Slow-roasted Red Potatoes by Barbara

Scumptious

A lemony Worcestershire sauce marinade from the Bourbon Beef Stew and slow-roasting the potatoes at 300 degrees, face down, combined to make scrumptious potatoes that were browned on the edges and creamy soft in the center.  

I don't like to waste anything so it was a good decision to reuse the marinade and slow-roasting the potatoes along side the main event.  

Will definitely make these potatoes again.  

---Barbara

Slow Roasted Red Potatoes

Makes 2 pounds

2 pounds of small red potatoes, washed and cut in half

2 T. olive oil

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. onion powder

1/8 t. dried French thyme

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Oil a small baking sheet with 1 T. olive oil, and sprinkle salt on the surface.

In a bowl, combine 1 T. oil, sugar, lemon, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  

Cut the potatoes in half.  Add them to the marinade.

Toss and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Line them up, face down, on the cookie sheet.

Discard the marinade.

Sprinkle them with salt and freshly ground pepper, the garlic powder, onion powder and French thyme across their red backs.

Roast on the bottom shelf of the oven for 50 minutes to an hour.

Flip one over and make sure the edges are browning.  If not, let them roast longer.

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French Onion Soup (from Bourbon Beef Stew) by Barbara

Perfect for a cold and rainy Spring day

Saved the rich, dark broth from the Bourbon Beef Stew to make this delicious onion soup.  Tom prefers it without the Gruyere cheese because "it's too stringy."  I like the nuttiness of the Gruyere.

I am definitely going to make both the Bourbon Beef Stew  and this French Onion Soup again. 

---Barbara

French Onion Soup

Serves 4 for dinner or 8 as a first course

3-4 cups of leftover broth from Bourbon Pot Roast (fat removed)

5 - 6 onions, cut into crescents

1 T. butter

pinch of salt

1 quart (4 cups) culinary beef stock

1 ounce per serving of Gruyere cheese, grated

4 baguette slices or Carr's water crackers per serving

In a 3-quart pot with cover, melt 1 T. butter, then add the sliced onions, turn the heat on low, cover and let them steam for 5 minutes to get them going.  Remove cover and set aside.  Stir every 10 minutes or so until they caramelize, i.e., turn a deep caramel color but are not browned.  It will take 50 minutes to an hour.  

If the pan gets dry, then you could add a little more butter.

Add a pinch of salt to the onions when they are done.

Add the the leftover broth, and an additional quart (4 cups) of culinary beef broth.

Bring to a simmer, cover and let the flavors mingle for 20 minutes or so.

Two options for the next step:

1) You can make traditional French Onion soup, by ladling hot soup into broiler-proof bowls (on a broiler-proof pan), then floating slices of baguette on top, and piling on loads of Gruyere, and broiling until golden brown.  

Or, 2) you can make a short-cut version by ladling hot soup into bowls, then floating some water crackers on top, then some Gruyere cheese.  

The residual heat will melt the cheese.

Tom prefers his without cheese, and likes to use oyster crackers instead of water crackers.  

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Cinnamon Petite Palmiers by Barbara

Sunday Morning Treats

To make cinnamon versions of the easy Petite Palmiers, just sprinkle a heavy amount of cinnamon on the inner layer before you roll them up.

I prefer to use Vietnamese cinnamon, but any ground cinnamon will do.  

Bake as you normally would.

The regular Petite Palmier recipe can be found here.  

---Barbara

Gingerbread Muffins by Barbara

Warm Gingerbread Spices 

I have been trying to make hermits, which are an old-fashioned bar cookie.  Failed at least three times so far. They come out as hard and dry as cardboard.  So, I decided to do what I know how to do --- which is make muffins --- but use the flavors and raisins associated with hermits.  Luckily, I still had two little packets of spice mixes from the spice advent calendar my sister, Christine, sent to us last December.  But you can easily make your own spice mix, as indicated below.

I guessed at the ingredients and quantities based on experience.  Fresh ginger gives them extra flavor. 

They turned out pretty well!  Just baked them a little too long... and next time I would increase the amount of raisins.  

---Barbara

Gingerbread Muffins

Makes 12 medium-sized muffins

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 t. sea salt

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

at least 3 t. gingerbread spices, a mix of

    cinnamon - 1 t. heaping

    cloves - 1/4 t.

    nutmeg - 1/4 t.

    anise or cardamon - 1/4 t. (optional)

    ground ginger - 1 t. heaping

1 cup soft fresh raisins (next time 1.5 cups)

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 c. fresh, soft dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. molasses

2 T. grated fresh ginger

1 stick (8 T.) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 c. whole milk

baking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients together:  flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Add the raisins and toss them until they are coated.  This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.

