Carmelized Onion Tart

American Brasserie 180 Simple, robust Recipes Inspired by the Rustic Foods of France, Italy, and America by Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with Julia Moskin
Cookbook 25, Recipe 2, Total 53

I needed to use up the extra pie crust from the Banana Cream Pie recipe - the cookbook suggested using this recipe and it seemed like a good plan.

Did I like it? No so much. It was a little bland and I wouldn't recommend the anchovy addition - they overpowered the dish. I cooked this for lunch - around dinner time I removed the anchovies, scraped the filling out of the crust and into a pan with more spices (paprika, oregano, shallot salt) and a handful more cheese - heated up that way it was much more flavorful.

Recipe:
In a pan heat 1 T olive oil, add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add 3T butter, when melted add 2 lbs of thinly sliced onions. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until caramelized. Add 3 T flour and cook for three more minutes. Set aside to rest.

In a bowl combine 3 eggs, 2/3 cup whole milk, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese and the cooled onions. Pour into pie shell and top with four anchovies. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

The Best Banana Cream Pie

American Brasserie 180 Simple, robust Recipes Inspired by the Rustic Foods of France, Italy, and America by Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand with Julia Moskin
Cookbook 25, Recipe 1, Total 52

Stephen makes me a birthday cake every year. Since I've been thinking about this pie since January I requested this instead of a cake. This will probably be the only recipe I post that I didn't cook myself.

Did I like it? It tasted great. Unfortunately it didn't hold together very well. With 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 12 egg yolks - it should have stood on its own no matter what. We don't agree on why it didn't work out. Either way I was asleep at 10:45 last night due to an incredibly delicious birthday night out when he made the filling so I can hardly assign the blame:) We celebrated with Mom and Sarah this evening with the pie.

Recipe:
Crust: Mix together 4.5 cups flour, 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp sugar. Cut in 1.5 cups butter. Mix 1/2 cup cold water with 2 tsp red wine vinegar and add to flour to form a dough. Rest for 30 minutes. Divide in half. Blind bake one pie crust at 375 for 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool. Use remaining dough for something else.

Filling: Combine 4 cups whole milk, 1/4 tsp salt, and one vanilla bean in a pan. Bring to a boil and then steep. Whisk together 12 egg yolks with 1 1/3 cups sugar until light and frothy. Whisk in 1/2 cup cornstarch. Pour the egg yolks into the milk and bring to a boil whisking constantly. Boil for about 3 minutes. Stir in 3T butter and 3 sliced banana's. Pour until pie shell and refrigerate overnight. Top with whipped cream.

(For breakfast make an egg yolk scramble)

Crisp Peppery Kohlrabi-Carrot Slaw with Dill and Anise

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini The Essential Reference 500 Recipes & 275 Photographs, by Elizabeth Schneider
Cookbook 24, Recipe 2 (Total 51)

I bring lunch to work about 99% of the time - usually in a Kerr jar. The majority of the food I bring is homemade or leftovers. I occasionally go on an Amy's frozen food stint.

Did I like it? Yes. The pepper really comes through even though it's strained out. I was impressed by it's subtle bite.

Recipe: The night before: Cut 4 small kohlrabi's into small julienne slices. Place in a strainer and toss with 1.5 tsp salt. Let this sit for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes rinse and then dry.
Meanwhile, toast 1 tsp anise seed and 1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper. Add 1.5 T canola oil and 1 sliced garlic clove. Heat until garlic clove begins to color. Let steep.
Peel 2 carrots and then continue to use the peeler to create thin slices. Place carrots into a bowl with 1 T rice vinegar, kohlrabi and into this mixture strain the canola oil. Divide mixture between two Kerr jars. In the morning add 1 T chopped dill.

Mustard Green Gratin

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini The Essential Reference 500 Recipes & 275 Photographs, by Elizabeth Schneider
Cookbook 24, Recipe 1 (Total 50)

This cookbook is in my top 10 essential - if you like to purchase random vegetables from random farmers - this is the cookbook for you. I purchased mustard greens at $2 for a bunch at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. I referenced this cookbook for recipes.

Did I like it? Yes. I'm not a huge fan of greens such as kale, chard, mustard greens etc., but I try to eat them since they are good for me and will help keep my optical migraines at bay. Stephen put it correctly when he said this is a luxurious way of eating vegetables.

Recipe:
This cookbook has a section for each vegetable called "Pros Propose". It's where they give you a recipe in short paragraph form and assume you can cook it from there. "Cook roasted garlic cloves in heavy cream until reduced by half. Add stemmed, blanched mustard greens and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer to baking dish and cover with shredded Gruyere and fresh bread crumbs. Brown under broiler."

So: Bake a bulb of garlic at 350 until soft. Add to 1 cup of cream and simmer on the stove for a good 20 minutes. Meanwhile blanch a bunch of mustard greens in a pan of water for about three minutes. Strain and roughly chop. Add greens to the cream with 1/2 tsp salt and some ground pepper, cook for about 20 minutes. Add 1 tsp flour to thicken. Pour into a suitable dish and spread with a mixture of 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup grated Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes.

Sweet Potato Waffles

The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash
Cookbook 23, Recipe 2 (Total 49)

I feel no shame in eating breakfast food for dinner.

