Winter Afternoon Tea

I’m thrilled to be a part of this month’s Foodbuzz 24x24. Each month 24 food bloggers from around the world create a meal on the same day—24 different meals in 24 hours and posted for your reading pleasure! For my event, I hosted a winter afternoon tea.

In 1987 I made my first trip to London as a 20-something college student with my friend, Barbie. (Like our 80s hairstyles!) One of the highlights was tea at the world famous Harrods department store. I was completely dazzled by all the wonderful food choices displayed on tiered tables—sweets, scones, and tiny sandwiches, and enamored with the idea of such a civilized afternoon repast with friends. (Visitors can still make reservations for tea at Harrods.)

On that trip I purchased the Harrods Book of Entertaining by Lady Macdonald of Macdonald. Inside is a complete menu for a winter afternoon tea for 6 to 8. I decided to make many of the recipes from that menu for my own afternoon tea. I included Cheese Scones, Walnut and Apricot Tea Bread with Lemon Icing, Vanilla Sponge Cake withVanilla Butter Cream and Raspberry Jam, Very Sticky Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing, and Cream-Filled Vanilla Meringues. I also made cucumber and watercress sandwiches, and added Scottish shortbread cookies, strawberry and black currant jams, and British cheeses from Brits and World Market in Lawrence, Kansas. And I served PG Tips tea (a British every day type of tea) in a tea pot I also purchased on that 1987 trip.

The tea gave me the chance to use my Mamaw’s china dessert dishes. (Read about Mamaw here.) I remember her serving coffee and cake to the church ladies on these elegant, floral plates with the built in saucer. And I raided my mom’s collection of glassware for serving dishes. She also allowed me to use her sterling silverware, which she began collecting in the eighth grade. (She was so excited to come to the tea, but instead spent the day at home with a stomach virus. I missed her.)

The first trick to the menu was following British recipes.Most of the measurements were done by weight or metric. And I found out later that the British and American ounces are slightly different—the metric measurements were more accurate.

However, each recipe came out well, though the cakes didn’t rise as high as I imagined they should. I don’t know if that’s because of the measurement difference or if self-rising flour (which they call self-raising) in the UK is different from that here in the US. (If anyone knows the answer, let me know!)

The one exception was the Very Sticky Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing. I fought with that cake from the beginning. My first mistake was in the interpretation of the recipe’s instruction when testing the cake. The directions said, “…sticking in a skewer and if it comes out not clean but with gooey cake just smearing the skewer, don’t worry: this cake is meant to be like that. If you continue to cook it until the skewer comes out clean, the cake will be drier and not nearly so good.”

You guessed it. I didn’t bake the cake long enough, and the middle fell through the cooling rack. So I tried it again, and all was well—until I made the Fudge Icing. It didn’t work at all! It was an unusable, crumbly mess. (Please let me know if you can figure out what I did wrong!) So I just made a double batch of the butter cream filling (with a touch of vanilla added) and used it to frost the cake.

The chocolate cake was the most popular item on the entire menu. Go figure.

I also enjoyed the vanilla sponge cake and the walnut and apricot tea bread.  They are now favorites in my recipe file. And the cucumber and watercress sandwiches were very refreshing. They will be perfect as part of a summer supper.

My guests were some of my closest lady friends. We enjoyed the tea, food and wonderful conversation. (Sometimes it’s just nice to add an elegant, relaxed repast to the day.) At the end of the meal each guest got a bakery box to fill with treats to take home.

Here are the recipes. Be sure to let me know if you try anyof them. You will see my comments on the recipe in brackets.

Cheese Scones

Makes about 10. [I got 16, but the ones made with leftover dough were tougher than the first-cut ones.] Scones freeze well: thaw before reheating in the oven at 270 degrees.

350 g (12 oz) self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
100 g (4 oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 large egg
300 ml milk

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and mustard powder into a bowl. Stir in the grated cheese. Lightly beat the egg and milk together andadd. Mix well, and kneed for 1 minute. [I did this by just mixing the dough harder in the bowl. I also had to add additional flour to bring the dough together.]

