Puff Pastry Palmiers

I've written before about the wonders of frozen puff pastry and today I made yet another great recipe using this versatile ingredient.  I needed to make some quick appetizers for a gathering and had a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer that I put to good use. 

This recipe can be altered in many different ways.  It is for palmiers, which is a French pastry that is often served as a sweet cookie. They have a distinctive heart shape and have a delicate crunch to them due to all of the layers in the puff pastry.  I chose to make them savory with a coat of delicious basil pesto and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.  Other varieties might include a sun dried tomato spread or olive tapenade.  Let your imagination go wild!

Puff Pastry Palmiers

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup basil pesto
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it's  an approximately 1/8 inch thick rectangle.  Spread the pesto thinly over the pastry to all four edges.  Sprinkle the cheese over the entire thing. 

Roll up one of the long sides of the rectangle 2-3 times until you reach the center, then repeat with the other side.  Don't roll too tight.  Cut the roll into approximately 1/3 inch wheels and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until palmiers are golden brown.  Cool on rack until room temperature.  Makes 24 palmiers.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Have I ever mentioned that The Husband is a candy fiend.  He loves his candy and one of his favorites is chocolate covered cherries.  This is a treat that he usually only gets once a year at Christmas.  I noted after we got home from our holiday travels and all of the unpacking of Christmas presents had taken place that there were no cherries amongst his loot.

Now I could have run down to the nearest Walgreens (there's one on practically every block in my town) and picked up a box for him.  Instead, I decided to try my hand at making them.  It turned out to be a fun cooking experiment though I will admit that I cheated and used chocolate confectioners coating.  This can be found at any cooking/candy making store and it is so much easier to deal with than tempering real chocolate.  Of course, the taste is not a pure chocolate flavor, but it's not too bad. 

From start to finish this project took me about an hour and made two dozens cordials.  The trickiest part of this whole business was to find a good hiding place in a cool location where The Husband wouldn't find them as they have to sit for 1-2 weeks to cure.  This time is needed so the fondant breaks down and turns into that delicious liquid that bursts out all over your face when you bite into one.  What a gloriously fun candy!  (P.S. After trying them, The Husband stated they were "the best thing I ever ate!"  I'm tickled pink.)

Chocolate Covered Cherries

24 marachino cherries with stems
1 1/2 Tbsp softened butter
1 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 to 3/4 lb. chocolate confectioners coating

Drain cherries and set on a paper towel to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine the butter, corn syrup and confectioners sugar and knead to form a dough.  Chill to stiffen if necessary.

Wrap each cherry in about 1 tsp. of dough.  Chill until firm.

In a deep medium size microwavable bowl, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.  Dip each cherry in by its stem and place on waxed paper.  Chill until completely set. 

Store in airtight container for 1-2 weeks in a cool place.

Of Cabbages and Kings

One of the most unappreciated vegetables out there is the cabbage, in my opinion.  Much like brussel sprouts, cabbage is misunderstood and unduly maligned. Granted when not cooked properly, it can often taste strong and certainly stink up a kitchen quickly.  Most often it is served boiled along with a big hunk of meat, i.e. brisket on St. Patrick's Day or with a pot roast and a bunch of other overcooked veggies.  Mind you, a boiled hunk of cabbage isn't bad if you drown it in enough butter and then wash it down with some good, strong Guinness stout, while toasting the Irish.

Cabbage can be quite delicious though with just a few added ingredients and a proper cooking technique.  Today I braised a small head of cabbage that had been chopped into nice bite size pieces along with a couple of slices of bacon,diced onion and some seasoning.  When served with a splash of balsamic vinegar, it truly could have been a meal in itself.  Give cabbage another try and treat it with some respect and you too could be pleasantly surprised.

Braised Cabbage

1 small head of cabbage
3 strips of bacon, cooked and cut into bite size pieces (reserve 1-2 Tbsp bacon fat)
1/2 white onion, diced
salt and pepper

Chop cabbage into bite sized pieces, set aside.  Cook bacon and cut into bite size pieces and set aside.  Heat 2-3 Tbsp. bacon fat in a large skillet.  Cook onion until golden brown.  Add cabbage and combine well with onion.  Put heat on medium and put on pan lid.  Let cabbage braise for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add bacon bits, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie-O-My

A perfect comfort food kind of meal for me is a chicken pot pie. It has everything good - chunks of well cooked chicken, lots of vegetables and hopefully, a well made, tasty crust. After making a roast chicken, I cut the leftover meat off the carcass and stashed it in the freezer for another time.

That other time came today after reading a recipe for chicken pot pie in a Caprial Pence cookbook called Cooking with Caprial-American Bistro Fare. Chicken pot pie is a dish that can be broken down into three components: the filling, the sauce and the crust. For my pot pie, I used the recipe for the crust from Caprial's cookbook and the rest was improvisation. The crust is magnificent. It is so easy to roll out and very flavorful, what with the cheese in it and all. I microwaved my veggies until they were just tender, thus decreasing the time the pie had to cook in the oven. Also, I used leftover chicken that was already cooked and cubed. Another time saver would to use deli whole roasted chickens from the store. This would be so good using leftover turkey too.

Chicken Pot Pie
Crust

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shortening (I used 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup lard)
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold water

Place the flour, cheeses, shortening and salt into a medium bowl and with your fingertips rub in the shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add water and mix with a fork just until the mixture comes together. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out.Filling
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup frozen peas

Microwave all of the vegetables together for about 5-6 minutes until they are just tender. Set aside.
Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried tarragon

Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in chicken broth and let cook, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Add vegetables and cooked chicken.Assembly
Roll out crust to fit the top of a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Add filling mixture to pan. Top with pie crust and flute edges. Brush the entire crust with an egg wash of 1 beaten egg and a little water or cream. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes until crust is a deep golden brown.

