It started with yet another business idea.
I get business ideas all the time. I guess that's a good sign of an entrepreneur - always coming up with different ideas of things to start. Most of my ideas tend to be hair-brained insane ideas that don't seem to work before they even come out of my mouth. My former coworkers got used to this. I can't count how many times I would look to my left at my "cube mate" Nick and say some bizarre idea for an office product or service. He would look at me with a confused and slightly concerned look on his face, then tell me to get back to work. Eventually he just started ignoring me. To which I proceeded to bug the hell out of everyone else who would listen to me (yes MB, Amy, Gina and Carol). Most of the time the ideas were complete crap. But a few times I hit it. One particular product idea was taken up by not named major office supply retailer. Take that! Who can say they came up with a million dollar product idea? BOOM the extreme man, came out of this brain!
Of course I can't take public credit for the idea since I no longer work at the manufacturer and I'm not legally allowed to same the name of the retailer. But if I'm ever shopping with you dear reader and we see said product, believe me you will know who came up with it.
I am happy I'm no longer in the office products industry. 10 years by the time your 26 is a little absurd. And I'm no longer dreaming up office product ideas - I've moved on! So what is a 26 year old single living girl who is newly working from home going to do? Why bake of course! I am the 2010's version of the 50's housewife: no kids, no husband, one bedroom apartment on the north side of Chicago, and I'm baking up a storm while switching from the Food Network, This American Life, and Big Band Jazz music. Naturally, this was going to dream up some pretty interesting business ideas on the way. You're probably thinking, well this girl likes to cook so why doesn't she open a restaurant? No way. For starters, my fear of putting down roots at this stage makes any brick and mortar type place a big no. Also there about a 1% success rate and I don't have the money to lose. I did think of a couple things though...
The rest of this post will detail an idea that I will not be going forward with. Take it. It's yours if you want it.
I've been waking up at 4am about every morning for the last month and then fighting to go back to sleep. It's probably normal - I'm stressed with the new job and move in a month so whatever. One morning I woke up with a BRILLIANT idea. What about a mail-order cupcake business that would incorporate wine into cupcakes? I'm talking Malbec cupcakes with dark chocolate and chili pepper, Champagne cupcakes with strawberries, Merlot cupcakes with blackberry frosting. Take the flavors of the wine and bring them out with the flavors of the cupcakes.
Name of the business: Why wine? Have a cupcake.
Cute, huh?
Coming from a marketing background, I had the logo and business plan whipped up by 6am. I brushed it passed some people (thanks for liking my stick figures Pat) and by 3pm I was ready to open.
Oh wait, duh. Recipes.
So this began the long list of cupcake recipes that I have already tried and will begin posting at various times when I think of them. They turned out really freaking good. I've had some trouble getting the alcohol flavor out but if you drink a glass of the wine with the cupcake it's killer. So good.
So why am I no longer pursuing this? Well the waking up at 4am got worse because of all the sugar. I live alone. I have to try the recipes. And unfortunately I do not have the body of Gisele Buchen and can ingest trial recipes without blinking an eye (Posh Spice knows what I'm talking about - that girl won't look at cake). Oh well. Until I have a team of cake connoisseurs that can eat this stuff and give me objective opinions I'm putting this little idea on hold. But in the mean time, enjoy the recipes! I won't post anything on here unless it's good.
Friday, March 18, 2011
St Patrick's Day 2011 Recipes - Irish Cupcakes
After leaving my old job I got into baking for a bit based on a business idea. I wrote about it in a posting that I haven't published yet so I will after I finish this one. So of course I needed to make some cupcakes for St. Pat's day! I have two recipes for you - Green Velvet Cupcakes with Irish Cream frosting and Bailey's Chocolate Cupcakes with Goat Cheese frosting.
Green Velvet Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting
This lovely recipe for the cupcakes is based off of Paula Deen's Red Velvet cupcakes. Paula Deen is just like my Grandma Jean - she loves (and is great!) at country cooking. But one of the absolute funniest things I've seen is a website called Paula Deen Riding Things. Just go to it - I can't really explain it well enough :) http://pauladeenridingthings.com/
Makes 24 cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (buttermilk = the key to any Southern-style cupcake)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tablespoons green food coloring (or red, if you'd like to make red velvet)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your muffin pans with liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl, gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, egg, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients in batches to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Evenly distribute the batter into 24 cups and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean.
Irish Cream Frosting
2 sticks butter
5-6 Tablespoons Bailey's or other Irish cream
2 cups powdered sugar
Cream the butter until pale, add the cream in a slow stream while mixing slowly to prevent splatter. Slowly add the sugar until incorporated and smooth.
