Sauteed Broccoli Rabe and Potatoes

Posted on January 26, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Have you noticed by now that people are trying to convince you to do just about everything with bacon?  Sometimes it’s simple (candied bacon), sometimes it could occasion a little eyebrow raising (though you can’t write it off if it’s David Lebovitz‘s bacon ice cream), and sometimes it’s just not going to ever happen in my kitchen (bacon vodka).  But it does make for amusing reading, if nothing else–click here and here if you want to see just how outlandish it can get.

(And yes, I can’t deny it, we are all susceptible: I did after all make bacon spice cookies a while back.  It’s no fun to be Serious Cuisine all the time is it?)

So–even with everyone jumping on this bacon bandwagon, using lard or bacon fat is still a bit out there.  (When did you last eat an apple pie made with lard?)  But even though it’s head-spinning to try to keep up with these things, it looks as if these animal fats aren’t quite so bad, or at least not in comparison with their trans-fat laden substitutes. (My crude understanding of this being to stay away from vegetable fats that are solid at room temperature).

Broccoli Rabe Potatoes in Bacon Fat (2 of 2)

I don’t know if I was inspired by healthier living (nor can I really say that with a straight face, we’re talking pork fat here), an attempt at kitchen frugality, or just this bacon craze, but I’ve recently been saving the (massive amounts of) drippings that render from our CSA bacon.  As this bacon is from heritage breed  pigs, it is by no stretch of the understanding lean.  But it’s amazingly good.  So good, that why would I not want to stretch the flavors of a Sunday breakfast through the week, especially if I can convince myself I’m being virtuous by, well, um, using bacon drippings?

I’ve made broccoli rabe pan-fried with potatoes many times since I first read about it on Leite’s Culinaria.  The slightly bitter but fresh tasting rabe with crisped soft potatoes is a perfectly rib-sticking winter food.   The original recipe is from Julia della Croce’s Italian Home Cooking and thus calls for olive oil.  I’ve found that it’s equally wonderful with bacon fat–all those meaty aromas melding into your potatoes and flavoring your greens.  Either way, it’s just right for mid-January.  And I guess it means I’m trendy.

Broccoli Rabe Potatoes in Bacon Fat (1 of 2)

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe and Potatoes, inspired by and adapted from Julia Della Croce’s recipe available here or here

Note:  The original recipe uses olive oil, so if you don’t like, don’t have, or just don’t eat pork, fear not as I can assure it’s equally wonderful either way.

  • 2 Yukon Gold or similar potatoes, unpeeled
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe
  • salt
  • 4-6 tablespoons bacon fat or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Put the potatoes in a deep bot and cover with cold water to cover by an inch.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to gently boil for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife (total time will depend upon the size of the potato).  Lift the potatoes out of the water (don’t drain the water but rather leave it in the pot as you will be using it momentarily).  Allow the potatoes to cool.

Trim the rabe:  cut the hard ends off and (ideally) peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler.  Cut off the florets and then chop the stems into 3-inch chunks.  Return the potato water to a boil, adding the salt and extra water if needed.  Then add the stalks, boil for 2-3 minutes, then add the florets, and cook 2-3 minutes more, until  stalks are tender but not mushy.  Note this blanching process doesn’t just cook the rabe but also draws out bitterness.

Peel the skin off the potatoes–it will come off easily using your fingertips alone and cut each potato into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick pieces.

In a large skillet, heat the fat or oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute gently until soft, just a few minutes, and remove the garlic to a bowl.

Raise the heat to medium-high.  When it is hot, (and only when it is hot; this helps prevent sticking and promotes crispiness) add the potatoes, and sauté until they are golden and crisp all over, about 10 minutes.   Add the rabe and garlic cloves, and continue to saute until the greens are well-coated with the fat or oil and are heated through.

Adjust for seasoning and serve.

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Modern Baker Challenge: Lime-Scented Wafers

Posted on January 22, 2012 by | 8 Comments

I don’t make cookies as often as you might expect–for someone who blogs a lot about baking, if you poke around here enough you’ll note that my posts on this topic are scant.  It’s probably just a matter of taking the easy way out–I just prefer something I can stir together and dump into a pan all at one go.  (So when I figured out that you can basically bake muffins as a quick bread, you can guess what happened).

