Spiced Pumpkin & Pecan Butter

It's happening. I caught a glimpse of a non-green leaf, the sun is looking different, days are shorter and orange is beginning to show up in my garden. No matter how hard I try to resist the pumpkin trends until September, I rarely have enough will power.
This particular recipe came to be after purchasing a jar of a similar nature at a cook/foodie haven; W-S. As I handed over way too much cash, my only thought was "I wonder if they have plastic spoons for the car ride home". I looked up many copycat recipes and made several batches, this is my favorite! I have found Effie's Nutcakes to be the perfect complement as well!

SPICED PUMPKIN & PECAN BUTTER

zest of 1/2 lemon and orange, grated finely (I also use candied peel, 1 Tablespoon each orange & lemon, I dare say it may be even better than the zest)
4 cups pumpkin or squash puree ( If using homemade puree, drain in jelly bag a few hours after roasting)
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Molasses (I use the robust or blackstrap)
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon each allspice, cloves and ginger

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook 25-30 minutes until very thick. Taste and adjust seasonings and sugar, keeping in mind the flavors will deepen upon sitting for a few days. Stir in 1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans. Fill sterilized jars and refrigerate or freeze when cooled. This recipe is not appropriate for canning as the filling cannot reach proper internal temperature. It keep about 3 months+ in fridge, at least a year in the freezer.

Green Tea Sangria

I'm making the most out of every summer minute! This sangria has been really refreshing and delicious! Maybe we can call it "healthy" and drink more of it?!?!

GREEN TEA SANGRIA
Make 1 cup of super strong green tea of choice; do not brew longer, instead use more tea leaves; I used a mango flavored green tea which was great and also jasmine green tea

SIMPLE SYRUP:
1 cup brewed green tea
1 cup sugar
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, Remove from heat and cool.

1 bottle White Bordeaux or Sauvignon Blanc of choice
1 cup green tea simple syrup
1 peach, peeled, pitted and diced
a handful of frozen grapes (these work great as they don't water down the sangria!)
1 1/2 cup club soda

Combine and let chill. Enjoy!

3 Pesto Recipes

Here are the 3 pesto recipes we made at tonight's tasting!  I hope you enjoy making some at home ! 

A few notes about ingredients;

Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford

Wash and DRY all of the herbs; herbs are strongest in the morning so consider making the pestos early in the day

You can freeze up to 1 year

Pesto lasts about 3 months in fridge, make sure to cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil after each use so it doesn't discolor

I used Parmigiano Reggiano but you could also add some Romano for a nice kick or blend the 2 cheeses

Toast all nuts before using. 300 degrees for 8 minutes 

Sage Pesto

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

2 cups sage leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese

Parsley Pesto

1 clove garlic 

1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup toasted almonds 

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese

Chervil Pesto

1 cup chervil

1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese cut in chunks

1/4 cup toasted walnuts 

3+ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

Tomato Basil Squares

I recently made this recipe after a 10 year hiatus. I can't remember why since it is so fantastic and delicious!! It was originally a Pampered Chef recipe that I made my own with a few tweaks. Hope you enjoy as tomato season is nearly upon us!

TOMATO BASIL SQUARES

1 batch your favorite pizza crust (my recipe is below)
2 cups shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (I used Four Corners Creamery, it takes 1 1/2 mozzarella balls)
¼ cup Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese, grated
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp snipped fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
4 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425°F
Roll out pizza crust on to flat baking sheet to 1 inch of edge. Bake 18-22 minutes until golden brown.
Top crust with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese; let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Combine Parm cheese, remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, basil and minced garlic and
mix well.
Slice tomatoes and arrange evenly over crust. Scoop cheese mixture over tomatoes; spread evenly. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let cool 10 minutes and slice into squares.

(FYI I'm going to try making this with smoked fresh mozzarella next time...hence the photo!)

Pizza Crust
1 cup hot tap water
1 Tablespoon INSTANT yeast (adjust accordingly for active dry)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2-3 cups flour

Throw all of the ingredients together into your mixer with a dough hook attached and mix until dough is smooth and shiny. Let rise 15 minutes and roll out.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette can be so easy and delicious you'll never want to use bottled dressing again. It really comes down to your preference, but you can adjust this recipe to be more tart or sweet by adjusting the vinegar.