Goat Cheese Frosting
1/2 lb cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Cream the cheeses together and gradually add the sugar until smooth.
Green Velvet Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting
This lovely recipe for the cupcakes is based off of Paula Deen's Red Velvet cupcakes. Paula Deen is just like my Grandma Jean - she loves (and is great!) at country cooking. But one of the absolute funniest things I've seen is a website called Paula Deen Riding Things. Just go to it - I can't really explain it well enough :) http://pauladeenridingthings.com/
Makes 24 cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (buttermilk = the key to any Southern-style cupcake)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tablespoons green food coloring (or red, if you'd like to make red velvet)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your muffin pans with liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl, gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, egg, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients in batches to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Evenly distribute the batter into 24 cups and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean.
Irish Cream Frosting
2 sticks butter
5-6 Tablespoons Bailey's or other Irish cream
2 cups powdered sugar
Cream the butter until pale, add the cream in a slow stream while mixing slowly to prevent splatter. Slowly add the sugar until incorporated and smooth.
I GOT THE POWER YA'LL!
Bailey's Chocolate Cupcakes with Goat Cheese Frosting
The goat cheese frosting adds an extra kick to any cream cheese frosting and the chocolate cake is a nice counter-part to the cheese.
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons Bailey's
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the pan with cupcake papers.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, mix or whisk the sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Alternatively add the flour mix and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mix, into the wet mixture. Stir in the Bailey's.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Goat Cheese Frosting
1/2 lb cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Cream the cheeses together and gradually add the sugar until smooth.
St. Patrick's Day 2011 Recipes - Irish Onion Soup with an Irish Cheddar Crouton
Yesterday in honor of St. Pat's day - which I really have no connection to since I'm more Scottish than Irish - I decided to slave again in the kitchen and make a nice Irish meal. Of course the typical Corned Beef and Cabbage was on the menu which yet again it still lacks in flavor like most Irish food. But I threw in something different for the appetizer - Irish Onion Soup with an Irish Cheddar Crouton. And let me tell you, it was better than an Irish Car Bomb. So I'm not going to bore you with the Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe since it did taste like every corned beef and cabbage I've ever had - you're going to get the soup.
Irish Onion Soup with an Irish Cheddar Crouton
The full recipe will feed six people - I suggest making the whole soup recipe and storing the rest and making the croutons when you reheat the soup. And be ready as this recipe packs a serious punch of flavor compared to your traditional Panera French Onion Soup. Also it's important to get the good Irish cheddar - it packs the nice cheddar punch you want when serving!
2 Tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
8 cups thinly sliced onions - about 6 medium onions
Sea salt or Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or a little more if you prefer)
1/4 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
2 large cans Guinness or other dark stout
6 cups beef stock (equals 1 1/2 packages of store-bought stock)
6 slices country bread, 1/2" cut, toasted
1/2 lb Irish Cheddar (like Kerrygold), sliced thin
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and cook briefly to release aroma but be careful not to burn it. Add onions, season with salt, and cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes, stirring often.
A note on cutting onions - it sucks. I don't just cry when cutting them, I weep. Only thing that really helps is to have a lit candle next to you and that will cut through some of the burn. It also is difficult to know the best way to cut an onion. For this recipe, after I cut the roots off and peeled the onion, I sliced the onion in half from top to bottom and then laying it cut side down I began slicing thinly from the top to the bottom. I don't know if this is the best way - I'm not a trained chef - but it worked pretty well.
Add the thyme, vinegar, and one can of beer. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the beer is almost reduced to nothing. Repeat with the second can and reduce it down to almost nothing. Add the beef stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more.
Preheat the broiler. Transfer the soup to either an ovenproof serving dish or individual ovenproof soup bowls. Top with a toasted piece of bread and sliced cheddar. Broil until the cheese melts and starts to brown slightly.
Irish Onion Soup with an Irish Cheddar Crouton
The full recipe will feed six people - I suggest making the whole soup recipe and storing the rest and making the croutons when you reheat the soup. And be ready as this recipe packs a serious punch of flavor compared to your traditional Panera French Onion Soup. Also it's important to get the good Irish cheddar - it packs the nice cheddar punch you want when serving!
2 Tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
8 cups thinly sliced onions - about 6 medium onions
Sea salt or Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or a little more if you prefer)
1/4 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
2 large cans Guinness or other dark stout
6 cups beef stock (equals 1 1/2 packages of store-bought stock)
6 slices country bread, 1/2" cut, toasted
1/2 lb Irish Cheddar (like Kerrygold), sliced thin
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and cook briefly to release aroma but be careful not to burn it. Add onions, season with salt, and cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes, stirring often.
