Archive for February, 2009

For the love of chocolate! Daring Bakers Feb ‘09

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

valentineWhat better way to spread the love than a chocolate cake that tastes like pure chocolate.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Many thanks to our kind co-hosts for choosing such a delicious treat, and a naturally GF recipe, too!

January and Feb were busy and crazy months with WAY too many bouts of the stomach flu, and I wasn’t interested or able to do much baking. But Valentine’s day was the first day that I got the opportunity to get back in the kitchen, and I really wanted my husband to have a special treat. It was the perfect choice! Rather than a big cake, I made a bunch of little 4″ cakes, and they were as cute as can be. I used mostly bittersweet chocolate, with just a few ounces of milk to add some sweetness to the mix. Regretfully, I was not able to do the ice cream portion of the challenge, but instead made a hazelnut frosting and little chocolate hearts to decorate.
db
DH thought it was yummy, rich, decadent, and delicious. And, of course, with such an easy recipe, I’m sure we’ll be making it again!

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Please do check out the beautiful masterpieces of my fellow Daring Baker brigade. I’m always amazed at the artistic photos!

Menu Plan Monday Feb 23rd

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

We’ve gone a little exotic this week with our theme, “Umami”, as chosen by Asparagus Thin. And who doesn’t love savory goodness?  We had a great quinoa dish with kalamatas this weekend, and I’m hoping to work in some stock next weekend to celebrate.  I can’t wait to see what others do!

This week will be a busy one, so I’ll be focusing on what I can do easily.  But I’m also hoping to return to baking this weekend with totally decadent vegan brownies that are just amazing.  I had quite a few bouts of the stomach flu over the last few weeks and now I’m supposed to gain some weight.  What can I say, the brownies should help!

Oh, and last call for the healthy recipe contest! There are really some amazing prizes donated, like a $75 tote from BRM, Carol Fenster’s new book, etc.

Monday:


Beef coconut curry with collards

Tuesday:
Turkey with celery in a chestnut sauce and cornbread for my DH
Rhubarb ginger compote

Weds:
Avocado and tomato soup with caramelized onions (last jar…sniff sniff!)

Thursday:
Thyme salmon with roasted mini peppers

Friday
Chicken in a parsley/garlic marinade with broccoli

Saturday:
Turkey soup!

Baked good:
Decadent brownies
Sweet potato cornbread–it didn’t happen last week, but DH really deserves a treat. Fingers crossed.

Have a great week!

Weekend Herb Blogging-170 Roundup

Monday, February 16th, 2009

3iconsWell, I’m delighted to host my first WHB roundup.  It’s so much fun to see the fabulous things people have put together from all around the globe. Y’all are some amazing photographers!   It’s also put my “slacker-licous” nature to shame.  I always send things in under the wire, other people send things out on Monday!

Here’s to the host for this week (starting Feb 16th)  WHB 171, Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook.

And to my usual readers, yes, some of these dishes contain gluten.  First time for everything.  ;-) Most actually don’t.

esquite

Anna of  Morsels & Musings of Sydney, Australia brings in a lovely Esquite (Mexican corn snack). Her experience with Mexican food has come from dear friends, and I must say, it seems they’ve taught her well!  She uses Tajin in the dish, which is made of chili peppers and dehydrated lime.  She also provides some great background info  on corn.  I can’t help wondering if corn is in season in her neck of the woods.  Here in the States, summertime corn is a distant memory.

