French Fridays with Dorie: Warm Weather Vegetable Pot au Feu

SUMMER VEGETABLE SOUP WITH HARD BOILED EGG AND CORN CAKE

I don’t get mad very often, but yesterday I felt the steam coming out of my ears.  

We have two large refrigerators.  I know, the kids are all on their own and it is just hubby and I, but because we are foodies we need to keep 2 fridges well stocked with a variety of about everything.  I can’t imagine that we’ll ever downsize.  One fridge, the one that only I am allowed to use, at least that’s what I tell everyone, is part of our outdoor kitchen.  One advantage to living in sunny Arizona is that we dine on the patio almost every day.  Ten years ago we added a complete outdoor kitchen where I love preparing our summer meals.

Because I feed so many people almost every day, (just because the kids have moved out does not mean that they don’t love coming home for dinner)  I need some organization.  The inside fridge is a free-for-all.  Whatever is there is up for grabs.  But whatever is in “my” fridge is waiting for my planned cooking through the week.  It is off limits.   If I have shopped for a special “Dorie” cooking item, it is put away in my fridge and it had better be their when I go to get it.  “My” fridge also has the most fun items: the cookie dough, special cheeses, fresh berries...so it is often raided by gremlins, but never by my children.

Well, yesterday, I went out to get some lovely fresh green beans that I had planned to use for dinner.  Somebody...and no one will confess...filled “my” fridge with cans of soda that must have needed quick chilling because the temperature was turned down so cold that everything had turned to ice.  All my lovely fresh fruits and veges...carrots, strawberries, peppers, cukes, beans, etc were all hard as rocks and covered in ice crystals.  I almost screamed.

ALL THE SOUP INGREDIENTS ARE CLEANED AND CHOPPED

The veges would either need to be tossed or turned to soup.  I turned to our FFwD recipe list and what do you know?  Warm-Weather Vegetable Pot-au-Feu.  Well it is warm weather...just over 100^ today.  And vegetable soup is exactly the recipe I needed.  Thankfully Dorie gives leeway ... so I retrieved frozen veges from my fridge and made this lovely soup.  My cooking process was very similar to the recipe...just that egg thing again.  I know that many folks love runny yolks, but no one here fits that category.  So, with one hour before 5 extras would arrive for dinner, I decided to try Dorie’s vegetable soup and to use some of my frozen peppers I chose to fry corn cakes as a side.

After preparing and chopping all my veges, I drizzled a little oil in my heated pot before adding minced garlic.  Then I added the veges that would need the longest cooking time: carrots, onions and sweet potatoes.

EGGS ARE COOKING WITH THE SOUP

Next, after adding the broth and seasonings of parsley, salt, and pepper, I washed six eggs and added them to the broth, bringing the mixture, with the whole eggs to a boil.  I had learned to boil the eggs in the broth from the Amish people who we used to visit in Lancaster County, PA, which is close to York where Hubby grew up.  Just cooks everything together without dirtying a second pot.  (I had decided to try adding hard boiled eggs to our soup.)

Then I added the potatoes, mushrooms, and cabbage.  When these veges were almost soft I added the leek.  Last, I added chopped chard from my garden.

I did not want my asparagus to get too cooked so I steamed it separately, then placed a couple of spears in the bottom of each soup bowl, and finally added the soup topped with garnishes.

THIS SOUP IS ALMOST READY

While the soup simmered for just a few minutes (it cooked quickly as I had chopped my veges into small pieces as some of my tasters would be my little grandkiddies) I made my corn cakes.

The soup was almost done when I gave it a taste and removed my hard boiled eggs which I peeled.  The strongest flavor was the garlic...overpowered everything else.  Not what I wanted.  So I added more broth and a few more a each of the fast cooking vegetables.  The soup simmered for an additional 5 minutes, and when finished it was excellent.  I think the soup would have been prettier if I had cut the veges, such as the carrots, into larger pieces.

I had been a little nervous about serving a hot soup and a hot AZ day.  But everyone really liked the it and enjoyed a healthy meal.  And if I dream up something else to make with the rest of those frozen-now-thawing veges tomorrow, I will have used most of them rather than letting them go to waste, and  that helps me feel lots better.

FRYING THE CORN CAKES

If you’d like to try the corn cakes which are a great summer item, I have included the recipe.