Pat out the scone mixture on a floured work surface to a thickness of about 2.5 cm (1 inch). Stamp out 5 cm (2 inch) rounds, or cut out triangles, and put them on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C or mark 7) for 12 to 15 minutes, until the scones are risen and golden. Serve warm with butter and raspberry or strawberry jam.

Vanilla Sponge with Vanilla Butter Cream and Raspberry Jam

The cake will freeze very well if cooled quickly and frozen immediately. You can fill it 2 or 3 hours before serving.

3 large eggs

75 g (3 oz) granulated sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract [I used about 1/2 teaspoon.]
75 g (3 oz) self-raising flour, sifted twice
225 g (8 oz) raspberry jam
Sifted powdered sugar
For butter cream:
125 g (4 oz) butter
125 g (4 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
Few drops of vanilla extract [I used about 1/2 teaspoon.]

Butter two 8-inch cake tins and line the base of each with parchment paper.

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, and whisk with an electric beater. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla essence, whisking until the mixture is very thick, almost white in color and mousse-like in texture.This will take about 7 minutes. To test of the mixture is thick enough, stop whisking and lift the whisk out, trailing a squiggle of the mixture over the surface. If it sits on top, the mixture is thick enough; if it vanishes into the mixture, continue whisking! Sift the flour over the mixture. With a spoon or spatula, fold the flour quickly and thoroughly into the egg mixture.

Divide between the prepared cake tins, and bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C, mark 4) for about 20 minutes [mine took 15 minutes, but my oven runs hot], until the cakes are golden brown on top and just beginning to shrink from the sides of the tins. Cool on wire racks.

To make the butter cream, beat the butter until creamy and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until the butter cream is pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.

Put one cake layer on a serving plate and spread it with the butter cream. Cover the butter cream with the raspberry jam, then put the second cake layer on top. Sift powdered sugar over the surface of the cake. This cake is easier to cut with a serrated knife.

Very Sticky Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing

This cake will keep for 2 or 3 days in an air tightcontainer.

175 g (6 oz) butter

175 g (6 oz) dark brown sugar
225 g (8 oz) drinking chocolate powder [This is hot chocolate powder that you mix with milk, not cocoa powder! I used Cadbury. Look in the import section of the grocery store or a gourmet shop.]
50 g (2 oz) self-raising flour
4 large eggs
Few drops of vanilla extract [I used about 1/2 teaspoon.]
For butter cream:
125 g (4 oz) butter
125 g (4 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
For chocolate fudge icing:
50 g (2 oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) granulated sugar
175 g (6 oz) powdered sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Butter a 9-inch cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.

To make the cake, put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat well, gradually adding the sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the drinking chocolate and flour together. Beat 1 egg into the butter mixture, then beat in some of the chocolate and flour mixture. Beat in another egg, and so on until the eggs and flour mixture are all incorporated. Beat in the vanilla essence.

Spoon and scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C, mark 4) for 35 minutes.

Test the cake, before you take it out of the oven, by sticking in a skewer and if it comes out not clean but with gooey cake just smearing the skewer, don’t worry: this cake is meant to be like that. If you continue to cook it until a skewer comes out clean, the cake will be drier and not nearly as good! Cool for 1 minute in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the butter cream, beat the butter, gradually adding the icing sugar and cocoa. Beat well until fluffy.

When the cake is cold, cut into 2 layers using a serrated knife. Spread the butter cream over the bottom layer and cover with the top layer.

To make the icing, put the butter, granulated sugar, and 90m. (6 tablespoons) water in a sauce pan over moderate heat. Heat until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved, then bring to a boil and boil fast for 4 to 5 minutes. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the buttery sugar syrup, to make a smooth thick icing. Spread the icing over the tip and sides of the cake.