Lime Scented Wafers (1 of 5)

However, I did sign up for the Modern Baker Challenge, and a few weeks ago, you might just recall, was Christmas, so it’s practically obligatory to turn a few batches of cookies out of the oven.  With no particular plan in mind I leafed through my second copy of the Modern Baker down in DC. (It’s not because I’m obsessed that I have a spare:  Nick Malgieri was kind enough to send all us participants a personalized signed copy so I now have two, which turned out to be quite convenient).  I paused at the page for the lime-scented wafers–citrusy, simple, with a single batch turning out enough to feed a crowd, this seemed like the perfect option.

Lime Scented Wafers (2 of 5)

This is nothing more than a basic roll cookie–formed into a tube, chilled, and sliced–scented with lime juice, coated in lime zest and sugar crust.  Pretty simple, but like many things that are simple, difficult to get absolutely perfect.  Aesthetically at least.  It might be failure begetting failure, with me making bar cookies too infrequently to get the technique down, but my carefully rolled cylinders always emerge from the fridge flattened at the base.  So instead of crisp little cookie disks I get something looking either like a deflated tire or worse, a badly drawn rectangle.  I tried to smoosh them back into the desired shape as I placed them one by one onto the baking sheet but it got to be tedious, and with the dough softening more and more I wasn’t improving matters.  For those of you baking along, I also ended up using only about half of the lime sugar coating.    I meant to find some creative use for it, but with kitchen real estate being very tight in a full house, down the garbage disposal it eventually went.  If you make these, I’d say you only need half the quantity called for.

Lime Scented Wafers (3 of 5)

Fortunately, I am not a professional baker, and my in-laws are not so fussy about the details as long as the cookie tastes as it should.  (Substance over form here, people).  Crisp and fragrant, with a crunchy sugar edge, it was a welcome component of my husband’s family’s traditional “Platter of Sin.”  They softened a bit after a few days, but were still being happily nibbled on.

Lime Scented Wafers (4 of 5)

So while these cookies were definitely not a disappointment (and there was an impressive quantity of them), I’d still say I have to work out a few kinks before I become a cookie-making superhero.  In the meantime, if there’s any secret tricks you’d care to share, I’m all ears.

I leave you with a shot of the infamous Platter of Sin.  And be assured, that’s only a small portion of it, lest you have any fears that it’s not sinful enough.

Lime Scented Wafers (5 of 5)

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Spicy Tomato Soup

Posted on January 19, 2012 by | 13 Comments

Was one of my New Year’s Resolutions to post more frequently?  No–phew-that was Karen.  Because I’m not off to a good start.  And what’s more, I’m posting about something I made w-a-y back last year (which, to be fair, was only a few weeks ago, but why not play it up for dramatic effect).

We were down in DC for Christmas, at my husband’s parents’ house.  My sister-in-law’s copy of Boston restauranteur Barbara Lynch’s cookbook Stir  has taken up semi-permanent residence in their house thanks to her currently reduced kitchen space.  For me this works out well since it means I get a chance to have a good look at it while I am down there.  (Yes, I go to other people’s houses and read their cookbooks.  Is that weird? It’s better than raiding the medicine cabinet).  

My mother-in-law has the typical list on the fridge, except it’s not quite what you’d expect:  rather than writing down the things that need to be picked up on the next trip to the grocery store, it’s a list entitled, things we have too much of.  A “do not buy” list.  You see, my father in law likes to stock up on those staples that don’t go bad, so there are always plenty of dried beans, boxes of pasta, and 28-ounce cans of plum tomatoes.

Canned tomatoes on the do-not-buy list.  Spicy tomato soup in in-law’s cookbook.  In need of a light meal after Christmas excess.  Bingo!

Spicy Tomato Soup (4 of 4)

There are many things that are fantastic about this soup.  First, it’s tremendously pantry-friendly (I suppose that goes without saying) and easy to pull together.  Onions, canned tomatoes, olive oil, and seasonings.  I used dried oregano instead of fresh basil, and in a soup like this it worked just perfectly, as the slow gentle simmer allows the herbs plenty of time to release their flavor into the liquid.

