World of cooking

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Latkes with Clarified Butter, Cotija Cheese and Truffled Ketchup

We have almost reached that time of year. The one where I put notations on the calendar to highlight the days of Hanukkah, and put a star on the day or days on which we intend to make latkes. Then, all too often, end up hurtling though the entire holiday, forgetting to look at the calendar, and failing to celebrate even just one of the nights. Possibly that time of the year we end up ordering pizza on the night we were supposed to do the latkes. Not this year. We like the idea of celebrating Hanukkah, even if we completely fail at celebrating any of the other Jewish holidays. I think doing one holiday makes us feel like we are keeping up tradition just a teeny tiny bit, even if it's not technically a major holiday. However, we're not exactly traditionalists, so we find latkes a fun opportunity to try new flavor combinations we may never have thought of. Seth got the idea for these after eating french fries with cotija cheese and clarified butter from a gourmet food truck. They were so amazing, he thought we should put those flavors into latkes and serve them with truffled ketchup. I'm pretty sure no phone calls will be made to a local pizza place this Hanukkah.

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes
1 medium onion
1 small bunch scallions, chopped
1 egg, beaten
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
cotija cheese, crumbled
scallions, chopped
fleur de sel
ketchup (preferably Heinz), for serving
white truffle oil, for serving

Instructions
To clarify the butter, chop the sticks up and place in a medium pot over low heat. Melt the butter. After a few minutes, you will start to see foam covering the top. Once that stops bubbling up, take off heat and use a spoon to skim off the top layer of foam. Set a piece of cheesecloth over a mesh strainer and place over a heat-proof container. Pour the butter through the cheesecloth and strainer into the container.

Peel the potatoes, keeping the peeled potatoes in cold water. Once they're all done, grate the potatoes and the onion into a medium bowl. Once all grated, begin squeezing the water out of the shredded potatoes and onion and transferring them to a new bowl. Left behind should be some water and, underneath, some separated potato starch. Take out the starch and mix it back in with the grated potatoes and onion. Add in the chopped scallions, beaten egg, and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Mix everything together. Form thin patties with the mixture (the thinner, the crispier), and cook in a skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat in the clarified butter. Once one side has browned (about 3 minutes) flip and cook the other side. As they finish, remove and place on paper towel. Just before serving, sprinkle each latke with a liberal amount of cotija cheese and scallions. Finish with a pinch of fleur de sel. In a small bowl, mix just a bit of white truffle oil with the ketchup (about a 1/4 teaspoon oil per 2-3 tablespoons of ketchup). Serve the truffled ketchup with the latkes.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Banana Nut Oat Muffins Recipe

These Banana Nut Oat muffins are some of the best muffins I've ever made.I got out of the habit of baking when my stove was replaced. I use my bread machine and my Breville Smart Oven but it's too small for many things. Fortunately I have a muffin pan that makes 6 muffins that fits in it perfectly. And you know what? Making 6 muffins is much better than making a dozen!

Muffins, like cupcakes are really good when they're fresh, but they get dry and stale quickly. So making smaller batches more frequently makes good sense. These muffins use lots of healthy ingredients like oatmeal, oat bran, bananas, walnuts and a little bit of olive oil so you can feel good about eating them. I used extra virgin olive oil because it's what I have on hand but you could use any olive oil you like. Olive oil is great for baking, especially in muffins and quick breads. The muffins are moist, with a little crunch from the nuts, a little chew from the oats, and have that buttery texture that comes from using bran, perfect to take when you're running out the door.

I adapted this recipe adding oat bran, increasing the amount of nuts and swapping out olive oil for melted butter but I'm not sure where the original recipe came from. It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together very quickly. The reason I used rolled oats, oat bran, bananas and walnuts is because they all contain magnesium. Many people are deficient in magnesium, over half the population in California according USDA research. But the combination is also really delicious, even if you don't need more magnesium in your diet. Just about everyone (unless those with nut allergies) can benefit from more nuts in their diet. Walnuts in particular have amazing heart healthy benefits.

Do you have a favorite walnut recipe? You could win fabulous prizes if your family recipe is chosen in the Gift of Gather contest.

Banana Nut Oat Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins

Ingredients

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup oat bran

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup mashed very ripe bananas (the skins should be brown)

1 egg

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oat bran, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the banana mixture and walnuts to the flour mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.

