For best results, allow dough to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Keep it covered with wax paper and a damp towel while making pie.
The Gardens in April and Early May
I’ve decided to post my gardens once a month. I want to document the stages of growth.
This is the time of year I start to get excited about gardening. I love my flowers, but I especially love the vegetable and herb gardens.
That said, I planted an assortment of flowers from seed this year. I rarely do this, but my cousin , MaryAnne, who lives in upstate New York, sent me seeds from her own flower gardens and a packet of Honey Bear Sunflower seeds, which means I might have a new passion. I’ll post on those as soon as the seeds germinate.
The terracotta pot above is my husband’s great find. It is from Mexico, and I thought a few coral colored begonias, double pink impatiens, along with a few chicks from my Hens and Chicks plants, would look lovely in this pot.
The portable greenhouse is filled with starts and seedlings:
Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, artichoke, basil, and squash are waiting to go under the cloche of the front gardens.
Flowering seeds are in their little seed pots too.
As you can see, the backyard garden has plenty of cool weather plants:
lettuce, radish, beets, onions, spicy mixed lettuces, carrots, broccoli, and several herbs.
Tom Douglas Five-Spice Roast Chicken
February 24, 2010 at 12:55 pm | Posted in cooking, Food, photography, Recipes | Leave a commentTags: aromatic rice, bok choy, Bok choy with garlic oil, cooking, dinner, five-spice chicken, five-spice roast chicken, Food, Recipes, rice, roast chicken, roasted chicken, steaming, Tom Douglas, Tom's Big Dinners, vegetables
This may very well be my favorite roasted chicken. Make this one for company–they will love you! The first time I ate Five-Spice Roast Chicken was at my son’s apartment about a year ago. It was moist and very flavorful. I was so impressed that I wanted to make it myself.
Prepare the five-spice paste a day ahead and allow your chicken to sit in the fridge overnight. It’s worth the wait.
Five -Spice Roast Chicken
Five-Spice Paste
3 star anise
1/2 dried chipotle chile
1/2 cinnamon stick broken into 1/2″ pieces
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp whole cloves
1/4 tsp hulled cardamom seeds
1 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 3 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
For the Chicken
1 whole chicken 3-31/2 lbs
1/4 orange cut into wedges, plus extra orange wedges for garnish
3 star anise
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter or bacon fat, melted
To make the 5 spice paste:
put star anise, chile, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, and cardamom in a small pan over medium heat and toast for a few minutes until aromatic, shaking the pan. Let cool, then grind the toasted pieces in a clean coffee or spice grinder/mill. Transfer the ground spices to a small bowl. Add the ginger, garlic, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Gradually add the oil, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste.
Rinse chicken and dry completely with paper towels. With your hands, rub the paste all over the skin of the chicken. Set the chicken on a rack over a baking pan and place it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the quarter orange and star anise in the cavity of the chicken. Season with Kosher salt and place on a roasting pan. Line the pan with aluminum foil because paste will drip and burn. Using a bulb baster rather than a brush so as not to disturb the spice crust, baste the chicken with the melted butter or the bacon fat, and put in oven to roast.. Baste chicken with fat collecting at bottom every 20 minutes. The chicken is done when an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 175 degrees, and the juices run clear about 1 1/4 hours. Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.
Cut up chicken into 10 pieces, pile on a platter and garnish with extra orange wedges.
I served this with Tom Douglas’
Baby Bok Choy w/ Garlic Oil
1/2 orange cut into wedges
4 unpeeled fresh ginger coins
1 1/2 lbs baby bok choy sliced in half, or left whole if small
3 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, thinky sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Set up steamer, such as a large saucepan or wok with a Chinese bamboo steamer set over it. Put 2 cups water, the orange, and the ginger in the bottom of the steamer basket, cover, and steam until tender, 6-8 minutes.
A minute or two before the bok choy is tender, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and toast until light golden brown. Remove from heat.
Arrange the bok choy on a platter, cut sides up. Drizzle first with the hot garlic oil, then with the soy sauce.
Aromatic Steamed Rice
2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
1 stalk lemongrass
2 cups cold water
3 1/8-inch-thick coins of unpeeled fresh ginger, smashed with the side of a knife
3 star anise
Zest from 1 scrubbed orange (preferably large, wide strips cut with a vegetable peeler)
- Place raw rice in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain well.
- Smash the lemongrass stalk with the back of a knife; slice it thinly crosswise. Wrap it in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie in a bundle with kitchen twine.
- In a medium pot, combine the rice and water. Add the cheesecloth bundle to the pot, scatter the ginger, star anise, and zest over the top and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the lemongrass and other aromatics, fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot.