This recipe makes 16 corn cakes...enough to feed whoever might drop in for dinner.  These cakes go well with Mexican foods, BBQ, chili, and they were actually really good with today’s vegetable soup.

Ingredients:
6 C         fresh or frozen corn
1 ½ C     butter, softened
2/3 C      sugar
2 t           salt
2 C         masa harina (corn flour)
½ C        flour
½ -3/4 C    red and green peppers, diced
1/4 C     onion, diced
fresh ground pepper to taste

Additions of items like  jalapeno pepper, lime juice, chopped cilantro, are also tasty.

Also need a couple of Tablespoons of oil to grease the skillet (my cast iron skillet works best).

Directions:
Place 4 C of the corn in food processor and puree.  Add butter, sugar, and salt; mix.  

In a large bowl, place masa harina and flour, whisk together.  Stir in remaining corn.  Fold in wet ingredients from the food processor.  

Heat the skillet to medium, form corn cakes by hand using about ½ cups for each.  Drop into heated, greased skillet.  Cook each side until golden brown.  Depending on size, each cake will take about 5-10 minutes to cook and be browned on both sides.  (Too high of heat will blacken the corn cake outsides without cooking the middle due to the butter will burning quickly.)

French Friday with Dorie: Cardamom Rice Pilof & Carol's White Rolls

CARDAMOM RICE PILOF IS A SIDE WITH OUR DINNER

OUR FAVORITE WHITE ROLLS--RECIPE FROM CAROL YOUNG

The cardamom rice almost wasn’t.  Just for effect, I was close to adding ground cardamom spice to the rice when I decided to try one more specialty store.  I’d already driven to 6 different markets, hoping to find cardamom seeds somewhere...some of these were high end specialty markets, but no....and their “customer service” desks did not know what I was talking about, although most offered to place a special order for me.  If I’d prepared my ingredients in advance, I could have shopped the internet, but I was collecting my items last minute.  Dorie wrote about 2 different colors of seed pods, white and green...she prefers the green, but I’ve never seen any at all.

Hubby actually suggested the specialty store.  Sometimes he’s quite brilliant.  And I found them.  A lovely jar of green seed pods at a shocking price. $13.  These had better be good.  And at the price of gas these days, the actual price can add about 50 miles worth of run-around gas looking for these  pods.

GREEN CARDAMOM PODS NEED TO BE OPENED TO RETRIEVE THE SPICE THEY HOLD

THE SMALL BLACK SEEDS HAVE BEEN FREED FROM THEIR PROTECTIVE PODS

 I followed the recipe carefully as I really did not know what to expect with this one.  We are huge fried rice fans at our house, but this is a pilaf and quite unlike our usual rice dishes.  The ingredient list and “how to” were simple enough, but this cardamom pod spice, where the seeds first need to be loosed from their pods by crushing the pods with a mortar and pestle, had this unusual step.  And when the little seeds are removed from the pods they must be bruised  with the pestle, releasing maximum flavor.  Well, it sounded fussy and I’ve never tasted these seeds, so I knew I should be careful.

Actually, any chance to use my little mortar and pestle is always fun.  After crushing the pods, the little seeds, about the size and shape of mustard seeds, spilled out.

I was curious as to what these exotic seeds would additionally complement, so I tasted a couple of the seeds and was surprised by the flavor...not like the smell.  They were a bit minty.  And they were hard.  I wondered if they would remain hard or cook to a soft state with the rice.

After bruising the seeds they were added whole to the rice-onion mixture.  Then the doorbell rang and by the time I opened the door I could smell the aromatic perfume coming from the kitchen...lovely.  

DO YOU SEE THE BLACK CARDAMOM SEEDS?

My Turkey grandson, 3 years old, had come to help me cook and he was quickly designated as the official rice taster.  I figure if kids like the pilaf, anyone will like it.  And he did.

RICE MIXTURE WILL SIMMER FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES

This rice dish does not stand alone as a meal as does our usual fried rice which includes a variety of veges and maybe meat.  Turkey and I decided to make a meal that would complement the pilaf.  It’s a beautiful day so Turkey and I decided to grill salmon.  And he just loves asparagus so that was also added to our menu.