36-golden-beets2

Maggie of Say Yes to Salad joins us from Mountain View, CA, which is why it’s warm enough for her to pick up some golden beets at her local Farmer’s market.  She’s embarking on a macrobiotic diet and missing her fruit, but loving her new discoveries.   She reports that the golden beets stain less and are sweeter than their redder cousins

3270647145_760065056a

TS and JS of [eatingclub] vancouver drop in from chilly Vancouver, Canada to share their Hazelnut Gremolata that came to her in a dream! Really, you can’t beat that as a descriptor. She gives several links for ways to use it in a Portugese meal, and will post more soon.

rpchicken1

Believe it or not, I almost forgot to include mine: Red Pepper Sauce, which features fresh thyme from my garden.  First, it’s my DH’s absolute favorite, which is why we made it for Valentine’s day!  It’s a great way to add vitamin C and a whole truckload of yum to any dish.

pinto-bean-stew-300-kalynskitchen

Kalyn’s Kitchen is the original mommy of WHB, and as always, graces us with a South Beach ready Pressure Cooker Recipe for Pinto Bean and Ground Beef Stew with Cumin and Cilantro. On first glance, it looks like chili, but it’s a milder dish featuring cilantro, one of the yummiest herbs out there (IMHO)

afelia-braised-pork-wine-coriander-plate-5

Jude, of Apple Pie, Patis and Pate shares his Afelia – Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds. This classic Cypriot dish gets much of its flavor from the overnight marination and coriander seeds.

bananabread

Did someone say dulce de leche? Dhanggit celebrates and great salary and combines some of the most incredible flavors on the planet in the form of Banana Almond Dulce De Leche Bread.
Seriously, it looks worth a trip to France to have a slice

eggplant

Joanne, from Boston is another fan of cilantro and shares lovely sentiments for Valentine’s day AND her Mashed Eggplant and Tomato Salad on her blog Eats Well With Others. It’s an adaption from a
Middle Eastern cookbook.

torta-di-polenta1

Brii from briiblog is living in Valsorda, on the most beautiful lake of Italy, the Garda Lake (her words–I wish I knew from experience!). She shares her simple, yet elegant Maize and Ricotta cake, which appears blissfully gluten and sugar free!

okraremouladewhb

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and our host for the upcoming week joins us from NY with a decidedly spicy twist: Cajun Fried Okra with Remoulade Sauce. This is part of her successful plot to reach a happy gastronomic arrangement with okra, a former nemesis.

My spam filter seems to have gotten hungry and swallowed some of the emails.  Check these out, too!

whb170-haalo

Haalo, who is kind enough to host WHB, graces us with Wasabi Leaf Vichyssoise. Wasabi leaves are a member of the mustard family, and apparently quite mild when raw.  She’s able to find them at her local market.

potatosaladwhb

Jeanne  of Cook sister drops by from London to share her Warm Potato Salad with onion, dill and mustard.  The salad was conceived by accident by her brother, and features dill as the herb of choice.

Cinczia of Cindystarbrings our second entry from Lake of Garda, Italy.  She shares her Candied Orange Zest and is kind enough to give us the scoop in English, too, which is awesome to me because it’s one of my DH’s favorites!


I must say, it was a delight to travel through global cuisines with you all.  Have a greatweek!

Menu Plan Monday Feb 16th–Comfort food

Monday, February 16th, 2009

chili

Ah, comfort foods, what a fabulous choice in the winter months.  Or any months, really.  This week the gluten free Menu swap is hosted by Celiacs in the House and I love her food selection!  To me, comfort food is soup.  Or chocolate. Chili?  Anything warm, really.  But I know for my DH, it’s cornbread, and so I’ll do my best to work that into the rotation this week.

I’m still getting back in to the swing of functioning, so it’ll be a basic week:

Monday:
Salmon with a lemony thyme sauce for me/ Asian ginger marinade for DH with broccoli

Tuesday:
Chicken with arugula pesto

Weds:
Tomato soup (from my freezer) and avocado

Thursday:
Nightshade stew

Friday:
Chicken in a coconut/garam masala sauce and Cumin roasted cauliflower

Saturday:
Teaching a GF and healthy class and making Garlicky quinoa with broccoli

Baked goods:
Sweet potato cornbread (maybe)
Chocolate covered strawberries–I’m delayed from V-day

I *heart* Red Pepper Sauce

Friday, February 13th, 2009

rpchicken3iconsYahoo!  At long last, I am delighted to get the honor to host Weekend Herb Blogging.  If you’re not familiar with WHB, it was originated by Kalyn’s Kitchen, and our current hostess is Haalo.  It’s a great way to get inspiration for yummy ways to use herbs in your cooking…and an eclectic collection of fruits and veggies, too.