Lavender Wine Jelly, Cranberry Conserve, and Mandarin Jam
January 8, 2010 at 10:41 am | Posted in cooking, Food, Holiday cooking, photography, Recipes, Vegetarian | 21 CommentsTags: canning, clementine jam, conserve, cooking, cranberry conserve, flowers, Food, food storage, fruit canning, jam, jelly, Lavender, lavender jelly, lavender wine jelly, mandarin jam, photography, wine jelly, winter canning
I love to look into my pantry and freezer to find all the goodies I’ve stored from summer and fall. I have to admit, the heat in of summer and the physical demands of gardening can make it a bit exhausting to add canning to the list of things to do. I have found winter canning is much easier because I don’t have the physical demands of the gardens and cooking actually warms a cool kitchen.
I set out to find great deals on mandarins/clementines, pears, Meyer lemons, and other winter fruits. I still have a list of more canning to complete this winter.
Although it is not a “winter” choice, I had dried culinary lavender flowers leftover from this past summer. While visiting Lavender Hills Farm in Marysville, Washington, I picked up a small amount of culinary lavender to bake in a cake. I never got around to baking the lavender pound cake , but I did try my hand at some lavender wine jelly. I’m very happy with the results!
ABOVE: Clockwise from left- Lavender Chardonnay Jelly, Mandarin Jam, Cranberry Orange Conserve
My entire house smelled like lavender as the dried flowers steeped in hot water. I had a free aromatherapy session as I cooked.
The recipe called for food coloring, but the pink color was so pretty, that after adding one small drop of purple food coloring, I stopped and decided to back off.
For recipes and more photos, please click below…
Continue Reading Lavender Wine Jelly, Cranberry Conserve, and Mandarin Jam…
The Day I spotted Curtis Stone “Take Home Chef”
January 5, 2010 at 9:07 pm | Posted in cooking, Food, friends, my life, photography | 5 CommentsTags: celebrity, celebrity chefs, cooking, Curtis stone, Edmonds, Food, foodies, Puget Sound, Seattle, televsion, The Take Home Chef, washington
Hi everybody! This post is a re-post from my old Live Journal blog. This happened in November of 2006. I thought I’d share my adventure with you. I have severeal food blogs to get up and posted. The holidays and my son’s wedding kept me pretty busy in December. Hope you are all well. On with the story:
Yesterday I drove into downtown Edmonds for my dreaded monthly eyebrow waxing. I also had my brows tinted–which is something I’ve never done before. I left feeling very self conscious about my too dark brows, but life goes on so I persevered.
Afterward, I met my friend, “E” for lunch. We had a wonderful meal at Provinces–yummy Chinese food.
After lunch we drove to the ferry park on the waterfront. E and I are taking a beginner’s knitting course together and she had missed a class, so I was going to show her what I had learned. We decided to walk to the little coffee shop next door and grab a mocha to drink while we knitted. I was teasing E about drinking coffee–I don’t think I’ve ever seen her order coffee in the 14 years I’ve known her. I was joking that she was going to be too wired to cast on the yarn. I reminded her we were going to have a pasta making day at my house, when I looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a man and woman in heavy makeup–followed by a crew of camera men and giant microphones.
“Hey, what’s with the camera crew following those people? They must be actors or models….HOLY SHIT it’s the Take Home Chef guy!”
Yes, my friends, I may be the only person in my town who recognized the famous chef, well, me, E, and the barista! We all immediately ran out of the shop and stood there staring across the street. E realized they were heading toward the ferry park, but I was so star struck, I was standing there with my mouth hanging open, and repeating “Oh my God, Oh my God!”
An elderly couple was sitting in front of the shop on a bench. The woman asked me who he was, and I told her he is a famous chef. Her husband said, “He looks too young to be a chef, looks more like a race car driver”
I always thought star struck groupies were beneath me. I was one of the people who asked why people scream and get excited over another human being.
I was still staring, when I heard a voice asking,
“Where’s your camera?” “Anita, where’s your camera?”
At this point I realized it wasn’t a voice in my head, it was my girlfriend E’s voice and she was shaking my arm trying to jar be out of my stupor. E was telling me to run to the car and get the camera! As a last ditch effort she grabbed my mocha and yelled,
“Run, Anita, Run!”
Immediately I started to run, but soon I realized I was running alongside the crew and the chef. My short little legs could only move so fast and I couldn’t make headway. I was also in a long dress, so I was running like a penguin due to the lack of leg room to make long strides. So there I was running like a penguin with my drastically too dark eyebrows, trying to get ahead of them to reach my damn camera before they left the park. The crew was staring at me and a policeman on a bike was trying to peddle slow enough to keep up with me. “What is this crazy middle aged spiked hair lady with the too black eyebrows doing?”, he seemed to be asking himself.