Walnut and Apricot Teabread with Lemon Icing

This teabread is nicest eaten the day it is made, but it freezes very well so you can make 2 and keep one in the freezer.

225 g (8 oz) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
50 g (2 oz) dark brown sugar
125 g (4 oz) walnuts, chopped
75 g (3 oz) dried apricots, soaked in water for 1 hour, drained and cut in half [I cut mine in quarters.]
45 ml (3 tablespoons) golden syrup [I used Lyle’s. Look in the import section of the grocery store or a gourmet shop.]
150 ml milk
1 egg, beaten
For lemon icing:
75 g (3 oz) powdered sugar
15 ml hot lemon juice
Chopped walnuts, to garnish

Butter a loaf pan and line the base with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, walnuts and apricots. Put the golden syrup into a sauce pan and pour in the milk. Heat until the syrup has melted into the milk. Beat the syrupy milk into the flour mixture, then beat in the egg.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake at325 degrees F (170 degrees C, mark 3) for about 1 1/4 hours, until a knifeinserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. [Mine took just over an hour.] Cool in the tin for several minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice, beating until the icing is smooth. [I had to add more lemon juice to get the right consistency.] Cover the top of the teabread with the icing, letting it trickle down the sides. Decorate with chopped walnuts, if desired.

Cream-filled Vanilla Meringues

They are very convenient for a tea party because they can be made a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container. Fill them with vanilla-flavored sweetened whipped cream shortly before serving. [I just served the whipped cream on the side.]

3 egg whites

175 g (6 oz) granulated sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, then very gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously, until very stiff and glossy. Fill a piping bag with the mixture, and using a wide star nozzle, pipe meringues about 1 1/2 inches in diameter onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 225 degrees F (110 degrees C, mark 1/4) for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Cool on a wire rack.

Cucumber or Watercress Sandwiches

Thin-sliced white bread [I used Pepperidge Farm brand.]
English-style (seedless) cucumber, sliced thinly, or 1 bunch of watercress
Unsalted butter, soft
Salt and pepper, to taste

Spread the butter onto one side of both pieces of bread. Layer the cucumber or watercress leaves onto on the of buttered bread slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then top with another buttered bread slice. Cut off the crusts with a serrated knife and slice into triangles or fingers. [I cut the cucumber sandwiches into triangles and the watercress sandwiches into fingers.) Keep on a plate covered with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap in the refrigerator until just before serving.

The Perfect Pot (orCup) of Tea

To brew the perfect pot or cup of tea, fill the tea pot or cup with very hot water and let stand to warm.

Bring cold water toa boil. (Cold water has more oxygen and makes a better tasting tea. Also do not let the water boil for too long or it will release the oxygen and the tea will taste flat.)

Empty the pot or cup, add the tea leaves or bags and pour the boiling water on top. Allow the tea to steep for three to five minutes or until the tea reaches the desired strength. Note: Steep green tea for only one to three minutes to prevent bitterness.

Delia Smith’s Four Nut Chocolate Brownies

Delia Smith is someone I’ve always heard of and wanted to know more about, especially since I love all things British! She is that country’s best-selling cookbook author, with more than 21 million copies sold (according to Amazon.com.) Everything I’ve read describes her way of cookery teaching, both in her books and on television, as no-nonsense. And that was just what I experienced as I read some of her recipes.

I was intrigued by her Four Nut Chocolate Brownies recipe on her website. I loved her description of brownies, especially since everyone seems to wonder just how to tell when a batch is finished baking. She wrote, “If you’ve never made brownies before, you first need to get into the brownie mode, and to do this stop thinking ‘cakes.’ Brownies are slightly crisp on the outside but soft, damp and squidgy within. I’m always getting letters from people who think their brownies are not cooked, so once you’ve accepted the description above, try and forget all about cakes.”