Not only that, it’s a real two-fer.  After you puree and strain the soup, you can save the leftover pulp to make a fiery bruschetta spread for crusty bread or (as Barbara Lynch suggests) even use it to top roasted eggplant.

Spicy Tomato Soup (3 of 4)

It’s a delicious soup that manages to be elegant yet homey at the same time.  And thanks to the red pepper flakes, it’s also peppy. And I was almost surprised by how much I liked it:  sometimes tomato soups can be a little too sweet.  I don’t know if it’s the onions or the hot pepper that tones this down, or both, but the flavors are perfectly calibrated.  It’s a real treat to enjoy vibrant tomato flavor in the middle of winter.  A nice dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream on top doesn’t hurt either.

Spicy Tomato Soup (2 of 4)

And now my father-in-law can buy more canned tomatoes.

Spicy Tomato Soup adapted from Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition by Barbara Lynch, original recipe also available on www.chow.com or with a video of Lynch demonstrating here.

Although we did not make the grilled cheese sandwich to go along with the soup, enjoying instead some gruyere and cured meats, you can find the recipe here.  I’ll definitely be trying it soon–the method looks so easy and straightforward.

If you’re wavering on how much red pepper to use, I’ll let you know that I used 1 1/2 teaspoons–and while I loved it, I’ll just say I definitely won’t be adding more in the future.

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 t dried oregano
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes (preferably Italian plum tomatoes)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Crème fraîche or sour cream for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onions red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, including the juices, and the water.  Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool briefly, about 5 minutes.

Balance a fine-mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl. In a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth.  (If using a blender, remove the pour lid from teh center of the lid and cover with a kitchen towel–this will allow steam to escape from the hot soup so the pour lid doesn’t pop off).  Pour the blended soup through the strainer, pressing the liquid out of the pulp.  Reserve this pulp to use to top bread or as a condiment.  Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

When you strain, a few tips:  it’s easier to do so strain in batches.  Holding the strainer that is increasingly weighed down by pulp gets heavy fast.  You can of course balance it over the bowl, but when that bowl is so full of strained soup that the base of your strainer is immersed in it, it’s time to remove it to another bowl or you’re not going to get anywhere.  Finally, if you stir the soup in the strainer, it helps push the liquid through more quickly, then press the pulp when most of the liquid is through to get out the last bits.

Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat on medium low until hot.  (Beware of reheating purees other than gently–it will look and act like molten lava).  A dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche makes a nice garnish.

Spicy Tomato Soup (1 of 4)

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Modern Baker Challenge – Espresso Walnut Meringues

Posted on January 16, 2012 by | 6 Comments

My relationship with meringue goes a few decades back.  I hate that I can say decades and it’s accurate.

I first tried meringues in the traditional lemon meringue pie.  I thought it was just the most beautiful cloud of sweetness.  One evening when I was in 5th grade — circa 1989 (?), I decided I should surprise my mom when she came home from work with a lemon meringue pie.  Don’t ask me why but I got it into my head.

Mom worked evenings at the library from 6 to 9 which honestly felt like an eternity for us, especially when we were in elementary school.  Somehow I managed to gather all the ingredients and successfully followed the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook, so I could present Mom with the surprise she she made it home.  No, there was no pie crust involved — a frozen, pre-made pie crust was a staple in those days.  And, it wasn’t that we had fresh lemons around, but the liquid lemon juice in the faux lemon plastic containers magically had enough. I’m actually most surprised that I was able to successfully whip the meringue as it requires a patience, that is tested to this day, with a hand mixer.  There is no Kitchenaid in the Clevering household.  But, it was a success, and I think Mom was surprised.

We did attempt several things in the kitchen while Mom was working and under Dad’s “supervision.”  I remember Sara attempting to made fudge even though we didn’t have the fail safe- marshmallow creme. She was reading the directions in Betty Crocker about how to test the temperature of the boiling sugar.  In the end, fudge was never made, and the pan was barely salvageable.