HERE IS OUR DINNER:

TURKEY'S FAVORITE VEGETABLE

OUTDOOR GRILLED SALMON

TURKEY WORKED HARD TO MAKE OUR PIE

TURKEY'S PIE

FROM TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT:  CARDAMOM RICE PILOF

MY SLICE OF TURKEY'S PIE

I read the spice jar and learned that this spice is often used with curry dishes or sweet potatoes.  The crushed seeds can also be added to baked goods, coffee, bbq sauces, and pickle recipes.  Dorie suggests other dishes that go well with the cardamom seeds and salmon happens to be included in her list.

What I do like about this rice besides the lovely flavor is that it does not need a gravy or sauce or butter...it is flavorful and moist on its own.  The cardamom flavor is noticeable yet not overwhelming, making this rice a good accompaniment to many other foods.                 

Notes:  I cooked our pilaf using chicken stock instead of water; the recipe gives a choice.  I was pleased to note that the cardamom spice paired well with the chicken stock as I commonly use ground cardamom as I would cinnamon or other baking spices; most often in baked goods.

TURKEY IS ENJOYING HIS DINNER!

OUR FAVORITE WHITE DINNER ROLL RECIPE:

Soft , Melt-In-Your-Mouth, White Crescent Dinner Rolls
My friend, Carol Young, honestly makes the world’s best dinner rolls.

A few months ago I visited Carol with perfect timing...just as she had made four pans of rolls that had almost risen enough to bake...and being the true friend she is, she parted with a pan which I took home, baked in my oven, and then shared with my daughter, Stephy-Wephy who had company visiting for the weekend.  The rolls instantly disappeared, except for one, which Steph hoarded for herself.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, the roll was forgotten and not discovered until almost a week later.

If  this roll were one of my homemade rolls, after a week it would have been hard-as-a-rock or inedible for a number of reasons, but not Carol’s.  It was still soft and delicious.  Unbelievable.  Steph had to know how this roll was made.  Our family recipe is so good fresh from the oven, however, the next day, our rolls really are day-old-rolls; no longer eaten with enthusiasm.  When I asked Carol what makes her rolls so exceptional, she mentioned that it might be the 6 eggs called for in her recipe.  I’m sure eggs fresh from her own backyard chickens do make a difference, however, we were sure there was something more.

Carol was kind enough to give us the recipe and Steph made the rolls that week as part of a special dinner.  Her results, however, did not produce the same exceptional rolls that Carol had made.  They were flat (because the dough is kept so soft), and not fluffy melt-in-your-mouth as Carol’s were.  We make lots of bread at our house, but this recipe baffled us.

This morning Carol agreed to give us private tutoring on how to make her delicious melt-in-your-mouth rolls.   Steph, with guidance from Carol, did the work, and I watched and took careful notes.

Carol advises starting the roll making process by doing 3 things:
1.    Scald 2 Cups milk using medium high heat
2.    Grow the yeast (3 T. Dry Yeast and 1 T. Sugar in 1 C. Warm Water) for 10 minutes
3.    Crack the 6 eggs into the mixer bowl and beat for a minute

Then add 1 C. High Gluten Bread Flour to the eggs and beat again.  (Gives adequate ingredient volume tp bring down the temperature of the mixture when the warm milk is added.)
Next, add the yeast and mix.

Remove the hot milk from the heat and add 1 C. Butter, stirring  until melted.  Add 2 t. Salt and 1 C Sugar to the milk mixture and stir until dissolved.  Let stand until just warm so that the hot milk does not kill the yeast or cook the eggs when added to the egg mixture.

Combine the milk mixture to the mixer bowl with the egg mixture.  Add 4 more cups high gluten flour.

Mix this combination for 1 minute, or until well combined.  Then keeping this very soft dough in the mixer bowl,  let it rest, or become a sponge, for about 20 minutes.  (Our family recipe does not call for this “sponge” step for dinner rolls.)  Making the sponge decreases the amount of flour needed for the dough by at least ½ cup.

When the dough has grown into a airy sponge, mix in enough additional flour that the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl during additional mixing.  The dough will be soft and sticky.  The total amount of flour will be about 9 ½ cups.  Machine knead for 7-8 minutes, developing the gluten .  Add just enough flour as needed to keep the dough mixing and coming away from the bowl sides yet keeping the dough sticky.