The last few weeks have been a total roller coaster rides, so it was time for a peaceful, relaxing, indulgent meal.  One my DH’s absolute favorite things is red pepper sauce, and one of my favorite things is rpeppersaucehow darn easy it is!  And how delicious, too.  I love that it’s so creamy that it tastes like it’s a dairy based sauce, and the sweetness is such a treat.  My first post way back when had red pepper chicken, and quite a few people asked for the recipe.  It’s worth the wait, I think!

We had an unseasonably warm weekend, so I roped DH into grilling the peppers.  Usually, I just use frozen herb-y peppers from the summer months.  The hardest part is having enough peppers left over to freeze.  They’re just like candy.

So, this is a beautiful meal for you and your Valentine.  The sauce is delish any kind of protein…or on anyone you love. =P

5 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1-2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons oil

1 cup good quality broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
good squeeze of lemon
2 Tablespoons ground almond or hazelnuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced

Grill or roast peppers, or use canned or frozen. When cool, add to blender with broth, cayenne, onions and ground nuts. Blend until very smooth. In a Vitamix, this takes 2 minutes. It will take much longer in a normal blender. Saute garlic in olive oil, add in the blended peppers. You can poach a protein of your choice in the sauce, or just pour it on whatever you want to make yummy.

Menu Plan Monday Feb 2nd–Pineapple

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

pina

This week’s theme is pineapple, and boy am I excited!  I do try to eat locally grown foods, but some things are too good to give up, and besides, that’s hard during the winter months.  Perhaps that means I should move to somewhere like Hawaii and to get a year round pineapple fix.  In addition to being thoroughly yummy, pineapples are a great source of manganese, Vitamin C, and fiber.

I generally have pineapple plain, because really, can you get any better than fresh pineapple?  I do use them in baking, such as in these Carrot Muffin Cakes, and sometimes use it as a tenderizer for chicken, too.  I’d love to see how everyone else uses pineapple!

Monday:

Homemade chicken veggie soup

Tuesday:
Quinoa with arugula pesto

Weds:
Baked salmon and roasted peppers
Pineapple for dessert!

Thursday:
Garam Masala chicken with roasted cauliflower and papadams (or dal and papadams from the freezer if I’m feeling super lazy)

Friday:
Leftovers?

Baked good of the week:
to be honest, I haven’t been feeling that well and so I haven’t been doing much baking myself. DH has requested a cake, so who knows what will happen. A chocolate orange cake could be in the forecast.

Fun stuff:

Just an FYI, I’m hosting a healthy recipe contest, so if you’re interested in submitting a recipe and winning some fun prizes, go on over and check it out! Due to the cost of shipping, winners must be in the US or Canada (sorry!)

Now, what about everyone else?

Book of Yum graces us with an international menu, of course, but with a twist from our very own back yards (more or less)…sweet potato biscuits. She’s promised us a veganized version in the future, and I for one can’t wait!

Fresh Ginger joins us with a local menu, as usual.  Her Moroccan chicken looks amazing, and mac and cheese…really, do you need to say more?

Asparagus Thin has a very cute Superbowl commercial on her page, and she teases us with mention of a breakfast pineapple curry, too.

Thrifty GF mom joins us through the cold and snow.  She’s got a Kale Potato soup on the menu, and maple salmon, too.  Sounds healthy and delish, too!

Esther of Lilac Kitchen has been hit by the weather, too.  She shares her “best stir fry ever”, which is quite a title to live up to!  And the pineapple upside down cake sounds worth trekking across the pond.

Sorry it took so long to get the posts up.  My internet was down much of the day.