Spoon batter into a well greased or paper-lined muffin pan (grese the top of the pan to make removing the muffins easier). Bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center muffin comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and let cool completely or better yet, eat warm.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

Most little ones seem to have favorite toys or favorite stuffed animals. And favorite colors. But not our little guy Max. He is rather fickle, dispensing his affection on whatever catches his fancy at the moment. Or maybe he just kinda likes his toys, stuffed animals and colors equally. But he does have a favorite letter. Okay, 2 letters. He loves both B and O. And b is just so super awesome because it's also his word for berries. And it doesn't hurt that b is the first letter of his very favorite thing in the entire world - buses. Now, he loves all berries, but you never know what berry he will actually want to eat that day. You see some raspberries on sale and pick up a few cartons, thinking, ohh Max will like this. No, no, he will not. He will want blackberries, not the raspberries sitting in the fridge. But sometimes, sometimes, the stars align all beautifully straight in a row and the kiddie gods smile beatifically upon you and somehow you get the right berry (or B, as it is known) to make him happy. And since it was his birthday the other day, I made him some waffles with B's. And it must have been the right B, because he was shoveling the sauce into his mouth. So thank you gods of toddler eating, we totally appreciate it. And, I'd have to say these waffles are pretty great for full grown people as well.

Ingredients
Waffles:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup ricotta
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated

Blueberry Sauce:
1 pound blueberries
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground clove (depending on how much you adore clove)

Instructions
Blueberry Sauce: Place all ingredients in a medium pot over medium-low heat and gently boil, stirring often. Let it cook together for about 5 minutes, and remove the cinnamon stick. Let cool.

Waffles: Beat the egg whites with a mixer until they hold soft peaks. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk ricota, buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolks. Stir in the flour mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites. Pour batter into preheated waffle iron and cook until waffles are crisp and golden. I like keeping the oven hot at 350 and giving the waffles an extra round of crisping for a few minutes. Pour sauce on top of waffles and serve.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Leftover Turkey

Here is a favorite post from a couple of years ago--what to do with all that leftover turkey...

Leftover turkey, even dry, overcooked turkey, is good in soups, salads, sandwiches, stews, smothered in sauce or topped with a poached or fried egg.

Here are some suggestions for how to use leftover turkey. I've linked to recipes, some I've tried others just look good to me, but feel free to use your own or your imagination!

Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Mole

Turkey Enchiladas

Turkey Mushroom Crepes

Turkey Quesadillas

Turkey Barley Soup

Turkey Grilled Cheese & Pear Sandwich

If you have any favorite turkey leftover recipes, please share them by leaving a comment.

Easy Mushroom Stir-fry with Chinese 5-Spice

I think I am reaching a point at which I no longer understand what qualifies as typical breakfast food. There was a time in my life when I was very regimented in my thinking. Bagels, muffins, cereal, eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes - those were breakfast foods. Then college came and I was taught the wonders of pizza for breakfast. Sometimes you feel like pizza for breakfast! And also the joys of leftover Chinese food were revealed to me as delicious morning fare. And from there, chaos ensued. So while I originally intended this as a quick lunch or dinner, it became breakfast. An umami, Chinese 5-spiced breakfast.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
pinch white pepper
kosher salt, to taste
3 scallions, chopped
toasted sesame oil, for serving
rice, for serving

Instructions
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Once the butter has melted and the bubbles in the mixture have started to subside, add the chopped mushrooms. Stir continuously, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the butter and oil mixture. After a few minutes, the mushrooms will brown. I actually did this step in two batches, as I didn't want to crowd the pan. Once all the mushrooms have been browned, return to pan and deglaze the pan with rice wine (Pour the rice wine in and loosen up all the tasty stuff stuck to the pan. The rice wine should cook down very quickly). Mix in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and 5-spice powder. Sprinkle with white pepper and kosher salt to taste. Scatter the chopped scallions on top. Serve with rice and toasted sesame oil.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Spiced Cranberry-Ginger Cider with All the Fixins'

From my perspective, the people who celebrate Christmas fall into two camps. First, there are the ones who wait until December to decorate. They let Thanksgiving shine all on its own, without Christmas trying to nudge its way into the spotlight. And then there are the ones who start decking the halls well before Thanksgiving, letting all the holidays sort of blend together into two, big, rosy, festive months. We fall into the latter camp. We are just such big fans of Christmas lights. They make everything so cozy! And the cats - well, they are definitely Christmas fans, as garland and the tree make for some super amazing toys. So we like to extend this Christmas cheer as long as possible. We decorated last weekend, and made this drink to kick off a season of baked goods, good cheer and festive lights.

Ingredients
2 cups cranberry juice
2 cups ginger ale
3 cups apple cider
12 whole cloves
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2-inch orange peel
2-inch chunk of ginger
1/2 cup cranberries
orange slices, for serving

Instructions
Put everything into a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Once the mixture is nice and hot, and the aromatics are fragrant, ladle into mugs for serving. It is also good served chilled. Serve with orange wedges and extra cinnamon sticks.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up!

I love a good list. LOVE it. Like really love it. List making is so therapeutic, putting a bit of order and tidiness onto our messy and chaotic world. So right now I am smack dab in Thanksgiving list mode - what to make, what groceries are needed, a master list of all the tasks to be done, and a schedule for said tasks to be accomplished. And of course, this list - a list of possible foods to fill out the Thanksgiving menu. Here we have some possible ideas for appetizers, side dishes, and some desserts (beyond the pumpkin pie) to round out your feast.

Appetizers

Butternut Squash Crostini