Honeycrisp apples

No recipes this time, just a plug for Honeycrisp apples, which are now back in the store. This variety of apple was developed relatively recently, and supplies are still small enough that there is not enough to be sold throughout the year. I manage with Fuji, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith for the months they're not around, but nothing is better than Honeycrisp for being just what the name says--both sweet and crisp. Thanks to my friend Mary Beth, who suggested a couple of years ago that I try one that she had in her fruit bowl. . .

Well, I'll include one other food-related event. After eating curry the other day, I noticed a small orange-yellow stain on my best white blouse. I tried getting it out with soap and water, but I only succeeded in having the yellow migrate to other parts of the blouse. Bummer! I assumed the blouse was done for, but decided to take a look in a book I turn to from time to time: How to Clean Everything. I looked up turmeric, and got the answer--soak in ammonia. Not something I'd ever had recourse to, but it worked! I notice this book is selling for $.01 (plus shipping) on Amazon. There's also a more recent edition, that's going for $1.29.

Baked Alaska

This post is off the beaten path of my usual type of recipes. This summer, I was e-mailing with a friend about getting together for dinner, and in the course of the exchange, she used the phrase "Baked Alaska" as a kind of exclamation. I thought yes, I'll make Baked Alaska for the meal, which was for a special occasion. I had had Baked Alaska only once in my life, some fifty years ago. When I was about twelve years old, one mother made dinner for a gathering of her daughter's friends. At the end of the meal, she brought out a Baked Alaska. I had never heard of or seen such a thing--it was quite wonderful. The warm baked meringue on top with the surprise of cold ice cream and cake inside. I never thought to make it myself, but now I was committed! Turns out it's quite simple to make--the most difficult part was reading through various recipes and combining them into something that would work for me. So, if you are ever so moved, here's my version.

BAKED ALASKA
(recipe adapted from The Settlement Cook Book, Fanny Farmer, Joy of Cooking, and Martha Stewart--see how much research I'm saving you!)

about 2 quarts ice cream (all one flavor or two)
8" round sponge cake (recipe below)
meringue (recipe below)

A day or two ahead: Leave the ice cream out to soften a bit. Select a bowl that holds about 2 quarts, but, most important, a bowl whose rim is a little less than 8" in diameter, as you'll be inverting the ice cream on to the top of the 8" round sponge cake. Spray a 2-quart bowl with cooking spray and line with plastic. Pack ice cream firmly into the bowl--either all one flavor, or layered. Cover surface with plastic wrap and put in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard--at least 2 hours.

On the day you'll be serving: Place sponge cake on the serving plate you'll be using. Remove ice cream from freezer and invert over the cake. Keep the plastic wrap on, and return to freezer.

Preheat oven to 500.

Shortly before you are going to serve the dessert, make the meringue. Remove plastic from the ice cream. Spoon the meringue over the ice cream, swirling with a spatula. Place in oven and bake until the meringue starts to turn brown, about 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

SPONGE CAKE (adapted from The Settlement Cook Book)
(enough for one 8" round layer)
1-1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. cake flour
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
3/8 c. water

Preheat oven to 325. Sift baking powder with the flour. In a bowl, beat egg yolks until light and thick. Add sugar gradually and continue beating. Add vanilla, and then alternately add the flour and water. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, and fold into the mixture. Bake in an ungreased 8" round pan until done, about 25 minutes. (For a full recipe, double this, the cooking time is 40-50 minutes. I forgot to write down how long this halved recipe took.) Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, and then remove cake from pan.

MERINGUE (This makes more than you need)
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 pinch cream of tartar
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Beat egg whites until light and frothy. Add cream of tartar. Continue beating until stiff enough to hold a peak. Gradually beat in sugar and beat until meringue is stiff and glossy.

Two more cold soups

Jan asked for the apricot-wine soup recipe too.  While I'm at it, I'll include the yoghurt soup recipe I like as well.

APRICOT-WINE (or not) SOUP

serves 5

I've always made the soup with the wine called for, but last week I made it without, because one of the people at the table could not have alcohol.  The soup was still wonderful!  I didn't change anything else--just left out the wine.

2/3 c. dried apricots

2/3 c. peeled, diced tart apple

1 c. water

12 oz.  mixture of apricot nectar & orange juice, about half each

1-1/4 c. apple juice

1/2 c. sour cream (light is fine)

2/3 c. chilled dry white wine (can be left out)

mint sprigs

Cook apricots and apple in water covered, until apricots are soft, adding more water if needed.  Purée in blender with the juices and sour cream.

        

Chill, add wine to taste, and serve with sprigs of mint.  (The mint is both for decoration and for the taste--very nice with the apricot flavor.)

  
        

 COLD YOGHURT SOUP

adapted from Craig Claiborne, The New York Times Menu Cookbook

4-5 servings

1/2 cup raisins

3 cups yoghurt (non-fat is fine)

1/2 cup milk (I use skim)

1 hard-cooked egg, chopped (or 2 egg whites)

6 ice cubes

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 3)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. chopped parsley

1 T. chopped fresh dill or 1 t. dried dill

Soak the raisins in cold water for five minutes.

          

Place the yoghurt in a large mixing bowl and add the milk, egg, ice cubes, cucumber, scallions, salt and pepper.  Drain the raisins and add them to the yoghurt mixture.

Add one cup of cold water and mix well.  Chill for 2 or 3 hours.  Serve garnished with parsley and dill.

