The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

This year has flown by without many Daring Baker’s Challenges.  There are a few reasons but the number one being time.  We have been overwhelmed this year and unfortunately time has not been on our sides.  I was listening (reading, spying) to some chit-chat among some of my favorite European Foodies the other morning and they were busy kneading, baking, enjoying sweet smells from the oven.  I was intrigued and butted in their conversations – what was going on and how could I be part of it. Jamie, was the first to gently nod me by saying it was the Daring Bakers challenge and it was doughnuts this month.

I love doughnuts.  I love all sorts, yeast ones, cake ones, sweet, a little savory, all of them!  I have yet to find the perfect one in the bay area.  I am not actively searching but when I run across a doughnut shop, I sometimes sneak in and grab one.  My biggest doughnut time is when we were in Boston.  Yes, I am a huge fan of the coconut cake doughnut holes at Dunkin Doughnuts.  It is a quilty pleasure.  But, I really prefer a nice fluffy yeasty doughnut with a little glaze.

After reading the challenge instructions I decided to go with Alton Brown’s yeast doughnut recipe.  Easy and it would not take up my entire day.  I did make a few changes – used half buttermilk in place of whole milk and used freshly grated black cardamon instead of nutmeg.  The recipe is really simple and it rises perfectly.  Even frying them was simple – even though I did over do it by a few minutes.  I finished the recipe off with a warm apple cider glaze, which was perfectly light and not overly gooey.  I loved the recipe as it was easy;  but, you have to eat them right away.  You cannot save them until the next day or the next, just not that great.  They are meant to be eaten hot, warm and fluffy!  The recipe is easy enough to start early in the morning, just in time to have warm fluffy doughnuts on the table by a proper brunch time.

Recipe:  Black Cardamon Doughnuts with Warm Apple Cider
Glaze

*inspired by Alton Brown

3/4 cups milk
3/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup butter
2 packages instant yeast
1/3 cup warm water (95 to 105 degrees F)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamon
23 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surface
Canola oil, for frying (1 to 1/2 gallons, depending on fryer)

Place the milk, buttermilk and butter  in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to the butter.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk mixture, first making sure it has cooled to lukewarm. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, cardamon, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined. Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter.   Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with flour sack towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer, dutch oven or deep frying pan to 365 degrees F. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

Dip doughnut into glaze, place on a cooling rack, glaze side up and let sit about 10 minutes.  Serve.  Eat.

Recipe:  Warm Apple Cider Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup apple cider

Heat apple cider in a small saucepan until warm. Sift powdered sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Add the warm cider. Whisk until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Be sure to check out the Daring Baker’s blogroll, I am sure they will fatten you up really well!

If you enjoyed this dish, you may enjoy these others as well:

Sophisticated Gourmet Homemade Glazed Doughnuts

Shutterbean Baked Caramel Apple Doughnuts

Eating Outloud Buttermilk Doughnuts

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Apple Cider, Breakfast and Brunch, Cardamon, Cider, Daring Bakers, Doughnuts, Food Blog Event, Yeast Doughnuts

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Hay Hay it’s Donna Day is back after a short but sweet summer break.  The past couple weeks I have been tweeting and asking, what do you want.  Sweet?  Savory?  Everyone came back with savory.  Savory it is.  I picked an easy and delicious spicy chicken dish with pumpkin.  Vegetarians – let’s see your take on this recipe, maybe a little tofu or just an extra dose of pumpkin?  Don’t have pumpkin available in your part of the world, maybe add some butternut squash or kabocha?

Please have your entries in to me by midnight of the 31st of October.  Complete rules can be found here.  Please keep in mind: Participants may make that exact same recipe as is, or put their own spin on the same recipe by altering an ingredient or two, while remaining within the theme.

Recipe:  Spicy Chicken, Pumpkin and Roasted Garlic Rice

• 2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, skin on
• 350g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• ¼ cup (60ml) white wine vinegar
• 2tablespoons olive oil, extra

Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF). Place the chicken, pumpkin, garlic, olive oil and chilli on a baking tray and toss to combine. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Squeeze the garlic from the skins and place in a bowl with the pumpkin, rice, basil, vinegar and extra olive oil. Mix well to combine. Slice the chicken and serve with the rice. Serves 4.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chicken, Dinner, Donna Hay, Food Blog Event, Food Blogging Event, HHDD, Pumpkin, Recipe, Roasted Garlic, Spicy Chicken

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I am sure you have heard the rumor by now that Mardi of Eat. Live. Travel. Write is hosting this round of Hay Hay it’s Donna Day. I was really excited that she said she had the time as I had to beg her to get her entry in last month – sorry about that “gentle” nudge!