Instead of the Brazil nuts and hazelnuts the recipe called for, I used almonds and walnuts along with the pecans and macadamia nuts listed in the ingredients. I also used bittersweet chocolate (60-percent cocoa solids) instead of the recipe’s dark chocolate (75-percent cocoa solids) since the darker variety wasn’t on my grocery store’s bakery aisle shelf and I didn’t want to go hunting around the store for it.

This recipe turned out wonderful. So good, in fact, that I couldn’t resist licking the batter from the spoon and bowl. (Confess, you still do that too, don’t you?) Even with the bittersweet chocolate, the brownies had a wonderfully rich chocolate flavor. Each bite was dense and chewy—almost like candy! And the mixture of nuts added a flavorful touch just a step above traditional brownies with only a single type of nut mixed in.

Four Nut Chocolate Brownies

1 ounce macadamia nuts

1 ounce blanched almonds
1 ounce pecans
1 ounce walnuts
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate at 60 percent cocoa solids
4 ounces salted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
8 ounces granulated sugar
2 ounces plain flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
1/4 level teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a  7 x 11-inch baking dish with parchment paper, allowing the paper to come 1 inch above the sides.

Chop the nuts, not too small, then place them on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven for 5-8 minutes. Use a timer so you don't burn the nuts.  While the nuts toast, put the chocolate and butter together in a large mixing bowl fitted over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Allow the chocolate to melt, then mix until smooth. Remove it from the heat and stir in all the ingredients until thoroughly blended.

Now spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.  Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it’s slightly springy in the center. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into roughly 15 squares. Then transfer the squares onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Hey, thanks for reading! If you've enjoyed my posts or tried one of my recipes, you can support my writing efforts through Buy Me a Coffee...or tea...or flavored fizzy water. Your donation will be greatly appreciated, especially now as I deal with a chronic autoimmune disease that flared back up again. The button is located on the right-hand side of this page. If you can't, that's okay, too. Either way, thank you so much for reading my stuff!  

Bread Pudding Souffle from the Palace

This week’s selection from the Gourmet Live 50 WomenGame-Changers that I and a group of my fellow food bloggers post about each Friday is Ella Brennan. She has been a fixture in the New Orleans restaurant scene for more than 65 years and is the matriarch of a family that operates a dozen restaurants, including the world famous Commander's Palace, for which she is best known. (She lives in a home behind the restaurant.) This restaurant has been the launching point for many of the city’s most famous chefs, including Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. Mostly retired now, she is still known to show up in one of the restaurants a few times each week.


I love New Orleans cuisine and was excited to make the Commander’s Palace Bread Pudding Souffle. Unfortunately, too little time and a bad cold virus kept me out of the kitchen this week.

I’ve made many bread puddings in the past, both sweet and savory. For the dessert variety, I like to use cinnamon raisin bread and add even more raisins and nuts. Instead of a whiskey sauce, I just top it with a little heavy cream. Yum.

I like the savory style, also known as Italian strata, for breakfast. I make it with bacon, onions and cheese. This dish even tastes great the next day!

Just about any bread pudding recipe can be adapted to fit your tastes. However, this one has the added twist of being a souffle with whipped egg whites folded into the mix after it bakes.

When I do get time to make it, I’ll let you know what I think. If you give the recipe a try, please share your thoughts!

Image from Urbanspoon.com

 
Commander’s Palace Bread Pudding Souffle

Bread Pudding:

Butter, for greasing pan and ramekins
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
3 medium eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups New Orleans French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (see Cook's Note below)
1/3 cup raisins

Whiskey Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup bourbon

Meringue:

9 medium egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar

Cook's Note: New Orleans French bread is very light and tender. If another style of bread is used that is too dense, it will soak up all the custard and the recipe won't work.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, and then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, stir to combine, and then the bread cubes. Let stand so that bread soaks up custard.

Place the raisins in the greased pan. Top with the bread mixture, which prevents the raisins from burning. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. The mixture should be moist, not runny or dry. Cool to room temperature.