HOMEMADE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
1 teaspoon whole grain or dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (I used the 20 year old we sell at The Market and it's very sweet)
1/3 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Blend mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl with a whisk. Drizzle oil in slowly, whisking constantly until oil is emulsified. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
You can sweeten up really tart vinegar by adding a teaspoon or 2 of honey, or you can tart up a sweeter vinegar by adding a teaspoon of red wine vinegar!

Chocolate Salame

This Chocolate "Salame" was fun for my holiday open house and wine tasting last week! It looks really funky and authentic and is a great conversation piece for your holiday gatherings! I revised a Nigella Lawson recipe to fit the ingredients I had on hand as well as chocolate salame I had tried in Italy. I will note my changes above Nigella's recipe posted below.

I used Callebaut 66% bittersweet chocolate, omitted all the nuts, replace the amaretti cookies with Leibniz Butter Biscuits and replaced the amaretto with cognac. The "icing sugar" is confectioners/powdered sugar and the whole string thing was quite the debacle. Honestly 5 adults got so frustrated and pissed off we ended up tying knots all the the thing to be sorta the same. Whatchagonnado? I also made mine into smaller portions and froze them wrapped in tinfoil then a ziploc, it turned out perfectly. Truly this is a make ahead, think 3 days or more in advance, to let all the flavors blend and the biscuits to soften up a bit. ENJOY!
NOTE: American conversion is listed at the end of each ingredient!!


250 grams good-quality dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped; 9oz
250 grams amaretti biscuits (crunchy, not soft) 9oz
100 grams soft unsalted butter 7 Tablespoons
150 grams caster sugar 3/4 cup
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
75 grams natural almonds (unskinned), roughly chopped 1/2 cup
75 grams hazelnuts (roughly chopped) 1/2 cup
50 grams pistachios (roughly chopped) 1/2 cup
2 tablespoons icing sugar (to decorate)


In the microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), or in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water (but not touching the water), melt the chocolate until smooth. While the chocolate’s melting, put the biscuits into a large freezer bag, seal and bash them with a rolling pin until you have a bag of rubble – not dust. When the chocolate’s melted, remove it to a cold place (not the fridge) and set aside to cool.
Cream the butter and sugar together; I do this in a freestanding mixer, but you don’t have to. You just need to use a large bowl and make sure the mixture is soft and superlight.
Gradually, and one by one, beat in the eggs. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage: all manner of ills will be righted once the chocolate is added later.) Then beat in the amaretto liqueur.
Push the cocoa powder through a little sieve or tea strainer into the cooled chocolate and, with a small rubber spatula, stir till combined, then beat this into the egg mixture, too.
When you have a smooth chocolate mixture in front of you, tip in the chopped nuts and crushed biscuits. Fold these in firmly but patiently to make sure everything is chocolate covered. Transfer this mixture, still in its bowl, to the fridge to firm up a bit for 20–30 minutes. Don’t leave it for much longer than this or it will be difficult to get out of the bowl to shape.
Unroll and slice off 2 large pieces of clingfilm, overlapping them, so that you have a large cling-covered surface to roll the chocolate salame out on. Tip the chocolate mixture out in the middle of this and – using your hands, messy though this is – mould the mixture into a fat salame-like log, approx. 30cm long.
Cover the chocolate log completely with the clingfilm, and then firmly roll it, as if it were a rolling pin, to create a smooth, rounded cylinder from the rough log you started with. Twist the ends by grasping both ends of the clingfilm and rolling the sausage-log towards you several times. Then put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours – though preferably overnight – to set.
Now – once it’s set – for the exciting bit: tear off a large piece of greaseproof paper and lay it on a clear kitchen surface. Take the salame out of the fridge and sit it on the paper. Measure out a piece of string at least 6 times longer than the length of the salame, and tie one end of the string firmly round the twisted knot of clingfilm at one end of the salame. Then trim away as much clingfilm as you can, but without cutting either of the tapered, nose ends, so that you can attach the string to these.
Dust your hands with a little icing sugar and then rub 2 tablespoons of icing sugar (more if needed) over the unwrapped salame to stop it getting sticky as you string it up. Plus it makes it look more like a salame!
Make a loop with the string, a little wider than the salame, and feed it over the end of the salame, close to where it is tied on. Pull on the trailing end to tighten (but not too tightly) and form another loop of string as before. Work this second loop around the sausage, 4cm or so further along from the first, tighten again and repeat until you reach the far end of the salame, then tie the string firmly round the other twisted nose of clingfilm.
With your remaining length of string, start to feed it back along the salame, twisting it around the encircling string each time it crosses a loop, then tie it again when you come to the end. Repeat these lengths as many times as you want, to make the authentic-looking pattern, but two or three times would be enough to get the effect.
Transfer it to a wooden board, and cut some slices, fanning them out as if they were indeed slices of salame, leaving a knife on the board, too, for people to cut further slices, as they wish. Obviously, when you cut the salame, you will cut through the string, but the many knots and twists keep it securely tied. Serve fridge cold, or very near to it.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