Did I like it? Yet again, this recipe produced a much lighter product than I was expecting. Since there was no added sugar the waffles turned out just savory enough to enjoy with maple syrup (Grade B!).

Recipe:
Bake one sweet potato (I used my personal favorite: red garnet). It should equal about 1 cup mashed. Add to the mashed sweet potatoes: 3 egg yolks, 1 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Then stir in 1.5 cups of flour which has been mixed with 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Beat three egg whites to soft peaks and fold into sweet potato mixture. Cook in a waffle iron.

Kohlrabi Dumplings

The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash
Cookbook 23, Recipe 1 (Total 48)

We purchased Kohlrabi at the Farmers Market yesterday and I chose this recipe to use them up.

Did I like it? It was delicious! They were light and flavorful. However, they were a bit o' work...

Recipe:
Boil 12oz of Kohlrabi bulbs in water for 30 minutes, followed by .4 oz of the leaves for 5 minutes. Peel bulbs and place in a food processor with the leaves and 1/2 cup of ricotta - Puree. Place mixture in a pan over low heat.

In a pan bring to a boil 1 cup water with 6T butter. Take off the heat and beat in 3/4 cup flour. Place back on medium heat and cook, stiring constantly, for about five more minutes - until the mixture films the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and add 3 eggs - one at a time. Beat in Kohlrabi mixture along with 3/4 cup grated parmesan.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in Kohlrabi mixture with a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop. Simmer for 15 minutes. Plunge in to ice water and let sit in the water until they sink to the bottom. Remove from ice water and drain on a towel for 10 minutes.

Place dumplings in a buttered pan, brush with butter, sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Well... As I was typing this recipe in I realized that while I halved the kohlrabi mixture, I did not halve the pate a choux mixture - oops. It turned out great and I'm not sure it would have been as delicate if I had made it correctly.

Lettuce and Lovage Soup

The Herbfarm Cookbook 200 Herb-Inspired Recipes, Plus a Complete Guide to Growing, Handling, and Cooking with Fresh Herbs by Jerry Traunfeld
Cookbook 22, Recipe 2 (Total 47)

This was a surprisingly light soup. I thought the soup would be a bit on the slimy side - it wasn't at all. I've wondered about lettuce soup for a long time. It's one of those recips that appears in old cookbooks as well.

Did I like it? Yes - It should have been accompanied by little cucumber sandwiches and a glass of champagne.

Recipe: In a large pot melt 4T butter, add 1 large chopped leek and 1 chopped garlic clove - cook until leeks are soft. Add 4 cups of homemade chicken stock and 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 head of lettuce (recipe calls for Romaine - I used a large head of bibb from the Farmers Market). Simmer for 5 minutes. Add 2T chopped lovage and puree. Add salt/pepper to taste. Garnish with chive blossoms.

Tarragon and Chive Ravioli

The Herbfarm Cookbook 200 Herb-Inspired Recipes, Plus a Complete Guide to Growing, Handling, and Cooking with Fresh Herbs by Jerry Traunfeld
Cookbook 22, Recipe 1 (Total 46)

While in Seattle last Fall I would have loved to eat at The Herbfarm Restaurant. The cost was around $300 per person so we passed the opportunity by. I picked this recipe out in January and have been waiting for my chives to burst out of the ground.

Did I like it? On the scale of ravioli I've eaten in restaurants, it's up there at the top. On the scale of ravioli I've made at home it's solidly in the middle of the pack. It has a nice flavor but I just love squash ravioli with sage butter.

I did not make the pasta recipe from this cookbook. I always use the recipe from The Il Fornaio Pasta Book by Maurizio Mazzon. It works every time so I don't mess around with any others.

Recipe:
Pasta: On your counter place 1 1/4 cups flour. Create a big well in the middle - you should have circle of bare counter top about 4 inches across - surrounded by a levy of flour. Into this circle add 2 eggs, 1 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Using a fork beat the eggs together and gradually add flour from the edges until you have a cohesive dough. Knead until smooth and not sticky - about three minutes. Let set covered on your counter for 30 minutes. Divide in half. Roll out 1/2 to the second to last setting on your pasta roller.

Filling: Mix together: 1 cup ricotta, 1 egg, 3 T chopped tarragon, 1/4 cup chopped chives, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 cup grated parmesan.

Fill your ravioli's and boil for about three minutes.

Melt 3T butter and add 2T chopped parsley, 1T chopped chives and 1 T chopped tarragon. Pour over cooked ravioli and garnish with chive blossoms.

Rhubarb Crumble Cake

Beyond Nose to Tail More Omnivorous Recipes for the Adventurous Cook, by Fergus Henderson & Justin Piers Gellatly
Cookbook 21, Recipe 2, (Total 45)

I have rhubarb to use up in the garden and I like cake. Since I gave you a scale for Christmas I decided not to translate the grams.

Did I like it? It was ok. The flavor was good but the cake a little tough. 1.5 hour baking time for an eight inch cake is just too long.

Recipe:
Rhubarb: Add 1.5 cups chopped rhubarb to the grated zest of one orange, 50g white sugar and 50g brown sugar. Set aside while you make the other two cake sections.