A note on cutting onions - it sucks. I don't just cry when cutting them, I weep. Only thing that really helps is to have a lit candle next to you and that will cut through some of the burn. It also is difficult to know the best way to cut an onion. For this recipe, after I cut the roots off and peeled the onion, I sliced the onion in half from top to bottom and then laying it cut side down I began slicing thinly from the top to the bottom. I don't know if this is the best way - I'm not a trained chef - but it worked pretty well.
Add the thyme, vinegar, and one can of beer. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the beer is almost reduced to nothing. Repeat with the second can and reduce it down to almost nothing. Add the beef stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more.
Preheat the broiler. Transfer the soup to either an ovenproof serving dish or individual ovenproof soup bowls. Top with a toasted piece of bread and sliced cheddar. Broil until the cheese melts and starts to brown slightly.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Chorizo and Eggs - Spanish Tapas style
My mom loves runny yolks. I think it's bizarre and it induces a slight gag reflex, but each to their own when it comes to eggs. I personally love over easy eggs - some yolk to lap up with toast but not all over my plate. So when I saw this recipe on a Spanish travel/food special on PBS, I knew I had to make it for her. It's a totally different way of making eggs.
Chorizo and Eggs - Spanish Tapas Style
Serves one or two
2 eggs
1 link Spanish corizo - the kind that is almost like dried sausage - not Mexican chorizo that cooks like ground beef, cut into 1/2 inch slices - you want about 4-5 slices per two eggs
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed with a chef's knife, remove the skins but don't chop or press with garlic press
2 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Here's this new crazy way of cooking eggs - I've watch a lot of cooking shows with eggs (even the episode of No Reservations where a couple indigenous Africans cook an egg in dirt - and Tony eats it) and I have never seen this:
Get your olive oil (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons) going in a non-stick skillet on medium until hot - takes about a minute. Separate the egg yolk from white. Don't break the yolk! Set the yolks aside. Throw your two egg whites into the hot pan and flip once until they are cooked through. Slide the cooked egg on your serving plate. Get this - place your uncooked egg yolks onto your cooked whites. But they are cold you say! Gross you say! Let me continue...
Put another 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in your hot skillet. Throw in your chorizo, smashed garlic cloves and whole rosemary sprigs. Brown your chorizo and garlic for several minutes, flipping the chorizo and roasting the garlic until soft and brown and your kitchen smells like garlic and rosemary. Instant room freshener!
Place the chorizo/garlic/rosemary on your egg whites and around the yolks. Now spoon the remaining flavored oil in the pan onto the egg yolk to get them nice and warm and flavorful. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with a crust of bread or toast.
You can do the same recipe for scrambled eggs - just spoon the oil over the eggs before serving. I'd also throw in the salt when whipping the eggs before scrambling. I think I will take some photos the next time I prepare this so you can see a final preparation - perfect for yolk lovers!
Chorizo and Eggs - Spanish Tapas Style
Serves one or two
2 eggs
1 link Spanish corizo - the kind that is almost like dried sausage - not Mexican chorizo that cooks like ground beef, cut into 1/2 inch slices - you want about 4-5 slices per two eggs
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed with a chef's knife, remove the skins but don't chop or press with garlic press
2 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Here's this new crazy way of cooking eggs - I've watch a lot of cooking shows with eggs (even the episode of No Reservations where a couple indigenous Africans cook an egg in dirt - and Tony eats it) and I have never seen this:
Get your olive oil (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons) going in a non-stick skillet on medium until hot - takes about a minute. Separate the egg yolk from white. Don't break the yolk! Set the yolks aside. Throw your two egg whites into the hot pan and flip once until they are cooked through. Slide the cooked egg on your serving plate. Get this - place your uncooked egg yolks onto your cooked whites. But they are cold you say! Gross you say! Let me continue...
Put another 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in your hot skillet. Throw in your chorizo, smashed garlic cloves and whole rosemary sprigs. Brown your chorizo and garlic for several minutes, flipping the chorizo and roasting the garlic until soft and brown and your kitchen smells like garlic and rosemary. Instant room freshener!
Place the chorizo/garlic/rosemary on your egg whites and around the yolks. Now spoon the remaining flavored oil in the pan onto the egg yolk to get them nice and warm and flavorful. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with a crust of bread or toast.
You can do the same recipe for scrambled eggs - just spoon the oil over the eggs before serving. I'd also throw in the salt when whipping the eggs before scrambling. I think I will take some photos the next time I prepare this so you can see a final preparation - perfect for yolk lovers!