In another larger bowl, whisk together the eggs and soft brown sugar until smooth.  Add the molasses and grated ginger then whisk together.  Mix in the melted butter.

Switch to a spatula, then a little at a time, add the flour mixture.  

Then add the milk, which will loosen it up into a batter.  

Spray a muffin tin with baking spray.  

Divide the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups.  I used an ice cream scoop.  Sometimes I use a 1/4 measuring cup to do the job.

Bake in the oven for 18 minutes.  (Start checking at 15 minutes.)

Let sit for 15 minutes, before removing them from the pan, to cool on a wire rack.

Best eaten warm.

They freeze well.

To reheat, place in a low temperature oven or toaster oven set at 250 degrees until warmed through.

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Solar Eclipse Brownies by Lauren

They were excellent!

Our granddaughter, Lauren, decided to make brownies for the solar eclipse.  We were visiting them in Buffalo, New York.  They were located dead center in the path of totality.   

 

She found this recipe on Sally’s Baking Recipes, a website she told me her mom uses for reliable recipes. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/seriously-fudgy-homemade-brownies/

But, she got waylaid midway through, to go to the park with us to view the solar eclipse, and had to put the bowl in the fridge.  

It was amazing. Even though we had clouds. The world turned completely dark from 3:18 to 3:22 pm.  

After the eclipse I served as her assistant baker. The first issue was the stiffness of the batter... from being in the fridge. We tried warming it up from the residual heat of the oven but that did not work …then, eventually, she said, "Let’s try 15 seconds in the microwave."  And that was perfect. I could then stir in the flour and cocoa powder she was measuring out. For the flour,  she said she learned at school (8th grade) how to spoon and level it.  We decided to cut the cocoa powder in half.  The batter was already over to top in chocolate-y-ness.  Then she decided to sprinkle the remaining chocolate pieces and some additional chocolate chips on top, which was a nice touch.

Everyone raved about them. 

---Barbara 

 

Lauren’s Solar Eclipse Fudgy Brownies 

(adapted from Sally’s Baking Recipes)

Makes a 9x13 pan of 18 brownies

• 1.5 sticks (12 T. ) unsalted butter (if you use salted butter, then cut back on the salt)
• 4-ounce semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate bar, coarsely chopped and divided
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Ghiradelli dutch-process cocoa 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (cut back, if using salted butter)
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease/spray a 9x13 inch pan with baking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and half of the chopped chocolate, that would be 2 ounces.  Melt in 30-second increments, whisking after each, until completely smooth.  

Add the sugar, and whisk until combined.

Then add the room temperature eggs and the 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and whisk them in.  

Shake the batter off the whisk and switch to a spatula.

Gradually, add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt, if using.  Fold it all together.  Batter will be very thick. 

Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate and the chocolate chips, saving a handful to sprinkle on top. 

Don't leave any pockets of white flour.  Mix until completely smooth and uniformly brown.

Spread evenly into prepared pan.  Smooth out the top.  

Sprinkle the top with the handful of chopped chocolate and chocolate chips. 

Bake for 30 minutes until set.  Do not over bake or they will be dry.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares using a sharp metal spatula. 

---Lauren & Grammy

Avocado Dip by Barbara

Made this creamy avocado dip yesterday for snacks while we watched the Final Four basketball games of March Madness. It is similar to guacamole but relies on mayonnaise to make it “dippable” and pantry items to make it easy to pull together. 

—- Barbara 

Avocado Dip

Makes 1.5 cups

1 very ripe avocado, at room temperature 

salt

1/3 of a lime, to squeeze

1/4 t. granulated onion powder 

1/8 t. granulated garlic powder 

1/2 t. dried cilantro 

1-2 t. Light Hellman’s mayonnaise 

Halve the avocado. Remove the pit. Sprinkle both halves with salt. Use a paring knife and cut the flesh of both halves lengthwise then crosswise. Use a spoon and scoop into your serving bowl. 

Squeeze lime juice on top. Use top 1/3 of a lime. 

Use a fork and mash the avocado a little bit to insure the lime juice coats it all over. 

Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, cilantro and a little more salt. 

Add a heaping teaspoon of mayo and mix until smooth but leave a few chunks for texture. 

