Category — Cooking Recipes

Blogger, Everybody Likes Sandwiches put up a recipe for Apple & Sour Cherry Pie with crumb topping and I just about licked the computer screen. So beautiful, earthy, and screams autumn.

Here is Everybody Likes Sandwiches‘ recipe with kitchen recommendations by me!

apple & sour cherry pie with crumble topping

pie crust:
(crust adapted from Simply Recipes)
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
2 T sugar
3/4 c unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 c all-vegetable shortening
6-8 T ice water (Tovolo Perfect Cube Ice Cube Trays)

filling:
3 apples, peeled & sliced (Peel Away Apple Peeler)
2 c sour cherries
1 T rum
1/2 c sugar
2 T flour
2 t ground cinnamon
large pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

crumble topping:
1/4 c flour
1/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
3 T cold butter, cubed

1. Combine the flour, salt & sugar in a large bowl and give everything a good stir with a whisk. Add in the butter and use your fingers to break it down into a coarse oat-looking concoction – the largest butter lumps should be the size of small small peas. Add one tablespoon of water at a time, using a wooden spoon to start to gather the mixture into dough. Stop at 6 tablespoons (Williams-Sonoma Collapsible Measuring Cups and Spoons). Use your hands to create a ball. Too dry? Add one more tablespoon and try again. You don’t want the dough to be sticky or wet. It should be fairly dry but should hold together. Divide dough into 2 equal sized balls and wrap each ball of dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Flatten each dough ball with your palm into a 4 inch disc and refrigerate 2 hours. You’ll only need 1 pie dough circle for this recipe. You can use the other remaining pie dough to create another pie or freeze a well-wrapped dough for up to 3 months.

2. Preheat oven to 400F.

3. Place one chilled dough disc onto a very lightly floured silpat mat or piece of parchment paper. Place another silpat mat or parchment over top and roll out your dough. No need to flour your rolling pin (Sur La Table Rolling Pin) since your pin won’t touch the dough. When the dough is about 1.5-2 inches wider than your 9″ pie plate, stop rolling. Remove the top layer of parchment/silpat and gently grab the bottom layer and place into pie plate so that the dough is roughly centered. Remove the remaining paper/silpat and tap the dough into place

4. Using the end of a butter knife (Charlemagne Butter Knife) , create a decorative edge using 2 fingers pointing inwards to the pie and the knife end pointing out in between your 2 fingers. This creates a scalloped edge. You may have to trim your edges and patch up any tears with the remaining scraps. Or you can crimp with a fork. Place pie dough in the fridge. Phew! That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now let’s get started with the filling!

5. In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, giving everything a good stir. Set aside.

6. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour to the cinnamon. Cut in the butter cubes and use your hands to blend the butter into the dry mixture. Create nice sized crumbs. If the mixture is too greasy, add in more flour. If it’s too dry, cut in some more butter. Set aside.

7. Remove chilled pie crust from the fridge and add in the apple/sour cherry filling. Lightly pack topping over the filling and place pie on a baking sheet covered with silpat or parchment. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 35 minutes – cover the crust edges with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly on the edges, about 25-35 minutes longer. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with ice cream or whipping cream.

I loveeeee split pea soup. Blogger One Lovely Life has a beautiful, hearty recipe and killer pictures!

I’ve re-posted here:

Ingredients:
1lb smoked ham on the bone (if you can’t get a bone, just use 1lb of ham + 1 ham hock)
1lb dried split peas
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart water
1 onion, diced (I like a fine dice)
2 stalks celery, sliced or diced (again with the fine dice/slice)
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In your largest pot (Emerilware 5 Qt. Stainless Steel Soup Pot), saute (Epicurean® Gourmet Series Nylon Saute Tool) the celery and onion in olive oil till tender over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add remaining ingredients. Bring mixture up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and simmer at least 1 hour, or up to 2 hours (till the peas have completely softened and the soup is smooth). Before serving, remove ham hock/ham bone from soup. Remove ham from bone and dice. Return ham to soup and discard bone, etc.

Serve warm with garlic croutons, toasted bread, or rolls. (I made garlic croutons by dicing a baguette, tossing it with olive oil (Williams-Sonoma Olio Santo) and 1 minced clove of garlic, then toasting at 400 degrees for 4-8 minutes.)

Dear Martha Steward Living,

How do you make everything so perfect? How easy and delicious does this Chicken Tetrazzini look?