Crumble: Cut 95g butter into 125g flour, add 60g of brown sugar, 30g silvered almonds, 30g slivered ground almonds (crush slivered in a mortar), and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Cake: Beat 125g butter with 125g white sugar until fluffy. Add 3 eggs one at a time. Add 160g flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and a pinch of salt alternately with 50ml milk.

Assemble: In an 8x3 pan place the cake mixture on the bottom, cover with rhubarb mixture, followed by the crumble. Bake at 350 for 1.5 hours.

Confit Pig's Cheek and Dandelion

Beyond Nose to Tail More Omnivorous Recipes for the Adventurous Cook, by Fergus Henderson & Justin Piers Gellatly
Cookbook 21, Recipe 1, (Total 44)

I've been meaning to cook from the nose to tail cookbooks for a while. Pa gave me both of them and I thought pigs cheeks, aka pork cutlets, sounded less scary than their feet.

Did I like it? Absolutely, it was delicious. The recipe itself is pretty basic but involves much more lenghtly cooking times than I'm used to.

Recipe:
First - render duck fat from previous weeks trimmed duck skin to equal about 1.5 cups. Take duck skin - chop it up with a little water - place on lowest heat for 1 hour. Strain and cool over night.

Second - find a farmer willing to let you purchase pig cheeks. Try to find one who will sell you a smaller quantity than 5 lbs! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of mine...

Third - Completely cover 4 pig cheeks with duck fat and bake at 340 for 3 hours. Cool completely in fat over night (in my case for two days.) You want to make sure the cheeks are completely covered - I used my small ikea 5x5 pan.

Fourth - Remove pig cheeks from fat and place each on a piece of bread - cook at 350 for 1.5 hours. Also cover 12 peeled cloves of garlic and 12 small sections of shallots with duck fat and bake along side cheeks for the first 45 minutes. Move garlic and shallots to a mixing bowl.

Fifth - To the garlic and shallots add 1Tsp of capers, 1 bunch of chopped parsley, and one bunch of dandelion leaves from your (non-chem-lawn) yard.

Sixth - Make a vinaigrette with 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 150ml olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of lime (i didn't have a lemon) and a pinch of salt.

Seventh - When the pig cheese are crispy - chop the them and the bread into hunks and add to the greens mixture. Dress with about about a 1/2 cup vinaigrette.

Serve on the lawn.

Duck a la Mode

The Successful Housekeeper Manual of Universal Application, Especially Adapted to the Every Day Wants of American Housewives; Embracing Several Thousand Thoroughly Tested and Approved Recipes, Care and Culture of Children, Birds and House Plans; Flower and Window Gardening etc,; With Many Valuable hints on Home Decoration by M.W. Wllsworth & F. B. Dickerson 1882
Cookbook 20, Recipe 2, (Total 43)

I chose two duck recipes in order to use up the duck I purchased at the farmers market.

Did I like it? Absolutely, it was delicious. I was surprised at how well the port fit this dish. The duck completely overpowers any sense of the ports sweetness. I'm now looking forward to a couple of days without meat. These two dishes were excellent and Sunday's was pretty good - three dinners in a row with meat and I'm ready for a week off.

(Soon I will have hot bread from the oven - I made bread today from yesterday's boiled potato water! YUM)

Original Recipe: Take a couple of ducks, divide them into quarters and lay them in a stewpan with a sprinkling of flour, pepper and salt. Put a large lump of butter divided into pieces at the bottom of the stewpan and fry the ducks until they are a nice light-brown color. Remove the frying-pan and put in half a pint of gravy and a glass of port; sprinkle more flour and add a bunch of sweet herbs, two or three shallots minced fine, an anchovy, and a little Cayenne when the ducks have stewed in the gravy till tender, put them on a dish, take out the herbs, clear off any fat, and serve with the sauce thrown over them.

My interpretation: Take half a duck and cut the wing and drumstick off. Split the remaining portion in half length wise (this enables you to keep the breast in one piece). Place duck pieces in a pan with 1T butter, add 2 large pinches of kosher salt, 2 small pinches of pepper and sprinkle 2T of flour over the meat. Turn heat to medium and cook until nice and brown. Remove from pan and drain fat into a small jar. Return meat to pan and add 1 cup of gravy (made from stock created from last nights leftover bones and the neck and giblets), 1 cup of stock, 1/3 cup port, 1 minced anchovy and 2 chopped shallots. Bring to a boil and add a large amount of parsley and thyme tied together. Simmer over medium low heat for 35-40 minutes until the breast meat reaches 160 degrees. Thicken sauce if needed and serve with mashed potatoes.

Fricasseed Duck

The Successful Housekeeper Manual of Universal Application, Especially Adapted to the Every Day Wants of American Housewives; Embracing Several Thousand Thoroughly Tested and Approved Recipes, Care and Culture of Children, Birds and House Plans; Flower and Window Gardening etc,; With Many Valuable hints on Home Decoration by M.W. Wllsworth & F. B. Dickerson 1882

While I was employed by the Minnesota Historical Society I started reading through the entire cookbook collection there - I believe I made it through about 250 before I left. This was my favorite old cookbook. I wrote down the name but became convinced I would never find it for a reasonable price. I consistently found it for $75 - eventually I found it for $30 and snatched it up.

I found duck for sale at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. Unfortunately he had run out but promised to butcher us one if we came back on Sunday - which we did.