Mardi decided to sweeten up HHDD this month with Blackberry Cheesecake Pots.  I made this recipe last Saturday – it did not last long enough to photograph it.  So, I made it again on Sunday, snap some pictures and we shoveled it into our big mouths!  Easy.  Delicious.  Basically cheesecake filling in a cup.  This is one of those fall-on recipes to have when you need a quick dessert for guests.  It has cream cheese, sugar, a little cream and fruit.  Simple, right!  I did add a little more cream cheese then the recipe called for as well I cut the sugar down a bit and added vanilla bean paste.  Really lovely!  Thank you Mardi for hosting this month’s HHDD and for picking a winning recipe!

What are you waiting for? Time to get cooking …

Recipe:  Blackberry Cheesecake Pots

• 250g cream cheese
• ¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) pouring (single) cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120g fresh blackberries

Process the cream cheese, sugar, cream and vanilla in a food processor until smooth. Add half the blackberries and process until just crushed. Spoon into 4 x ½ cup-capacity (125ml) dishes and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Serve with the biscotti and the remaining blackberries. Serves 4.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blackberry, Cheesecake, Dessert, Donna Hay, Food Blog Event, Hay Hay Donna Hay Event, HHDD, Sweet

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Announcement

I am pleased to announce that the votes are in and our hostess for HHDD #31 will be ……. Mardi of Eat. Live. Travel. Write.  Keep our eyes open as Mardi has something delicious picked out for the next round (it is sweet).  She will be announcing it next week!

*******************

I am embarrassed;  this is 4 days over due.  I made the rules and then I let it slip.  I had a bit of a situation come up last week and it pretty much consumed all my time, that is the honest truth and all I can say is, “I am sorry!”

Being a regular reader you are definitely aware of my love for the Donna Hay cookbooks.  As well you are probably aware of the event Hay Hay it’s Donna Day (HHDD), which was originally started by Barbara and then passed onto Bron.  I took over the event last year and have finally brought it back to life.

I kicked off the re-birth of the event with the anniversary of the 50th issue of Donna Hay.  The recipe I picked was for Chili and Kaffir Lime Beef Skewers. I had hoped for a bigger turn-out but like all good things it does take time to get the word out there.   I had two exceptional entries for this month’s HHDD event and I am thrilled to tell you all about them.

What I love about these events is that people from everywhere participate which exposes us to so many new sites and talent.  The first entry I received was from Zaira with La Cocina de Zaira.  Zaira took the dish and put a complete spin on it by marinading the beef in a yogurt that was seasoned with salt, pepper, hot paprika and tomato paste.   The beef was grilled with green and red peppers and served along side a dipping sauce who base ingredient as cola.  Very creative spin on the Donna recipe.

Our next entry was from Mardi of Eat. Live. Travel. Write.  I felt bad as I kind of pressured her to get her entry in.  *smile*  She had been talking about participating and I would not let her get out of it and I am glad she came through with her dish.  Mardi followed the recipe almost exactly.  I liked her twist as she decided to stir fry it with the addition of peppers and broccoli.  She served the beef and veggies over the noodles with the spicy sauce.  Her verdict was that she thought it could be a bit more spicy.  I am hoping she will decide to make this dish with her students of Le Petite Chefs someday!

Thank you to both Zaira and Mardi – we appreciate you playing along in HHDD # 30!  Please email me (denise@chezus.com) who your favorite entry was for HHDD #30.  One lucky person will get a signed copy of Donna’s new cookbook Seasons!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Donna Hay, Food Blog Event, HHDD

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I have said it over and over again, we are big Donna Hay fans.  Her recipes are fresh, seasonal and very simple.   For the current (and the relaunch) round of HHDD, we picked this fresh beef skewer recipe.

This is a great recipe to have on hand for those evenings when you want a good meal but don’t want to spend a lot of time making it.  I had dinner on the table within 60 minutes.  The combination of cool rice noodles and slightly spicy beef is fantastic.  The beef is marinated in half of the dressing which was made with fresh lime juice, a little peanut oil and fresh red chilies.  Making rice noodles is one of the easiest things …. put them in a bowl, pour over boiling water and let sit for 8 minutes.  After they were cooked and drained well (I even patted them dry, just a little), I tossed them with kaffir leaves, cilantro, basil, snowpeas and the left over dressing.  This would have been great even on it’s own;  but, the caramelized grilled beef skewers were a perfect partner for the cool crisp salad.  We loved this recipe!

Now, get out there, pick up the ingredients and join us in this round of HHDD (Hay Hay it’s Donna Day).  Get your entries to me by midnight on the 30th of April 2010.  All the delicious details can be found here.