Molten Chocolate Souffles with Raspberry Sauce - Recipes from Mom's 49th
This recipe didn't actually get made until the morning after Mom's party. Derek was right, I got a little too ambitious with the appetizer menu and by the time I was up for desert I was ready to be done cooking. Thank goodness I had made some Rum Vanilla cupcakes earlier in the day to serve to the guests. I'll post those eventually. In the mean time...
Molten Chocolate Souffles with Raspberry Sauce
- The original recipe for this called for milk chocolate. OF COURSE I had to change it to dark chocolate. This may have effected the way they came out. The original recipe was "Molten Chocolate Cakes" that were to be inverted beautifully onto pristine desert plates and be lovely and photographed. My "inverting" technique left something to be desired when I did a trial run on these cakes earlier in the week. I ended up with a goopy chocolate mess, which I proceded to eat with my fingers because it was still good. So what does an aspiring chef do when they failed the recipe? Work endlessly until they have mastered the invertion of this particular chocolate cake?
Hell no.
You change the name of the recipe to souffle and serve them in the ramekins they baked in. Presto! I'm a french baker!
Yields 6 small souffles
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped, divided. (I used a 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons for dusting ramekins
1 cup butter, cubed, plus 2 Tablespoons for ramekins
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract (tastes awesome!)
Sauce and Garnish:
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Cointreau or other orange liquer, optional
Note - you can prepare the cakes in ramekins and refrigerate them a couple of hours until your ready to bake or you can bake them right away.
For the ganache (melted center):
Melt 4 oz of chocolate (if using chips, I hand measured a third of the bag) with heavy cream over a double boiler (my method - glass bowl over boiling water in pot). Stir until smooth and chill until firm enough to scoop - about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter the ramekins and coat the inside with extra 2 Tablespoons sugar, tapping out the rest.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining chocolate with chopped butter over another double boiler until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temp.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until pale, thick and light. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold in the salt and almond extract. Fold in the cooled chocolate/butter mixture until uniformly combined - will take a couple minutes of folding. Divide equally between the prepared ramekins. Using a small scoop or tablespoon, form the cooled ganache into 8 balls. Put 1 ganache ball into the center of each ramekin and press down slightly until covered with batter.
**Cakes can be refrigerated at this point until ready to bake.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 min. Remove and serve in ramekins by spooning raspberry sauce over top and garnishing with a couple raspberries.
Raspberry Sauce:
Reserve some berries for garnish. Throw the berries and sugar (and liqueur if using) into a sauce pan on low heat and simmer until some of the liquid is evaporated. When sauce is thick to your liking, remove from heat and cool to room temp. You can either serve the sauce with seeds or feed it through a strainer. IF you reduced the sauce too much, just add a little water until the consistency is to your liking. Use remaining sauce from the cakes on pancakes the next morning.
Molten Chocolate Souffles with Raspberry Sauce
- The original recipe for this called for milk chocolate. OF COURSE I had to change it to dark chocolate. This may have effected the way they came out. The original recipe was "Molten Chocolate Cakes" that were to be inverted beautifully onto pristine desert plates and be lovely and photographed. My "inverting" technique left something to be desired when I did a trial run on these cakes earlier in the week. I ended up with a goopy chocolate mess, which I proceded to eat with my fingers because it was still good. So what does an aspiring chef do when they failed the recipe? Work endlessly until they have mastered the invertion of this particular chocolate cake?
Hell no.
You change the name of the recipe to souffle and serve them in the ramekins they baked in. Presto! I'm a french baker!
Yields 6 small souffles
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped, divided. (I used a 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons for dusting ramekins
1 cup butter, cubed, plus 2 Tablespoons for ramekins
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract (tastes awesome!)
Sauce and Garnish:
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Cointreau or other orange liquer, optional
Note - you can prepare the cakes in ramekins and refrigerate them a couple of hours until your ready to bake or you can bake them right away.
For the ganache (melted center):
Melt 4 oz of chocolate (if using chips, I hand measured a third of the bag) with heavy cream over a double boiler (my method - glass bowl over boiling water in pot). Stir until smooth and chill until firm enough to scoop - about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter the ramekins and coat the inside with extra 2 Tablespoons sugar, tapping out the rest.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining chocolate with chopped butter over another double boiler until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temp.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until pale, thick and light. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold in the salt and almond extract. Fold in the cooled chocolate/butter mixture until uniformly combined - will take a couple minutes of folding. Divide equally between the prepared ramekins. Using a small scoop or tablespoon, form the cooled ganache into 8 balls. Put 1 ganache ball into the center of each ramekin and press down slightly until covered with batter.