If needed add a little more mayonnaise to make it dippable but don’t go overboard. If your avocado is ripe enough, it should become very smooth when you mix it together. 

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Bourbon Beef Stew (NYTimes) by Barbara

 

Deep, Rich Flavors from the Bourbon and the Tomato Paste

Made this comforting stew yesterday.  And will have it for leftovers today.  Perfect for a cold, snowy day while we watch March Madness basketball.

---Barbara

Bourbon Beef Stew

(adapted from a NYTimes recipe by Vallery Lomas)

Serves  6 to 8

For the marinade and browning the beef:

3 lbs. chuck steak, cut into 8 pieces 

1 T. sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice (1 large lemon)

1/3 cup olive oil

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

For the stew:

2 -3 T. oil for browning the beef 

3 carrots, scraped and cut into large chunks

2 onions, cut into quarters

5-6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 T. dried French thyme

2 T. tomato paste

salt and pepper

1 quart beef stock (4 cups), unsalted

1/3 cup Bourbon

The day before or in the early moring, remove the chuck steak from its wrapper, pat dry and sprinkle both side with sugar.  Place on a plate, uncovered, and refrigerate to air dry, until time to marinate it.  

Four  to five hours in advance of starting the stew, make the marinade.

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce in a plastic bag. Add the lemon halves, too. Cut the chuck steak into 8 pieces, pierce them with a fork, and add to the plastic bag, Massage the marinade into the meat, so that all the pieces are well coated.  Place in the refrigerator on a plate for 4 to 5 hours, turning the bag over whenever you remember to do it.  

Time to make the stew:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Remove the top rack, if needed, to allow room for the stockpot.

Prepare the onions, carrots, and garlic.  Measure out the bourbon, tomato paste and beef stock so you will be ready.  

Remove the chuck steak pieces and pat them dry.  (Discard the marinade. I used it for companion roasted potatoes.  But it doesn't get used in the stew.)

Sprinkle the chuck beef pieces with salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

In a heavy stock pot with a cover, large enough to brown the beef and hold all the ingredients and the stock, heat up the oil on medium-high until shimmering.  

Place the beef carefully in the hot oil, turn up the heat to high, and brown until crusty on all sides.  You may have to do it in batches to have enough room to properly brown the beef.  Remove from the pan, and turn down the heat to medium.

Deglaze the pan with bourbon.  If there isn't enough liquid, then add some of the beef stock.  Use a wooden spoon or spatula and scrape all of the brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pot.

Add the tomato paste, and coat all the vegetables and cook until the lumps are gone, stirring. 

Add the maple syrup and stir in well.

Add the onions, carrots and garlic and coat all them in the hot oil.  Turn up the heat to medium high

Then add the bay leafs and thyme.  Add a little salt and pepper.

Add the stock.

Return the beef to the pot, submerging each piece into the broth.  

Bring to a simmer.

Cover and place in the oven at 300 degrees for 2.5 hours.  

Remove from the oven.  

Using tongs, remove 2 pieces of beef per person and place in a deep plate.  Scoop out a few carrots and onions for each plate.  If desired, pour some sauce over each piece of beef.

You could place the beef over a bed of mashed potoates or rice, and then you might want more sauce.

I served our beef with roasted potates and a creamy arugula salad.

I stored the beef and the broth separately so I can remove the fat to make onion soup for later in the week.  We'll have the meat, and potato leftovers with a salad again tonight.  

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Petite Palmiers ( Mini Puff Pastries) by Barbara

Made these to take to a friend this morning.  Originally posted the recipe in 2015.  It's an old Ina Garten recipe that I've made many, many times over the years. It's from her Barefoot in Paris cookbook.

Very simple ingredients--- just puff pastry, salt and sugar.  

Click to see the recipe here.

Follow the steps and photos for how to roll out the dough and fold them into palmiers.  Then, bake for 12 minutes, flipping once to brown and carmelize on both sides.

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Caraway Pumpkin Soup by Barbara

Welcome Home Soup

Weary from our overnight flight from Hawaii and long layover in Detroit, we had no desire to go to the grocery store.  So, this caraway soup from the freezer saved the day.   It was one of my experiments from last year.  I combined pumpkin, cabbage and caraway seeds with shallots into a surprisingly good soup. 

Caraway has a background anise flavor yet it's not sweet. It's peppery with a citrus note. It is best known for its use in rye bread baking.  