But, the next foray with meringues came in college.  I was in love with the Moosewood’s Low-Fat favorite’s cookbook.  I was transitioning into vegetarian food and it was the “fear of fat” craze of the late nineties.  One of the recipes was for bake meringue cups fills with fruit.  I was having to much fun shaping the meringues via the plastic bag/frosting decorating technique that I never tried it with the fruit.  I just cared that it was “low fat.”

With that history, I was naturally intrigued by this meringue recipe.  It just might be the ONLY recipe in the cookbook that doesn’t contain flour — hey it’s GLUTEN-FREE!  But, this cookie was much more than I anticipated.  I wasn’t that excited for a chocolate flavored crunch of a cookie, but this is not your average meringue.  I was baffled why we were “folding” in the walnut and the sliced chocolate but the result was exceptional.  The center of the meringue were delicious bites of chocolate and the walnuts gave it an extra weight.  Delicious!

My meringues were on the soft side – probably because they were so big, but I almost liked them that way.  I baked them for 35 minutes, an extra 5 and was concerned about them being too dry anyway.

** also note that the directions list “remaining 1/2 cup of walnuts and sugar” which is a bit confusing because “the remaining 1/2″ modifies sugar and not the walnuts.  I reread the recipe a few times to make sure I hadn’t skipped a step, but you do fold in the entire 1 1/4 cup of walnuts all at once.

The ingredients

The egg whites  are always a challenge.  I followed the best directions and separated each yolk separately before adding to the mixing bowl.  It’s a good thing too because the second egg was a mess.

And patience and persistence pays off.

And folding in the ingredients.  It felt odd to layer it as directed but Nick knows what he’s talking about!

I decided to see which was better — foil or parchment paper.  I don’t think it makes a difference.

And, the final product – forgive the blurriness.  We’ll see how the folks at work like them.  They got a thumbs up from Paul who doesn’t typically think meringues count for much of anything.

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The Brooklyn Kitchen

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | 4 Comments

This is the best place ever.The Brooklyn Kitchen, that is. My sister told me almost two years ago to go. I took her advice and the first time I went was the day she went into labor with her littlest one. I always remember sitting on the bus navigating my way through Williamsburg, Brooklyn and getting an email that she had gone into the hospital! It seemed to be a more eventful day for her than it was for me so I left that detail out when she called to announce the newest baby boy to our family.

For those of you that haven’t had the wonderful opportunity to go to this fabulous kitchen store, then I’m sorry. This is a great little spot located off the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Williamsburg is known for it’s oh so trendy restaurants and chocolate stores and beer stores and really just about anything culinary and cool. The Brooklyn Kitchen is no exception. They also have The Meat Hook which is located on the second floor of the shop and serves as the stores butcher.

The reason I finally got myself back there is because I’ve been trying to get (along with my other sister’s resolutions) a bigger reportoire of items to cook. I often blog about cocktails. Yep. I know you have noticed. So I’m trying to branch out. So I took a Braising class. It was Fabulous. (Yes, I meant to capitalize the ‘F’). You have a cook (Matt Greene was ours for the night) show you how to make three fabulous meals (For this class it was Pork Osso Bucco, Coq a Vin, and Vietnamese Braised Short Ribs) and then they serve you a nice Brooklyn Beer to wash it down.

In a couple of weeks I will be blogging about my first braising adventure in the HOME kitchen: Vietnamese Braised Short Ribs and much more about my experiences…..Stay tuned!

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The Cocktail Column: Ted Damson

Posted on January 8, 2012 by | 4 Comments

My husband and I love going out and relaxing with a nice cocktail. On New Year’s we realized just how old we are getting. We didn’t want to go out to a club, didn’t really want to go out to Manhattan. We just wanted to have some nice drinks and good food.

The same goes for almost every weekend. We have quite opposite work schedules so we love going to a bar and having a nice drink. One of our favorite places to go is Bearded Lady.  This is a dark little bar/lounge.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s steps away from our apartment. It serves all sorts of mixed drinks with some small bites such as homemade beer cheese (sounds gross-it’s good) or a sweet pea veggie sandwich. There is tons of seating. None of that standing up for me! I try so many drinks there and they are all fabulous (Ginger Prince, Hot Toddy), but one that I recently tried that I wanted to blog about is the TED DAMSON.