**Cakes can be refrigerated at this point until ready to bake.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 min. Remove and serve in ramekins by spooning raspberry sauce over top and garnishing with a couple raspberries.
Raspberry Sauce:
Reserve some berries for garnish. Throw the berries and sugar (and liqueur if using) into a sauce pan on low heat and simmer until some of the liquid is evaporated. When sauce is thick to your liking, remove from heat and cool to room temp. You can either serve the sauce with seeds or feed it through a strainer. IF you reduced the sauce too much, just add a little water until the consistency is to your liking. Use remaining sauce from the cakes on pancakes the next morning.
Stuffed Mushrooms - Recipes from Mom's 49th
I don't know if this recipe came from my mom or from grandma Janet. Either way, it's almost blasphemous to post this recipe since it's so good yet SO FREAKING EASY. Of course I slaved in the kitchen making you these wonderful mushrooms! What you didn't see is me preparing these in 5 minutes flat and downing half a bottle of wine while they baked :)
Stuffed Mushrooms
- Kudos to Derek for making these for mom's party
1 package whole mushrooms (either white or mini portabellos), 2 packages for 4 or more people
1 package Boursin herbed cheese (any variety, I like garlic and herb), you can get away with one package cheese to two packages mushrooms
1/4 cup crushed or slivered almonds
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and remove the stems of the mushrooms. Eat the stems while cooking. Place the caps top down on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a couple almonds into each cap. Using a small spoon, form the Boursin cheese into small balls and place in the caps. Sprinkle with more almonds, pressing slightly into the cheese so they don't fall out when transferring to the oven. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake about 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and juicy. Let cool for about 5-6 minutes before serving so your guests don't sue you for burned mouths.
I've thought about making this recipe with my own herbed goat cheese. No, I'm not milking any bloody goats. I'd just take some chopped fresh herbs and blend them with goat cheese, salt and pepper. I'll let you know how it goes.
Stuffed Mushrooms
- Kudos to Derek for making these for mom's party
1 package whole mushrooms (either white or mini portabellos), 2 packages for 4 or more people
1 package Boursin herbed cheese (any variety, I like garlic and herb), you can get away with one package cheese to two packages mushrooms
1/4 cup crushed or slivered almonds
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and remove the stems of the mushrooms. Eat the stems while cooking. Place the caps top down on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a couple almonds into each cap. Using a small spoon, form the Boursin cheese into small balls and place in the caps. Sprinkle with more almonds, pressing slightly into the cheese so they don't fall out when transferring to the oven. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake about 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and juicy. Let cool for about 5-6 minutes before serving so your guests don't sue you for burned mouths.
I've thought about making this recipe with my own herbed goat cheese. No, I'm not milking any bloody goats. I'd just take some chopped fresh herbs and blend them with goat cheese, salt and pepper. I'll let you know how it goes.
Baked Camembert - Recipes from Mom's 49th
This is a recipe I created myself (gasp!) - and it only has 4 ingredients (no longer so impressive, huh?). It's a pretty good appetizer as either part of a cheese course or for 2-3 people to share. I would NOT suggest making this yourself because you will be in danger of finishing the whole thing and suffering the same horrible dairy stomachache that the French make fun of foreigners for. At least we don't have French bathrooms.
Baked Camembert
1 round Camembert or Brie (the Presidente brand works pretty nice)
1 package filo dough (or phyllo, phillo, newspaper, whatever you call it), thawed if frozen
3-4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon black raspberry preserves or jam, seedless if available
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the packaging from the Camembert and cut the top of the rind off - about 1/4 inch. DON'T THROW THE RIND AWAY. Scoop about a Tablespoon size hole of cheese out of the center (nibble on removed cheese off spoon or on cracker as you finish preparing the rest). Fill the hole with the black raspberry preserves and replace the top rind. Set aside.
Working with filo dough is not scary as long as you keep your workspace DRY. Any moisture outside of butter is the enemy of filo. You don't need the assistance of flour as long as you start with your filo at fridge temp and keep your hands and cutting board/counter top dry. If the dough gets wet it'll stick like normal dough and if it is too cold (working with it straight from the freezer like I've made the mistake of doing) it'll crack all over the place. Other than that, your filo will be golden.
Melt the butter in either a sauce pan on the stove or in the microwave in a bowl. Unroll the filo onto a cutting surface. It's packaged in a rectangular shape so you will need to cut a section off the left or right to be square and symmetrical to your Camembert round. Set the stack of squares aside and start by alternating brushing each layer with melted butter and placing each layer on top of one another. Keep doing this until you have no more sheets or you get bored (I usually get through 2/3 of the stack). Set the Camembert round on top of the last buttered layer and brush the round with butter. Fold one corner of the square onto the round and brush the underside with butter. Repeat until all corners are folded up and mini corners are folded as well - creating a little round filo package of cheesy goodness. Brush the whole round with butter (including the underside) and bake on a cookie sheet for around 10-15 minutes or until the filo is golden brown and crispy. Serve with a butter knife to spread onto crackers.