Recipe:  Chili and Kaffir Lime Beef Skewers

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asian Inspired, Beef, Chili, Donna Hay, Food Blog Event, Grilling, HHDD, Kaffir, Lime, Recipe, Skewers

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Despite the last few crazy rain storms we have had out this way, spring is definitely in the air.  When I open the back door every morning the first thing I smell is sweet succulent jasmine starting to bloom.  I love the dewy fragrant smell and always wish I could bottle it up and bring it in.  At our old apartment we had planted four big bushes of lavender and that is what we smelled mixed in with intoxicating jasmine.  I love lavender as it takes me to a far away place …. this dreamy little farm house in the middle of France.  There are a few chickens, a couple goats and yes, Jacqueline, a pig.  As well there are fields upon fields of lavender.  When we open the doors in the morning to enjoy the sunshine on our feet while making coffee the lavender wraps it sweet arms around us.  This is spring!

For this months’ Mac Attack Challenge 5 (can you believe it has been 5), we are participating in “World Macaron Day, which is March 20.  The lovely duo Jamie and Deeba challenged us to put a little bit of spring into our macarons.  I decided to make a soft but sweet lavender macaron with a vanilla bean buttercream.  I was very pleased with this round as every one of the macarons came out perfect.  Beautiful little feet, perfectly round, slightly crunchy but still a little chewy – perfect!  I am so pleased with myself as I feel I have finally, after 3 years of making these petite bisous, I have done it!  I have Jamie and Deeba to thank for pushing me beyond the comfort zone and to keep with it!   Be sure to check out all the lovely spring time macarons over at the MacTweet site.

Recipe:  Lavender Macarons with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

I used my basic macaron recipe but I added a couple drops of violet colored paste.  As well before drying the macarons I sprinkled a touch of culinary lavender.  I filled them with a buttery vanilla bean buttercream – simply leave out the bergamont and add the beans from one vanilla bean pod.  This macaron is definitely all about spring time.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Buttercream, Cookies and Bars, Dessert, Food Blog Event, French, Lavender, macarons, Macaroons, Mactweets, Recipe, Vanilla, Vanilla Bean

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I made these sweet macarons not only for the Mactweets challenge (I made three batches – I am obsessed) but also to share with Savor the Thyme and The Naptime Chef as well as gifts for Valentine’s Day.  I was *smiling ear-to-ear* as they were perfect.  I am contributing that good luck to Jamie as she buzzed me and we were chatting as I was baking the macs.  I loved not only how they turned out (*smiling*) but also how delicious they were!

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone – may you have lots of love not only today but everyday!

Recipe:  Pink Macarons with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

100 grams egg whites – aged egg whites
25 grams sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon creme of tarter
200 grams powdered sugar
125 grams almond flour
pinch of salt
pink paste food coloring – just a drop or two

Separate the egg whites  and let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours before starting to make the macarons.

Preheat oven to 300.  Whip the egg whites and creme of tarter until they are foamy.  Sprinkle in the sugar while still mixing. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.  Sift the powdered sugar, salt, nut flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add to the meringue and fold until a shiny mass comes together. ill a pastry bag with a number 806 tip.  Pipe the macarons onto parchment paper.  Let the macarons dry at room temperature for 30 minutes or until dry.  Bake them for 8 minutes, rotate the baking pan and bake for another 8 minutes.  Cool. Remover from parchment and fill with your favorite filling.

Recipe:  Chocolate Ganache

200 ml heavy cream

200 g scharffen berger bittersweet chocolate broken into small pieces

Bring cream to a boil.  Put chocolate into a mixing bowl and pour the cream over the top.  Let sit for a couple minutes.  Stir until melted. Let sit in the refridgerator for at least an hour before using.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Bittersweet Chocolate, Chocolate, Dessert, Food Blog Event, Ganache, macarons, Mactweets, Pink Macarons, Valentine's Day

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These brownies are the ultimate chewy brownie.  They are moist.  They are chocolately.  They have Nutella!  Pass the milk …..

I missed the last two years of the Nutella celebration, there was no way we were going to miss it this year!  I made these ultra moist and very sinful brownies to take to a party, where they main gobblers would be under the age of 10 and extreme Nutella lovers.  They received a 10+

Recipe:  Nutella Brownies

1/2 cup unsalted butter

8 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate – we use schaffenberger

1 container of nutella

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup coco powder – used schaffenberger

pinch of salt

3 eggs

1 teaspoon mexican vanilla

Heat oven to 325.  Line a square baking pan with parchment paper and lightly butter.  Heat butter, chocolate and nutella in a medium saucepan over low heat, until melted.  Whisk in sugar.  Remove from heat.  Combine rest of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs one at a time to the melted chocolate, whisking well, after each egg.  Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients, stir until combined.  Add the vanilla, stir.  Pour into the baking pan.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Brownies, Chocolate, Dessert, Food Blog Event, Kid Friendly, Nutella, Recipe, Schafenberger

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Two sweet but not too sweet macarons have graced our house this week as it is almost MacTweet time.  We I have been on a macaron baking spree, as I want to perfect the baking of the macaron for Valentine’s Day gifts.  When I get the idea to perfect something, I do it until it is right.  You cannot tell from this batch but they were near perfect.  Near perfect until I decided to photograph them on a slightly humid day last week …. they barely withstood the photo shoot.  No worries, though, they were delicious and both sets of our test tasters said they loved them.

