Quicker Use of Squash

What I needed to use:
The bulb end of a butternut squash
A thawed smoked chicken

All I really wanted was bread and cheese. I could live off bread and cheese. With no bread on hand I searched for a suitable replacement and the best I could come up with was Kavli.

So:
Bake some thinly sliced squash (coated with olive oil and salt) and half way through add some thinly sliced apples rubbed with curry powder. Place Kavli on a cookie sheet and top with smoked chicken, baked squash, curried apples and some chunked up gruyere. Broil until done and serve with beer!

Butternut Squash Pizza

So it's been a while! The 2009 year definitely improved my cooking skills.

I thought I'd start posting what I cook and how I adjust recipes to what I want.

Yesterday I wanted something yummy for dinner with butternut squash that wasn't soup, pasta or galette. I searched epicurious for butternut squash and sage. I found pizza: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butternut-Squash-Parmesan-and-Sage-Pizzas-11360

So I altered the recipe in these ways.
For the sauce - I brought 1c milk + .5 c cream to a simmer with a large handful of sage, oregano and thyme from the garden and let it steep off the heat for 20 minutes - then squeezed the herbs dry and tossed them out. Then I smooshed in 1 head of roasted garlic, added chopped sage and thyme, the 2T of flour and cooked.

For the squash - I cooked it at 420 for 35 minutes (it doesn't turn brown) (i cooked it along with the garlic for the sauce).

For the toppings - I cooked 6 shallots on low heat for an hour; took a sliced red pepper out of the freezer to thaw; grated some parmesan and gruyere; chopped four fresh tomatoes from the garden, and finally finely chopped some more sage and thyme.

Assembling & Cooking - I prebake my pizza dough for 15 minutes - poke any bubbles and then add toppings. Cook for an additional 30-40 minutes. Also - I want one lg pizza not four small ones.

YUM!

Free-Form Apple Tart of Galette

Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child & Jacques Pepin
Cookbook 52, Recipe 2, (total 108)

I did not end up making an apple pie for Christmas and therefore have a little too many on hand.

Did I like it? It took me a while to not miss the sugar content that I was expecting from an apple pie. After I got over that it was great. I would recommend either the pie crust from Martha Stewart or the Galette crust from Deborah Madison over this crust recipe.

Recipe:
Crust: Into 2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar cut in 7.5 oz butter. Add 1-3 cup cold water and form into a flat disk. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Filling: Mix together: 2.25 lbs apples chopped into 1/2 inch pieces, 1/2 dried currants, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar.

Roll dough into aprox an 18 inch circle. Dump the filling onto it leaving a 2 inch boarder. Bring the boarder up over the filling. Brush with apricot jam. Bake at 400 for one hour.

Jacque's Skillet Duck with Parsnips and Shallots

Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child & Jacques Pepin
Cookbook 52, Recipe 1, (total 107)

Jason & Dyanna gave this cookbook to Stephen & I for Christmas one year. It's signed by Mr. Pepin himself! We had a duck on hand since Stephen decided to buy one at the Farmers Market with no plan to cook it. Pa loves duck so we cooked it up for the Christmas gathering with him on the 26th.

Did I like it? Definitely. I substituted 1/2 potatoes for 1/2 of the parsnips - don't do that - the potatoes didn't cook as well.

Recipe: Jacques has very detailed instructions on cutting up the duck. Essentially: cut the breasts off, cut the legs off, cut the wings off and hack in two, cut the thighs off. The carcass will remain for you to make stock from. Place the duck skin side down in a heavy pan over medium heat and cook until all sides are browned aprox 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add 3lbs of parsnips, 2 cups whole shallots, the bulbs of 2 heads of garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for aprox 30 minutes - until vegetables are done. Remove the duck and vegetables from the pan and place on a serving platter. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of water, boil until thickened.

Parsnip Gratin

The Bistros, Brasseries, and Wine Bars of Paris Everyday Recipes from the Real Paris by Daniel Young
Cookbook 51, Recipe 2, (total 106)

Spring parsnips after wintering in the ground are much sweeter than winter ones. Many cookbooks recommend simmering winter parsnips in milk to sweeten them. This is the first time I've tested the theory - It worked!