I will first type the recipe as it is in the book - followed by my interpretation. I decided to cut the duck in half and cook two separate recipes with it.

Did I like it? Yes - I would describe it as simple, homey and plain old good food.

Original Recipe: Most people think a duck must be roasted, but try this once instead: Cut a mallard or red duck into four quarters; chop an onion fine, and put all into a pot; cover with water, and add more as it boils away. Stir a little celery seed, or celery chopped up fine, three or four strips of salt pork, and when nearly done add a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Build a mound of mashed potatoes around your dish and carefully lay the contents of the fricassee in the center. Season with salt and pepper. This makes a juicy and Delicious dish.

My Interpretation: Cut a duck in half. Reserve one half for another recipe. Cut the remaining duck in half again. Place in a sauce pan with 1 chopped onion and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 25 minutes. Add 2 ribs of chopped celery, 1/4 tsp celery seed, and 2 strips of bacon chopped and two pinches of kosher salt. Lightly boil for 20 more minutes. Remove duck and strain the liquid in to a large bowl - skim off as much fat as you can. Return everything but the reserved fat back into the pan and add 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

Meanwhile boil up as many potatoes as you would like. Mash and form into a mote* on a plate. Strain liquid. Place duck and strained material inside mote add liquid to taste. Serve.

*Stephen informed me "mote" is an incorrect term - it should be an "earthen levy".

Aromatic Beef Broth Noodles (Bun Pho)

The Noodle Shop Cookbook 150 Favorite Noodle Dishes from Seven Asian Cuisines, by Jacki Passmore

Cookbook 19, Recipe 2 (Total 41)

I wanted to use up the final batch of beef bones we purchased last fall. This cookbook has two beef stock recipes - one "aromatic" and one "good". I chose to add some elements from the aromatic to the good.

Did I like it? Yes - it was a very simple soup after eating too many scones today.

Recipe:
Stock:
Bring to a boil: 3 lbs beef bones, 6 green tops of scallions, 2 inches of peeled ginger, 1 tsp peppercorns, 1/2 orange peel, 2 star anise, 2 inch piece of cinnamon. Skim and reduce heat to a very low simmer for 3.5 hours - strain. Refrigerate. Discard fat.

Heat stock to a boil and add 3 T fish sauce (Nuoc Mam).

Boil Rice Vermicelli for 3 minutes - divide between two bowls.

Heat a wok on high heat with 1 T oil. Add very thinly sliced 6 oz sirloin and cook for about 1 minute. Remove to a bowl and cook 1 thinly sliced onion in wok.

Top noodles with beef and onion, add broth.

Serve with mint and sliced scallions.

Teriyaki Soba

The Noodle Shop Cookbook 150 Favorite Noodle Dishes from Seven Asian Cuisines, by Jacki Passmore

We purchased this cookbook on vacation in Vancouver quite a few years ago.

Did I like it? It was OK. A little too salty for my taste. That said, I was looking for something really yummy - I didn't have such a great day - I should have known that anything with soy sauce wouldn't really have fit the bill tonight.

Recipe
Cook 6 oz soba - Add soba to boiling water, bring back to a boil and then add 1 cup of cold water, return to a boil again and then simmer for aprox 2 minutes, cook until just tender. Drain and set aside in the colander.

Cut 1/2 a chicken breast into matchstick pieces, set aside. Cut 6 scallions into 2 in pieces, set aside. Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2.5 T sake, 1.5 tsp mirin and 1 T sugar, set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in a pan, add chicken and cook until done, set aside. Add scallions to the pan and cook for one minute. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook until scallions are tender and the sauce has reduced a little. Add the chicken.

Pour boiling water over the noodles in the strainer - divide between to plates and top with the sauce. Serve with Shichimi (japanese pepper condiment)

An Ancient Indian Drink with Ginger and Cardamom

World Vegetarian, more than 650 meatless recipes from around the globe, by Madhur Jaffrey
Cookbook 18, Recipe 2, (Total 39)

I made this recipe years and years ago after checking this book out of the library. Unfortunately I couldn't remember which cookbook held the recipe. It took me 3 years to find it again.

Did I like it? Absolutely! It's a great dessert beverage with out alcohol or caffeine.

Recipe
In a pot combine: 4 cups water, 2 inch piece of peeled and chopped ginger root, 6 T dark brown sugar, 12 lightly crushed green cardamom pods. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 20-25 minutes tasting for desired potency.

Black-Eyed Peas with Trinidadian Seasonings

World Vegetarian, more than 650 meatless recipes from around the globe, by Madhur Jaffrey
Cookbook 18, Recipe 1, (Total 38)

Madhur Jaffrey can always be counted on for excellent cookbooks.

Did I like it? Yes. More importantly I didn't miss the chicken or bacon that Stephen likes to cook black eyed peas with. This makes plenty of leftovers for work lunches.

Recipe
Soak 1.5 cups dried black-eyed peas at least 8 hours. Drain, rinse, drain.

In a large pot heat 3 T oil. Saute 2 finely chopped scallions, 1 small diced celery stalk, 1 small diced carrot, 1/2 small diced green pepper until they begin to turn brown. Add 4.5 cups water, soaked beans, 1.5 tsp chopped thyme, 1 Tsp paprika (Hungarian half-sharp from Penzeys), 1/4 tsp red pepper, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp mustard powder. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add 2 tsp kosher salt and simmer 20 more minutes.