I came up with the idea when I was trying to figure out what to do with a small head of cabbage that was a little past its prime. I also had a small pumpkin I wanted to roast. What if I used pumpkin instead of beets like in a borscht? It worked. This soup is much better than borscht. My caraway soup is creamy, fragrant and filling.

Tom's only complaint was the texture of the pumpkin, so next time, I will puree the soup completely.  

---Barbara

Caraway Soup

1 small to medium Cinderella-type pumpkin (3 lbs.) (or 3 15-ounce cans of pureed pumpkin)
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 large shallots, sliced into crescents
3 T. butter, unsalted
1 small cabbage, outer leaves removed, sliced crosswise 

1/4 cup caraway seeds
4-5 cups chicken stock (4 t. Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon in water)

To roast the pumpkin:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully, remove the stem and interior seeds and pulp. Cut the pumpkin into quarters.

Oil the pumpkin segments well with salt and pepper, on all sides. Place them in a roasting pan or casserole.

Roast for an hour, check to see if the flesh is fully cooked by testing with a knife. It should go in and come out with no resistence. If needed, roast for another half hour. Mine took 1.5 hours.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Scoop out the cooked pumpkin, and discard the skin. But save any juices from the bottom of the roasting pan.

This can be done ahead of time.

In a large stock pot with lid --- I used an 8 quart ---saute the shallots in the 3 T. of butter with a pinch of salt. The butter will flavor the soup and the sauteed shallots will smell heavenly.

Add any pumpkin juices from the roasting pan, and deglaze the pan.

Add the sliced cabbage to the pot. Add the caraway seeds.

Saute, turning the cabbage over and over, until well coated and it begins to soften. Scrape up any brown bits in the bottom of the pot. Don't let the caraway seeds burn.

Add the pumpkin puree.

Add the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring until the pumpkin puree spreads out evenly. Cover, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

Have a serving while it's still hot. Store the rest in the fridge overnight. Portion it out into containers to freeze.

Then, defrost and gently reheat as needed. 

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Malasadas

Our rainy day adventure today was to find an Hawaiian specialty called malasadas. 

We found an authentic bakery next to a little mini-mart with the nicest staff. It’s called Paalaa Kai Bakery on the less touristy edge of Hale’iwa. 

Malasadas are similar to donuts. Tom also wanted the flaky turnovers— but I neglected to note what they are called. 

Malasadas come plain or filled with coconut pudding at Paalaa Bakery. 

When I saw them in the case, I said those look like berliners! But they are eggier. 

Malasadas are Portuguese in origin. The Hawaiian islands attracted many people from Portugal to work in the sugar cane fields. And they brought their food traditions with them. You will also find chorizo sausage prevalent here. 

This is a good link by to learn more about malasadas and how to make them: 

Taste of Home Malasadas

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Lobster Cobb Salad (Beach House)

Another first for me: Lobster Cobb Salad.  

I tried it because I was surprised to see blue cheese paired with lobster. 

Now I know from googling this morning that it is a popular salad with many variations. Ina Garten and lots of foodies have posted recipes. 

This is Beach House in Hale’iwa, Hawaii’s version:

warm lobster and grilled croutons served atop waipoli greens ( similar to butter lettuce) with blue cheese, tomato, bacon, and a 7-minute egg, tossed in an avocado ranch dressing

What I enjoyed about their salad was the variety of creamy and crunchy textures and the little pops of flavor from the bacon and the blue cheese. The lobster was not overwhelmed by the blue cheese which surprised me. 

I want to try making this at home. 

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Upside Down Pineapple Tip

Local Papaya, Pineapple, Meyer Lemon

Here in Hawaii pineapples are grown locally. We bought this one at the grocery store yesterday. I asked the produce stocker how to buy a ripe one. She said look for one turning yellow and soft to the touch. And the same is true for papaya. 

I read that it is a good idea to turn your pineapple upside down in the fridge overnight. This encourages the sugars that have collected in the bottom to flow throughout the whole pineapple. 

I also watched a tutorial on how to cut a pineapple. It’s not easy but with time I will get the hang of it. 

Be careful. 

Cut the top and bottom off. 

Slice in half. 

Remove the inedible tough core, cutting it out like wedge.

Cut the halves into quarters. 

Slice crosswise about 1/2 inch thick. 

Run knife along bottom of the fruit against the skin. 

You will have triangular chunks  of pineapple! 

And a big mess. 

But it’s worth it.  The pineapple chunks were cold and juicy. The perfect treat after coming back from the beach. 

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