Finally, the crew stopped right in front of my parked van, and I could hear the chef asking the woman if she lived on the other side (pointing to the island). It was then I realized they were in the middle of filming an episode. I slid open my mini-van door and fumbled for my camera, lifted it from the case, and then immediately started snapping photos. They all looked at me–I’m sure out of concern and for the protection of the poor chef and his guest. It was as though I lost all sense of humility and kept snapping away, I followed them all the way out of the park, snap snap snap! And up the hill and beyond the coffee shop. Snap snap snap!
I entered the paparazzi zone.
I finally returned to the coffee shop , it was then I noticed the pain. I hadn’t ran very far, but I had been so tense with excitement that I pulled muscles in my back and neck. I hobbled into the coffee shop and shared the photos with E who was very proud of herself for shaking me into consciousness and helping me score the photos. As we strolled back to the van with our mochas in hand we had big grins on our faces–we had spotted a celebrity in our very own little town.
“They can never call our town “Dead-monds” again. Oh no, we live in an exciting little town.”
“Yeah, and we have photos to prove it.”
“Right, we aren’t all old and boring people here.”
We climbed into my white mini- van and pulled out our pink and purple wool yarns to begin knitting, I took some Advil for my muscle pain, and we watched the ferry pull away with the handsome chef –who “looks more like a race car driver”.
Middle age happens.
Pears Poached in Red Wine
November 19, 2009 at 1:40 pm | Posted in cooking, dessert, Desserts, Flexitarian, Food, Holiday cooking, photography, Recipes, Vegetarian | 9 CommentsTags: cooking, dessert, Food, fruit, fruit dessert, How to Cook Everything, Mark bittman, pears, poached pears, poached pears in red wine, poaching
I’ve eaten a few poached pears in my life, but none like the one I ate in Napa Valley while on vacation with my husband.
The hotel we stayed in offered brunch every morning, and it was there where I discovered the beauty of fruit mixed in wine.
This is a simple recipe. Play with it.
Next time, I will experiment with cloves.
I used a Merlot for the red wine.
Pears Poached in Red Wine
Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman
Time: Overnight , largely unattended.
A light simple and classic dessert. Use not-quite-fully-ripe Bosc Pears if at all possible.
4 Bosc pears, ripe but not mushy
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups red wine (I used Merlot)
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1- Peel pears; use a melon baller to remove the core from the blossom end, leave the stem on. (I did not, I halved the pears and removed the cores. I preferred halves to wholes.)
2- In a medium saucepan. Bring water, wine, and sugar to a boil. Turn heat to med-low and add the lemon slices, cinnamon stick, and pears. Cover pan, simmer until pears are very tender, at least 20 minutes.
3- Remove pears to a bowl and continue to cook the sauce, over med-high heat until it reduces by half and becomes syrupy. Strain syrup over pears and refrigerate overnight.
4- Serve chilled pears whole, with little of the syrup poured over them.
These would be excellent for the holiday table.
Julia Child’s “Poulet au Porto” (Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)
November 18, 2009 at 7:00 pm | Posted in baking, Cakes, cooking, dessert, Desserts, Food, French Cooking, photography, Recipes, Uncategorized | 9 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chicken, Food, French Cooking, Julia Childs, Matering the Art of French Cooking, Pommes De Terre Sautees, potatoes, Poulet au Porto, recipe, upside down pear cake
I love it when I prepare a meal and people rave over the results.
Julia Child wrote , “It is the kind of dish to do when you are entertaining a few good, food-loving friends whom you can receive in your kitchen.”
…and Julia should know!
I wasn’t prepared to photograph the ignited cognac, but trust me, it adds a bit of excitement to the room.
Poulet au Porto
(Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)
Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One”, by Julia Child
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve very good, chilled, white Burgundy such as a Meursault or Montrachet, or an excellent, chateau-bottled white Graves.
For 4 people
A 3- 4 lb., ready-to-cook, roasting or frying chicken
The original recipe calls for roasting the chicken according to the instructions in her book, but I really like to butterfly and pan roast my chickens. I learned to do this from a Wolfgang Puck recipe for “Pan Roasted Chicken with Port and Whole Grain Mustard”. You may roast your chicken any way you choose, but I find butterflying and pan roasting gives me a crispy crust and a very moist chicken. Plus, it cooks much faster!