DOUGH BALL RISING

After the dough has risen until doubled, divide into fourths.  Place the four quite soft dough balls on a greased counter to rise again, for about 20 minutes.  Spray plastic wrap with oil (such as Pam) and use it to cover the dough balls.

GENTLY ROLLED OUT AND CUT OUT  INTO "PIZZA SLICES", STEPH IS AGAIN GENTLY ROLLING EACH SLICE INTO A CRESCENT ROLL SHAPE

TUCK THE TAILS UNDER THE ROLLS FOR PRETTIER BAKING

Then, on a greased or lightly floured surface, gently roll or pat out each dough ball making a 12"to 14" circle which will be about ½" thick.  Slather, by hand, softened butter to cover the dough circle.  Then, with a pizza cutter, cut 12 pizza-style slices from each round to make large dinner rolls, or cut 16 slices if making party size rolls.  (4 X 12 = 48 dinner rolls.  4 X 16 =64 party size rolls).

JELLY ROLL SIZE PANS WITH LIDS ARE A PERFECT, UNDISTURBED PLACE FOR THESE ROLLS TO RISE

Beginning with the wide end, roll each slice very gently into crescent  shapes.  Keep the roll loose so that the inside can have space to also rise really well and be airy.  Place rolls on a greased baking sheet, tucking their skinny tails down under the bottom of each roll...keeps those thin ends from lifting up during the baking process.  (Cookie sheets with lids work great)  Let rise for more than an hour...on a cooler day 2 hours is best.  (This step is unusual as we rise our family roll recipe for 20-30 minutes before baking, just until double.  If our rolls rise for this amount of time, they will actually deflate while baking or have extra large air pockets which are not desirable.)

THESE LIGHT AND AIRY ROLLS ARE OVEN READY

After the rolls have risen to a fluffy, airy state, preheat the oven to350^.  Bake these rolls for only 8 minutes on the bottom oven rack, or until just brown.  (Turn pans around ½ way through the baking process.) (This is a shorter baking time than our usual recipe)   Upon removing from the oven, brush rolls with soft butter.

INSIDE THE OVEN, THE ROLLS RISE EVEN MORE

If storing these rolls is desired, pre-bake the rolls only 5 minutes, then cool and freeze on the baking sheets.  Individually frozen rolls can then be  transferred to plastic bags.  Re-heat in 350^ oven on baking sheets  about 2-3 minutes, or just until warmed through.

PERFECTION!

WHITE ROLLS
CAROL YOUNG

Ingredient List:

2 C.      Scalded Milk
1 C.     Sugar
1 C.      Butter
2 t.        Salt
1 C.      Warm Water
3 T.       Dry Yeast
1 T.       Sugar
6           Eggs, Beaten
10 C.    High Protein (bread) Flour        (Note: 9 ½ actually used when we made this dough)

Baked Sunday Mornings: Cowboy Cookies

CRISPY ON THE OUTSIDE--GOOEY AND CHEWY ON THE INSIDE

I confess.  I am the cookie monster.  Favorite food in all the world is cookies.  Favorite item to bake is cookies.  So many different flavors, ingredients, textures....ahhhhhh...puts me into a heavenly state just thinking about them (I admit I have a plate with several different varieties of freshly baked cookies, including Cowboy Cookies, right next to me and they are disappearing as I type up this post.)

Part of why I love Christmas so much, and every other holiday for that matter, is the cookies.  Most weeks I go through 6 to 8 pounds of pure, wonderful butter just for cookies.  When guests come to stay I place baskets of cookies on their pillows.  When friends need cheering I take them cookies.  I mail them away to kids away at college.  I take them to share during my adult Sunday school classes (adults are always amazed...they expect that teachers will bring treats for kids, but adults are usually left out), and I make them just for fun to have on my kitchen table so that anyone who comes can have a choice of cookies to munch any time night or day.    Maybe it is the grandmother in me, but the older I get, the more cookies I bake.

READY FOR THE OVEN--I'M INTERESTED TO LEARN HOW SALTY THESE PRETZELS MAKE THESE COOKIES

It was easy to get excited to bake Cowboy Cookies.  I read the ingredient list to determine if any shopping was needed...all usual items, but the list made me smile.  I really love oats with chocolate chips.  Adding a yolk to a whole egg was unusual...the rest of the recipe, except for the pretzels, is very similar to my usual oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Nice to try new things!  I just love trying something different that I end up loving...such is the case with these cookies.