Make the whiskey sauce: Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and water together, and add to cream while whisking. Bring to a boil. Whisk and let simmer for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture on the bottom. Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar and the bourbon. Taste to make sure the sauce has a thick consistency, a sufficiently sweet taste, and a good bourbon flavor. Cool to room temperature.

Make the meringue: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 6 (6-ounce) ramekins and set aside. Make certain that the bowl and whisk are completely clean. The egg whites should be completely free of yolk, and they will whip better if they are at room temperature. This dish needs a good, stiff meringue. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar gradually, and continue whipping until shiny and thick. Test with a clean spoon. If the whites stand up stiff, like shaving cream when you pull out the spoon, the meringue is ready. Do not over-whip, or the whites will break down and the souffle will not work.

In a large bowl, break half of the bread pudding into pieces using your hands or a spoon.

Gently fold in 1/4 of the meringue, being careful not to lose the air in the whites. Add a portion of this base to each of the ramekins. Place the remaining bread pudding in the bowl, break into pieces, and carefully fold in the rest of the meringue. Top off the souffles with this lighter mixture. Smooth and shape tops with a spoon into a dome over the ramekin rim.

Bake immediately for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Using a spoon, at the table, poke a hole in the top of each souffle, and pour the room temperature whiskey sauce inside the souffle.

Also, be sure to check out my fellow food bloggers to see what they prepared to honor Ella Brennan:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast

Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia -A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie -Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Claudia – Journey of An Italian Cook
Alyce – More Time at the Table
Amrita – Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades

A New Discovery and An Old Love

I made a new discovery in the food world thanks to this week’s selection from the Gourmet Live 50 Women Game-Changers that I and a group of my fellow food bloggers post about each Friday. Today we are focused on Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, the duo behind Canal House Cooking.





Hirsheimer (who is a woman, by the way) was a founding editor and food photographer of Saveur magazine (one of my favorites!), and Hamilton, a chef, was Saveur’s test kitchen director. Their new publication comes out three times a year and features recipes and images the pair creates in their New Jersey studio on the Delaware Canal.

Canal House Cooking’s publications are beautiful. You can check them out on the website, where you can also order back issues. (I plan to order two of them in the very near future!)

Best of all, on the website I found a recipe for all-time favorite spread—pimiento cheese. I grew up enjoying this cheesy creation on sandwiches, crackers and celery. Mamaw made her own spread. My mom bought hers from the store. (Pimiento cheese always makes me think of my mom, since it's a treat we both enjoy.) I usually purchase it from a local deli here in Topeka, but I was intrigued with the idea of making my own.

This recipe is very easy, and the result is wonderful! I don’t think I will ever buy ready-made pimiento cheese again!

Pimiento Cheese

Makes 2 cups

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar, finely grated

1 4-ounce jar pimientos, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon grated yellow onion [seems like a little, but it makes a huge difference to the taste!]
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of ground cayenne

Put the cheddar, pimientos, onions, mayonnaise, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until it is well blended and the cheddar becomes creamy. Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

If you’re on Facebook, be sure to check out the There andBack Again page.

Also, be sure to check out my fellow food bloggers to see what they prepared from Canal House Cooking:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast

Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia -A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie -Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Claudia – Journey of An Italian Cook
Alyce – More Time at the Table
Amrita – Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades

Mystery Cuisine

I love to read. Books are my most favorite possessions, right alongside my Kitchen Aid mixer and gourmet cheese.
 

When I’m not reading a cookbook, food essay, or culinary magazine, I like to escape into the world of cozy mysteries. These are the ones where someone is murdered but the crime is never horrific enough to make the reader afraid to turn out the lights. Most are written as a series of books, and what keeps me coming back are the characters and the settings where their lives unfold. Each new book is like catching up with old friends—who happen to solve the occasional murder.

I started with Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who…series. I read all 29 installments. (And I was sad to learn she passed away in June.) I moved on to Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone Mystery series, each with their holiday-themed titles, and Sarah Strohmeyer’s Bubbles mysteries (such fun!)