This Pumpkin Curry Soup has been a winter favorite of ours and went great with lighter red wines at our most recent Holiday Open House & wine tasting at The Boulevard Market!! 30 minutes is all you need to make this soup! It can also easily be vegan by replacing the heavy cream with coconut milk (sold in cans at the grocery store, unsweetened)and olive oil. I garnish it with crushed amaretti cookies or crumbled Maytag Blue depending on if you're feeling sweet or salty! Enjoy!

PUMPKIN CURRY SOUP

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon fresh Madras Curry powder
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine butter and olive oil and saute onions until soft but not browned. When onions are soft, add curry powder and saute 1 minute to release spices. Add stock & pumpkin puree and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer until soup has thickened. (You may add more or less stock depending upon desired thickness of soup) Garnish with crumbled blue cheese or crushed amaretti cookies; a lightly sweet, crunchy Italian cookie that has a distinct toasted almond flavor)

Cauliflower Soup

Last week I hosted an Open House and a Wine/Beer Tasting and served this Cauliflower Soup. It was a huge hit! For the wine tasting folks, I added a handful of chopped Keen's Farmhouse Cheddar too! I did omit the spinach....just wasn't feeling it ;) Isn't that the great thing about recipes? You can do what you like to make them yours. This is also a perfect way to use up the traditional holiday veggie/dip plate! Substitute the parsnips for celery and even add some broccoli if you've got it!

Fried Proscuitto makes a lovely garnish for this soup. Cut slices of Proscuitto in strips and saute or broil until crispy. We loved the soup with white wine! Enjoy!

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 head cauliflower, cleaned and trimmed into ½ inch florets
1 diced carrot
½ medium onion, diced
1 stalk diced parsnip
3 small red or Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
3 Tablespoons butter
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
½ cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

In large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter and sauté carrots, onions, parsnip and cauliflower until softened and slightly browned.

Add stock, and stir, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add potatoes and lower heat and simmer about 15-20 minutes. Add spinach, cook about 3 minutes and add heavy cream. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings to taste.

Remove from heat and serve.

Mothers Day Brunch Menu

Spring is such a great time to entertain and Mother's Day Brunch is one of my personal favorites. It's a time to honor (or be honored) the woman who not only gave you life, but puts up with your nonsense and still loves you! ;)

I put together this lovely little table arrangement of dishes/linens I already own;



Plaid tablecloth and Napkins- Vintage; My Mom actually bought these for me at an estate sale. We share an unreasonable love of dishes and lovely fabric.

Plates-William-Sonoma; Last year's design of yellow crackle melamine plates (I know, plastic right?! they are beautiful) as the charger and the smaller plates are their Mushroom collection.

Glasses-Duralex from France

I purchased the outdoor statue in green somewhere or another for very little and picked fresh white lilacs and put them in Weck brand canning jars.


I shared this menu with my cooking class last month and it's easy, unique and satisfying without being too sweet as many brunch menus tend to be! Here is a small collection of recipes that I will be making for Mother's Day his year!


LEMON RICOTTA MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add lemon zest and ricotta then the remainder of wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (except almonds) and add to wet, stirring until just combined.
Fill paper muffin cups and top each with a few almonds and a sprinkle of sugar. Bake 20 until barely golden brown.