Today was my monthly volunteer day for the Town of Gilbert, AZ.  I spent the morning preparing a presentation for tonight’s Heritage District meeting which began after work...5:30...when everyone really wanted to go home and eat dinner.  Bad time for another meeting.  So to keep attenders awake and lively I decided to bring sugar in the form of cookies.  I baked the usual chocolate chip, then Russian Tea Cakes (or Mexican Wedding Cakes...seems to be similar, but with my Russian daughters we call the cookies "Russian"), Pumpkin White and Dark Chips Cookies (the favorite of our Town Counsel person), Coconut Macaroons, Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies (using Trader Joe’s bittersweet 17 oz. chocolate bar with almonds; the whole bar) ...one of my personal favorites, and today’s new recipe, the Cowboy Cookies  which, for me, are unusual due to the addition of pretzels.

And now, in a state of heaven (reveling in my sugar high), I am enjoying a few left over cookies, which, before bed, will send me into a state of euphoria and bliss and happy dreams for the night.

MOUNDS OF HEAVEN FRESH FROM THE OVEN

Back to the Cowboy Cookies.  I pointed out the cookies to those attending the meeting and explained that they are made with pretzels rather than nuts.  No one had ever tried cookies with pretzels previously, so everyone was anxious to taste this new recipe.  (And with all the nut allergies these days the pretzels are a good idea for group use.)  

Did the group like the Cowboy Cookies?  100%...everybody consumed more, and then more, and at the close of the meeting, several  attenders wrapped up more in napkins to take home to waiting spouses...I thought that was so nice and, of course, the spouses should have their chance to try cookies with pretzels too.  The other cookies were appreciated and enjoyed, but the “pretzel” cookies were the hit.  They were unusual and scrumptious.  They were just a bit crispy on the outside and chewey-gooey on the inside.  Because the butter used was still cold rather than room temperature, the cookies did not flatten while baking...kept a rounded shape which also distinguished them from their neighboring chocolate chip cookies.

Downstairs in our meeting building is a European bakery.  You should see the cases of beautiful desserts.  Over-The-Top-Overwhelming.  The Cowboy Cookies received what I considered to be a huge compliment as several meeting attenders suggested that the European Bakery should purchase Cowboy Cookies from me for their bakery case.  I just laughed this off by saying that my homemade cookies would never rise up to the fancy bakery confections.  But the committee members tasting my cookies told me that these kind of cookies are what people really want...good homemade fresh baked goods, and I was assured that the Cowboy Cookies would score high.  I’m glad they were so enjoyed.

MY NEW "GOODWILL" PLATE...STOPPED IN YESTERDAY AND FOUND A FEW PLATES AT $.49 EACH JUST SO I CAN HAVE A VARIETY OF "PHOTO PLATES"...NOT THAT MY POINT-AND-SHOOT PHOTOS ARE GREAT, BUT JUST FOR FUN

And, it’s a personal treasure to have a new cookie recipe  added to my loved and desired cookie list.  These cookies are a hit.  They are easy to make, satisfy even the big men... even those wild west Arizona cowboys in our lives, and are delicious.  For the meeting I did not make huge cookies...used a smaller sized scoop that holds a couple of Tablespoons of dough, but I thought they baked up into a nice size.  I doubled the recipe and got 4 X the cookies.  Perfect size for a 2 bite cookie.  THIS ONE'S A KEEPER!

French Friday with Dorie: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad

SIMPLY DELICIOUS SPRING SALAD

This week's recipe is a exceptional spring salad that is both satisfying and delicious.  One of Hubby’s favorite vegetables is asparagus; always requested as an important part of his special springtime birthday meal.  Bacon  adds great flavor and crunch, the nuts and nut oil vinaigrette were a great alternative to our usual salad ingredients, and an added boiled egg helped make this salad, with its lovely greens, on its own,  a satisfying meal.

Stephy-Wephy and her precious little Honey also came to try this salad meal which seemed perfect after a long work day.



HONEY'S FAVORITE PART IS THE ASPARAGUS...CARRIED IT AROUND FOR AN HOUR



We followed the recipe with minor exceptions, and for the nuts we chose walnuts with the complementing walnut oil for the vinaigrette...it was delicious.  Our exception to the recipe was to hard boil the egg where Dorie chooses to have a softer yolk.