Did I like it? Yummy - a great way to eat parsnips.

Recipe: Peel and thinly slice 1 lb of parsnips. Bring to a foam/light boil: 1 cup milk, 1 cup cream, 1 spring rosemary, 1 spring thyme, 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves smashed garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and many grinds of pepper. Add the parsnips and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 35 minutes. Strain and move the parsnips to a 5x5 pan. Add 2 T of strained milk and top with grated parmesan. Broil until golden.

The recipe mentions that one chef specifically wants the parsnips cut into .0917 inch slices. Mine were of various sizes...

Potato Gnocchi with Chestnuts, Bacon, and Fresh Herbs

The Bistros, Brasseries, and Wine Bars of Paris Everyday Recipes from the Real Paris by Daniel Young

Cookbook 51, Recipe 1, (total 105)

I found chestnuts from Iowa at the local co-op and have been looking for recipes to use them in. This one provided the easiest peeling method.

Did I like it? I was hoping for slightly better than gummy hockey pucks and was pleasantly surprised. These turned out great! The 112 eatery and craftsman are better - but these were pretty good.

Recipe: Place three medium russet potatoes in a pot with cold water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil - then simmer fr 35 minutes. Cool just slightly. Slip off the skins and press through a ricer.

While the potatoes are boiling place 6 chestnuts in a pot with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for three minutes. Remove from water, peel and chop. To this add 4 slices of chopped (raw) bacon, 1.5 T chopped thyme and 1 T chopped rosemary.

To the riced potatoes add 1 1/3 cups flour, 1 egg yolk, half of the bacon mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Form this mixture into 1.5 inch balls and press into a football shape. Boil until they float, strain and place in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In a pan melt 1/4 cup butter until it foams. Add the dried gnocchi cook until slightly browned - about 4 minutes. Add 1.5 cups chicken stock and the other half of the bacon mixture. Cook until stock is reduced by half.

Crushed Burdock with Sesame Dressing

Japanese Cooking A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji
Cookbook 50, Recipe 2 (total 104)

Burdock can be interesting to work with. It's usually raw or just barley cooked.


Did I like it? Not so much. The burdock really picked up the flavors of the dashi - kombu and bonito flakes. I think I would have enjoyed it more without the dashi simmer - skip right to sesame dressing.

Recipe: Scrub 4 medium burdock roots and pound them slightly flat. Cut in to 1.5 inch long by 1/4 inch thick pieces. Cover with cold water and 1.5 Tablespoons vinegar - let stand for 1 hour. Rinse well and place into a pot with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes. Drain and place into ice water. In the same pan place 1 1/4 cups dashi, 2 T mirin, 2 T soy sauce and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a simmer and add the burdock. Simmer for 3 minutes and turn off the heat - cool in dashi. In a mortar and pestle pound 3T toasted white sesame seeds. Pound in 1.5 T dashi, 1 T sugar, 2 T vinegar and 1/2 T Soy sauce.

Savory Cup Custard (Chawan-mushi)

Japanese Cooking A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji
Cookbook 50, Recipe 1 (total 103)

If you are interested in Japanese Cooking - this cookbook is continually listed as the top reference written in English. This meal was a collaborative effort between Stephen & I.

Did I like it? Delicious - It rode the very thin line of a sweet/savory combination. The chestnuts added an appropriate sweet element without making the dish sugary. I would describe this as steamed omelet floating in dashi. The cookbook makes it very clear that chicken stock is a very good substitution for the dashi.

Recipe:
Make the dashi: In a pot combine 4 cups of cold water and 1 oz of giant kelp. Slowly heat until just about to boil. Remove the kelp and add 1 oz dried bonito. Let it set in the water until it falls to the bottom of the pan - about 1 minute. Strain.

For the custard: Beat 4 eggs and gently whisk in 2.5 cups of dashi, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 T mirin and 1 T soy sauce.

Marinate the chicken: Combine 1 tsp sake and 1 tsp soy sauce in a small bowl. Add 3 oz of chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Marinate for 15 minutes.