Then I discovered cozy mystery heaven—at least for a food writer: Mysteries that also included recipes within the pages! The first were the Diane Mott Davidson Goldy Schulz mysteries, and now I’m working my way through the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, Jessica Park's Gourmet Girl series, and the Farmer’s Market Mysteries, plus many, many more. (I have an entire stack of them waiting for my attention.)

My absolute favorite cozy mysteries are Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Cookie Shop mysteries. I’ve read them all, and kept each one because of all the recipes I would like to try. I even have her latest, Cinnamon Roll Murder, on preorder to ship when it's released at the end of February.

Last fall, Fluke released the Lake Eden Cookbook, with almost all of the recipes from the Hannah Swensen series! The first one I tried was the Wanmansita Casserole, primarily because I thought it would be one my husband might enjoy. He did! This is the perfect dinner casserole for a large gathering on a cold winter’s evening. My only criticism was there didn’t seem to be enough of a sauce in the dish. It was a bit dry. Next time, I plan to add a can or two of tomato sauce to see if that solves the issue. And perhaps a teaspoon more of chili powder.

Let me know what you think!

Wanmansita Casserole

From Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook
Serves 8 to 10 people

2 pounds lean hamburger

2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large package of crinkle noodles [I used egg noodles.]
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (5 ounces) sliced water chestnuts [I omitted this for my husband.]
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom pieces [I omitted this for my husband, too.]
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees with the rack in the middle position.

 
Start by spraying a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan, or a half-size disposable steam table pan set on a cookie sheet, with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Pour 6 quarts of water into a big pot and put it on the stove to boil.

Crumble the hamburger and brown it over medium heat in a large frying pan, stirring it around with a metal spatula and breaking it up into pieces as it fries. This should take about 15 or 20 minutes.

When hamburger is nice and brown, put a bowl under a colander so that you can save about 1/3 cup of fat to use with the onions. Dump the hamburger into the colander to drain it.

Put the drained hamburger into the prepared baking pan.

Pour the 1/3 cup of hamburger grease back into the frying pan. Place the onion slices, celery and green bell pepper into the frying pan. Cook over medium heat until they’re tender when pierced with a fork. Drain them in the same colander you used for the hamburger, and then mix them up with the hamburger in your baking pan.

Add some salt to your boiling water on the stove. Then dump in the noodles, stir them around, let the water come back to a boil, and then turn down the heat a bit so the pot doesn’t boil over. Set your timer for whatever it says on the noodle package directions and cook the noodles, stirring every minute or so to make sure they don’t stick together.

Drain the cooked noodles in the same colander you’ve been using all along, add them to your baking pan, and mix them up with everything else.

Add the diced tomatoes, juice and all, to your baking pan. Open and drain the cans of water chestnuts and mushroom pieces and dump them on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper over the top.

Now it is time to mix it all up. This might not be easy if the baking pan’s too full to stir with a spoon. If that happens, just wash your hands thoroughly and dive in with your fingers to mix everything up. When you’re through, pat the casserole so it’s nice and even on top, and call it a day.

[Since I planed to divide this dish into two smaller casserole pans, I mixed everything together first in a extra-large bowl.]

Cover the baking pan with a single thickness of foil. Bake for 60 minutes, or until you peek under the foil and see that it’s not and bubbling.

Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the foil slowly and carefully to avoid burning yourself with the steam that may roll out. Set the foil on the counter to use again in a few minutes.

Sprinkle the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top and return the baking pan to the oven. Bake it, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Cover the pan again with that foil you saved, and let your casserole sit on a cold burner or rack to set up for at least 10 minutes and then serve and enjoy. [I didn’t do this step—we were hungry!]

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Overcoming Pie Crust Phobia

I confess.

I have a pie crust phobia.

Yes, I’m a food writer who avoids making pie crusts.