Serves 8

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced inch thick
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 pound linguine, broken in half
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (Martha Stewart Collection Red Enameled Cast Iron Round Pot, 7 Qt.). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently (OXO® Stainless and Nylon Tongs), until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
2. Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain (MIU 4-qt. Colander) and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze (see below) or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
4. To freeze: After placing pasta mixture in baking dishes and sprinkling with Parmesan (step 3), cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months.
   To bake from frozen: Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 2 hours. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more. Serve.
   To bake from thawed: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chicken Tetrazzini – Martha Stewart Recipes

Palak Paneer is one of my favorite Indian dishes comprised of spinach and cheese. I love both, so there is no better dish for me than this one. It’s creamy, pungent and so comforting. Blogger Indian Simmer was lucky enough to have her significant other make this for her on her birthday! Here is here recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green spinach
8 oz packet of paneer cut into cubes
1 cup red chopped onion
1 cup tomato pureed
3-4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 inch ginger
2-3 thai green chili
1 tsp fennel seeds
3-4 cloves
1/4 cup heavy cream or 2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3 tbsp olive oil/cooking oil
Salt

Method:

Boil spinach in a big pot (Rachel Ray Cast Iron Casserole Dish) adding fennel seeds and cloves to it. Let it cool and then blend it in a blender (Cuisinart SmartPower Blender from Crate & Barrel). Save the water in which you boiled your spinach.
Grind onion, ginger, garlic and thai chili making a thick paste. Heat oil in a medium sized pot and add the ground paste of onion, garlic and the other ingredients. Cook everything until the paste starts changing color from light pink to darker pink and then slowly towards golden. Then add salt.
Stir for a minute and you’ll see onion loosing some oil that’s when you have to add coriander powder & curry powder.
Mix it all together and add pureed tomato.
Cook everything until the paste is thicker and all the liquid from the tomato is cooked. Then you have to add the pureed mixture of spinach, fennel seeds and cloves. Fennel seeds and cloves here are the secret ingredients that I add to my spinach. This gets rid of the spinachy (if there’s any word like that) smell of the greens.
Don’t forget to turn the heat to lowest because as soon as spinach hits the hot pot it would start bubbling and jumping. So continuously stir it on low heat for a minute or two and then cover it with a lid to let it cook. If you think the gravy is too thick for you add a ladle or two of the saved boiled water from the spinach and then cover it.
In a separate sauce pan boil salted water, turn off the heat and then add the paneer cubes. Let it stay in hot water for 2-3 mintes while your curry is being cooked. This helps drain all the excess fat from the cheese making it softer.
Then add cream or sour cream whatever you are using to the spinach curry. Mix well.
Drain our paneer cubes from the salt water and add it to the gravy.
Give it one quick boil and your Palak Paneer is ready. We ate it with some char grilled butter naan (grill with Sur La Table Stainless Steel Flexi Grill Basket).

I am currently obsessed with lime popcorn. I eat it while waiting for dinner to cook because, really, any excuse to eat it is just fine. I make the quickie Orville Redenbacher Lime and Salt, but imagine how great it would be to cook and make my own flavors! Glamour has this amazing recipe for Chili Lime Tequila Popcorn that I’m dying to try!

Chili Lime Tequila Popcorn
Adapted from Dolcetto Confections

Ingredients:

4 quarts freshly popped popcorn
1/4 cup butter, melted (Note: I use less–butter is absolutely optional)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon tequila (optional)
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds and membrane removes, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or SilPat. Set aside. Put popcorn in a large, clean paper bag. In a medium-size bowl whisk together the butter, lime juice and zest, and tequila. Add the jalapeno. In a small bowl combine the black pepper, salt and red pepper.

Drizzle butter mixture over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake until the popcorn is coated and moist. Sprinkle pepper mixture over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake a few times to coat.

Spread the popcorn evenly over the baking sheet and bake until the popcorn is dry, five to seven minutes. Store in clean paper bag for up to 1 day.

Cuisinart Popcorn Maker

Theater Popcorn Popper

David Lebovitz lives an enviable life. He makes ice cream and writes an award winning book. He lives in Paris, where he chronicles his food adventures on his blog.

I’ve been following David Lebovitz for about 2 years now and his posts never cease to delight! Not only does he write about his anecdotes and culture experiences of an American in Paris, but he even graces his readers with recipes that are easy to follow and delicious.

Some pictures:

Paris is one of my favorite vacation destinations. The food, fashion, art and atmosphere is second to none. Here are some things for the kitchen that remind me of my time in Paris!

Saeco Aroma SS Espresso Machine

Godinger Eiffel Tower Salt And Pepper Shakers

Croissant Cutter

I have a confession. I have been ordering-in Chinese. Broccoli Beef to be more specific. Here’s a simple recipe from New Asian Cuisine that should give me a kick start to back away from my bad, bad habit of lazy eating!

Jaden Hair says, “The secret ingredient to the absolute best Broccoli Beef is Chinese black vinegar, which adds a mellow sweet tang. If you don’t have Chinese black vinegar, substitute it with a good, dark balsamic vinegar. Speaking of sauce, there’s nothing I detest more than goopy brown sauce that normally drags this dish down at most Chinese restaurants.I want my broccoli to be tender-crisp and taste like broccoli, not like cornstarchy brown goop. The secret is to cook the broccoli separate and to use minimal amount of cornstarch – but only in the steak marinade. We’ll simmer the sauce to let it thicken naturally.”