I followed these instructions for my pan roasted chicken:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add a few Tablespoons of clarified butter ( or oil and butter ) and swirl it in the skillet. Carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken skin side up.
Put the skillet into the oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, 20- 30 minutes, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it to a carving board and let it rest at room temperature while completing the sauce.
1 lb. fresh mushrooms (I mixed white and crimini)
Meanwhile, trim and wash the mushrooms. Quarter them if large, leave them whole if small.
In a 2 1/2-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan-
1/4 cup water
1/2 Tb butter
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Bring the water to boil in the saucepan with the butter, lemon, and salt. Toss in the mushrooms, cover, and boil slowly for 8 minutes. Pour out the cooking liquid and reserve.
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 Tb cornstarch blended with 1 Tb of the cream
Salt and pepper
Pour the cream and the cornstarch mixture into the mushrooms. Simmer for 2 minutes. Correct seasoning, and set aside.
1/2 Tb minced shallots
1/3 cup medium-dry port
The reserved mushroom cooking liquid
The mushrooms in cream
Salt and pepper
Drops of lemon juice
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Stir in the shallots and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the port and the mushroom juice, and boil down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, until liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add the mushrooms and cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the liquid to thicken slightly. Correct seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.
A fireproof casserole or a chafing dish
1 Tb butter
1/8 tsp salt
Smear the inside of the casserole or chafing dish with butter. Rapidly carve the chicken into serving pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange in the casserole or chafing dish.
1/4 cognac (I bought one of those tiny bottles at the liquor store)
Set over moderate heat or an alcohol flame until you hear the chicken begin to sizzle. Then pour the cognac over it. Avert your face, and ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole slowly until the flames have subsided. The pour in the mushroom mixture, tilting the casserole and basting the chicken. Cover and steep for 5 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil. Serve.
(*) Chicken may remain in its casserole over barely simmering water or in the turned-off hot oven with its door ajar, for 10 to 15 minutes, but the sooner it is served, the better it will be.
Julia Child recommends serving this chicken with
“Pommes De Terre Sautees” (Potatoes Sauteed in Butter) and peas
and so I did!
These are quite satisfying. Cooking the potatoes in clarified butter made them extra flavorful!
I’m not sure I cut them up the the book advised, but I we all enjoyed them anyhow.
I will make these again and again.
Dessert was served hot out of the oven. One of my favorite cakes. You can get the recipe by clicking on the link below the photo.
The Upside Down Pear Cake baked while we ate, and I pulled it out and served it nice and warm.
Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce
November 12, 2009 at 10:30 pm | Posted in cooking, dessert, Desserts, Food, Holiday cooking, photography, Recipes | 14 CommentsTags: Barefoot Contessa, Barefoot in Paris, Coeur a la Creme, cooking, cream, dessert, elegant dessert, Food, French, Ina Garten, raspberries
I’ve made these little heart shaped Coeur a la Creme desserts before, and this time I think I enjoyed them even more. I changed up the Raspberry Sauce by eliminating the raspberry jam Ina Garten calls for in her recipe. I just wanted to enjoy more of the pure taste of the raspberries without the over sweet taste of the jam.
I made 6 mini hearts and 1 large heart.
I’m told you can make these in colanders if you don’t have the molds, but my favorites are the mini coeur a la creme molds. Just enough for a generous single serving per person and you don’t have to scoop into the larger heart and give each guest a scoop of dessert on a plate. These make such a pretty presentation.
Above: Coeur a la Creme Mold
Cream and cheese mixture wrapped in cheese cloth.
Simply line your mold with cheesecloth, pour in the cream mixture, set on a plate and place in your fridge overnight.
Pour a pool of raspberry sauce on a plate, gently lift out your molded cream and carefully place it in the center.
In the past I’ve poured chocolate over the top and decorated with several fresh raspberries.
This dessert has the texture of mousse. The flavor is reminiscent of cheesecake and vanilla bean ice cream.
A very elegant dessert, yet simple to make!
Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce
Adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris”
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
fresh raspberries–I had to use frozen
Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.
Line a 7-inch sieve OR Coeur a la Creme molds with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce around the base–I like to place the cream into a pool of the sauce. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.
Raspberry and Grand Marnier (OR Cointreau) Sauce:
10 ounces frozen raspberries, defrosted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)– I used Cointreau because that is what I had
Once the raspberries are defrosted, puree them in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar and blend until smooth. At this point, strain raspberries through a sieve/cheese cloth to remove the seeds. Chill for at least 4 hours.