I can't take all the credit. I did help my grandma Janet make a play on the filo/brie/jelly recipe during Christmas of 09. The recipe is also in the ABC Grannies cookbook. Here's how to make a similar version of this for a party:
Red Pepper Jelly Brie Bites
2 packages frozen mini phyllo pastry shells, thawed
3 oz Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 30 small pieces
1/2 cup red pepper jelly
3 Tablespoons chopped roasted salted almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon red pepper jelly into each pastry shell. Top with piece of cheese. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I suggest making these in batches during hor d'oeuvre time to keep them hot. Makes 30 bites.
Baked Camembert
1 round Camembert or Brie (the Presidente brand works pretty nice)
1 package filo dough (or phyllo, phillo, newspaper, whatever you call it), thawed if frozen
3-4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon black raspberry preserves or jam, seedless if available
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the packaging from the Camembert and cut the top of the rind off - about 1/4 inch. DON'T THROW THE RIND AWAY. Scoop about a Tablespoon size hole of cheese out of the center (nibble on removed cheese off spoon or on cracker as you finish preparing the rest). Fill the hole with the black raspberry preserves and replace the top rind. Set aside.
Working with filo dough is not scary as long as you keep your workspace DRY. Any moisture outside of butter is the enemy of filo. You don't need the assistance of flour as long as you start with your filo at fridge temp and keep your hands and cutting board/counter top dry. If the dough gets wet it'll stick like normal dough and if it is too cold (working with it straight from the freezer like I've made the mistake of doing) it'll crack all over the place. Other than that, your filo will be golden.
Melt the butter in either a sauce pan on the stove or in the microwave in a bowl. Unroll the filo onto a cutting surface. It's packaged in a rectangular shape so you will need to cut a section off the left or right to be square and symmetrical to your Camembert round. Set the stack of squares aside and start by alternating brushing each layer with melted butter and placing each layer on top of one another. Keep doing this until you have no more sheets or you get bored (I usually get through 2/3 of the stack). Set the Camembert round on top of the last buttered layer and brush the round with butter. Fold one corner of the square onto the round and brush the underside with butter. Repeat until all corners are folded up and mini corners are folded as well - creating a little round filo package of cheesy goodness. Brush the whole round with butter (including the underside) and bake on a cookie sheet for around 10-15 minutes or until the filo is golden brown and crispy. Serve with a butter knife to spread onto crackers.
I can't take all the credit. I did help my grandma Janet make a play on the filo/brie/jelly recipe during Christmas of 09. The recipe is also in the ABC Grannies cookbook. Here's how to make a similar version of this for a party:
Red Pepper Jelly Brie Bites
2 packages frozen mini phyllo pastry shells, thawed
3 oz Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 30 small pieces
1/2 cup red pepper jelly
3 Tablespoons chopped roasted salted almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon red pepper jelly into each pastry shell. Top with piece of cheese. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I suggest making these in batches during hor d'oeuvre time to keep them hot. Makes 30 bites.
Artichoke Crostini - Recipes from Mom's 49th
A couple months back I helped my grandma Janet and two of her friends self-publish their own cookbook. For a girl who spent 8 years working at Kinko's to move on to an office supply manufacturer, this was not too challenging and quite a fun endeavor. The ABC Grannies Cookbook turned out great and their recipes are just amazing. This recipe is from Dorothy Buhr.
Artichoke Crostini
This is another recipe that can be made in advance. I made it a couple hours before the party and it was great. My brother Derek and I ate the leftovers the next day while lounging and watching a movie and it was amazing. I'd suggest letting the bruschetta marinate to develop more flavor if you have the time.
French bread, cut into 24 1/2" thick slices
1 cup basil, fresh, chopped
1/2 cup butter or olive oil for the bread
8 medium olives, chopped (Dorothy has black, but for personal taste I chose calamata)
6 pieces marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 plum tomatoes, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
For the bruschetta: in a medium bowl combine the artichokes, tomatoes, basil, olives and olive oil, mix well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Lightly butter bread slices or brush with olive oil and place buttered/oiled side up on a cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Place bread slices on a wire rack and cool completely.
Spread about 1 Tablespoon of artichoke mixture over each bread slice and serve. Makes 24 crostinis.