The first recipe was inspired by our love of bittersweet chocolate and this wonderful Portuguese cherry liquor called Ginja or Ginjinha, I got to sample over the holidays.  Ginginha is a sweet liquor made from the sour cherry-like ginja berry, sugar, and schnapps.  As soon as I had my first sip I thought of bittersweet chocolate and macarons.  I smuggled a small water size bottle home on the plane.  Need I say more, chocolate and cherry just go hand in hand.

The second recipe was inspired one of the best gifts I received over the holidays.  Our good friend as well as Lenny’s cousin, Christian,  gave us three precious bottles of pure essence oil to use in our cooking.  These oils are hand made by his father over in France and are used in some of the finest cooking at two of Boston’s top restaurants, the Clio and Uni.  You see, up until a couple weeks ago, Christian was the GM at both restaurants and has been since the beginning.  It is always a treat when we stop by as we are completely spoiled by the wonderful meals there but this time the spoiling was even better, when he gave us three bottles of this very fine oil.  I have been dreaming about all the things to make, but which flavor to use first ….. cardamon, citron or bergamot?   After stumbling upon some fresh bergamot at the market it was an easy decision, I would use the essence oil and some zest from the fresh fruit to flavor this recipe.

Don’t forget about all the other macarons that will be out there in the MacTweets virtual pastry shop, be sure to hop over and indulge!

Recipe:  Chocolate Macarons with Bergamot Buttercream

8 ounces whole raw almonds
8 ounces whole hazelnuts
1 cup powdered sugar

100 grams egg whites
25 grams sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon creme of tarter
200 grams powdered sugar
125 grams mixed nut flour, I used half hazelnuts and half almonds
15 grams scharffen berger (or really good) cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Prepare the nut flour by grinding the nuts with 1 cup of powdered sugar, in a food processor until the consistency of flour.  You will need to pulse the food processor and run it, then pulse and then run. *I did toast my nuts beforehand and let cool completely before grinding.

Separate the egg whites  and let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours before starting to make the macarons.

Preheat oven to 300.  Whip the egg whites and creme of tarter until they are foamy.  Sprinkle in the sugar while still mixing. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.  Sift the powdered sugar, salt, nut flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add to the meringue and fold until a shiny mass comes together. ill a pastry bag with a number 806 tip.  Pipe the macarons onto parchment paper.  Let the macarons dry at room temperature for 30 minutes (Aran suggests 20, I lost track of time).  Bake them for 8 minutes, rotate the baking pan and bake for another 8 minutes.  Cool. Remover from parchment and fill with your favorite filling.

Recipe:  Bergamot Buttercream

60 grams egg whites at room temperature
35 grams & 15 grams Castor Sugar
30 grams water
1/2 teaspoon bergamont essence oil
zest from half of a fresh bergamont
1 stick unsalted butter
pinch salt
1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar

Mix 35 grams of sugar with the water  and zest and bring to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Stir sugar until it boils.   Using a candy thermometer, continue to boil until 121°C / 249°F.  Meanwhile, beat  the egg whites with an electric mixer in a clean bowl on medium high speed until frothy.  Add in the cream of tartar, and continue to whip until soft peaks form.  Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until stiff, and glossy peaks form.  When the sugar reaches 121°C / 249°F, remove it from heat.  Reduce the mixer to medium low and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites in a thin stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Be careful not to splash the hot syrup or your buttercream may form small sugar crystals in it. Return the mixer to medium high, and continue beating until the mixture is fully cooled. About 15 minutes.  Reduce mixer speed to medium and gradually add small amounts of the butter, but only as much as it can be absorbed into the mixture before adding the next amount.  Continue to beat until the buttercream is smooth. About 15 minutes.  As the buttercream solidifies, add 1/2 teaspoon essence oil and beat into the mixture for an additional minute.

Recipe:  Vanilla Bean Macarons with Bittersweet Chocolate Cherry Ganache

Use the above recipe for the cookie part of the macaron.  Leave out the chocolate.  I added a small amount of paste food coloring as I wanted a pink tint as well I added the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean.