Chipotle Grilled Chicken With Avocado Sauce
November 7, 2009 at 5:07 pm | Posted in cooking, Food, Mexican Food, photography, Recipes, Uncategorized, Weeknight Dinners | 8 CommentsTags: Avocado Salsa, Baha Cooking on the Edge, Baha recipes, chicken, Chipotle, Chipotle Grilled Chicken, cooking, Deborah M. Schneider, grilled chicken, grilling, Mexican Food, recipe, roasted chicken, spicy
Fall weather makes me crave spicy foods!
I found a wonderful recipe for Baha Mexican grilled chipotle chicken.
The chipotles give the chicken a smoky and “call the fire department” fiery flavor that makes this anything but a ho hum grilled chicken dish.
I use a 4 lb chicken, but the original recipe calls for 3 small chickens. I prefer more heat–if you do not, use more chicken.
The avocado adds coolness to balance it out, so be sure to make the salsa to go with.
You can cut up the chicken and serve it in a tortilla with the avocado salsa, or simply serve it as is–I ate it both ways.
We served our chicken with the avocado salsa, homemade pinto beans, and Spanish rice.
I really love this chicken! It was nice and moist. This will probably become part of my weekly menu.
First you let it marinate in the sauce for hours (at least 2, but better overnight)
Chipotle Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
(Greatly) Adapted from “!Baja! Cooking on the Edge” by Deborah M. Schneider
SERVES 6
7 oz can chipotles in adobo
2 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1- 4 lb chicken, quartered
Avocado Salsa
3 ripe Haas avocados pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Kosher salt
1 juice of one lime
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
3 fresh cilantro stems, stemmed and chopped (I did not use)
In a food processor, puree the chipotles, garlic, oil, and salt. Wipe the chicken pieces with paper towels. Thoroughly coat the pieces on all sides with a layer of the chipotle paste.
Place in a non-reactive baking dish or in re-sealable bags and refrigerate for 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
Heat the grill to medium. With the lid open, grill the chicken on both sides until well marked – about 7 minutes per side. Turn the heat to low, close the lid, and cook the chicken, skin side up, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees. (Alternatively, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.).
NOTE: we place a drip pan under the chicken to prevent flare-ups–we learned the hard way.
Serve with tortillas and salsa.
Avocado Salsa: Place the avocados in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and lime juice; mix gently with the onion and cilantro (don’t mash; it should look diced).
Note: this salsa should be served within 3 hours. To help it keep its color, press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the avocado and refrigerate until needed.
ANGELNINA’S NOTE: Original recipe calls for 3 small chickens, cut into halves or quarters. I prefer it with one 4 lb chicken. Obviously this adds to the heat, so if you don’t want it too spicy, use more chicken.
Light Pumpkin Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
October 28, 2009 at 7:43 pm | Posted in baking, Cakes, cooking, dessert, Desserts, Food, Holiday cooking, photography, Recipes | 13 CommentsTags: baking, cake, cooking, cooking light, cooking light magazine, dessert, Food, Frosted pumpkin cake, light recipe, low fat, pumkin, pumpkin cake, recipe
My good friend gave me a subscription to “Cooking Light” magazine this year, and I have enjoyed combing through all of the light recipes inside each edition.
In the November issue, I spotted this recipe from a woman in Eagle, Idaho (A quick SHOUT OUT to my Idaho friends!) for a Frosted Pumpkin Cake.
Autumn brings with it a craving for all things pumpkin and spice. Throw in a light cream cheese frosting and I’m all over it.
Still, if I’m being honest, I worried about a low fat cake. At least it wasn’t non-fat, and the recipe looked like it had all the necessities needed to meet my yum factor.
So, it is my pleasure to share with you, the lower in fat, Pumpkin Cake.
I rate this cake a 4 out of 4 stars. I’m rating it as a “light” cake. I can’t really say this is a 4 out of 4 star cake in the same way I would rate a Hummingbird Cake, because lets face it, it’s not a Hummingbird Cake. Hummingbird Cake rates a 10 out of 4 out of 4 stars 
Seriously, I think this is a fabulous cake. It has the flavor of autumn, it’s dense and moist–all the more reasons to bake her up!
Frosted Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from November’s Cooking Light Magazine
Cake:
- 10.1 oz all purpose flour (2.25 cups)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon ( I used more)
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree (Pure–check ingredients)
- Cooking spray
Frosting:
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuirng cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, other spices,and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
- Combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 tsp vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture, beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin puree; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13×9 inch baking ban coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- To prepare frosting, combine 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.
Yields 24 servings; serving size: 1 piece
Calories 178, Fat 5.5, Protein 3 g, Carb 30 g, Fiber .09, Chol 32 mg, Iron 1.2mg, Sodium 135 mg, Calc 62 mg
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