Ingredients:
Damson Plum Gin

Lemon Juice

Q Tonic

Rosemary

Super simple ingredients. I could try it at home but I have to say that being a bartender is a lot harder than it looks. I’ve been trying to make more of my own cocktails at home and the ratio of what to put in is very tricky.

So if any of you want to try it–there it is! The rosemary in the drink is essential. It was very sweet, but the rosemary had such a nice aftertaste. It also makes me interested in trying more drinks with plum gin. hmmm….

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White Bean Puree with Sage Brown Butter and Walnuts

Posted on January 2, 2012 by | 21 Comments

Sometimes a small change can make all the difference.

This is something I’m trying to remember as I continue to generate new years resolutions for myself.  I’m not one of those people–the ones who wave their hand with dramatic flourish, throw their head back, and declare “Me?  I don’t do New Years Resolutions.”  I probably veer towards the other extreme, as it’s only January 2nd and I have an ambitious to-do list including reorganizing the house, finally getting pictures on the wall, catching up on the various foreign languages I’ve studied, coming up with new activities to do with my children, and finally  sticking to a great new exercise regimen…if only my energy and stick-to-it-ness were as boundless as my list-making ability is prolific.

So I’m trying to remember that it’s the tiny tweaks that make the biggest difference–and maybe for no reason other that you are more likely to follow through with them.   

One small change I made a few years back was to start making soup stock from scratch.  Though it requires that you’re generally “around” for a few hours and that you have the forethought to clear some space in the freezer, there’s not much more to it than that.  I know some people can get rhapsodic about how some kitchen technique or another cosmically altered the course of their life, but I’m not dramatic enough of a personality to demarcate my life into “before” and “after” homemade stock eras.  Even with that, I’ll still say that whenever I use homemade stock, there’s an extra depth of flavor and complexity in even the most simple things you make–it’s a simple routine to get into that reverberates through everything that emerges from your kitchen.

White Bean Puree Sage Brown Butter Walnuts (1 of 4)

I love my legumes, so I’ve made white bean puree many times–but while always good, it was never tremendously exciting.   Instead, it was hummus’s poor cousin–a bit bland, with a texture that was smooth but not quite silky enough.

White Bean Puree Sage Brown Butter Walnuts (1 of 2)
But here’s a lesson in the amazing properties of good soup stock.   Simmered in nothing more than broth, this puree is remarkably rich and smooth, even before the first golden drizzles of brown butter sauce start puddling on its surface.  The walnuts are both a textural contrast and a mellow counterpoint to the puree, and the brown butter sauce enhances the qualities of both:  smooth and liquid like the beans, nutty like the walnuts.  (Not surprising, since the French term is beurre noisette–hazelnut butter).

A dish that can not just hold its own against its tahini-chickpea cousin, but even earns a rightful place on a well-appointed dinner menu–here, with a rack of lamb, grains, and green beans.  Not a bad New Year’s Day meal.  Not a bad lesson to keep in mind for the new year.

White Bean Puree Sage Brown Butter Walnuts (2 of 2)
White Bean Puree with Sage Brown Butter and Walnuts

Note:  If your New Year’s resoluations include not wasting food, assuage your conscience:  you can get through a good amount of fresh sage in this recipe.    We used a roasted turkey broth we had made from Thanksgiving remains, but I’ve included instructions for chicken broth below.

Puree

  • 1c dry white beans such as cannelini or great northern beans
  • 1 rib of celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2c chicken broth
  • 1 sprig sage (about 6-8 leaves per sprig)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sage brown butter sauce (below)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts

Brown butter sauce

  • 4T butter
  • 1 sprig sage leaves

Soak the beans overnight or at least for several hours if you can.  (If you forget to soak, cover the beans with water and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat and allow to stand for an hour before proceeding with the recipe).