Prepare the rest: slices four fresh chestnuts into thin slices, slice 12 leaves of spinach into thin slices, cut 4 shrimps in half.

Assemble: Divide the chicken, shrimp and chestnuts between four small bowls. Fill 1/2 way with the custard, add the spinach and top with remaining custard. Steam for 20 minutes.

Homemade Protein Bars

Molly Katzen's Sunlight Cafe Over 350 Easy recipes for irresistible muffins, glorious omelets, tasty pancakes, homemade protein bars, and other delights to launch and sustain your every day by Molly Katzen
Cookbook 49, Recipe 2, total (102)

By the time 6:00pm rolls around on Wednesday evenings - I have a hard time concentrating and wish I had time for dinner between work and school. Protein bars struck me as a great solution.

Did I like it? They may have tasted better than a cliff bar - unfortunately they are still a protein bar. Even though they ended up in the garbage - I'll still include the recipe. If you like these types of things...

Recipe: Mix together 1 cup soy protein powder, 1/2 cup flour, 2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup oat bran, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 2/3 cup brown sugar and one cup of chocolate chips. Mix together: 1.5 cups yogurt, 1/4 cup canola oil and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Combine the two mixtures and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, cut into squares, bake for 15 more minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins

Molly Katzen's Sunlight Cafe Over 350 Easy recipes for irresistible muffins, glorious omelets, tasty pancakes, homemade protein bars, and other delights to launch and sustain your every day by Molly Katzen
Cookbook 49, Recipe 1, total (101)

Happy Thanksgiving! After five years of searching, I found Winter Luxury Pie pumpkin at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I made two pumpkin pies with them and they made superior pumpkin pie filling!

Did I like it? The muffins were excellent! However, I would reserve the use of this special pumpkin to dishes that really feature the flavor.

Recipe: Mix together: 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, 4 T white sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and the grated zest of one orange (I used a tangerine). In another bowl mix together: 1 egg, 1 cup mashed pumpkin, 1 T vanilla, 1/2 cup milk and 4T melted butter. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and scoop batter into muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Tangerine Scream

small bites big nights Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions & Lavish Parties by Govind Armstrong
Cookbook 48, Recipe 2 (total 100)

I thought it would be fitting to make a drink for recipe #100! (Don't buy this book - not worth it)

Did I like it? It's not a bad drink, its just not a good drink. Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge kicks its butt on a bad day.

Recipe: Shake the juice of two tangerines, 2 oz run, 1/2 oz triple sec and a squeeze of lemon juice over ice. Strain and serve with appropriate embellishments.

I "consulted" Stephen yesterday on which rum I should use for this recipe. I decided I wanted a better rum this evening and chose differently. When he saw the rum bottle on the kitchen counter this evening he asked if it was the rum I used. When I confirmed - he said gave one of those Oohhs which really mean I see you disregarded my opinion. It turns out I did find a better rum - a 12 year Jamaican rum instead of an unspecified Dominican republic one.

Buckwheat Crepes

small bites big nights Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions & Lavish Parties by Govind Armstrong

Cookbook 48, Recipe 1 (total 99)

Purchasing this cookbook was an error in judgment. The sale price drew me in, the pictures and unique recipes sold me. Then I brought it home and thought about what I could make - very little. It's full of expensive ingredients, time consuming instructions and multi element plates that ultimately do not seem worth the effort.

Did I like it? I added almost a 1/2 cup extra milk before cooking the crepes twice as much as the recipe called for, this recipe is a failure in that respect. If I did not understand what a crepe batter should look like - it wouldn't have worked. Also, this is one element on a plate that also calls for blood orange sauce and fig-armagnac gelato. The taste was OK but definitely not worth seeking out this cookbook for.

Recipe: Mix together 1/3 plus 1 T buckwheat flour, 2 T flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix in 1 egg yolk followed by 1/2 cup of whole milk and 2T melted butter. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Mix in approximately another 1/2 cup milk - or until the batter is pourable and will spread thinly in the pan. Heat a pan over med-low heat and cook crepes. Serve with apple butter.