GRUYERE OVEN BAKE

8 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into strips
2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
½ cup baguette bread, cut into ½ inch chunks
2 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow baking dish 9-10 inch.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended, stir in milk, nutmeg, salt, prosciutto and cheese. Pour into prepared dish.

In a small bowl combine bread cubes and olive oil and stir to coat evenly.
Spread bread evenly over egg mixture.
Bake 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown and slightly risen.




ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON SAUCE

1 ½ lbs asparagus
1 lemon, cut into quarters
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix lemon juice, oil and lemon quarters in 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add asparagus; turn to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus until crisp-tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SMASHED POTATOES WITH MUSTARD

10 small potatoes
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
3-4 Tablespoon olive oil

Boil potatoes whole until cooked through, about 15 minutes for small potatoes. Drain and allow to cool a few minutes. Using a large fork or potato masher, gently smash each potato down by about ½.
In a small bowl, combine remainder of ingredients until well blended.
In a large skillet over high heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add potatoes. When bottom has turned golden, flip and drizzle with a spoonful of vinaigrette. Remove when bottom has turned golden brown, serve immediately. Drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette while hot.

FENNEL ORANGE ONION SALAD

1 orange, skin and pith removed, slice
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and bottom sliced thinly
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Layer vegetables in a shallow dish and gently arrange until beautiful! Drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and allow to rest about 10 minutes for flavors to mingle.

Appreciating.....

It's been a bit of a week or 3. Here are just a few things I am appreciating today.

Experienced well drillers (yes, water from the ground) that can get lovely flowing water at 63 feet.




Gin....made in Deee-troit that helps immensely when you have no water.




Lipstick and pearls, helping women accept birthdays that feel somewhat less than celebratory. That Coco was brilliant.




Bugs and flower bulbs, maybe spring is really here after an extremely challenging winter.






Little dogs....Making life better everyday.

posted from Bloggeroid

Zucchini Fritters

Usually we have a few sprigs of fresh greens showing up at our farmers market by now, but the worst winter in a hundred plus years is keeping most everything still brown this year. I was so desperate I purchased some little zucchini. I wasn't really sure what I would make but had a day to decide.

I ran across a zucchini fritter recipe that was bland and green as most of them are that I've tried in the past. I came upon a recipe in a newish cookbook called "The Cheesemongers Kitchen" for zucchini fritters that contained goat gouda and WOW are they ever fantastic!!

I changed a few elements from the original recipe to suit my tastes and desires for texture and flavors. My family and cooking class has all agreed we think this is a great recipe! I am enjoying now, but I am imagining how utterly amazing they will be in August.....when it's finally warm.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

2 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
3 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped
4 ounces goat gouda, grated
Salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon sirarcha
1/4cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
Heat a few tablespoonfuls of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, drop a couple tablespoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into a patty and cook until golden brown. You can do a few at a time, but don't crowd the pan. Turn carefully and brown on other side. Drain briefly on paper towel and serve immediately.

These are wonderful served up imstead of potatoes. Enjoy!




[image_1]
[image_2]

posted from Bloggeroid

Weekly Inspiration

Just a few of the most charming things I've seen, tasted, been inspired by....

Lemon Lavender French Meringue Cookies with Pinneau des Charantes wine after supper.

A macaron packaging gift set; make you own tiny macarons and package it with pink sketched parchment paper, striped boxes, clear lids, tags and bright pink ribbon. Cutest damn thing ever....I purchased it at World Market and am going to get busy on the macarons. Cross your fingers for me, those suckers are elusive for me.

My newest obsession of blush patent leather and matte black leather handles. This handbag has a tablet pouch, zippers all the way to the bottom for easy access and a great embossed logo. I love it because I'm forever carting around wine catalogs, big cameras, all sorts of electronic devices and little dog leashes! Along with a great handbag comes a great quote I ran across years ago "Handbags; less calories than chocolate, cheaper than therapy!"

And this beauty that realized no one in this house can stand one more minute of winter and decided to blossom after being relegated to the orchid "graveyard"....thank you.