One of my favorite childhood memories is picking fresh asparagus from my great-grandmother's garden or along the nearby irrigation ditch banks.  Grandma lived alone in her farmhouse where she tended her amazing vegetable garden which ran along the entire south side of her house.  Every spring the tender asparagus shoots immerged after the winter snows and we anxiously waited for them to become mature enough to snap off for dinner.   Grandma always wore a dress, usually black, and nylon hose, an apron, and black grandma shoes with heels, and she also wore a hairnet which protected her hair-do through all the day's chores.  And she wore this attire when she mowed her expansive lawn with a push mower and even when she watered and weeded her garden. 

The farmer sun had wrinkled her skin so badly that I could pinch the loose skin on her old arms and it would stay in pinched position for ten or fifteen seconds.  Grandmother laughed with me when I made this happen, but I knew I would never get so old that I would have wrinkles that could stay pinched on my arms like hers.  After several pickings through the spring we tired of this vegetable and went on to her garden's other offerings, however, the asparagus continued to mature through the summer.  I remember often skipping  through the garden and being struck by the whipsy, fairylike, feathery, slender branches that actually formed airy as-tall-as-me-shrubs that did not resemble the asparagus at all.  How did the tender shoots that we loved to eat transform into these fluffy bushes?  And now, every time I eat asparagus I have these memories:  Grandma, her welcoming home, her garden, and laughing at things that seemed so funny with one of my very favorite people.

Back to our salad:  Hubby was surprised by how substantial our salad meal was, and Honey especially loves patio dining...her favorite part was also the asparagus...must be in the genes.

GOOD GIRL...ASPARAGUS IS FINALLY EATEN AND ENJOYED

This salad would also be great with additional veges, a variety of nuts, dried fruits, or small cheese pieces...did I mention that Stephy-Wephy wanted more flavor so she added feta cheese...and when she made the addition, we all followed her lead, and highly recommend feta cheese as another tasty add-in for this salad.

DELICIOUS SPRING MEAL

Very nice to have a healthy, easy, and beautiful meal on a perfect Spring day.  We'll do this again soon.

French Friday with Dorie: Spinach and Bacon Quiche

QUICHE IS WARM OUT OF THE OVEN AND READY TO EAT

Every now and then my kitchen hobbies are  prepared with exactly the correct timing.  Sometimes I get crazy in the kitchen and end up with so many baked products that I wonder who will ever eat them all.  Stressful days produce more need for kitchen time, thus more goodies to consume.  It was one of those days.  So, I tackled the quiche as part of my therapy.  Quiche always feels like breakfast food to me...I know this is not true, but especially this one with bacon and eggs...it just seemed like I was making it during the wrong time of day.

THIS CRUST RECIPE ALWAYS ROLLS OUT NICELY

Several years ago we adopted two girls out of a Moldovan (part of the old USSR) orphanage.  They have grown up and are on their own.  One is finishing her university studies in another state.  And, just as I was pulling the quiche out of the oven, she walked into the kitchen with her Russian boyfriend...what a surprise!  They had unexpectedly come to stay for several days before Summer school classes begin.  Thank goodness I had the quiche!  And let me tell you, Russians love eggs and anything made with eggs.

CRUST FITTED INTO TART PAN

 

VEGES ARE THE MAIN INGREDIENT

When our 2nd Russian daughter made it home to our family she struggled with our American food.  She had very little to eat and no variety of foods to learn to enjoy in the orphanage where she had lived from about 3 years of age...and now she was 15 and wanted independence, and had come to live with a family she could not understand; she thought she’d never be able to learn English, and we had an abundance of strange food, ...it was hard.  But she discovered eggs.  Eggs had been a neglected part of her diet, and they are an important ingredient in most common Russian foods.  They are added to salads and other traditional foods of all kinds as well as being used in ways similar to how we use them.  (A Russian friend just shared a salad with me this week made from eggs, fresh beets, potatoes, peas, and corn...all chopped to match the size of the peas and mixed with mayo.)

WITH PARM CHEESE ON TOP THIS QUICHE IS OVEN READY

 These daughters had never been in a kitchen and never had the opportunity to cook anything, but after being here for about a week, this 2nd RU daughter learned how to fry eggs.  She was now independent in a new way.  She could cook.  And she could make something she had dreamed about for years.  So fry eggs she did.  7 dozen in one week.  She ate every one.  I remember wondering how long this egg eating would go on and worrying about having to deal with  a cholesterol problem.  Now we all laugh about the dozens of eggs she ate in a short period of time.