Chinese Broccoli Beef Recipe

1 lb (460 g) top sirloin or flank steak, sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thin strips

For the marinade
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cooking oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons black vinegar

For the Broccoli
1½ lb (700 g) broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Marinate the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of oil for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients.

In a wok or large frying pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Heat the pan over high heat and when hot, add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

***
More Options
- To keep this dish vegetarian, replace the beef with fresh, thick, meaty shitake mushrooms (cut in half) or even Portobello (cut in ½ in/13 mm slices).

Butternut Squash Soup is warm and comforting. It’s just what the doctor ordered as we bid summer adieu. This beautiful picture is from Bay Area Foodie who used Thomas Keller‘s recipe. Yum!

Butternut Squash Soup With Brown Butter
1 3-to-3 1/2-pound butternut squash
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs sage
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons honey
6 cups vegetable stock, more if needed
Bouquet Garni made of 8 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs Italian parsley,
2 bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, all wrapped in a
packet made of 2 green leek leaves
1/4 cup creme fraiche
Freshly grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced chives
Extra-virgin olive oil.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the neck off the squash and set it aside. Cut the bulb in half and scoop [Rosle Ice Cream Scoop] out and discard seeds. Brush each half inside and out with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the canola oil. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and pepper and tuck a sprig of sage into each. Place cut-side-down on the baking sheet and roast until completely tender, about 1 hour. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool, then scoop out and reserve the flesh (discard sage).

2. Meanwhile, using a paring knife, peel away the skin from the neck of the squash until you reach the bright orange flesh. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 4 cups).

3. Put the remaining canola oil in a stockpot [Infinite Circulon 7 Qt. Covered Straining Stockpot]  over medium-high heat, add the leeks, carrots, shallots and onions and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the diced squash, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook gently for 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to keep the garlic and squash from coloring. Stir in the honey and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.

4. Add the roasted squash and simmer gently for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches, and puree. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Place the creme fraiche in a small chilled bowl and stir in nutmeg to taste. Whisk until the creme fraiche holds a shape. Cover and refrigerate.

6. Gently reheat the soup until just hot. If it is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the butter and rotate the skillet over the heat as necessary to brown the butter evenly, scraping up any bits that settle in the bottom. As soon as the butter is a hazelnut brown, pour it into the pot of soup — keep a safe distance, it may sputter — then stir.

7. Ladle the soup into six serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of creme fraiche. Grind some black pepper over the top and sprinkle on the chives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Serves 6.

Adapted from ”Bouchon,” by Thomas Keller.

When I saw this recipe on Healthy Food For Living my mouth dropped, watered, and then dropped again. I’ll let Lauren’s pictures do the talking.

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 oz uncooked macaroni or other pasta, preferably whole wheat or whole wheat blend pasta
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 oz (about 4 Tbsp) 1/3-less-fat neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese (can sub in any good melting cheese, such as monterey jack)
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper, or more depending on heat preference
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together and heat pumpkin puree and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot.
3. Reduce stove heat to low. Whisk in cheeses until fully melted.
4. Stir in nutmeg and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Stir drained pasta into the pumpkin-cheese sauce and mix until thoroughly combined.
6. At this point, the mac & cheese might appear a bit soupy. If this is the case, let the mixture sit off of the heat for a few minutes. The cheese sauce will firm up as it slightly cools.
7. Serve with an extra dusting of nutmeg, if desired.

You’ll need:

All-Clad Stainless-Steel Measuring Cups

Microplane Coarse Grater Soft Touch

Cuisipro Frosted Egg Whisk

This Butternut Squash Orzo recipe from The Little Red House looks, in a word, perfect.

Sheena Jibson’s wonderful recipe with suggestions by me!:

Butternut Squash Orzo
Serves 4

1 roasted chicken
1/2 butternut squash
1/2 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper and thyme
1/2c-3/4c chicken broth
1 cup orzo, fully cooked according to package directions
3 strips of bacon (I am not a bacon lover so this was just the right amount for me….if you love bacon, add a few more:)
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

-Halve and clean squash
-Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme and s&p (Le Creuset® Silicone Basting Brush – White)
place squash (cut side up), onion, and garlic cloves on a lined baking sheet and roast at 425 until veggies are fork tender, about 30 minutes (onion and garlic will need to be removed before squash) Squash will easily scoop right out of peel when it is done roasting.
-Add all veggies to a food processor, along with 1/2c chicken broth and puree. (Cuisinart 9-cup Food Processor)
-Add a bit more broth if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste.
-Combine cooked orzo, chicken, crumbled bacon, and butternut sauce.
Top with parmesan. (Microplane Rotary Parmesan Cheese Grater)