Chocolate Coconut Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (vegan)

The Voluptuous Vegan, by Myra Kornfeld
Cookbook 17, Recipe 2, (Total 37)

Hands down - this is the best vegan cookbook I have ever had the pleasure of cooking and baking from.

Did I like it? In the realm of cakes it was pretty good, in the realm of vegan cakes it was most excellent. I always find vegan cakes to have a slightly gummy texture - that texture is very minimal in this recipe.

As I was baking this evening it dawned on me how expensive and calorie laden this recipe is. The cake contains 2160 calories just from maple syrup (3 cups at 90calories per T), let alone a cup of coconut milk 400, 2 cups of flour 800, 1 cup of cocoa powder 320, 1 cup of chocolate chips 640, etc...

Recipe:
For the cake: Combine 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda together and set aside. In a pan heat together 1 cup of coconut milk with 1/2 cup cocoa powder until mixture begins to bubble, pour into a bowl. Add to the cocoa mixture: 1.5 cups maple syrup, 6 T canola oil, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 2.5 tsp coconut flavoring, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour liquid mixture into the dry - whisk quickly and Bake in two 8 inch pans at 350 for 25 minutes.

For a truly bizarre experience make the frosting: In a saucepan combine 1&1/4 cups water with 4T agar flakes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Stir often or the agar will stick to the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1.5 cups maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile combine 1/4 cup soy milk with 2 T arrowroot powder. When the cocoa mixture has come to a boil add soy milk mixture. Cook until barely simmering and thick. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl with 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Chill until firm. I mean firm - look at the picture. I dumped the mixture from my bowl into the food processor - you can see it's a large gelatinous mass.
Strange isn't it? Now whip this up in the food processor for 3 minutes and it will be light and fluffy.

Assemble your cake and coat with unsweetened dried coconut.

Curried Chickpea Tart with Fennel-Cauliflower Sauce

The Voluptuous Vegan, by Myra Kornfeld
Cookbook 17, Recipe 1, (Total 36)

I checked this book out of the St. Paul Public Library a number of years ago. I made the Gingerbread with Blood Orange Sauce (Did I mention that I love spice cakes). It was so fantastic that I also tried the Carrot Cake with Coconut-Cardamom Sauce. Keep in mind this is a vegan cookbook - no dairy. This is the only cookbook I recommend for vegan cakes.

I chose the chickpea tart because I've never made a main dish from this cookbook. They tend to be very involved recipes. It took two hours from the time I arrived home to have dinner on the table - not something I want to do everyday.

Did I like it. Absolutely. Stephen said "It's just fantastic!". The flavors are delicious, the texture is creamy and is just overall "fantastic"!

Recipe:
Chickpea Tart: Combine in a blender - 3.5 cups of water with 1.5 cups of chickpea (garbanzo) flour and 3 T canola oil. Pour into a large pot and add another 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tsp salt. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, all the while maintaining a blurby bubbles - see picture below. Cook until it's thick enough to set up in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, saute 1 large onion in 1 T oil until just beginning to brown, add 1/3 cup water and 1 T Penzeys sweet curry powder. Cook until water has evaporated. Add to chickpea batter and pour into a 9 inch tart pan. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to two days.

Fennel-Cauliflower Sauce: Heat 4 tsp canola oil in a pot and add 2 T chickpea flour - cook until nice and browned - set aside.

Toast 2 tsp fennel seeds in a pan and then grind to a powder.

Heat 1 T oil, add 1 large minced onion and 1 medium thinly sliced bulb of fennel (discarding hard inner core) - saute until onions start to brown. Add ground fennel seeds and saute one more minute. Add 4 C water, 2 cups cauliflower florets and salt - bring to a boil. Remove 1/2 cup of liquid and whisk into the reserved chickpea/oil mixture - Add mixture into the pan and simmer, partially covered approximately 20 minutes - until the cauliflower is soft. Blend. Pour back into pan and add 1 T lemon juice and 1 T ginger juice and a nice pinch of cayenne.


While the sauce is in the simmering stage, remove the tart from the refrigerator and cut into 6 wedges. Place on a cookie sheet - brush with oil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes - until its heated through and has a crust. Serve with sauce.

Meal in a Muffin Tin

Ladies' Home Journal Adventures in Cooking, by the Editors of Ladies' Home Journal (1968)
Cookbook 16, Recipe 2 (Total 35)

How could I resist a complete meal in a muffin tin? I did replace the 1/3 cup biscuit mix with my own equivalent.

Did I like it? Well... The meat loaf was very dense and the potato a little undercooked. The up-side down cake should have had sugar sprinkled on top. Overall, the amusement of it was worth the less than stellar taste - a once in a lifetime experience.

Recipe:
Meatloaf: Combine 1/2 lb ground lamb, 1 T catsup, 2 T bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt and herbs of choice. Divide between two muffin cups.

Potato: Divide a large potato in two. Poke all over with a fork and place each half in a muffin cup.

Up-side down cake: Place 3 canned apricot half's each in two muffin cups. Place 1 tsp brown sugar on top of each along with a 1 tsp lemon juice. In a bowl combine 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar. With a fork smooch in 2 tsp butter. Add 3 T milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Place over apricot halves.