Tartiflette-Fancy name, easy delicious dish

As a "cheesemonger", I have a deep desire to make all famous cheese dishes. The cheese just begs me to create menus that make them even more fabulous! Tartiflette is just that dish. Traditionally made with Reblochon cheese from the Savoie region of France with onion, potatoes and lardons, tartiflette is basically a gratin dish with flair. Since lardons are nearly impossible to find in America and Reblochon cheese can often be bland, unripe, pasteurized versions of their French counterparts, I changed up my recipe to fit available ingredients with the best flavors. Not as traditional but absolutely fabulous and the best taste is really what I'm after!

I've given a few choices for cheese and used each of them to make Tartiflette. When shopping at your cheese shop, choose the ripest one for this dish. You'll want to pinch the cheese slightly and it should feel like pinching the fat place in your hand between thumb and first finger. A tiny bit firm in the middle surrounded by a nice squishy-ness....there, isn't that technical?

I also used fresh bacon that was not smoked. I found it at the local meat market and it is a great substitute for lardons.

TARTIFLETTE a la Boulevard Market

2 lbs. potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
8 ounces lardons or bacon or unsmoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 shallots, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
3 ounces dry white wine
7 ounces heavy cream
1 pound Reblochon, Tallegio or Pont l'eveque cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a saucepan, cover potatoes with water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and remove skins, slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and cook shallots until soft but not browned. Remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, fry bacon and garlic until just browned. Add onions back in and de-glaze pan with wine for a couple minutes. Season with salt & pepper and add heavy cream. Remove from heat.
Remove rind from cheese and cut into slices about 1/3 inch thick.
In a casserole dish, layer potatoes and bacon mixture and cheese in 2 layers topping with cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

Amazing and needs very little served with it besides a simple salad dressed with vinaigrette!

Kitchen Updates

Thinking of updating your kitchen and don't know where to begin or how you'll pay for it? Been there. Last Fall we took the plunge and I'll show you what we did!
We own a 1950's ranch home that we love, but I didn't love the custom cabinets as they had absolutely NO character. I poked around and got estimates to have them replaced and yikes. I was not going to replace all wood with particle board for $20,000.
I had both an image in my mind and a few magazine photos in my hand to begin the process and contacted a local custom trim maker who put me in touch with a cabinetry guy.

If you're in our area it's Larry Drouilliard @313.802.1219. We discussed several ideas and I also listened to his thoughts as to what might look great in my kitchen. Larry knew just what the kitchen needed to give it charm with a style that fit the space!
He custom fabricated the trim pieces and attached them to the cabinet/drawer fronts. He also custom made the wine rack to fit and the cabinet & wine rack for the microwave (more on that later). Before we purchased the house 20 years ago, someone had added a dishwasher and it looked like it. So Larry also added a "furniture" type leg to bring that more in tune with the rest of the kitchen. We purchased 2 inch crown molding and Larry custom made a trim piece to fit under the crown for more depth and interest.

I eliminated a long skinny cabinet since it was of little use and installed some book shelves and a wine rack. We also eliminated cabinets above the kitchen window and the apron on the window to give me a space to display a little something (I'm in love with battery operated remote control candles :))and the apron was customized to match the cabinet trim.

I added Martha Stewart brand cabinet and drawer pulls in a brushed nickel and painted all of the cabinets in Benjamin Moore White Cloud....I think ;). I kept my backsplash and countertop. I also kept the same paint on the walls which is Porcini Mushroom. Since we are getting ready to remodel/update the attached dining room this summer I left the floor and wall trim to be replaced with that project.

Here are some befores and afters.....












We still have a bit of work under the microwave when we remodel dining room. We will bring outlet into cabinet so it's not visible and pick up a smaller microwave...I left the insides of the new cabinets maple instead of trying to paint them and it's a nice contrast to all of the white. I may also build in tiled countertops, but I'm not too motivated after this crazy winter weather in Michigan.

Here's also a few close-ups of small drawers and what-not. Hope this inspires you to update your existing cabinets instead of replacing! Feel free to message me with any questions or give Larry a call directly if you live in the area!

French Onion Soup

French Onion soup always evokes a mental picture of a Parisian bistro with vintage tile floors and a carafe of wine for me. As Spring has been so, so, so slow to arrive we thought a steaming bowl filled with gruyere cheese would be the perfect end to the chilly, snowy day. I personally prefer a few different techniques than you usually see in common recipes. Years ago, Fine Cooking magazine, had me cooking my onions with a layer of tin foil sitting on top of the onions and WOW, it created onion ribbons that just melt in your mouth, so try this if you'd like or just go ahead and caramelize in the pan over low heat. The other thing I really love is when you pour the broth and onions over the toasted baguette slices and then top with cheese and throw under the broiler. The bread itself is tender and filling and I'm not stuck having to add flour to thicken the broth. I prefer the little heartier bites of soup, but it's personal preference!

FRENCH ONION SOUP

4 Tablespoons butter
2 large onions, sliced into ribbons
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
10 slices of baguette
1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, grated

In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter and begin cooking onions. Cook on medium about 5 minutes then cut a piece of tin foil to pit the inside of the pan. Place tin foil directly on top of onions and turn heat to low. Continue cooking about 45 minutes.

Slice baguette into 1/3 inch thick slices and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven about 20 minutes, turning once. They should be deep golden brown on both sides.

Remove tin foil and add salt, pepper and sugar to onions. Cook about 5 minutes until golden browned. Add stock, bay leaf and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprig.

In a soup bowl, lay 2 slices of baguette and pour broth and onions over bread. Top wit a generous amount of gruyere cheese and place 6 inches under the broiler. Broil until cheese is melted and turning golden brown. Bon Apetit!

Cheddar Ale Soup

The winter that won't let go....honestly it's exhausting. At least we have fabulous soup to keep us going! I used a hearty English ale called "Hobgoblin", but feel free to use what you like according to your tastes!

CHEDDAR ALE SOUP

2 leeks, sliced
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
12 ounces of beer
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound sharp cheddar (I used Welsh) grated

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add leeks, carrots and celery. Stir occasionally until vegetables have browned and softened. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add flour and stir to coat, cook 1 minute until flour has browned slightly. Add all liquids and stirring until smooth. Reduce heat to simmer adding seasonings. Begin adding cheese by the handful and allowing to melt before adding the next. Cooking about 5 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

Serve immediately, fabulous garnished with a few bits of bacon!

Chocolate Stout Cake

This recipe redefines the term "omg". I have made many a chocolate cake and by far this is the most moist and chocolate-y of them all. Even my chocoholic family members agree. So chocolate-y it doesn't even need frosting...but you may be the judge of that. My first thought is whipped cream or swiss meringue buttercream if you need to dress it up! Enjoy!

Chocolate Stout Cake

1 cup stout (I used Left Hand Milk Stout)
1 cup butter
3/4 cup +3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (I used half ditched and half natural cocoa powder)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter 2 9 inch cake pans, line bottoms with parchment.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring butter and stout to a simmer, but not boiling. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt and stir to combine.

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and sour cream until smooth, slowly add stout/butter mixture and beat until just combined. Slowly add dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
Divide batter between pans and place on large baking sheet in case of spill overs in the oven. Bake 35 minutes or until skewer in middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans 20 minutes then turn out onto parchment.

Can be made into a layer cake with a thin layer of raspberry preserves, whipped cream or chocolate ganache.

Fun & Easy Flatbread Pizzas

We recently hosted a night of pizza at The Market and I think guests were a bit surprised when I didn't pull out traditional pepperoni laden pies. I love them too, but felt like I needed to create a little something interesting to get folks talking! I decided to make a couple different flatbread pizzas that showcased cheeses that really make tasty pizzas! The flatbread pizzas cook up quickly and are easy to make individual portions with a variety of toppings to serve a crowd as a main dish or appetizer.

I used the same crust recipe for each as it's super easy and always turns out great and crispy. This recipe also lasts in the refrigerator for about a week so you can have on hand for hungry teenagers or add to another meal as bread sticks or seasoned flatbread.

CRUST
1 cup hot tap water
1 pkg quick acting yeast (I use a Tablespoon of instant yeast)
1 tsp. salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2-3 cups flour

In my KitchenAid mixer, I throw everything together with the dough hook on and allow to knead about 5 minutes until a smooth, somewhat sticky, dough has climbed up the dough hook and all flour is incorporated. I allow to rise about 15-30 minutes (that's the beauty of instant yeast) until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Using a small amount of flour, roll your dough out to desired flatbread size about 1/3 of an inch thick. Mine measure about 4X12. Bake until dough is no longer shiny but not browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven and top being careful not to overfill or they lose the crispiness. Bake an additional 5+ minutes until dough is browned and cheeses are melted. You can also choose to bake flatbread a little longer and after topping, throw under the broiler to melt cheeses. I did this recently for a dish-to-pass and browned them at the host home, it turned out really well.

TRUFFLE BIANCO FLATBREAD: ( I loved the California Pizza Kitchen one SO much, I did a bit of a copycat on this)
1 ball fresh mozzarella, grated
1/4 lb. Dolce latta Gorgonzola, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Pinch of truffle salt per pizza
several fresh sage leaves

In a small saute pan, bring about 1/2 inch of olive oil to heat and fry sage leaves until crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Top each cooked flatbread with a few tablespoons of fresh mozz, a few chunks of Gorgonzola, a good pinch of truffle salt and lay out 3-4 sage leaves on top depending on size.

CAMEMBERT, APPLE & MUSTARD FLATBREAD:
Whole Grain Mustard (I used Maille brand)
1 Apple, grated and juice squeezed out a bit (I used Honeycrisp)
1/2 lb. camembert or brie cheese, sliced into 1/4 thick slices, rind left on but could be removed
3 slices Proscuitto, sliced into ribbons

On cooked flatbread, spread a thin layer of mustard as evenly as possible but not too thick. Top with a thin layer of grated apples that you have gently squeezed the juice from, a few slices of Camembert or Brie cheese (they are the same thing) and a few ribbons of proscuitto. I like to put this one under the broiler to crisp up the proscuitto, so I bake the crusts a bit longer before topping.

I had a pizza with similar toppings in France and we all fell in love with it! A bit unusual, but definitely a favorite from our tasting :) Our favorite wine to pair with both pizzas was a White Bordeaux (100% Sauvignon Blanc) but the Sicilian red, Nero d'Avola was also great!

Enjoy!

Smoked & Pickled Green Onions

At our store, The Boulevard Market, I have hosted a seasonal series of Preserving Classes for the last few years. We create wonderful preserved foods using canning, freezing, smoking, pickling, fermenting, drying and occasionally "air exclusion" as a way to preserve the bounty of Michigan spring, summer and fall harvests. On my part, it's been fantastic to try lots of new preserving techniques and recipes, in small batches, that I might not otherwise have made. On the part of the attendees, you get to sample the finished recipes (so you know if it's to your liking) and we pair it up with other foods so you've got some serving ideas, we also keep the batches small.

Whew...all that being said, I'm forever purchasing new cookbooks/magazines/publications for inspiration and new techniques. I recently scooped up "The Preservation Kitchen" by Paul Virant with Katie Leahy as he included some really interesting recipes and is located in the midwest. I also love that fact he included many recipes to go with his preserves and that is a treasure, as creativity can often be missing with hunger.

The Smoked and Pickled Green Onion recipe was one I featured at last month's class and I have blown through the jar I made in less than 2 weeks! Here's the recipe, my way (sorry for the liberties Mr Virant):

PICKLED SMOKED ONIONS

30 green onions, cleaned and tossed with a teaspoon of vegetable oil
1 ¼ cup Champagne Vinegar
1 ¼ cup water
3 Tablespoons Honey
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
6 Sprigs thyme

Bring vinegar, water, honey and salt to a boil, turn to low to keep hot.

You can use a traditional smoker to smoke onions, or the cheaters way, which I did. I filled the bottom of an old 9X13 pan with applewood chips to just cover bottom of pan. I put the pan on the grill racks of my gas grill and heated to very hot. As soon as the wood in the pan started to smoke, I place the green onions on the rack above the pan and cooked them about 12 minutes until a bit softened and slightly yellowed.

Sterilize a quart jar or 2 pint jars, warm lids. Pack hot onions into jars, add a few sprigs of washed thyme and fill with vinegar combination, leaving a ½ inch headspace.

Finger tighten rings and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes, or allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate up to 2 months.

Here are some photos of my cheater smoker. There is no need to purchase any fancy smoker box. I routinely use an old 9X13 pan for light smoking grilled food. (Remember this is not the same technique for preserving food by smoking) Since I have plenty of fruit trees that I grow without pesticides, I save my apple, pear, plum trimmings and allow to dry in the shed or garage for use in the traditional smoker or on the grill.



I fell in love with Mr Virant's Salsa Verde for using these onions;

1 cup S&P Onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh italian parsley
1/2 cup fresh tarragon, chervil or chives (or a combo)
2 Tablespoons capers, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

At the class I made a fresh chevre (goat cheese) quiche to pair with...delicious!!

I hope you take a bit of time to preserve your own harvest this year! There is nothing in the world like opening a jar of summer during the nastiest of January days!

Wine Tasting Notes; Chateau d'Angles Oorain-Victoria

Well balanced, fruit forward, supple tannins, dried figs, earthy.....

What does this gibberish mean to you? Seriously. This is the first post I've created to be about wine and what I'm tasting/drinking these days.

A little disclaimer before we proceed;
I hear the above comments everyday from wine salespeople and read many reviews online at various wine critic sites and what does it really mean to you? One of our key objectives at The Market when selling wine is to find a wine you might like to drink and sell it to you. I cannot stand a snippy little wine person that sniffs when you describe what you want. But I am also honest when I say, "live a little" there is an amazing world of wine out there that you may be surprised at what you like. The wine spectrum does not culminate at "I only drink red". Why? When it's 90 degrees in Michigan I cannot think of anything more repulsive than a heavy, high alcohol, red wine. Even our Italian winemakers will throw red wine to chill during the hot weather or drink a lovely dry rose. Hmmmm. I am not judgmental when it comes to wine. I like all types of wine because each is made to represent something special and work with certain foods, temperatures, etc.

The other main point I would like to make is this; there is tasting and there is drinking....these are not the same things. The next time you attend some wine tasting, I urge you to discover possibilities. Is it possible that the wine you're sampling might be amazing with dessert? Or fish? Or sitting by the fire? Or relaxing on the patio? Why do I like it? Why do I not like it? This analytical tasting will create more success for you in purchasing/drinking and knowing what you do/don't like in wines.

I do not mean this to be a critique of wine but simply a fun description and what I'm experiencing. By no means am I an expert in wine, I simply taste.


CHATEAU D'ANGLES OORAIN-VICTORIA LUXE D'EXCEPTION

This wine caught my eye in one of my distributor's catalogs for 3 reasons, it is made by Eric Fabre who was Technical Director at Château Lafite Rothschild (oh yes, that means winemaker), it comes from one of my personal favorite wine regions of France (la Clape which is now an AOC) and it is red wine made with Maple Syrup. Weird. (#4; and it has a really cool label)

Mainly Syrah (shiraz) with a bit of Grenache and about 10% Maple Syrup (French spelling maple sirop). How can this be? And it's only 13% alcohol so it's not fortified like a Port. After reading a bit of background, it's a collaboration between Fabre and Oorain brands Victoria, a chocolate and confections maker from France.

I was actually quite surprised upon tasting that this wine isn't very sweet. It's more of a concentrated fruit style wine with lots of dried fig notes, distinct maple syrup flavors mid-palatte that disappear quickly and some tannins (that dry feeling) that give the whole wine structure and interest. It's nice and earthy like I expected from this region, yet elegant. The overall impression is rich flavor, a bit velvety and a great lingering taste. I like it very much. I also like the fact that it has some staying power once opened (I opened it the day before I had the flu and 7 days later its still very nice. I would drink this wine as an aperitif, in place of dessert or with a rich oozing chocolate dessert. It would also be incredibly lovely with a cheese plate. Stinky French cheeses of course :)

If you're interested in trying a bottle of your own, give me a call at The Market 517.423.6000 and we can special order it for you. The going price is going to be around $34, so not cheap, but far from expensive given the quality and interesting nature. Being an 06 vintage I think it's best to be drunk now, but I'm not great at determining cellaring, I think the color looks a bit off of garnet and that's usually a decent observation as to how long lasting it will be. (there are tons of online experts to help with that!)

Have a great weekend...and drink some fun wine!!