Recipe:  Bittersweet Chocolate Cherry Ganache

200 ml heavy cream
200 g scharffen berger bittersweet chocolate broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon Ginja/Ginjinha

Bring cream to a boil.  Put chocolate into a mixing bowl and pour the cream over the top.  Let sit for a couple minutes.  Stir until melted.  Add the liquor, stir well.  Let sit in the refridgerator for at least an hour before using.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Bergmot, Bittersweet Chocolate, Chocolate, Dessert, Food Blog Event, Ginja, Macaron Baking Event, macarons, Mactweets, Portuguese Cherry Liquor, Recipe

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Jacqueline and I have been talking about hosting a virtual food event, for the past couple months;  okay, really it has been since August.  She was twittering and writing about a Spiced Mexican Chicken dish that she served with Tabasco Watermelon Margaritas and we got to thinking that it would be fun to have an event where we provide you with the main entree recipe and ask you, our readers to come up with the ultimate cocktail to pair with this meal.

In the same breath, David Leite’s newest book, The New Portuguese Table had come out and we decided to toss around the idea with David.  We were really excited to use one of his pork tenderloin recipes as we thought it would be a nice transition into the holidays, something festive for a cocktail pairing.  David was so kind as to let us publish his Pork Tenderloin in a Port-Prune Sauce recipe for this particular event.  Just a quick review of David’s book, it is fantastic.  Lenny is Portuguese and he loves the take on traditional recipes, the same flavors that mom makes but with a fresh and new taste.  We have made a few of the items and all have been outstanding!

Lenny and I made this dish last night and it was amazing.  I could not find any pork tenderloins at either of my butchers, so I did end up using a Pork Loin Roast, which worked out perfectly.  The pork came out with a crispy outside and very moist inside.  I loved that use of prunes and port in the sauce, it was not overly sweet and slightly smokey (thank you port).  We tried two different plates, one with cilantro and one without, the cilantro really added a nice freshness to the sauce and we recommend using it.  The only other thing that we did differently was to add slices of yellow potatoes and turnips, to the roasting pan, about an hour before the roasting was finished.  One can never go wrong with potatoes roasted in pork fat!

We decided to serve a Sazerac with this particular dish as we both thought the boldness of the Rye would be a nice addition to the slightly sweet sauce.  Normally, I am not a Sazerac fan, but I have to say, Lenny out did himself with this round;  they were smooth, icy cold and perfectly balanced with the Herbsaint Liquer and Rye.

The rules for this dinner party are as is:

• Make the same Pork Tenderloin Recipe, if you can’t find tenderloins, use a roast or chops, but let’s keep it a pork dish in honor of Pig Tales
• Create a cocktail that you think will pair nicely with the dish
• Blog about the two being served together and be sure to include a photo
• Include a link in your post to both the Leather District Gourmet and Chez Us
• Email both of us the link to your post along with a photo of the two.  Jacqueline – ldgourmet [at] gmail [dot] com & Denise – denise [at] chezus [dot] com
• Please have your submissions in before the 15th of December.  A round-up will be posted shortly after the 15th.

Recipe:  Pork Tenderloin in a Port-Prune Sauce

2/3 cup pitted prunes (about 15)

1 cup ruby port

½ cup beef stock

1 inch thumb of ginger, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon honey

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1 pound pork tenderloins, fat and silver skin removed

1 garlic glove, minced

1 tablespoons, sherry vinegar

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Position a rack in the  middle of the oven and crank up the heat to 450.

Dump the prunes into a small saucepan, add the port, beef stock, ginger, and honey, and bring just to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let steep for 20 minutes.

Pour the prunes and liquid into a blender or food processor and buzz until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Season both tenderloins well with salt and pepper and sear one at a time, turning occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a baking sheet and set the skillet aside.

Roast the pork until an instant red thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers just under 150, 15 – 18 minutes.  Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board, tend with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

Pour off all but a thin film of fat from the skillet.  Lower the heat to medium, toss in the garlic and cook until lightly colored, about 2 minutes.  Add the port-prune sauce and stir to pick up the browned bits stuck to the skillet.  Pour in the vinegar, and any accumulated juices from the pork, and cook to meld the flavors, 2 to 3 minutes.  If the sauce seems thick, add more beef stock.  For an elegant take, strain the sauce through a sieve.

Cut the tenderloins on the diagonal into ½ inch slices.  Divide the slices among six plates, drizzle with the warm sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro.