Bake in a 350 oven for 40 minutes.

Hot Cross Buns

Ladies' Home Journal Adventures in Cooking, by the Editors of Ladies' Home Journal (1968)
Cookbook 16, Recipe 1 (Total 34)

I misplaced my camera so it's taken me a while to post this recipe.

When I called Mom the Saturday evening to discuss Easter breakfast - she was just about purchase hot cross buns at cub foods - sacrilege! I started these buns at 7:00pm and finished after 11:00pm. It was worth it.

Did I like it? Yes, they were excellent. I used to hate these buns - I've grown into enjoying them.

Recipe:
Scald 3/4 cup milk and add 1 T sugar. Cool until warm. Proof 2.5 tsp yeast in 1/2 cup warm water with 1 tsp sugar. Combine the two mixtures with 1.5 cups flour. Cover and let rise about 30 hour - until bubbly.

To the proofed mixture add 1/4 cup soft butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 room temp egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 cup currants. Beat in enough flour to make a good dough. Let rise until doubled.

Divide dough into 16 buns. Place 2 inches apart on two cookie sheets. Let rise until double about 45 minutes.

Slash an X into each bun. Beat 1 white with 1 tsp water. Brush over the buns and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Savoring The Seasons Of The Northern Heartland 200 Recipes Blending Bold, New Flavors With The Traditional Foods Of The Upper Midwest, by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson
Cookbook 15, Recipe 2 (Total 33)

It's funny - I've never made buckwheat pancakes myself - while I've ordered them often over the past five years at our local breakfast restaurant. They've taken them off the menu and now I've discovered that mine are better.

Did I like it? Yum. I ate them with maple syrup for supper. I'll try some sort of a sandwich tomorrow for lunch with the leftover.

Recipe:
Whisk together: 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 3/4 cup white flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 T sugar.

In another bowl combine: 2 cups buttermilk, 1 egg, 2 T canola oil.

Quickly whisk the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients - this should take more than 3 seconds to full incorporate the two mixtures. Cook.

Spice Cake with Cardamom-Coffee Icing

Savoring The Seasons Of The Northern Heartland 200 Recipes Blending Bold, New Flavors With The Traditional Foods Of The Upper Midwest, by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson
Cookbook 15, Recipe 1 (Total 32)

After spilling my entire cup coffee in the parking lot in the morning, tipping another entire cup of tea all over my desk in the afternoon, and breaking my last double walled cup in a spectacular crash resulting in broken glass all over the kitchen and living room floors in the evening - I was ready for a great piece of cake. I chose this recipe a long time ago because there is a picture of really cute 72 year old farmer man sifting flour for this recipe - preparing to enter it into the State Fair competition.

Did I like it? I love spice cakes and this one was no exception. Perfect with a cup of coffee or even red wine. It's unusual to find spice cake with black pepper. While I seriously enjoyed the cake - the frosting was un-savable. I could never get the coffee to cohere with the butter. Just don't try fake butter cream frosting - take the time to make an Italian meringue base - says I.

Recipe:
Beat together 1/2 cup of butter with 1 1/2 cups white sugar (I didn't have 1/2 cup b.sugar so I used an extra 1/2 cup of white) until fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs (one at a time) and 1 tsp vanilla.

Mix together 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp cardamom.

Alternately add the dry ingredients to the butter with 1 1/4 cups buttermilk.

Divide between two 8 inch greased and floured pans and cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Lentil and Onion Croquettes

The Vegetarian Table: America by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 14 Recipe 2 (Total 31)

I made this yesterday but became too involved in preparing taxes in the evening to post it. As we get older we need to be on the alert - we might turn into our parents. Two croquette recipes in 2 months...I might be turning into my mother...

Did I like it? The were excellent and surprisingly creamy for not being a cream/milk sauce based croquette. Four was enough to sit like a lead balloon in my stomach - I recommend one or two as an appetizer to a light supper or lunch.

Recipe:
Heat 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil in a pan and add one chopped onion. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until caramelized - about 10 more minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in another pot place 1/4 cup finely chopped carrot and celery along with 1/2 cup of green lentils. Add water to cover by 2 inches, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and then puree slightly, leaving some texture.

Add lentil mixture and onion together with 1/2 cup bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Then add 1/2 a beaten egg. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.

After cool - form into 8 - 3 inch by 1 inch logs and roll in bread crumbs to coat.

Add 1/8 inch oil to a pan and heat until a bread crumb browns quickly. Fry for 5 minutes or until a dark brown.

Dutch Cheese Sandwich Filling

The Vegetarian Table: America by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 14 Recipe 1 (Total 30)

Yep - another Debrah Madison cookbook. I found this cookbook in the $1 section of Half Price Books. It was a thrilling discovery because I wasn't aware of its existence.

I've been thinking about sandwiches since visiting Rachel last weekend and hearing her talk about eating them. I chose this recipe - quick and easy!

Did I like it? It was much tangier than I was expecting and therefore more enjoyable. It is a fun addition to a spread repretaur.