 

A cool soup for summer

I like making cold soups in summer, and I have a few favorites that I make each year (yogurt/cucumber, apricot/wine, gazpacho).  But today I happened to have extra buttermilk on hand (left over from making scones), and I noticed a recipe in a new cookbook I'd just purchased that would help me use it up.  This soup is great!  I was dubious about the base of buttermilk, which I've only used before in baking.  I'm a convert!  Actually, it's quite similar to yogurt, but with a bit of a tang.

CHILLED BUTTERMILK-VEGETABLE SOUP

adapted from Vegetarian Meals: Meatless Recipes Everyone Will Love (Good Housekeeping) (NY: Hearst Books, 2006) 

makes about 6 first-course servings

1-2 limes

1 qt. buttermilk (4 cups)

3 medium tomatoes (about 3/4 lb), seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 seedless cucumber, chopped in 1/4" pieces (can leave skin on if thin)

1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/4" pieces

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. coarsely ground black pepper

Grate about 1 t. peel from the lime(s) and squeeze to get 2-3 T. juice.

In large bowl, combine peel and juice with the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Picadillo

There are versions of Picadillo from a number of countries; Wikipedia lists variations from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.  The version below is from one of my many WeightWatchers cookbooks, and is good either served over rice or rolled up in a tortilla.  Quick and easy to make, with simple ingredients.

PICADILLO

6 servings

adapted from  WeightWatchers, In One Pot

1 T. vegetable oil
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1-1/2 c. canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup raisins, chopped
2 T. pitted green olives, chopped (with pimentos fine)
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked rice

Heat the oil on medium heat and saute the pepper, onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is golden, about 8 minutes.  Add the beef, breaking it up, and brown the meat, about 6 minues.

Stir in all the other ingredients except the rice.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes.  Serve with rice.  Or instead of rice, heat up corn tortillas and use as a stuffing for those.

Forgotten Cookies

These no-flour meringue-type cookies are always a big hit at the community Passover seder at our synagogue.  They're so good that I make them at other times of the year too.  They're not low-cal, but they are fat-free.  They freeze well also.  The key thing to remember is that you have to plan ahead, because these have to stay in the oven (with temperature turned off) for at least 6 hours.

FORGOTTEN COOKIES 

(MERINGUE COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND NUTS)

adapted from Zell Schulman, Something Different for Passover, 1984

 

One batch makes about 70 cookies. Lay them out in 5 x 7 rows on 2 cookie sheets. It's also fine to halve the recipe if you want fewer cookies.

 

4 egg whites

1-1/2 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

2 cups broken pecans (walnuts would also work)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

 

With electric mixer, beat egg whites until peaks begin to form.  Add sugar slowly (about 2 T. at a time).  Add vanilla and salt and beat until everything is very stiff and shiny.

 

Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.   Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and place in preheated oven.  These cookies don’t spread when baking, so they can be placed quite close together.  Turn off the oven and "forget" the cookies until the next morning (or about 6-8 hours*).  If they stick at all on the paper, run a sharp knife underneath. (On silicone mat, they come off easily with a thin spatula.)

 

You can store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week; it's helpful to put a sheet of waxed paper between each layer of cookies, to keep them from sticking together. For longer storage, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months (with a sheet of waxed paper between layers). If after defrosting, the cookies get sticky, you can dry them out in a 200-degree oven for about 10 minutes.

 

*Another recipe says leave in oven "for at least 2 hours"; and another says "at least 8 hours."

Turkey Stew with Peppers and Mushrooms

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[I've re-typed and reposted this, trying to fix the strange capitalization that the original post showed up in, but alas, something still is goofy.  Sorry!]  

 

I made this recipe this past weekend, and it was a big hit.  I had originally planned it as a somewhat-more-work-than-usual meal for just David and me, but I ended up doubling the recipe and making it as a meal for us and three dinner guests.  Usually when we have guests, I make something more "special," but I had my eye on this recipe.  It turned out to be a very satisfying dish, and the leftovers the next day were even better.

 

This recipe is lightly adapted from the Simply Recipes blog.  I was going to just send you directly to that website, but I did make a few small changes, and thought it would be easier for you if I incorporated them into the recipe rather than wrote them out separately.  I do recommend this blog by Elise Bauer:  http://simplyrecipes.com/  In addition to the regular postings of recipes, there's a sidebar that lists recipes by type, and an index where you can look up either by ingredient or by name of recipe. 

 

Turkey Stew with Peppers and Mushroom

adapted from simplyrecipes.com

serves 4

2 T. olive oil (divided 1 and 1)

1 large onion, cut in half and sliced

3 bell peppers of various colors, sliced thinly

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika or a few dashes cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika

1 1/2 to 2 pounds skinless, boneless turkey thigh or breast, cut into large chunks

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 14-ounce can of plum tomatoes with juice

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salt

3 t. cornstarch

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat 1 T. of olive oil on high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and peppers and sauté them until they begin to soften and lightly brown. Add the sweet paprika, the hot paprika (or cayenne), and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove the peppers, onions, and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and the turkey to the pan. Sear the mushrooms and turkey over high heat, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the turkey and mushrooms begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium, return the peppers-and-onion mixture to the pan and mix well.

Squeeze the tomatoes to break them up, and add them with their juices to the pan, along with the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, rosemary and black pepper. Mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Stir the cornstarch into the yogurt and add to stew. Cook over low heat (do not let simmer or boil), stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens a little.

Serve with white rice.  (Bauer recommends serving with rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.  The first night I served it with mashed potatoes, and the second night with rice.  Rice wins!  I usually use brown rice when cooking, but white was very nice in this dish.)