Recipe:  Sazerac

1 teaspoon Herbsaint liqueur Ice cubes
1 teaspoon simple syrup
1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
3 dashes peychaud’s Bitters – we used a blood orange bitters
1 lemon peel twist

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling with crushed ice or refrigerate or freeze for at least 30 minutes. Add the Herbsaint to the glass; swirl it around to coat the entire sides and bottom of the glass. Discard the excess. In a cocktail shaker, add 4 or 5 small ice cubes, sugar, rye whiskey, and bitters. Shake gently for about 30 seconds; strain into the prepared glass.  Twist lemon peel over the drink and then place in the drink. Makes 1 serving.

ROUND UP FOR DINNER & DRINKS

Here is the round up from our Dinner and Drinks event.  Unfortunately (well kind of), we planned this event during the holiday season and everyone seemed busy or maybe peeps don’t like cocktails with dinner.  We did have one great entry in our reindeer games and that was David over at David Dadekian Photography.  David created a martini, that we cannot wait to make when we get home.  It is made with  Port and Domaine de Canton (a fantastic ginger liquer), which I think would be an outstanding combination with this particular pork tenderloin recipe.  As well David had a special dinner guest that evening!

Jacqueline decided to pair her tenderloin with a favorite of Lennys, the sazerac.  She thought the herbsaint or Absinthe that is in the the Sazerac gives a licorice note to the drink that would be fantastic with pork.

A big thank you to David for playing along in our reindeer games and to Jacqueline for being a great co-hostess!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cocktail, Dinner, Food Blog Event, Pork, Portuguese, Recipe, Sazerac, Tenderloin

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Each month Foodbuzz sponsors an event called Foodbuzz 24,24,24 (24 meals, 24 blogs, 24 hours).  Food bloggers who are part of the Foodbuzz network get a chance to submit a proposal for a unique meal and/or food related experience that will be featured by Foodbuzz.  For November, we were one of the 24 that were selected!

Holidays are always a difficult time for us me.  Not because of “family drama” but rather because we have to separate the holidays between families and coasts;  but, what makes it even more difficult is that my family is divorced, so we have an additional separation to make.  I have to separate the time between my mother and father, which basically means that I will make one person unhappy along the lines.  This year we were suppose to be at my mother’s for Thanksgiving and then we found out a month ago that all of that would change as my mother had other obligations and my sister and her family would be gone over Thanksgiving.  This would only mean one thing for us;  no, not a trip to Boston but rather Thanksgiving with friends in Palm Springs.  We were all set to drive a couple days before the holiday and then last minute decided to declare it our holiday since we had not had a chance to go on a “real” vacation this year.  So we planned a week long road trip, which would involve, looking for good food along the way.  We love road trips but have not taken a week long one, ever.  Our hopes and dreams for this trip are to make a stop in Northern Nevada to see my family and then head down a desolate highway in the middle of Nevada towards Death Valley, finally making our way over to Palm Springs.

November 21, 2009. We are on our way to Winnemucca to see my family.  No road trip is complete r us unless it involves a stop at IN-N-OUT Burger and it is always the same order, a double cheese burger for L and a single cheese burger for me, grilled onions on both.  We have made this stop many times but we both agreed this time, that this was the best burger we have ever had there.  The meat was grilled perfectly, crispy edges with just enough grease dripping off of it, to really give it some flavor.  The meat was so hot that the cheese was melted and still gooey under the bun – it was perfect!   Now our bellies are full and we are ready to tackle whatever may be ahead of us …. i.e. lots of snow!

November 22, 2009. We have had a good time with the family, eating a lot, catching up with my mother and siblings and playing with the kids.  Now it is time to say good bye and hit the road.  We are heading to Death Valley today.  We have wanted to go there for a couple years but every time we think about it, it is the dead of summer.  We are really looking forward to the drive through the middle of no where and are anticipating a lot of small country towns, which I am hoping means, good food (thinking chicken fried steak for some strange reason).   WOW … there is not much out here, we are talking, just sagebrush and tumbleweeds.  There is a town, called Austin, coming up …. we hope there is food, we are starving!

Austin, Nevada, is literally located in the middle of Nevada and is a living ghost town.  It is a small community of about 300 people.  It was named after Austin, Texas and was founded in 1862 during the silver rush that was triggered by the pony express.  It was quite on a Sunday afternoon and lucky for us The International Hotel was open for service.   The International Hotel, was first built in Virginia City in 1859 and parts of it were moved to Austin in 1863, they still serve meals and drinks, but do not rent out rooms.   When we swung open the door the smell of fresh baked peach pie engulfed us, it was perfect with a couple cups of piping hot coffee.  Not only was the pie fresh and the coffee hot but a couple of the locals were, well, let’s say “colorful”.  After they were done chatting up us city folk we hit the road, again, and it was probably good timing as I am not sure how funny it was when Lenny told them, they reminded us of Cheech & Chong.

