Fastnacht Day in Savannah

So These are the ones I made with the same recipe Pam used (from our Dutchie mother)I dipped half in chocolate and the other in cinnmon sugar.

For the holes I mixed in poppy seeds and dipped them in a lemon glaze. These I couldn't get to cook all the way through with out over cooking the outside.

I Also made crullers which were freekin awsome!

Here's the recipe:

1 cup water

8Tbs unsalted butter

pinch of salt

1cup flour

4 eggs

vegetable oil

Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt, in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally so the butter melts. Remove from the heat, add all the flour at once, and stir wiht a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated and it forms a ball. Return the pan to medium heat and cook. Stir continuously to evaporte some of the moisture, about 90 seconds.

Scrape the micture into a medium bowl, beat in 3 whole eggs one at t time, making sure they are completely incorporated. Add as much of the 4th egg as neede so that the dough is thick and holds its shap, but falls slowly and steadily from your spoon. It should be smooth and shiny.

Using a pastry bag with a star tip, pipe the dough onto a squares of parchment paper in 3" circles. Heat 3" of oil to 360F . place the crullers (still on their papers) upside down in the oil, After about 15 seconds use tongs to pull off the papers. Turn the crullers until golden brown on both sides, using a skimmer transfer them to a wire rack to drain the oil.

I just piped them right into the oil and set them on paper towels to absorb the oil and it worked just fine.

The first batch I covered with powdered sugar.

and the second I dipped in an orange glaze

(made simply with orange juice and powdered sugar)



-Jackie

Ashville

On our second day in Ashville we popped into town for a bite to eat before we heade home. We ended up finding this great restaurant called Carmel

I got a salad and Pizza:

Chopped spinach with spiced pecans, pear, blueberry stilton, and a balsamic honey dressing

Thin crust pizza with sundried tomoto pesto, baby spinach, bree, and candied tomatoes.

Both were amazing, I can't believe we randomly found a restaurant were we got to experience some new flavors. I definatley need to find a recipe for candied tomatoes, and will be recreating a version of this salad in the near future.

Scott got the potato corn chowder and BBQ chicken pizza.

Also very good. Especially the soup becuase it was snowing.

A very happy day.

-Jackie

Fastnacht Day

Happy five days after fastnacht day! In honor of this hallowed event, we agreed to make doughnuts. I wanted to do something interesting... but couldn't really think of anything. I almost decided on basil or rosemary, but... a little scared, I thought I'd stick to the classics. So here we have sugared persimmon doughnuts (above), and plain dougnuts filled with vanilla-orange cream.

The basic recipe is the one our dutchy mother grew up using, so it's the real deal.

Fastnachts

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups sifted flour

Soften yeast in warm water. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 cups sifted flour to the milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the yeast. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled. Stir in eggs, butter, the remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, and enough flour so that mixture can no longer be stirred with a spoon (a soft dough). Cover; let rise until doubled. Punch down dough and divide into two portions. On a floured surface, roll out each portion about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough with a doughnut cutter (anything with a circular rim works fine- I used the rim of the flour sifter). Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Fry in vegetable oil heated to 370 degrees 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned; turn doughnuts to brown evenly. Remove and drain.

the first doughnut I ever made! and its hole.

I found it hard to regulate the temperature of the oil. But even when I was 15 degrees below what it was supposed to be, they never took 3 minutes to cook. It was much closer to 1 minute. For the persimmon doughnuts, I added 1 chopped persimmon to half of the batter. The other half I left plain. The persimmons really didn't add much though- they just taste like sugar, themselves, as did the doughnuts. Not to say that they weren't delicious.

Vanilla Orange Cream Filling

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 cup sugar
• zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in container with lid (I used a jar) and shake until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream. Put into a piping bag, or a ziplog bag with the corner cut off. Prepare doughnuts by making a hole in the side reaching to the center, and enlarged to create a hollow. Squeeze cream into hollow as neatly as possible!

To make up for this debacle, I had steamed brussels sprouts and mushrooms for dinner, but felt over-sugared anyway. But, alas, such is life!

--Pam

Mushroom Crepes

Since it was such a long time before I got cracking on these crepes, this is going to be a very detailed account of a very detailed recipe. Which means mostly pictures. For some reason, when we decided to make crepes, I got the thought to do mushroom and pear... no idea where it came from. But awkward as the pairing seemed to me at first, I realized that they both go great with the same things-- parmesan and endive. So these are crepes with endive, mushroom, bosc pear, watercress, and parmesan cream sauce. And they are delicious.

Crepes with mushrooms, endive, pear, watercress, and cream sauce

I started by broiling the endive with oil and salt at the highest temperature, so that the top got nice and crisp, but the inside was still raw. Then I sliced it and cooled it in the refridgerator for a few hours.


Next were the mushrooms. I used a mixture of shiitake, oyster, and crimini. These I baked-- which I thought was kind of a no-no when it came to mushrooms, but it turns out I prefered the texture over any other cooking method-- with oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. In the meantime, I started on the crepes.



The ingredients were just so lovely that I had to take their picture. Those are organic brown eggs and almond flour- with skins!