Recipe: In a bowl combine 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 cup chopped watercress (we bought a variety called Upland Cress). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Leg of Lamb with Mint & Garlic

Great Women Chefs Marvelous Meals & Innovative Recipes from the Stars of American Cuisine, by Julie Stillman
Cookbook 13, Recipe 2 (Total 29)

I was interested in trying something new with a lamb roast - I usually prepare it with a honey mustard rub. I'm not usually into mixing meats, the paprika and bacon rub was definitely something I had not tried.

This recipe is by Joyce Goldstein

Did I like it? Yes - it made absolutely delicious leftover sandwiches.

Recipe: Blend or pound together 3/4 cup mint, 3 cloves garlic, 2 thick slices of natural unsmoked bacon, 1 T paprika, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper and 2 T red wine vinegar. Rub on a 2-3 lb bone in lamb roast and refrigerate overnight. Bring the roast to room temperature. Brush with a mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil and 1 T red wine vinegar. Roast at 400 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 25-30 minutes.

Matzoh Brei with Wild Mushrooms

Great Women Chefs Marvelous Meals & Innovative Recipes from the Stars of American Cuisine, by Julie Stillman
Cookbook 13, Recipe 1 (Total 28)

On Sunday I took a lamb leg roast out of the oven to cook tomorrow and use for sandwich materials this week. I decided to pick a cookbook that would use both a leg of lamb as well as the mushrooms we purchased at the Madison Farmers Market this weekend. This cookbook was written in 1996 and is a compilation of recipes from 30 top women chefs in the United States.

This recipe is from Anne Rosenzweig

Did I like it? Scrambled eggs with semi-soggy crackers... It was interesting at first and then way to heavy. I think if the butter was cut in 1/2 it would be easier to eat. I didn't even finish half of my serving. Stephen liked it.

How does one cook scrambled eggs crispy? I've never been able to acquire that happy talent.

Recipe: Melt 4 T of butter in a pan and slowly caramelize 1.5 chopped onion. Add 3 cups sliced mushrooms. Saute and place in a bowl. Meanwhile, mix 4 eggs and 1/4 cup plus 2 T milk together with salt and pepper. Soak 4.5 sheets of matzoh in water for 30 seconds, then crush into the egg mixture. Melt 3 T butter in the saucepan, add the egg and mushroom mixture. Cook until preferred doneness. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped parsley.

Tunisian Brik

Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco by Paula Wolfert
Cookbook 12, Recipe 2 (Total 27)

Rachel chose this recipe as she'd be interested in trying it for a while. I thought it sounded intereting and fun to try.

Did we like it? Absolutely no. Stephen said he'd never try one again. Rachel said neeich. After the first batch of frying each of us dumped the raw egg (inside the cooked parcels pictured above) into a cup and then had no stomach to try again.

To be fair the fourth try yielded a completely cooked egg. I think we were all too grossed out at that point to try.

What is a Tunisian Brik? It's an egg roll/spring roll wrap filled with onion, canned tuna, parsley, capers and 1 raw egg. It's then deep fried preferably until the egg is cooked.

Since this was a complete flop I will not include the recipe.

Orange and Black Olive Salad

Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco by Paula Wolfert
Cookbook 12, Recipe 1 (Total 26)

Last week I was sick the entire week. I didn't get off the couch in the evening and ate mostly ramen. Fortunately my cold cleared well enough by Friday to visit Rachel as we planned. We decided to cook on Saturday evening and chose this cookbook because she has it as well as I and then I wouldn't be stuck with 2 cookbooks this week.

Rachel pointed out that although the recipe calls for canned black olives, Paula Wolfert would probably call for something different now. The cookbook was published in 1973 and olive availability now versus 35 years ago is a bit different.

Did I like it? Surprisingly yes. I really dislike olives and rarely ever eat them. Both Rachel and Stephen love olives so it seemed like a good choice to make. The oranges combine with the olives to form a great marinade.

Recipe:
In a bowl place, three supremed valencia oranges, 1 cup chopped up kalamata and salt curred Moroccan olives, 2 T olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, pinch of cumin, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Serve.

Carrot Salad with Currants and Almonds

Vegetable Love Vegetables delicious, alone or with pasta, seafood, poultry, meat and more by Barbara Kafka
Cookbook 11, Recipe 2, (Total 25)

I purchased a 2 lb bag of carrots on Wednesday to make carrot sticks for a vegetable platter this weekend. I'm not a big chomp on raw carrot fan and didn't want to waste the other 1.5 lbs so I chose a carrot recipe.

Did I like it? It was nicely balanced with tangy and sweet flavors. It's more a of a sidekick than a main dish, tonight it played sidekick to a BLT. We both thought it should have poppy seeds added.

Recipe:
Combine 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Pour over 1/2 cup currants and leave for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grate 1 lb carrots (using that handy scale I bought you for Christmas) and place in a bowl with a handful of chopped almonds. Drain the currants (keeping the liquid) and add to carrot mixture. To the drained liquid add 1/2 cup yogurt (plain) and 1 T honey. Pour over carrots, mix and serve.

Recently I discovered I often use the word currant instead of current... Now that I pay attention to this, I'm embarrassed how many times I have to stop and think - OK not the dried fruit...

Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin

Vegetable Love Vegetables delicious, alone or with pasta, seafood, poultry, meat and more by Barbara Kafka
Cookbook 11, Recipe 1, (Total 24)

Or as pa likes to call her "Barbara aka 500 Kafka". She generally cooks food a much higher temperature than your standard cookbook authors. This cookbook is organized by vegetable which is handy. I picked up cauliflower on Saturday. Sunday I decided I wanted to make this recipe - Yep I've made it before. I didn't set any rules against making something I already like.