Well, we are back in the car and the scenery has not change much more.  We have counted 6 cars and 1 fake donkey in the last 4 hours, there really is nothing on this highway. We just came up to another living ghost town, Goldfield, Nevada, with a population of about 400.  Goldfield was a boom-town in the first decade of the 20th century with the discovery of gold between 1903 – 1940.  Much of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1934, although several buildings survived and remain today, notably the Goldfield Hotel, the Consolidated Mines Building and the schoolhouse. Gold exploration still continues in and around the town today.  We had wished we could have found a place to stay as it was quaint and it would have been fun to hang out for the night;  unfortunately, the couple places we saw with either the name hotel or motel, were now boarded up.

Hitting the road again …. finally, a small sign, that says Death Valley is in 26 miles.  We can’t wait as the sun is starting to settle and it soon will be dark.  The road into Death Valley is twisted  through tight canyons, with small wispy trees, not what we imagined at all.  Then out of no where like an oasis in the desert is a castle, better known as Scotty’s Castle. A man, Walter Scott, also known as “Death Valley Scotty”, convinced a Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson to invest in his (fraudulent) gold mine in the Death Valley area. Johnson made many trips to the area, eventually bringing his wife, Bessie Johnson. Over the course of his visits Johnson came to terms with a disability that lingered from an 1894 accident and Bessie convinced him that Death Valley was good for his health.  Construction began on Scotty’s Castle in 1922, at a cost of $1.4 million dollars.  After looking around a bit, and watching the sun, turn the sky a burnt pink, we decide that we have to find a place to call home for the night or we will be stuck in Death Valley!

We decide on the first area that has accommodations to call our home away from home for the night, Stovepipe Wells.  Stovepipe is a small community nestled by the Dunes of Death Valley.  Unfortunately, for both of us and for you, we have come down with nasty colds and about all we can manage to do is have a glass of wine, hot showers and climb into a warm bed.  Hoping for the better tomorrow morning.

November 23, 2009. After a good nights sleep, we are ready to take on Death Valley.  First things first, coffee and food.  We are going to blow out of Stovepipe and head down towards Furnace Creek.  It seems that most of the things we want to check out on this trip to Death Valley are centered there.  Time to find food ….  Even though Death Valley is spread out, everything is pretty close.  After stopping near the Borax mines to check out the scene we are in Furnace Creek, home to $4.12 a gallon for gas and the $12.95 burrito.  We found a little diner, the Forty Niner Cafe.  We decide to fill up on a breakfast burritos.  The burrito is filled with chorizo, red peppers and lots of scrambled eggs, the perfect thing to energize one’s tired body.

Time to check out what Death Valley is all about.  We plan on doing the “tourist” musts today:  this morning:  Artist’s Drive, the Natural Bridge and Badwater.

November 24, 2009. What a great day we had yesterday.  Death Valley proved to be so much more than the Salton Sea – YEAH – for this we were really excited!   After a long day of checking out the sites, taking pictures (not as many as hoped due to the swarm of tourists that appeared everywhere), and mini hikes, we are ready to head out of Death Valley.  The highlights for us were the Artist’s Drive, which was a one way winding road through cut-out canyons of deeply colored mineral based walls.  I wish we would have had the energy to go back at sunset as I imagine it would have been really beautiful.  Badwater was also very interesting.  Badwater is a dried up lake, that is located at the bottom of Death Valley at 300 feet below sea level.  It is 4 times saltier than the ocean and yes, we did dip our fingers into the crusty salt to taste it.  I had visions of taking all sorts of creative photos at Badwater and was all geared up with tripods, unfortunately, there was a swarm of European tourists who would not leave and we had colds that were starting to slam us.  After wrapping up another evening with a glass of wine and a hot shower we are ready to hit the road;  but, first things first, lots of coffee and some hot homemade date bread with prickly pear butter.  The date  bread and the prickly pear butter is out of this world, worth the stop at the Forty Niner Cafe, again.  Every time I eat dates, I remember how much I really love them and I wonder why I don’t buy them.  ‘Mental note to self, buy dates’.

We just consulted a map and Lenny sees a town he wants to check out, Baker, California.  We are Baker bound and I have no idea what to expect but he promises me it will be like the Left Bank in Paris, hmmm, good espresso?

The drive has been scenic, we made friends (kind of) with a little fox, who we thought was adorable.  We opted for the paved route out of the valley as the dried up dirt road may not be a good idea on our brand new tires, as well, we could end up as a one of those “missing peeps” of Death Valley.  The drive put us past small living ghost towns and well as more sand dunes, this time, they were just as big as the mountains nestled near them.  We are finally arriving into Baker.