Artichoke Crostini
This is another recipe that can be made in advance. I made it a couple hours before the party and it was great. My brother Derek and I ate the leftovers the next day while lounging and watching a movie and it was amazing. I'd suggest letting the bruschetta marinate to develop more flavor if you have the time.
French bread, cut into 24 1/2" thick slices
1 cup basil, fresh, chopped
1/2 cup butter or olive oil for the bread
8 medium olives, chopped (Dorothy has black, but for personal taste I chose calamata)
6 pieces marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 plum tomatoes, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
For the bruschetta: in a medium bowl combine the artichokes, tomatoes, basil, olives and olive oil, mix well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Lightly butter bread slices or brush with olive oil and place buttered/oiled side up on a cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Place bread slices on a wire rack and cool completely.
Spread about 1 Tablespoon of artichoke mixture over each bread slice and serve. Makes 24 crostinis.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Leek Confit Quesadillas - Recipes from Mom's 49th
This past weekend was my mom's 49th birthday and she was in town so I had some people over to my slightly cramped apartment for some heavy (as in lots of) appetizers and drinks. They were a big hit so here are the recipes. Just a note - recipes are for multiple portions but I'll be adding some comments on how to reduce the portion sizes.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Leek Confit Quesadillas
My friend Heather had sent me a link to a website call Big Girls Small Kitchen (www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com) earlier this week. A couple of Manhattan girls started a blog about cooking in their cramped New York kitchens (much like my cramped Chicago kitchen). This recipe is from them though I've added a few cooking techniques that will make things a little easier.
Makes 20-25 servings
Leek Confit
- can be made in advance and used in other recipes or just spread it on bread for sandwiches. For those who have never cooked with leeks, they are a mild onion flavor without the crying when cutting. When you cut them, be sure to wash in between the layers to get all the dirt. The confit when prepared can last in a fridge for up to a week.
4 medium leeks, trimmed to white part, cut in half and finely sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water or stock (I think the stock is worth it - more flavor)
Salt to taste
Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium sized pot. Add the sliced leeks and saute for 5 minutes until the butter is incorporated and the leeks begin to wilt. Add the water or stock and turn the flame to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. Cook slowly until the leeks are completely soft and beginning to turn to mush. Take the lid off and cook uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated.
Roasted Butternut Squash
- The squash can be prepared in advance as well - even up to a couple days. Below is the recipe from Big Girls Small Kitchen but I'm going to see next time if I can figure a way to add sweetness without buying maple syrup. No one wants to spend $9 for one ingredient in a recipe if they don't eat pancakes everyday.
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 Tablespoon cumin
Salt to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Throw the squash in. The whole thing.
This is a trick my mom taught me - butternut squash (or any squash for that matter) is a pain-in-the-ass to peel and chop. It's hard as a rock and unless you have an exceptionally good knife, you'll either end up cutting most of the "meat" part off when you attempt to peel it or you will get your disease-laden blood all over it from cutting your fingers and stabbing the squash in a fit of rage. What makes the squash semi-manageable is to roast it in the oven directly on the rack until it softens up - probably about 10 minutes or so. You'll know it's ready when the skin has a soft browning to it and is slightly squishy to the touch. Take out the squash and let it cool about 7-8 minutes so you can chop it up without burning yourself. I usually start by cutting the round base off and peeling and chopping the top and bottom separately.
Throw your chopped squash onto a cookie sheet and add the maple syrup, chili powder, cumin, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil to get the seasoning to stick. Toss to coat. Roast in the 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring once, until the squash is tender and slightly browned.
Quesadillas
- Already sick of cooking and just want to drink with your guests? Don't worry, the hard part's over. Just take a shot of tequila and make your quesadillas.
12 large tortillas (I used sundried-tomato and spinach tortillas for color)
2-3 packages shredded cheese - Monterrey Jack or Mexican Blend
Preheat your oven to broil. During the party I was making several things in the oven and kept it to 400 which still worked out fine. Spoon the leek mixture, butternut squash and shredded cheese over half the tortilla, fold over and press down. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake until brown and cheese is melted, about 3-5 minutes, flipping once.
Cut into thirds and serve! Some good garnishes: sour cream, salsa
Roasted Butternut Squash and Leek Confit Quesadillas
My friend Heather had sent me a link to a website call Big Girls Small Kitchen (www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com) earlier this week. A couple of Manhattan girls started a blog about cooking in their cramped New York kitchens (much like my cramped Chicago kitchen). This recipe is from them though I've added a few cooking techniques that will make things a little easier.