Did I like it? Yep! I think cheddar sauce is much better on Cauliflower than broccoli. I've only recently begun to enjoy cauliflower and I think this is my favorite Cauliflower dish.

Recipe:
Steam enough cauliflower until fork tender to fill your baking dish (I used an 8x8 and therefore the following sauce is for an 8x8). Melt 2 T butter in a sauce pan and add 1/4 cup flour, cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to break apart again and is a toasty brown. Mix together 1 & 1/4 cups milk, 1/3 cup cream, 1/8 tsp cayenne and 2 tsp salt. Gradually add to the butter/flour mixture with a whisk. Cook over medium heat until thick. Add 1 cup of grated cheese - a mixture of cheddar and Parmesan is my favorite. Pour sauce over cauliflower in the baking dish. Bake at 400 (not 500 this time) for 40 minutes.

Star Anise-Glazed Tempeh with stir-fried peppers

Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen, by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 10, Recipe 2 (Total 23)

It's been an extremely busy week. I actually made this on Wednesday and am finally posting it on Sunday. I chose this recipe because I would like to learn how to cook with Tempeh. I'm comfortable with setain but not Tempeh.

Did I like it? It was a good stir fry. The cabbage doesn't really cook through, it stays crunchy. I think I would rather have tofu or setain. This was a night that I normally would have thrown something frozen in the oven or cooked ramen. I knew my other nights were going to be busy so I cooked anyway. After cleaning on Thursday Stephen happened to mention that "cabbage really sticks" - there wasn't many areas of the kitchen that didn't end up with cabbage.

Recipe:
Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil: 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 mirin, 2 T brown sugar, 1 T maple syrup, 1 3inch piece of cinnamon and 2 star anise. Boil for 4-5 minutes, turn off the heat and add 1 pkg tempeh cut into desired size. Let soak four minutes on each side.

Heat a wok and add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil, add tempeh and cook until browned, add a few T of the marinade and cook until it's evaporated and glazed the tempeh. Wipe out the wok and add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. Add 1 chopped garlic clove, 1 T chopped ginger and 6 chopped scallions - cook 1 minute. Add 1 small shredded red cabbage, 1 green pepper sliced, 1 yellow pepper sliced, salt and pepper, cook until softened - about 10 minutes. Add the remaining marinade and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Pasta and Chickpeas with plenty of parsley and garlic

Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen, by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 10, Recipe 1 (total 22)

It doesn't get better than Deborah Madison. I love her cookbooks. This book was given to me by my in-laws David & Rita for Christmas this year.

Did I like it? It was hearty and good. I would have really enjoyed it with young garlic. My garlic is a little old and quite harsh. The recipe made me think of a deconstructed parsley pesto. I deviated from the directions by cooking the garlic - I wasn't in the mood for 3 cloves of raw winter garlic.

Recipe:
While bringing water to a boil for pasta. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute 1 small chopped onion. Add 1 can of chickpeas and heat for 3 minutes, add 3 chopped cloves of garlic along, with 1/2 tsp chili paste and cook for 5 minutes. Chop up 1 large bunch of parsley and a handful of sage leaves, add 1/3 of this mixture to the pan along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook this mixture, adding the liquid from the canned chickpeas as appropriate. Cook 1/4 lb pasta, drain, add to pan with the remaining parsley/sage. Serve with grated parmesan.

Steamed Coconut Custards

new food fast by Donna Hay
Cookbook 9, Recipe 2 (Total 21)

Quick dessert - yes please!

Did I like it? It's extremely rich. The picture looks like it a supper club - that's what I felt like eating it - comforable food that's very unhealthy for you. I only managed 1/2 a custard.

Recipe:
Combine 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1 1/4 cups cream, 3 T sugar, 4 egg yolks and zest of one lime. Divide between 4 cups or ramekins and steam for 15 minutes.

Macaroni Cheese

new food fast by Donna Hay
Cookbook 9, Recipe 1 (Total 20)

I have a number of Donna Hay cookbooks. I chose this cookbook today because I screwed up getting ingredients for a different recipe in a different cookbook. Not wanting to go to the grocery store again, I decided to see if I could make something out of what's in the house using new food fast.

I like to eat lunch while reading in the sun on my living room floor on Sunday's.

Did I like it? Yes - but you must eat it right away. This is one of those pasta recipes that separates when left alone after cooking. I've noticed French cookbooks tend to have a cream mustard sauce for pasta. This recipe is a slimmer version of that using just a couple of tablespoons - more of a slight coating than a sauce.

The recipe format was a paragraph - basically cook some pasta, drain, add cream, mustard and black pepper to the pan and return the pasta to the pan as well, cook for 2 minutes, add parsley, plate, sprinkle on cheese, bake and serve.

My version:
Bring salted water to a boil and add 4 oz Mostaccioli (about 1 1/2 cups) - cook 9 minutes, drain. In the same pan add 2 T cream, 1 tsp mustard - Cook 1 minute, add 1/4 cup chopped dill and place in oven proof bowls. Top with a mixture of Parmesan and cheddar to equal 1 oz. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes.