Sunrise and Beef Piquant

It was an ominous pre-dawn sky yesterday morning -- suitable for the day I'd marked down to get our tax information together.

We're approaching the equinox -- the sun's almost in the middle of our due east view.

But that's not what I'm here to blog about. I want to tell you about a recipe that has stood the test of time. 

It's from The Gasparilla Cookbook -- produced by the Tampa Junior League back in 1961 and still in print.  It's the food of my childhood -- Southern, Spanish, Cuban, Italian, Greek. 

I got my first copy in 1962, the year before we got married, and it was my go-to cook book for a very long time. I wore that first copy out and got a replacement in '89 -- it's fairly stained and battered now. And the thing is, all these years later and the recipes are still terrific.

 

Bef Piquant is a good thing to do with a cheap cut of meat -- add in the potatoes and carrots and you've got a meal.  I also served some buttered broccoli and a salad.

After this was well underway, I realized, with something of a shock, there's no garlic in it. Another time, I may add a bit but honestly, it's awfully good just this way. 

The smell filled  the house for hours and when it was time to eat, I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Oh, my, it was good.  The meat falls off the bone and is a big mouthful of flavor. 

Try it -- you'll see.

 Beef Piquant - in preparation

2 to 3 pounds chuck or round steak, at least 2 inches thick

1 lemon

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

3 generous dashes Tabasco sauce ( I used quite a lot (2 tablespoons, maybe) of Sriracha hot sauce instead for more heat)

2 medium onions, sliced and sauteed in 2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon capers

Optional -- potatoes and carrots

Place steak in center of a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil  in a shallow pan. Rub both sides of steak with cut lemon. Spread both sides of steak with mustard.  Place under broiler and brown both sides. Remove from oven, salt and pepper, squeeze lemon juice over the steak. Sprinkle with Worcestershire, brown sugar, and Tabasco. Add capers and onions, which have been sauteed. You can add in  potatoes and carrots, if desired. Bring foil up to seal in an airtight package. Bake at 300 for 3 hours.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

You might want to make a note of this for next Thanksgiving. Or indeed, for any time. This is pumpkin pie for people who aren't all that crazy about pumpkin pie.  This is fantastically good pie. And here's the recipe, from my much used Southern Junior League Cookbook.

2 baked pie shells ( I think it's worth the trouble to make them yourself)


3/4 cups milk
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/ 8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 egg yolks
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar


Caramelized almonds (see below)
Whipped cream  and grated nutmeg for topping



Heat milk with pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, and spices. Beat egg yolks slightly and slowly add hot mixture to yolks. Mix well and cook in double boiler till thick, stirring constantly.


Soften gelatin in cold water. Add to hot custard and stir till dissolved. Cool till it begins to thicken.


Beat egg whites till stiff but not dry. Fold into custard and cool a little bit but not till set.  Whip 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, adding 1/3 cup sugar and then folding into pumpkin mixture. Chill till very thick and pour into pie shell.  Chill (overnight) till set.


Top with more whipped cream, a sprinkle of grated nutmeg, and the caramelized almonds. 

(The original recipe called for butterscotch sauce as well but I don't know, that just seemed excessive. So this is practically a diet version.  

The pie can be frozen and is quite good that way. Also, the filling alone is a nice dessert, frozen or otherwise. )


Caramelized almonds


1/2 cup sugar
1 cup slivered blanched almonds


Stir sugar and almonds in heavy skillet over medium high heat till light brown. Spread on greased cookie sheet.  Break apart when crisp and store in airtight container.  Also really good on ice cream.

Lemon Semifreddo

Dessert for 25 - 30 people.  A quart and a half or thereabouts of whipping cream plus the juice and grated rind of a dozen or so lemons, sugar, toasted almonds, and twenty one egg yolks cooked to thicken.

The lemon, egg, sugar mixture gets folded into more whipped cream than is probably legal in some states, then poured into a container lined with plastic wrap and sprinkled with toasted almonds.

I made it Friday afternoon so it would be good and frozen to take to the party Saturday night.

The frozen delights traveled to the party -- an hour away -- in a cooler with ice. When I removed the aluminum foil, a good bit of the delicious stuff had stuck to it.

Never fear! Our hostess (the one who'd requested this particular dessert in the first place) knew what to do!

The lemon semifreddo was served topped with blackberries and on a hot summer evening, it was a Big Hit.

If you're interested, the original recipe (serving 8-10) is HERE. (I tripled it.)

 

Pumpkin Soup Now?

Less than a week ago it was raining and rather chilly. Perfect weather to have soup for lunch!

I usually look for leftovers to turn into cream of whatever but there was nothing suitable.  There were, however, several cans of pumpkin on the pantry shelf and a big container of turkey broth in the refrigerator. 

I began, as I begin most dishes, by sauteeing some chopped onion and garlic in butter (olive oil would be better for you). When the onion was wilted, I removed it and the garlic to a bowl and sauteed some chopped red bell pepper -- just slightly -- then put it in the bowl.  I added a bit more butter, a little curry powder, and flour (in an amount equal to the butter) to make a roux, then stirred in some broth till the mixture thickened.

Next I added the pumpkin (and this is pure, unseasoned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling) to the broth mixture, and dumped the sauteed vegetables back in. Some might choose to puree the soup at this point but I like the texture of the onion and red pepper. (Add more broth if you want a thinner soup.)

And some might choose to stir in some half and half or cream or plain yoghurt. All tasty but not really necessary. Salt and pepper to taste -- depending on how salty your broth is, you may not need to salt.

It's a wonderfully comfortable soup for a chilly, rainy day.

And several days later, when we were hot and sweaty from working outside all morning, the leftover soup was equally delicious served very cold with a dollop of sour cream and a dusting of hot paprika.  A quesadilla on the side and it's a meal!

A Secret Weapon in the Cookery Arsenal

Frozen puff pastry.  In my neck of the woods, it's Pepperidge Farm brand. It keeps (in the freezer) a long, long time. And when you find yourself needing a fancy entree or dessert or appetizer -- there it is, ready and willing to provide a base for whatever you choose to put on it or wrap it around.  

I've topped chicken pot pie and made scrumptious fruit tarts and elegant Napoleons with my secret weapon. Most recently I made the appetizers pictured above.  Really easy, fairly quick, and very tasty.

Here's the original recipe - straight from the Pepperidge Farm site. (No, I'm not getting paid -- it's just that I really love the versatility of this stuff.  If, however, Mr. Pepperidge wanted to send me some . . . I'd sure put it to good use.)

White Pizza Appetizers

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets  (1 sheet), thawed
Garlic powder
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese  (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olive
1/4 cup finely chopped green or red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 15x10-inch rectangle.  Cut in half lengthwise.  Place the pastry onto baking sheets.  Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork.  Sprinkle with the garlic powder.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden.  Divide the cheese, olives, pepper and oregano among the pastries.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Cut each pastry into 16 squares.

And here's my version, altered to suit the ingredients I had on hand and doubled because I was taking the appetizers to a party (there was a fourth rectangle that didn't fit on the tray, alas, so I ate it for supper, after the party.

Ingredients

17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets  (2 sheets), thawed (Take it out of the package and it'll thaw in about a half an hour
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese  (about 4 ounces)
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Asparagus spears -- cut in two inch lengths I'm not sure how much I used -- a good handful, I guess.
Olive oil
Konriko Cajun salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the vegetables  in olive oil, spread on cookie sheets, sprinkle with  Konriko salt and roast about fifteen minutes till cooked but still a little crunchy (the onion can be thoroughly cooked.)  Keep the vegetables separate from one another to make dividing up easier.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 15x10-inch rectangle.  Cut in half lengthwise.  Place the pastry onto baking sheets.  Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork.  Repeat with second sheet. (I forgot the part about pricking them and they swelled up like pillows. As soon as they were done, I gently pressed them flat with my hand. Worked fine.)

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden. Divide the roasted vegetables and rosemary among the pastries. Top with the cheeses.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Cut each pastry into 16 squares.

   There are so many ways to vary this recipe -- I'm thinking of kalamata olives and a little tomato pesto. . . or prosciutto, figs and goat cheese . . . or roasted cherry tomatoes and green onions . . . or . . .

Stromboli

"The stromboli -- homemade pizza dough spread with last year's basil pesto and soft-dried tomatoes from the freezer, topped with thin slices of prociutto and provolone, as well as grated Asiago -- was rolled up and baked brown. Molten cheeses escaped from its fragrant interior as Elizabeth served out the portions."

(from Signs in the Blood)

I usually make stromboli with some combination of cheese, pesto, roasted tomatoes, and prosciutto. I've also used fresh tomatoes (de-seeded) and plain old sliced ham.

This one had capacolla on it but, to tell the truth, the taste of the pesto and the roasted tomatoes pretty much drowns out the flavor of the meat. Another time, I'll omit it.

Roll 'em up and bake them or freeze them to bake another time.

Stromboli is a nice dinner entree with a salad on the side or it can work as an appetizer too.

If you'd like the complete recipe, go to my website , click on RECIPES, and scroll down.

Scones

Scones are a quick (especially if you have a food processor) and easy treat. When my niece was visiting last weekend, she asked for my recipe so I decided to fix some for dessert.

As luck would have it, the oven in the kitchen was not working and it was too warm to fire up the wood stove. So I decided to cook them on the gas grill.

I put the wedges into a heavy iron skillet and heated the grill to 400.

They did pretty well -- a little overdone on the bottom but still delicious. The recipe is below.

Your family and friends will thank you if you make these.