Drain the beans and put them into a pot with the celery, carrot, garlic, and one sprig of sage.  Add the broth and about 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook gently for about 2 hours.  (Because you are going to puree this, you want the beans to be very soft).  When the beans start to soften, season with salt and pepper.  Add additional water (or stock) if the mixture starts to dry out.

When the beans are very soft, fish out the carrot, celery, and sage.  Drain the beans but reserve the liquid–you’ll need to add this liquid as you puree to get it to the desired consistency.  Puree in the food processor until creamy, adding liquid as necessary–I used probably a half a cup.  Reheat the puree very gently (I used a microwave) and remove to a serving bowl.

While the beans are cooking, toast the walnuts:  break up with your fingers or chop, then put in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  Toast, stirring frequently until the nuts brown and become more aromatic–be careful not to burn them, it can happen quickly.  Remove immediately from the pan.

To make the brown butter sauce, pluck the leaves of sage from the second sprig.  Melt the butter over medium heat (I used the same small skillet I used for the walnuts).  After the butter has melted, keep heating it–it will start to bubble and sizzle furiously, and then start to recede.  You’ll see brown solids begin to fall and collect at the bottom of the skillet while the butter turns caramel in color.  Around this time you’ll catch the butter’s nutty aroma rising from the skillet.  Add the sage leaves, stir, and remove to a bowl.

Make a well in the center of the puree, drizzle in the brown butter sauce, and sprinkle the toasted walnuts on top.

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Spiced Citrus Champagne and Baklava for New Year’s

Posted on January 1, 2012 by | 10 Comments

Thanks to my sister and her great ideas I was able to find a great recipe for me to use this New Year’s (and The Kitchn). We not only had great cocktails but we also had homemade baklava (made by my friends mother!) It was a very low-key night. My husband and I went to another friends apt and had dinner and watched the ball drop. Even though the weather was great in NYC, none of us wanted to be near Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I guess that’s what happens when you live in New York for too long. Large amounts of people starts to feel very unappealing over time.

My friend’s mother was born in Turkey and a fabulous cook. I had always had the Greek baklava which is made with honey (and lots of it!), but Turkish baklava is much different because it’s made with no honey and just sugar and butter. The difference is it’s much, much lighter. So if any of you out there love baklava but hate the heavy feeling afterwards, you should definitely try this kind. This truly was a great dessert. They wrapped me up a little doggie bag and I’ve been taking many trips over to the fridge this entire day.I have recently realized that I only have four pieces left. Now there is only one and I don’t know if I can wait for my husband to come home and finish it!

The recipe below is unfortunately not my friend’s mom’s secret recipe, but is from the very reliable epicurious.com.

Turkish-Style Baklava

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 pound package phyllo sheets, thawed
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, melted

Syrup:

  • 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 lemon, peel only
  • 1 clove

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Mix together the walnuts, sugar, and spices and set aside.

As you work, keep the sheets of phyllo covered with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on the bottom of a jelly roll pan (12-inch x16-inch). Brush the dough lightly with melted butter. Repeat this process until there are 8 sheets of phyllo in the pan.

Sprinkle one-third of the nut mixture onto the phyllo sheets.

Place 4 more sheets of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing melted butter between each sheet.

Place another one-third of the nut mixture on the dough.

Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing melted butter in between each sheet. Brush the top sheet with butter as well.

Trim the edges so that they do not stand above the level of the dough.

Cut the pastry into 2-inch squares, making sure not to slice through the bottom layer of phyllo dough. Leaving the bottom layer uncut will allow the syrup to soak in more efficiently.

Bake at 375°F for 25–30 minutes or until the top layer of the phyllo takes on a light golden brown color.

While the dough bakes prepare the syrup. Combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove the clove and lemon peel.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour hot syrup over the baklava.

Before serving allow the baklava to stand at room temperature until cooled. Slice through the bottom layer of phyllo dough and serve.

What was else on the dessert list? Spiced Citrus Champagne. It was around 11:30pm and I almost completely forgot that I had to heat up all the ingredients. The hardest ingredient to find is the star fruit, but you can find it at a more specialty based grocery store. Now, the worst part of the night was when we got to our friends and realized we forgot the key ingredient at home (along with the specialty cheese that cost an arm and a leg). I take no blame for this one. I was rushed out the door by someone. Period.

Anyway, this drink was made without the star fruit and it still worked. I think the star fruit has pectin in it (so a friend said) and that helps to soke up the liquids like the honey and water. So my syrup ended up being more like a mixer and much more water based.

I’m not the biggest fan of champagne as it often makes me a bit sick, but it’s New Year’s right? So, this was a good middle of the road drink because you can add as much of the syrup as you like. The “syrup” which is just a mixture of water, honey, cloves and cinnamon can really be added to any favorite alcohol. Need a hot toddy (second reference to this drink on this blog–I know)? All the ingredients are there so it’s a win-win in my eyes!

Spiced Citrus Champagne

  •  1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • Zest of 2 lemons, cut into long strips
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • Champagne, or dry sparkling white wine

Bring water, honey, lemon zest and juice, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Cool syrup.

Serve each glass of sparkling wine with 1 tablespoon spiced syrup and a splash of orange juice, to taste. Garnish with a slice of star fruit or a lemon twist.


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New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2012 by | 8 Comments

Hey folks, we’re putting it out here on the internet, in writing, so you can keep us honest and hold us to it.  Here’s our blogging-related New Years Resolutions.  Some of them are new, and some of them are the same we make each year, but maybe this time round it will stick!

What are your crafty and culinary goals for 2012?

Marie

1.  Cook more. In general. I’m a slacker.

2. Make more cocktails at home.

3. Make more recipes out of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything.

4. Eat all my baby carrots before they go bad (and all other food in the fridge).

5. Eat more fresh vegetables.

Karen

1.  Blog more on my experimental, home cooking.

2.  Sew more and more.  (Hey, didn’t you notice?  The tagline on this blog is three sisters blogging about thing crafty and culinary).

3.  Try more Portlandia restaurants East of the river.  Besides Marie’s Brooklyn, I am in one of the trendiest food cities, after all.

Sara

1.  Cook more meat from our meat CSA, rather than keeping a makeshift morgue in our garage freezer.

2.  On the topic of food hoarding:  Actually use what I put in the freezer rather than using it to pretend I’m not letting food go to waste.  Use my pantry staples before I have to really start wondering how long that brown basmati rice has been in there.  You get the picture.

3.  Learn to make my own pasta.  I keep hearing it’s just so easy, but I’m certain that I’m getting worse with practice.  This apparently was a goal of mine back when we started the blog, among many thoughts I expounded upon in an embarrassingly rambly post.  (Hey, uh, I was finding my voice?)

4.  Have more dinner parties and brunches for friends.  No downside here.

5.  Maybe I should finish that sweater I started before little H was born.  I don’t have the excuse that I can’t wear it because I’m pregnant anymore.  I hope the moths haven’t gotten to it.

And for all of us, have fun, learn, and grow!  All the best in 2012!

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Mulled Wine

Posted on December 30, 2011 by | 8 Comments

New Years Eve is upon us and  I have a great recipe for mulled wine if anyone is trying to figure out what to serve at their holiday party.

A new wine shop down the street from me (The Winey Neighbor at769  Washington in Brooklyn) has specials on select wines and they had one special that came with a recipe for mulled wine.  The wine I got was Casas Patronales. The grape used in this wine is Carmenere which is Chile’s signature grape!

This was especially exciting for me because I wanted to make a warm drink for my husband and I on our fake Christmas Eve. We didn’t get to spend Christmas together so we planned our own Christmas Eve together which was two days before Christmas (the day before I left!) We were supposed to have hot chocolate but this idea got axed the second I saw this recipe. My friends and family know that I LOVE hot toddies ( I just love saying the words- “hot toddy“) but I have to say I may like mulled wine more.

Here’s what you need:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup of brandy
2 tbsp of honey
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of nutmeg

You mix all of this together and heat of the stove right before it starts to boil. This serves one so double it or triple it for a nice night to yourself (why not, right?)

Our fake Christmas Eve was wonderful with this addition and this drink is great on a regular old Monday night too. We have a long winter ahead of us! Enjoy.

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