Apricot Bars

Mangiamo "Let's Eat" The Sebastiani Family Cookbook Revised Edition by Sylvia Sebastiani
Cookbook 47, Recipe 2, (total 98)

These are classic midwestern bars. Skip church and make them yourself!

Did I like it? Yes - I was happy to use up two jars of the lavender apricot jam I made earlier this summer. The lavender is a little strong when the jam is eaten plain on toast - in this it blends in great.

Recipe: Mix 1.5 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 cup brown sugar and 1.5 cups quick cooking oatmeal together and cut in 3/4 cups butter. Press 3/4 of this mixture into a 9x13 pan. Spread 2 cups of jam over the base and crumble the remaining 1/3 flour mixture over the top. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

Stewed Rabbit

Mangiamo "Let's Eat" The Sebastiani Family Cookbook Revised Edition by Sylvia Sebastiani
Cookbook 47, Recipe 1, (total 97)

My Aunt tricked me into eating a rabbit I liked when I was little. I saw rabbit for sale at the farmers market this week and thought it might be a good opportunity to try it again under better circumstances. I've decided it's OK to have this hang up. I apologized to Atilda & Earl (my pet cats for those of you who don't know) throughout the meal and promised them I would never do it again.

Did I like it? Flavor - great. Emotion - guilt. I couldn't get over thinking about eating a pet long enough to enjoy the flavor and as Stephen pointed out - it would be rude to kill and animal to eat and then not eat it just because I feel guilty. I had to tell myself - it's not pinky, it's not brownie, it's not newton...

Recipe: Heat 2T olive oil and 2 T butter in a dutch oven. Add a cut up 2.5 lb rabbit add salt and pepper and cook until brown. Remove from pot and add 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped stalks of celery, 1 chopped green pepper and 1 chopped clove of garlic. Cook until onion is browned. Add 1.5 cans of tomatoes a little tomato paste, 1 spring of fresh rosemary and 1 cup white wine. Cook over low heat 30 minutes uncovered. Add rabbit to sauce and cook covered for 45 minutes.

Aquavit Sorbet

Kitchen of Light New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad
Cookbook 46, Recipe 2 (total 96)


Did I like it? The taste will depend on your aquavit. I used Krogstad Aquavit which has more liquorish flavor than the traditional Linie Aquavit. It's very pleasant and a little deceiving - the alcohol content of this sorbet is high enough that it will not freeze solid.

Recipe: Boil 1 cup sugar, zest of two lemons and 1.5 cups of water for five minutes. Add 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice and cool. Add 2/3 cup aquavit and pour into a pie pan place in the freezer. Fluff with a fork every 30 minutes (mine didn't start freezing until an hour).

Lamb and Cabbage Stew

Kitchen of Light New Scandinavian Cooking with Andreas Viestad
Cookbook 46, Recipe 1 (total 95)

The New Scandinavian Cooking Series with Andreas Viestad is my favorite cooking show. He is happy, enthusiastic and has great recipes.

Did I like it? I've made this recipe at least three times before - it's excellent. The only problem with this recipe is the water. The printed version calls for 4 cups, the TV episode calls to cover the cabbage and meat with water - in my experience that's 8 cups - twice as much.

Recipe: 4.5 lbs of misc. lamb cuts (a roast, a shank, neck bones and some ribs is a nice mix) cut into chunks. 1 cabbage cut in half and then thinly sliced. Into your largest pot layer the meat and cabbage. Add 2 T whole black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 3T butter and 1T flour, Add water and stop as it just approaches the top layer of cabbage. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then simmer for 2 hours. Add salt (aprox 1.5 T kosher) and simmer for 30 more minutes. Serve with bread and beer.

Croque Monsieur

The Harry's Bar Cookbook by Arrigo Cipriani
Cookbook 45, Recipe 2 (total 94)

I've always thought of a Croque Monsieur as a grilled cheese sandwich - it is - just a heck of a lot better than the horrible ones made with american cheese. Late in posting again - I made these on Tuesday. I had a midterm on Wednesday that I had to study for and then worked massive overtime Thursday - Saturday - I should be back on track now...