Almond Flour Crepes

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp melted butter

Mix all ingredients well, making sure the butter is not warm enough to scramble the eggs. Let sit at least 30 minutes. (This allows the flour to absorb more of the mixture, giving the batter more elasticity and making it easier to work with. Although apparently it makes no difference in the final texture.)

On medium heat in an oiled pan, spread a few tablespoons of batter and cook unti the top is no longer liquid- flip carefully, and cook until the bottom is browned.

I found that the almond flour, although delicious, was of such a coarse texture that rolling these crepes was almost impossible- they had no flexibility, and just broke. They were also thicker than they should be. I think they would do much better if eaten flat like pancakes, or in layers.

This was the watercress, which I haven't had in a very many years (comparatively speaking) and found that I love. But I'll definitely forget all about it again. It has a very peppery, grassy flavor, with a delightfully delicate crunch. The next component was bosc pear- I thought it would work well because it is such a sturdy variety of pear and has a flavor that can stand up for itself- I didn't want any mushy bartletts in there. And then, finally, it was all topped off with a cream sauce.

Parmesan Peppercorn Cream Sauce

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
• salt, freshly ground peppercorns, and rosemary, to taste

Heat the cream on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Add the cheese and continue to stir constantly, until melted. Add spices to taste. Serve hot.

This went very well with a book on Flemish arcitechture. Of course.

--Pam

Brussels Sprouts

This is the best way I've ever eaten brussels sprouts.

I just steamed them in my bamboo steamer, added a little butter, and topped them with fried prosciutto and chevre.

- Jackie

Birthday muffin

For my Brithday Pam got me a lovely crate full of delicious food products and some books.

Included in the crate was this fantastic pistachio muffin... I recomend everyone try a pistachio muffin before they die. They are 100% delicous and the fact that they are bright green inside makes it very fun to take the first bite.

Lemonade

Last weekend I made lemonade with my new/old lemon squeezer

(another item from my birthday crate)

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

Fun and delicious

-Jackie

Crepes!

Crepes with brie & new potaotes and spinach orzo salad

Crepe Ingredients:
2 large eggs
½ cup flour
¾ cup milk

Wisk eggs in a bowl, add half the flour and mix until mixture is smooth. Add rest of the flour and mix until well combined. Add milk gradually, wisk between additions to make a smooth batter. Let batter sit for 30 mins before using.
Lightly butter non-stick pan, with temp on med-high. Once pan is hot pour about 2 Tbsp of batter into pan and quickly swirl around the pan to make a thin crepe.
Cook until the top of the crepe doesn't look wet anymore and the bottom and edges have started to brown. Loosen edges of crepe with spatula and flip. Once browned on both sides remove from pan and stack on plate.
I needed to add a little more butter for everyother crepe. Reduce the heat a little if the pan starts to get too hot.

Here's the first crepe I've ever made! Not so great, but the rest were much better.

For the filling I put some lemon olive oil in a pan and sauteed some sliced new potatoes. I added some crepe and brie and let that melt into a sauce. Added some pepper and parsley and filled my crepes. The lemon flavor and parsley really brought out the brie flavor and let it shine.

Used this award winning triple creme, and it was awsome!

For the salad I chopped some fresh spinach and poured in an equal amount of orzo. I added small diced tomatoes, capers, toasted pine nuts, and shaved parmesan cheese. I tossed it all with a vinegarette of red wine vinegar, lemon olive oil, and salt and pepper.

This salad really accompanied the crepes well.

Fin!

- Jackie

Antipasto the Second, Esq.

Antipasto! I love to eat little samples of things instead of a main meal. This combination was particularly refreshing, especially after eating heavy winter food for awhile. It consists of brussels sprouts roasted with pine nuts, steamed broccoli raab with lemon, and a white bean and tomato salad; all were eaten at room temperature, as is the Italian style, I think. If it is not, then it should be because it's fantastic.

The brussels sprouts I quartered, tossed with salt, walnut oil and pine nuts, and roasted until lightly browned. Walnut oil, by the way, is worth the price every time. I personally don't love olive oil because it's too heavy- walnut oil is very light and flavorful and great on pretty much everything.

I had antipasto at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last month, and I really enjoyed the broccoli there which was just barely steamed. So I steamed this broccoli raab for only a minute or two, so that it was still crunchy, then seasoned it with salt-- the end!

The whitebean salad is also very simple-- boiled beans, salted, tossed with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and fresh parsley. Delicioso.

--Pam

Antipasto

Tongiht's antipasto featured homemade pesto, roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella, boursin, grilled bread, roasted artichokes, and a pasta salad of orzo puttanesca.

Orzo Puttanesca

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
28.2 oz can of peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives halved & pitted
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp capers
1tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup orzo
2 Tbsp fresh copped flat leaf parsley
greated parmesan

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat, add garlic and saute' until fragrant. Add tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer sauce over medum low heat until thickened, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, about 8 mins. Season with salt and pepper. Add Parsley at the end.
Meanwhile, cook orzo in pot of 2qt boiling water, 1 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Let boil about 8 mins, drain, and add sauce. Toss to coat, serve with cheese : )

I skipped the olives and anchovy, feel free to add or subtract from this recipe to fit your personal taste. Also this sauce can be used on any kind of pasta, the first time I made it was with homemade fettuccini noodels which was very tasty. I chose orzo this time because I think it lends itself well to the idea of pasta salad. This is a sauce that will stick with me for life because it is so easy and so delicious.