Drum Roll …. the Left Bank of Paris (Baker) is the Mad Greek restaurant.  Who knew, a Greek haven in the middle of nowhere.  We are starving after another long night of no food and a long morning drive, we decide to have an order of lamb souvlaki, greek yogurt with cranberries and pistachio baklava.  Surprisingly, the food is pretty decent or we are just really hungry.  Regardless, what a good option over the standard burger joint.

Time to head to Palm Springs!

We love arriving at Andy and Jeff’s Casa in Palm Springs …. good friends and the cocktails are flowing, yeah, to the Rob Roy.

Recipe:  Rob Roy

1 1/2 oz scotch

1/4 oz sweet vermouth

bitters to taste

maraschino cherry for garnish

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with cherry.

November 26, 2009. Andy is making a feast today and knowing the cook he is, it will be outstanding.  I have offered to make a dessert as my Daring Baker’s challenge is due.  Otherwise, I will be at his beckon call as sous chef.  The menu will be southwestern inspired and includes:  a roasted turkey, chiptole mashed potatoes, homemade herbed rolls, roasted sweet potatoes with apples, mashed butternut squash, traditional bread dressing, two different cranberry sauces (jalenpeno w/Meyer lemon and Cointreau infused cranberry), brownies with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, apple ginger cranberry pie and pumpkin cannolis.

November 29, 2009. We have been blessed with a fantastic road trip that not only included spending time with our family but also with good friends and three Thanksgiving meals – that is right three.  Last night we were invited to new friend’s home in Palm Springs and we had an outstanding deep fried turkey, the moistest I have ever had.  As well we  had that fantastic pineapple cake I was twittering about – recipe to come!  Today we are making the journey back home and we are excited to sleep in our own bed and to see MEM.

Be sure to check out all the photos that would not fit on this post – more food as well as highlights from the trip.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cannoli, Cocktail, Death Valley, Food Blog Event, Foodbuzz 24, Recipe, Road Trip, Rob Roy Cocktail, Stovepipe Wells, Thanksgiving, Turkey

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The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

We were both on the same page that I was crazy for taking on this project for Thanksgiving, especially since I have never made cannoli, we knew it would be a big risk.  Working as a team, made it so much easier.  One person was in charge of rolling and cutting circles, while the other gently fried them to perfection.  Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme we made a pumpkin filling, which was light and not overly sweet.  Move over Mike’s, there is a new cannoli in town! An amazingly easy recipe.

* we had leftover filling which froze nicely into a creamy ice cream

Recipe:  Pumpkin Cannoli

Equipment:

Cannoli forms/tubes – optional, but recommended if making traditional shaped cannoli. Dried cannelloni pasta tubes work just as well!
Deep, heavy saucepan, enough to hold at least 2-3-inches of oil or deep fryer
Deep fat frying thermometer. although the bread cube or bit of dough test will work fine.
Metal tongs
Brass or wire skimmer OR large slotted spoon
Pastry bag with large star or plain tip, but a snipped ziplock bag, butter knife or teaspoon will work fine.
Cooling rack
Paper bags or paper towels
Pastry Brush
Cheesecloth
Sieve or fine wire mesh strainer
Electric Mixer, stand or hand, optional, as mixing the filling with a spoon is fine.
Food Processor or Stand Mixer – also optional, since you can make the dough by hand, although it takes more time.
Rolling pin and/or Pasta roller/machine
Pastry or cutting board
Round cutters – The dough can also be cut into squares and rolled around the cannoli tube prior to frying. If making a stacked cannoli, any shaped cutter is fine, as well as a sharp knife.
Mixing bowl and wooden spoon if mixing filling by hand
Plastic Wrap/Clingfilm
Tea towels or just cloth towels

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:
Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners’ sugar

Note – If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Pasta Machine method:
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through

2. Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.

3, Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.

For stacked cannoli:
1. Heat 2-inches of oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan, to 350-375°F (176 – 190 °C).

2. Cut out desired shapes with cutters or a sharp knife. Deep fry until golden brown and blistered on each side, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from oil with wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, then place on paper towels or bags until dry and grease free. If they balloon up in the hot oil, dock them lightly prior to frying. Place on cooling rack until ready to stack with filling.

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:
1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

Pumpkin Filling

2 cups ricotta cheese, drained
2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 cups canned pumpkin, drained
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 whole vanilla bean seeds

1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.  Do the same with the pumpkin.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta and mascarpone until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, pumpkin, spice and vanilla bean seeds and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl.  Chill until firm, several hours or overnight.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Cannoli, Daring Bakers, Dessert, Food Blog Event, Ice Cream, Italian, mascarpone, Pumpkin, Recipe, Ricotta

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