My fear began in my days of middle school home economics class and continued on for years. My crusts were either too thin, too tough, or they would shrink down into the pie pan, leaving an unusable mess. Joyous was the day when I discovered Pillsbury Pie Crust! I vowed to never make another crust again.

Still, I’ve always felt this nagging need to learn to make a perfect pie crust. This week’s selection from the Gourmet Live 50 WomenGame-Changers, which I and a group of my fellow food bloggers post about each Friday, gave me the nudge I needed to try pie crust again.

This week we are honoring Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, the co-founders of Edible Communities, a company that publishes 70 magazines across North America with a focus on the local foods movement. The recipe I selected is a Jam Tart, which was posted by Tracey Ryder on the Edible Communities blog. I was both encouraged and a bit disheartened by the first line in her recipe introduction: “This tart is one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make, providing you are able to make a simple pie crust.”

It worked! Well, sort of. The tart was delicious. When cut, a slice can be eaten by hand, kind of like a fancy Pop Tart with its jam filling. But it could easily be dressed up with whipped cream, crème fraiche, or ice cream for an after dinner dessert.

For the filling, I used Tiptree Black Cherry Preserve from Wilkin and Sons in England (purchased at Brits in Lawrence, Kansas, one of my very favorite shops.)

As for the crust, it was flaky and buttery, but far from perfect. I added too much water, and even with lots of flour on the counter as I rolled it out, the dough was still a bit sticky. Moving the dough to the baking sheet was also a challenge—it tore in a couple of places. However, the rustic style of this tart saved me.  

Now I’m a fan of rustic pies. In fact, I may never make any other kind!

Jam Tart

From the Edible Stories Blog

For the crust:

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and two sticks of butter in the bowl of your food processor [since I used unsalted butter, I also added 1/2 teaspoon salt] and add ice water (up to 1/3 cup) until dough forms and holds together in a ball. Roll out onto floured work surface until approximately 12 – 15 inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Dough does not have to be perfectly round since you will be folding the sides over the tart before baking and a irregular shape looks great.

Place dough onto a sheet of parchment paper that has been placed onto a cookie sheet and is trimmed to fit its dimensions.

For the filling:

Spread a jar of your favorite (preferably, homemade) jam onto the center of the dough, making sure to leave about 3″ border of dough around the edges. Fold edges over the center where the jam has been spread so that the jam doesn’t leak out while baking.

Using a pastry brush, baste top of crust with an egg wash (one egg, beaten with a fork and combined with a Tablespoon of milk or water). [I also sprinkled sugar on top of the egg wash.]

Place tart in a pre-heated 375 degree oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and center is bubbling.

Optional garnish: if you have extra fresh fruit in the frig that needs to be used, such as raspberries or blackberries, sprinkle those over jam before baking.

Be sure to check out my fellow food bloggers:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast

Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia -A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie -Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Claudia – Journey of An Italian Cook
Alyce – More Time at the Table
Amrita – Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades

In Need of Soup

Ever since the weather turned cold, I have wanted a good bowl of Asian-style soup. The craving started when I got my first head cold of the winter season. Of course, then I didn’t feel well enough to cook anything.

About the same time, I saw Nigella Lawson prepare her Noodle Soup for Needy People on her Nigella Express television show, which is shown in the U.S. on the Cooking Channel. It was just what I wanted!

This week I pulled out her cookbook by the same name and found the recipe. She introduces it by writing: 

“I have to say, to be prescriptive about a noodle soup seems to be against the ethos of what you're actually cooking. When I need a noodle soup, believe me I am in no mood to start weighing and measuring. I heat some broth, of some description or other, and throw in a variety of vegetables that are skulking about in the fridge and the most soothing noodles I can find…But anyway, I throw down a blueprint here. Don't get caught up in it, but follow it if it feels helpful.”

I took Nigella’s words to heart. I could make her Needy People soup with whatever I had on hand!