Makes 20-25 servings
Leek Confit
- can be made in advance and used in other recipes or just spread it on bread for sandwiches. For those who have never cooked with leeks, they are a mild onion flavor without the crying when cutting. When you cut them, be sure to wash in between the layers to get all the dirt. The confit when prepared can last in a fridge for up to a week.
4 medium leeks, trimmed to white part, cut in half and finely sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water or stock (I think the stock is worth it - more flavor)
Salt to taste
Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium sized pot. Add the sliced leeks and saute for 5 minutes until the butter is incorporated and the leeks begin to wilt. Add the water or stock and turn the flame to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. Cook slowly until the leeks are completely soft and beginning to turn to mush. Take the lid off and cook uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated.
Roasted Butternut Squash
- The squash can be prepared in advance as well - even up to a couple days. Below is the recipe from Big Girls Small Kitchen but I'm going to see next time if I can figure a way to add sweetness without buying maple syrup. No one wants to spend $9 for one ingredient in a recipe if they don't eat pancakes everyday.
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 Tablespoon cumin
Salt to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Throw the squash in. The whole thing.
This is a trick my mom taught me - butternut squash (or any squash for that matter) is a pain-in-the-ass to peel and chop. It's hard as a rock and unless you have an exceptionally good knife, you'll either end up cutting most of the "meat" part off when you attempt to peel it or you will get your disease-laden blood all over it from cutting your fingers and stabbing the squash in a fit of rage. What makes the squash semi-manageable is to roast it in the oven directly on the rack until it softens up - probably about 10 minutes or so. You'll know it's ready when the skin has a soft browning to it and is slightly squishy to the touch. Take out the squash and let it cool about 7-8 minutes so you can chop it up without burning yourself. I usually start by cutting the round base off and peeling and chopping the top and bottom separately.
Throw your chopped squash onto a cookie sheet and add the maple syrup, chili powder, cumin, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil to get the seasoning to stick. Toss to coat. Roast in the 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring once, until the squash is tender and slightly browned.
Quesadillas
- Already sick of cooking and just want to drink with your guests? Don't worry, the hard part's over. Just take a shot of tequila and make your quesadillas.
12 large tortillas (I used sundried-tomato and spinach tortillas for color)
2-3 packages shredded cheese - Monterrey Jack or Mexican Blend
Preheat your oven to broil. During the party I was making several things in the oven and kept it to 400 which still worked out fine. Spoon the leek mixture, butternut squash and shredded cheese over half the tortilla, fold over and press down. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake until brown and cheese is melted, about 3-5 minutes, flipping once.
Cut into thirds and serve! Some good garnishes: sour cream, salsa
Let's try this out...
Good Morning blogging world.
I've decided to try my hand at writing about my latest experiences to accomplish several things:
1) I've always wanted to write even though my journals have lasted all of a couple of weeks at various times of my life. I promise (to myself) to be good this time.
2) After several years of working a marketing desk job in a manufacturing company, I decided to quit, move to Colorado, and try again at life. This will be a log of either my success or failure at doing this.
3) I love to cook. And friends and family have asked me for recipes - so I'll post them here. I'm doing it a little different this time - I'll be taking some of my favorite recipes and pairing them down to 1-2 people. I live solo so either I'm cooking one meal or enough for left-overs and too many recipes are not designed with 1-2 people in mind.
And finally 4) I love to travel. My dream since my first trip to London in 8th grade is to open an international business. This will log my attempt at that as well.
So there you have it. My reasons for starting this blog. I hope whoever is insane enough to read this will enjoy my endless dribble. I may not be the wittiest writing Tony (Bourdain or Gruenwald) or best cook (Ina Garten or Janet Cornelius) but I hope to entertain all the same :)
I've decided to try my hand at writing about my latest experiences to accomplish several things:
1) I've always wanted to write even though my journals have lasted all of a couple of weeks at various times of my life. I promise (to myself) to be good this time.
2) After several years of working a marketing desk job in a manufacturing company, I decided to quit, move to Colorado, and try again at life. This will be a log of either my success or failure at doing this.
3) I love to cook. And friends and family have asked me for recipes - so I'll post them here. I'm doing it a little different this time - I'll be taking some of my favorite recipes and pairing them down to 1-2 people. I live solo so either I'm cooking one meal or enough for left-overs and too many recipes are not designed with 1-2 people in mind.
And finally 4) I love to travel. My dream since my first trip to London in 8th grade is to open an international business. This will log my attempt at that as well.
So there you have it. My reasons for starting this blog. I hope whoever is insane enough to read this will enjoy my endless dribble. I may not be the wittiest writing Tony (Bourdain or Gruenwald) or best cook (Ina Garten or Janet Cornelius) but I hope to entertain all the same :)
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