Did I like it? This flavor is one of those defined as classic. After tasting the first bite I realized I've had the combination of Swiss cheese and Worcestershire before. I didn't follow the recipes instructions to have the cheese at room temperature and discovered it is necessary if you want the cheese to completely melt - I would recommend following those instructions.

Recipe: Grate 1/2 lb of Swiss cheese and add 1 egg yolk, 1 T Worcestershire sauce, 1tsp dijon mustard, 1/16 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp salt. Try to smash it up well with each other - add a little cream to make it form a bit of a paste. Sandwich a thin slice of ham between two thin bread slices, each spread with cheese. Heat a pan with a film olive oil over medium heat until very hot. Fry the sandwiches on both sides. Serve with leftover leek soup from Monday.

Vellutata Di Porri (Leek Soup)

The Harry's Bar Cookbook by Arrigo Cipriani
Cookbook 45, Recipe 1 (total 93)

I'm late in posting again...

This was another difficult cookbook to use. They have an entire chapter on Truffles and like the James Beard cookbook, the recipes tend to be very heavy. I bought this cookbook for $1 at Half Price.

Did I like it? It tasted great but I would rather have a vichyssoise. I thought this would make a great base for a wild rice soup. It tasted better the next day for lunch.

Recipe: Melt 1/4 cup butter in a pot and saute 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 chopped onion, 8 chopped leeks (white part only) until softened. Add 1 large peeled diced potato and saute for a minute. Add 2 quarts of chick stock and cook until vegetables are soft. Puree and taste for salt and pepper.

Stephen helped with the recipe - he had most of the sauteing done before I came home last Monday - Thanks Stephen!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

James Beard's Menus for Entertaining Over 600 incomparable recipes - for every occasion from a roadside picnic to a formal dinner by James Beard
Cookbook 44, Recipe 2 (total 92)

Life got a little over busy these past two weeks and will continue for the next two as well. Stephen offered to help get me caught up this week by making a recipe from the book for me. I didn't expect spaghetti for breakfast but I'm not complaining!

This is a very difficult cookbook to cook from, the choices are either very 60's or very heavy. I've hemmed and hawed over what to cook more than any another cookbook this year. I'm glad Stephen stepped in to help - I don't like to cook from this book.

Did I like it? It was very rich in taste and would make a good once in a while dinner.

Recipe: Cut 1/4 lb of thick cut bacon in to 1/2 inch squares and cook. Remove from pan and deglaze pan with 5T white wine. Cook 1/2 lb of thin spaghetti, drain and return to pot. Add the bacon, and wine deglaze to the noodles. Mix in 1 well beaten egg (should cook due to hot noodles and wine deglaze) and pepper. Serve with parmesean.

Apple Tart (& Rich Pastry Dough)

James Beard's Menus for Entertaining Over 600 incomparable recipes - for every occasion from a roadside picnic to a formal dinner by James Beard
Cookbook 44, Recipe 1 (total 91)

The pie crust drew my attention to this recipe. No water, milk etc... just an egg yolk.

Did I like it? Delicious and deceptively simple. The vanilla flavor actually steams into the apples.

Recipe:
Rich Pastry Dough: Mix 1 cup flour with 1.5T sugar. Cut in 1/4 cup plus 2 T butter. Mix in 1 egg yolk and just enough of the white to make it come together. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Roll out for a tart pan (9 in round or 7 in square). (It called for 1.5 hard boiled egg yolk or 1 fresh egg yolk or 1 egg white. My one fresh egg yolk wasn't enough to pull the dough together so I added a very small portion of the white as well.)

Apples: 6 apples - peel, core and slice into sixths. Add slices along with 1tsp vanilla to a pan with 4 T melted butter. Cover and cook for 8 minutes - until tender - not mushy.

Assemble: Sprinkle the bottom of the tart pan with sugar. Place the apples in a even arrangement on top. Sprinkle with sugar and cook at 400 for 10 minutes and 350 for 25 minutes until browned. Cool. Melt apricot jam (see July 19th!), strain through a sieve and glaze the tart.