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN--SMELLS TERRIFIC AND BAKED BEAUTIFULLY

So, I knew the quiche would be a treat for my starving daughter and her friend after their 13 hour drive.  They loved it.  It was perfect.  They want the recipe.  (This #1 RU daughter hasn’t an interest in cooking much more than makeing pancakes...and she eats them by the dozens....and she can laugh with us about that.  But we are proud of her for many different things, including her university studies.)  It made me happy that she would want the recipe and that she enjoyed the quiche so much.  Maybe we’ll make it again while she is here, together.

I LOVE ALL THE VEGES!

I did get a taste of the quiche before it was devoured.  I liked the generous amount of spinach and onion mixture in comparison to the amount of eggs and cheese.  I liked the flavor of the bacon, and the Parmesan cheese on top was perfect and browned nicely.  I thought the quiche was delicious and my Russians honestly want more.

MY PIECE...ALL THE REST VANISHED VERY QUICKLY

One of the greatest joys of cooking is bringing family together and pleasing them with our foods.  Sometimes a special dish adds to fond memories, and I know that when my college daughter has quiche again, good feelings of home and family will come to her mind.  Since she enjoyed the quiche so much, I'll know for sure what to make for her the next time she comes home.

Baked Sunday Mornings: Tomato Soup Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

SECRET INGREDIENT:  TOMATO SOUP

The Epicurean Table that "there were those who believed this enticing, bright red fruit had aphrodisiac powers, as did the French, who called it pomme d'amour or love apple though this is believed to be an alteration from the Spanish pome dei moro or apple of the moors."   With the red color and spice combination I was expecting something like love or party.  

The first canned tomato soup became available in 1876 and creative cooks have been finding ways for its use since that time.  And creative is what this recipe is. Sometimes I wonder who thinks up recipes that use unusual ingredients.  In the case of this cupcake recipe using tomato soup, I wonder if Campbell’s had a bake-off during the depression era when home bakers found ways to use pantry items creatively.  I know that I, personally, would have never dreamed up using a couple of cans of tomato soup as a major ingredient in cakes.  I wonder if someone made a mistake and it turned out OK???  Just wondering.  (Tomato Soup Cakes seem to have been popular back during The Great Depression.)

I love other veges in cakes like carrot cake or zucchini cake, and a fall favorite is pumpkin cake.   Even though these ingredients seem normal to me for cake, I know that they are not normal for baking use in other countries.  When we have had dinner guests from Asia or Eastern Europe, my ingredient list baffles them.

THEY DISAPPEARED WITHIN THE HOUR

When I challenged hubby to figure out the strange ingredient when he was acting as a taster for this recipe he guessed pumpkin...I told him to look better at the color and he asked if it had pureed carrot; he would have never guessed tomato.

I noticed the tomato flavor as a bit of after taste, but the cupcake as a whole reminded me more of a spice cake.  The Mascarpone Cheese frosting was a nice addition and was a good choice to compliment the tomato soup cupcake flavor.

We had extra tasters; family and friends coming home for semester break at college, and they all loved the cupcakes. My Frolicking Night Owl daughter stopped by for a taste and we agreed that this tomato cupcake would be a good addition to our Fall fare...the color and spice flavors compliment the usual October-November baking flavors.

It was fun to bake these cupcakes and to see if anyone could guess the tomato addition...no one did...but I’ll probably let this recipe sit until the holidays and on a day when I feel rather adventurous, I’ll make them again.   Or, if one of the grandkiddies has not been eating their vegetables, maybe we’ll have to sneak tomato soup into their cakes sometime soon.

GOOD ENOUGH FOR HOLIDAY BAKING

French Friday with Dorie: Tourteau de Chevre

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE BAKING WITH GOAT CHEESE

I usually steer away from anything with goat cheese or goat anything.  In my recent past I’ve tried some really nasty stuff, including some horrible goat yogurt at a taster kiosk in Costco...it was so bad that they drowned it in sweet honey to show how to eat and enjoy it...it was still terrible.

SOFT FRESH GOAT CHEESE--PRODUCT OF FRANCE

I kept thinking that I would just use cream cheese when making the Tourteau de Chevre, and I convinced myself it would work just fine.  But I was looking through the specialty cheeses at the grocery store; actually looking for something else, when there it was...the soft goat cheese, and it talked to me.  It said, “Part of why this Dorie experience is appealing to you is it MAKES you try different ingredients...it causes you to stretch and learn and to actually find  new foods to add to your repertoire....so, buy me and use me, not cream cheese, in this recipe.”

READY FOR THE OVEN--I THOUGHT THE CRUST MIGHT SHRINK A BIT, BUT NOT ENOUGH

I said, “No!  I will hate you and you will waste my $$.”  But that pretty package of goat cheese jumped into my shopping bag and came home with me and made it into my Tourteau......I seriously had no control.

JUST OUT OF THE OVEN

The tort baked nicely.  It actually smelled good and looked rustically pretty.   I just did not think about that nasty cheese; put it out of my mind. 

But then it was time to take it out of the oven...so I did and I set it up on a shelf, away from me, to cool.  I would just forget about it.  Someone else would have to taste it and tell me what to post.

Well, except for honey (yes it is Wednesday...my favorite day of the week), I was the only one home and it was getting late and then getting later, and I started talking to myself.  I knew that somebody needed to try it.  If I tried it I could just prove that it is disgusting and take it to the trash...or maybe to the neighbors who gave me a week’s worth of eggs from their hens...it was their eggs that had all been ruined in this Tourteau.

HONEY LOVES THE GOAT CHEESE TORT--SHE'S MUCH BRAVER THAN I

One more option: Honey could try it.  She likes everything, but I just knew she would hate it and prove me right.  I gave her a bite and she made the noises that signal she wants more.  Well, this proved nothing.  I caught her eating dirt earlier when we were outside watering my flowers.  And then I picked a Mandarin orange and I peeled it for her, but she wanted the peelings and not the good part.  Can’t trust her.

I started pacing around the kitchen...my circle grew to include the family room.  OK...I’ll just take a photo.  I had to slice it to see how the inside looked.  Nice.  The goat cheese filling looks lots like Dorie’s photo with one problem... I did not know how far up the side of the spring form pan to place the crust...and I thought the filing would rise a bit higher and become one with the crust, but no, I made my crust go up too high. (Maybe I did not read carefully enough.)  But that’s OK...just looks more rustic and no one around here will know what it should look like...I will just hide the recipe book with Dorie’s photo. 

THE TORT CAME OUT OF THE PAN PERFECTLY...NOT EVEN A CRUMB STUCK

I decided I could taste just a tiny, little piece...just so I would know what I had baked, and I could say that I tried it.  And, you know, it was actually not bad.  In fact, it was so surprisingly good that I ate the whole piece that I had cut out for my photo.  Amazing!

And isn’t that what all this is about...besides all my new cyber friends who are a bonus that comes with FFwD?  I have learned something new...I like soft goat cheese in my Tourteau.  It actually tastes really good...not at all like other goat things I’ve tried recently.   I just have to purchase a good product...and it is more expensive than cream cheese, and I have to use it correctly...probably not drowned in honey.

Hubby came home sometime later and gave it a try.  I asked him to guess the “secret” ingredient...he knew there were eggs, but he could not guess the cheese.  I gave him a hint by letting him know it took lots of courage for me to try this dish...and after saying a few more things like that he was all through...thought I’d really added something awful.  I told him it is goat cheese and he said, “I don’t have a problem with that.”  He actually likes goat cheese...so I learned something new about hubby, too.

SURPRISINGLY DELICIOUS

We both agreed that this Tourteau would be great with some fruit and maybe a little syrup of some kind drizzled over the top.

Note: No. 1 son came home the next day and had a try.  He told me that this Tourteau is the best recipe yet from FFwD.  Wow.  That put me and my goat cheese attitude in my place .

And later in the day, No. 4 daughter and her Russian friend arrived home unexpectedly, and it was certainly good I had been baking...they were starved after a very long drive...semester break at college.  And, you guessed it, they also loved the Tort and finished it.

This is a recipe I would have, for sure, skipped over...just because of one ingredient that I thought I would not like.  I’d better take my own advise that as a mother I’ve given a million times to my kids...just try it, you might like it, because I did.