As I mentioned in my last post, my husband, Michael, doesn’t like Asian-flavored dishes. However, he does like my thrown-together chicken soup. There is no real recipe for this concoction. I just put chopped onions, celery and carrots into a slow cooker, add a couple of whole garlic cloves, slightly crushed, a carton of chicken broth, bay leaves, dried thyme, salt, pepper, and 3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts (usually still frozen.) I turn the temperature to low and cook until everything is done. Then I add some egg noodle at the last minute and let them cook until soft. It’s easy!

This time, I cooked some udon noodles in bowling water until done. For the last couple of minutes of cooking, I added a few snow peas.

 In Michael’s bowl, I only added some of the noodles and then ladled the chicken soup over the top. In my bowl, I added the noodles, snow peas, and some grated fresh ginger. I spooned in the chicken soup, and then added soy sauce until I got the flavor I wanted. Perfect!

Here is Nigella’s recipe for you to try, but don’t be afraid to let inspiration dictate what goes into your soup.  

Noodle Soup for Needy People

From Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

6 ounces udon noodles (dried, from a packet)

3 cups chicken or vegetable or dashi broth
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 star anise
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup bean sprouts
3/4 cup sugar snaps
3/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 heads baby bok choy, finely sliced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and while the water is boiling fill a nearby saucepan with stock, brown sugar, star anise, ginger and soy sauce. (When the noodles are done, just drain them and put half in each bowl.)

When the flavored stock comes to a boil, add the vegetables. They should be cooked before 2 minutes are up.

Pour half into each bowl, over the cooked and drained noodles and sprinkle with cilantro.

When Foodie Meets Finicky

My husband, Michael, is the love of my life. I know. We’re newlyweds, so I’m suppose to feel that way, right? But he is! Spending time with him is a true joy—we laugh, tease, get serious, etc. He is my best friend.

We also agree on just about everything…except for food. I'm an adventurous eater and will try just about anything. I enjoy all styles of ethic food and flavors—Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, French, etc.

Michael is a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. He tolerates Mexican food, but does not like any of the Asian cuisines. He likes very few vegetables and thrives on good ol’ American cuisine—pot roast, hamburgers, and chicken noodle soup. He prefers spaghetti sauce out of a can instead of my homemade, which nearly broke my heart. I’m still working on a homemade sauce that tastes like the one in the can—I’m getting close! And I wrote in a post last year about his love for ketchup. Plus he’s not big on sweets. Sigh.

When I joined a group of fellow food bloggers posting from the list of the Gourmet Live 50 Women Game-Changers each Friday, I was faced with the challenge of finding a recipe from each week’s selection that would appeal to my finicky husband. I often choose dessert recipes that I can share with friends or co-workers instead to get a second opinion. But I do try to find something that Michael and I can enjoy together.

This week’s selection is Donna Hay, who is the Martha Stewart of Australia. She has written numerous bestselling cookbooks, has her own magazine, television series, and cookware, household, and food lines.

On her website I found this recipe for French Onion Soup—a dish both Michael and I enjoy. And she makes it the way Michael likes it—without the addition of bread, and cheese on top. She suggests serving it with a grilled cheese sandwich, which is how I enjoyed it. Michael had it with a tuna fish sandwich. This dish is easy to make and perfect for a winter meal, either as a starter for a formal dinner or a causal soup and sandwich supper.

Donna Hay’s French Onion Soup

8 brown onions, sliced

30g butter [about 2 tablespoons]
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme leaves [I used 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.]
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 liters beef stock [I used 2 32-ounce cartons, which was just under 2 liters.]
2 cups water
Cheese sandwiches or parmesan toasts, to serve

Place the onions, butter, oil and thyme in a large saucepan over medium heat, cover and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the brandy and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mustard, stock and water and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with toasted cheese sandwiches or parmesan toasts. Serves 4–6.

Be sure to check out my fellow food bloggers:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast

Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia -A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie -Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Claudia – Journey of An Italian Cook
Alyce – More Time at the Table