...All else are recipes from my repitoire that I just wing the measurments on according to taste.



Roasted Artichokes started with a recipe from my anut Nancy. In my opinion this is really the best way to eat artichokes. 1 can artichoke hearts, seasoned with butter, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and thyme. Sometimes I use olive oil, a splash of white wine, or a sprinkle of parsley.

The pesto was made from fresh hydroponic basil, toasted pine nuts, salt & pepper, and peccorino romano. This turned out DELICIOUS! I'll be using in on toast, sandwiches, ect. all week until it sadly runs out.

For the roasted garlic I cut off the top, drizzled with olive oil, and roasted for about 45 mins. at 300F.

The Bagette was sliced, seasoned with olive oil, salt & pepper, and parsley, and tossed on the grill until toasty

Scott made homemade lemonade tonight. A great paring for italian food, and very refreshing.

-Jackie

Rosemary Sea Salt Focaccia & White Bean Soup

Not sure where I found this recipe, no doubt while cruising other food blogs. And by the way let me have it stated for the record that I am am definately a cook and not a baker. Almost every baking attempt I have made has resulted in faliure. My Focaccia never rose for some reason, I waited for much longer than the recipe called for and it just never did... perhaps the temperature in the house. Anywho, even though it didn't turn out as desired it was tastey none the less. Actually it reminded me alot of the homemade pretzles we used to make when we were little. Anything with sea salt is delicious.

Ingredients:
.25 oz packet of yeast

280 ml water ( room temperature )

6-7 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp sea salt

2 Tblsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra to sprinkle on top

about 17.5 oz white wheat flour

2 tsp coarse sea salt
A greased baking tin (about 10 x 12")

Place half the flour in a large bowl, add the salt and rosemary and mix briefly. Pour in the yeast and mix well. Pour in all the water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Gradually work enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. The amount needed will depend on what flour you use, and also the conditions on the day.
Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and silky.
Leave to rise until doubled in size at cool to normal room temperature in a lightly oiled mixing bowl covered with a damp cloth for about 2 hours.

Once risen, press into the shape of the pan making sure the dough is spread evenly and to the endges and corners.

Cover and let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Flour fingertips and make dimples in the dough about 1" or 1/2" apart. Cover and let double again (45 minutes). While dough is rising again, preheat oven to 430F

Once risen, sprinkle sea salt and rosemary and drizzle olive oil on top. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. The bread should be golden brown.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

I Started off by putting a few tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a large pot and browned some chopped garlic in it. Be careful not to burn the garlic, I added a splash of chicken broth to the pot to stop the garlic from cooking once it reached its desired color. Added some chopped aromatics (carrots, zuccini, tomatoe) let them saute for a bit and added some sea salt, pepper, rosemary, and a wee bit of honey ; )

Then added the rest of the chicken broth (used a 32 oz carton) and then some fresh chopped spinach.

Once this came back to a boil I added one can of great northern beans, and half a can of cannalini. I added a sprinkle of corn starch to help it thicken, and let stew for maybe 20 mins.

As far as measurements go I usually wing it according to taste and my own likes and dislikes. (guess this is partially why I am not a good baker, I don't exactly like the follow recipes word for word)

The broth of this soup was fantastic, the beans a tad dry but expected with canned beans, Had a good consistency, and made a good portion for 2 with some left overs (I always make sure I have leftovers when it comes to soup)

- Jackie

Hydroponic Farm Visit!

This afternoon I took a tour of a local farm, Butter Valley Harvest, that has just started working in hydroponics. The plants here are grown in a greenhouse with controlled temperature and humidity, without soil; instead, they are fed with water fertilized with all the essential nutrients for a plant.

baby lettuces

look how green the romaine is, in the back on the right!

What this means is that the plants get absolutely everything they need to be healthy and none of those diseases that come from dirt and insects, resulting in the greenest and most fragrant lettuce I have ever known! When we walked into the greenhouse, everyone gasped and smiles broke out all around. It was so breathtakingly green! In the middle of January! They are the types of lettuces you imagine Peter Rabbit nibbling on in the English countryside. So tender and crisp.


baby bibbs

After the tour, we were all given a free head of lettuce. I also bought some extra, so as to have every variety for sampling. Right now they are growing bibb, romaine, and an experimental mix of seven varieties that includes some asian types. There is also some beautiful basil, and the tomatoes are just about to be planted. They can be expected around April. All of these goodies will be readily available to the public this spring at the farm, or they can be purchased now if you give them a call, for two dollars or less a head! Don't hesitate! Even if you want just a single head of lettuce, they are extremely welcoming to local patronage. Check them out at http://www.buttervalleyharvest.com/. Now to think up some recipes worthy of such glorious greens!

salad blend

--Pam