SCONES

(From The Gourmet Cookbook)

(I changed various ingredients to match what I had on hand)

1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)

6 Tbs. sugar (plus more for sprinkling)

1 Tbs. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 1/3 c. old fashioned rolled oats (I used quick cooking)

11/2 sticks (12 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons (plus a little more for the top) (I used salted butter & reduced the salt above)

Freshly grated zest of two large navel oranges (omitted due to a total lack of oranges – but it sure sounds good)

2/3 cup butter milk (I used half and half, replacing about a tablespoon of it with cider vinegar to sour it.)

½ c. finely chopped dried apricots (I used dried cranberries -- some pecans would have been a nice addition.)

Preheat oven to 425. Put rack in middle. Butter a large baking sheet.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in food processor. (Or in a bowl if you don’t have a processor). Add oats and pulse to mix. Or just mix). Add butter and pulse (or cut in with pastry cutter or two knives) till mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea sized lumps. Transfer to large bowl and stir in dried fruit.

In small bowl, combine buttermilk and zest, then stir in to flour mixture with a fork, stirring just till a sticky dough forms.

Turn out to lightly floured surface; and knead six times. Pat into a 1 inch thick round, dusting surface with more flour if needed.

Cut into eight wedges and transfer to buttered baking sheet. Melt a little more butter and brush the tops of the scones with it, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake till golden-brown, 15-18 minutes.

A Royal Flush of Oysters

These are such beautiful fungi!







Recent damp days and warm temperatures have brought forth flushes of mushrooms on the inoculated logs.

Blue oysters . . . and pink ones too. (No, they don't taste like oysters -- I suspect they got their name because of the way they grow in little colonies.)

It's such a treat to see these delicacies appear!

And there are shitakes too . . .

A big basket of oyster mushrooms . . . what shall we do with them?

I found a recipe for Pasta with Oyster Mushrooms, Sage, and Parmesan.

Saute' garlic, onion, and mushrooms in butter. Add some chicken broth and chopped sage. Finish with light cream and toss with shredded Parmesan and cooked pasta. Salt and pepper to taste.





It's a lovely, simple recipe that lets the delicate taste of the mushrooms come through.

Real Butter and Faux Champagne

Yesterday was John's birthday and we began the celebration at breakfast -- as we've done since we were married almost 46 years ago -- with champagne and Eggs Benedict.

Well, actually it wasn't champagne -- it was Prosecco, a sparkling wine from northern Italy. Come to that, maybe it wasn't Eggs Benedict as I made Bernaise sauce, not Hollandaise.

Whatever it was, it was really, really good.

In the afternoon, I made a chocolate pound cake for the family celebration. More butter. Lots more.

This cake has long been a family favorite -- as you can see by the condition of the page in the Southern Junior League Cookbook. I've modified the recipe over the years, adding a dab of cinnamon and making more icing so that it fills the center of the cake. Everyone likes a little extra icing, don't they?

The dinner itself was nothing fancy. At John's request, I made fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy -- family comfort food. And there was more champagne -- or rather, more sparkling wine -- this time Spanish rather than Italian.

A bitter-sweet occasion -- Ethan and Aileen were with us but after dinner they had to get on the road to Atlanta. The movers came today and packed up their household stuff and will be unloading it at the new house in Atlanta tomorrow.










Here's my Bernaise recipe, given to me a long, long time ago by Eleanor in Tampa.

1 stick butter (1/4 pound)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 egg yolks
Salt and pepper
2 thin slices onion
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
a few sprigs of parsley


Put the egg yolks in a blender, along with all the other ingredients except the butter. Melt the butter till bubbly. Blend the yolks and other stuff for 15 -20 seconds then slowly add the bubbling butter while the blender is still running. Run blender a few more seconds.

At this point, the sauce will be quite runny. I like to put it back in the pan I melted the butter in and set that pan in another pan of hot water while I fix the English muffins, Canadian bacon, and the eggs (which should be poached but which I fry over easy, never having quite gotten the hang of consistently turning out a perfect poached egg.)

When these elements are assembled, the sauce will have thickened a bit and be ready to crown the lot. Finish off with a drift of paprika and another sprig of parsley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here's the Chocolate Poundcake --

3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 heaping Tbs. cocoa
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. vanilla

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add sifted dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Add vanilla.

Bake in a well-greased and floured tube or bundt pan at 325 F fo one hour and twenty minutes. Turn out of pan and ice while still hot.

The Icing on the cake

1 stick butter
3 Tbs. cocoa
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 or more Tbs. strong hot coffee

Cream butter well. Sift sugar and cocoa together and stir in. Add coffee to make a spreadable consistency. (This is more of a glaze than a traditional American cake frosting.)

And the cake is especially good if you make it late in the day so that it's still a little warm when you eat it. With vanilla ice cream on top.