Bring Back the Cocktail Hour

I am a huge fan of the TV show Mad Men.  I love the sets, clothes and general air of 60's sophistication.  Oh, and did I mention my love for Don Draper???  But I digress.  One of the things about the show that I find so amusing is the way they all sit around and drink cocktails all day and night.  I'm telling you what.  If I sat around drinking cocktails at my office like those characters do, well let's just say there wouldn't be much work done.

I do like the idea of a cocktail hour though.  I have read a number of articles in my cooking magazines about the resurrection of that tradition and that some of the old cocktails have been making a comeback.  We're talking real honest-to-God martinis, not appletinis or peachtinis, but gin, vermouth and a couple of nice green olives.  Another old classic is the Manhattan.  This is a drink that perhaps I've had a sip of, but have never understood its components.

Today I decided to shake one up and give it whirl.  I didn't have any sweet vermouth, but according to my Playboy recipe book of cocktails (where on earth did I ever get that book, I wondered today?) one can use dry vermouth and it's just called a dry Manhattan. Not being a fan of sweet drinks, I thought it would do just fine.   It tasted good as far as whiskey based drinks go.  Next time I make one though, I will make sure to get some sweet vermouth and ascertain the differences between the two.

Dry Manhattan

1/2 oz. dry vermouth

2 oz. blended whiskey

1 dash of bitters

1 marashino cherry for garnish

Mix all of the alcohol in a shaker with 6-8 ice cubes.  Shake 60 times.  Pour into an martini glass or cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry and think of Don Draper!

Holiday Candy Making

No elaborate holiday candy making for me this year.  Here is a version of the no-fail chocolate fudge made with marshmallow creme and evaporated milk, also known as million dollar fudge. If memory serves me correctly, it was made famous by one of the first ladies but I'm too lazy right now to research the Internet to find out.

I added a couple more ingredients to make it a bit more faniciful and turned it into Rocky Road Fudge.  You know, if you have walnuts and mini-marshmallows in the cupboard, why not?  This is the last of the Christmas treats.  Only a week left until the big day and I must spend the next few days frantically writing out Christmas cards and wrapping presents.  Oh how I dread the wrapping presents.  Perhaps a trip to the Dollar Store for some cheap gift bags should be on my agenda this week.

To everyone, a safe and wonderful Christmas!

Rocky Road Fudge

1 12 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 stick butter
4 cups sugar
2 cups coarsely cup nuts
2 cups minature marshmallows

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside.  In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, combine milk, butter and sugar.  Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixutre comes to a boil.  Boil, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes.

Take off heat and add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme.  Using a wooden spoon, beat until mixture is creamy.  Stir in the nuts and minature marshmallows.  Pour fudge into prepared pan. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Cut into 1 inch squares.  Keeps well for several weeks in the refrigerator. 

Enough With The Dried Cranberries

I realize as I post this entry that this is the third recipe in a month or so that I have used dried cranberries.  Well, I got such a deal on them and they have to be used up and they're so good!  Continuing with my holiday baking theme,  I chose to make white chocolate chip/dried cranberry cookies.  I used the original Nestle Toll House chocolate chip recipe but replaced the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips and cranberries.  "Yum" as my friend Patti always likes to say. 

I promise, this is the last recipe I will make with dried cranberries for a long time to come!

White Chocolate Chip/Dried Cranberry Cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir chocolate and cranberries by hand.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets.

Bake in oven for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand for 2 minutes on sheets and then place on wire racks to cool completely.

Better Butter Part Two

Remember when I made the compound butter of lemon zest and chives? I only used half of the cube on our salmon dinner so what to do with the other half, placed securely in the freezer for another time?What about a roast chicken basted in the golden goodness? I foraged around the freezer and found the little saran wrap package of butter and stuck it in the microwave for a few minutes to melt and then basted my bird every half hour until the chicken was perfectly browned and succulent. With the chicken I served the melange of potatoes I had picked up at the farmers market. Aren't those purple potatoes something to behold? They got cut and put in the roasting pan with the chicken so they could all happily cook together. Easy Peasy. It was a great Sunday dinner.

Rice Pudding and Poetry

"What is the matter with Mary Jane?

She's perfectly well and she hasn't a pain,

And it's lovely rice pudding for dinner again!

What is the matter with Mary Jane?"

My brothers and sisters and I grew up on the poems of A.A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh and wonderful books of poems such as Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young.  One of my favorites was called Rice Pudding, with the last stanza quoted above.  What was the matter with Mary Jane not absolutely loving rice pudding???

The pudding I made today was baked for three hours and the results were tremendous.  After mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, it was just a matter of going in every 20 minutes or so while it was baking and giving it a stir.  This ensured that the rice didn't all float to the top and a brown crust didn't form.  The recipe I used called for raisins but I opted for dried cranberries for a different twist. The pudding was creamy and sweet with just a hint of the nutmeg and cinnamon spices coming through.  Let me tell you Mary Jane, you don't know what your missing!

Baked Rice Pudding

1/3 cup long grain, uncooked rice

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried raisins (or cranberries, or wouldn't dried cherries be good too??)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.  Pour in all of the ingredients and mix well.  Place in oven for 3 hours, stirring with a fork for the first 2 1/2 hours every 20-30  minutes.  Leave alone during the last 30 minutes of cooking.  Let cool on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Some Local Ink

How nice to get some publicity in one of our local newspapers here in Salem, Oregon, The Salem Monthly.  Written by a fellow community blogger, Salem Man talks about the use of the Internet for finding recipes and interviews myself and another local food blogger about our blogs and their content.  Check it out at this site.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and now onto Christmas!