Saturday Breakfast - Ebelskivers!

I will be the first person to tell you that kitchen gadgets are unnecessary.  That the only two pieces of equipment you'll ever need are a good, sharp knife, and a Microplane grater.  That's it. These two items will allow you to perform almost any task needed in today's kitchen.  But, heaven help me, I love gadgets, from donut machines to the latest little appliance that makes four pies all at once, I find them simply irresistible.

 I christened my newest acquisition this morning -- an Ebelskiver pan for making Danish filled pancakes.  I was pretty chuffed when I picked this up a month or so ago at Williams-Sonoma  for 15% off, then was intensely annoyed when, closer to the holidays it was reduced to 50% off before I'd been able to use it.  At any rate, I've now put it into service, and can't wait to use it again.

There's a bit of a learning curve involved, so don't be surprised if you burn a couple in the first batch, or add too much filling (jelly, say) and have it bubble over and burn on the pan, setting off the smoke alarm, and then raising a huge blister on the thumb of your left hand when you try to rid the pan of the offending pastry, but I digress.  The process is simple if a bit messy, but they go from pan to table in just minutes.  Pressed for time, I decided to use the pancake recipe on the Bisquick box, adding a bit more milk to thin the batter, along with a tablespoon of a granulated sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, and some gratings of orange peel.  For fillings I chose what was easiest to grab - milk chocolate chips from the cabinet above the stove, and blackberry jam because it just happened to be in the front of the refrigerator.

I melted butter in a small dish and brushed each well with an ample amount using a silicone pastry brush.  I poured about a tablespoon of batter into each well and working quickly added various fillings.  It wasn't as easy to center the fillings as I thought it would be, but my skills improved with batch number 2.

Flipping them over was a breeze.  I used a chopstick rather than the official Ebelskiver flipping tool, and it worked great. I just pushed down on the one side and when the opposite side crept up out of the pan, I flipped it over to brown.

A dusting of powdered sugar later, some warm syrup drizzled on top, and I had a tasty breakfast unlike any I've had before.

I'll be trying these again, and soon!  I was delighted to learn that books of recipes are available, so I'll be adding one or two to my bulging cookbook collection and will try recipes from sweet to savory and give you the skinny.  In the meantime, grab yourself a pan and try them for yourself.  I'll be waiting to hear of your success.

HOLIDAY PROJECT #3 - Gingerbread Cookie Tags and Ornaments

And you thought gingerbread cookies were just for eating.  No, they can be a fun decorating element as well as a tasty holiday cookie.

A couple of years ago I decided that I was going to spend less time searching for, hauling, unpacking, decorating the tree, and then repacking all of the Christmas ornaments.  Considering, at one point, I decorated 9 trees, my supply, as you can imagine, is considerable.  But I found the holidays becoming overwhelming and had to ask myself whether time to relax and reflect was more important than making myself crazy creating a stunningly perfect atmosphere, and overwhelmingly, time won.

In order to provide myself with more time, I decided to embrace simplicity and go with a lot of edibles and organics on one of the two trees I continued to set up.  The kitchen-themed dining room tree became the "edible tree" decorated solely with cookies, candies, nuts and popcorn. It made for a fun tree, a real conversation piece, plus when the holiday was over, what hadn't been eaten or carried off was given to the birds or discarded and the only thing needing packing away was the tree.

Spicy Gingerbread Cut-Outs drizzled with white chocolate

In addition to making chocolate chip cookies with holes in the top through which I could thread ribbon and tie them to the tree, I also made gingerbread snowflakes.  I used the largest cooky cutter that I had in order to provide an eye-catching display.  Guests were encouraged to remove one to take with them on their way home.

I made plenty of cookies, too, drizzling them with both white and milk chocolate for inclusion on the ample cookie tray.  Then I took it one step further and free-hand cut out gift tags with the remaining dough, decorated, and personalized them (with the help of my son, Andrew, who made the leaves); these were then used in place of name tags on holiday packages.  I placed each one in a cellophane bag, tied the bag closed with a long length of curling ribbon, then tied that same ribbon onto the package.  Talk about rave reviews!

It was work, but it was fun and a lot of laughs, and it brought smiles to the faces of both young and old making the effort very worthwhile.  There are a lot of recipes for gingerbread cookies, so I encourage you to use your favorite, but if you don't have one of your own, here is a spicy version that you might enjoy.

Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter 

1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed 

2 large eggs 

1 cup unsulfured molasses

6 cups sifted all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

4 teaspoons ground ginger 

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cloves 

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper 

1-1/2 teaspoons salt 

Raisins, dragées, and/or red hot candies for decoration (optional)

Royal Icing for decoration (optional)

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and molasses. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough into thirds and wrap each third in plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick between two pieces of waxed paper. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer shapes to ungreased cookie sheets. If desired, decorate with raisins, dragées, and/or red hot candies. Refrigerate about 15 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp but not dark. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.


For more holiday cookie recipes, treat yourself to Martha Stewart's cookie book.





This post is linked to Foodie Friday and Show and Tell Friday, and Metamorphosis Monday.

Dorie Greenspan's Paris Mushroom Soup

What a banner week this has been!  Two books that I won arrived in the mail, Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for all Things Sweet and Wonderful by Barbara Fairchild, A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum (a Christmas mystery in the cozy genre for knitting fans -- that would be me) and my own purchase of Dorie Greenspan's amazing tome, Around my French Table.  Where to begin?  I ask you.  Where?

Windy, icy, raw weather kept me in, so I was limited by what we had on hand.  Thanks to Dorie, I was able to make a delicious, rich, woodsy mushroom soup with relatively few, rather common ingredients.  A great appetizer, hearty lunch, or dinner starter, it's great at any time of the day.

PARIS MUSHROOM SOUP

Prep 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes

Makes: 6 servings

This soup can be served over a small salad of raw mushrooms seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped chives and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to 2 months.

2 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 large onions, coarsely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

 Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1-1/2 pounds white mushrooms, trimmed, sliced

2 parsley sprigs

1 rosemary sprig

1/3 cup dry white wine

6 cups chicken broth or water

 Creme fraiche, optional

  the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining tablespoon of the butter.

 Raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high; cook until almost all the liquid evaporates. Pour in the wine; let boil until almost evaporated.

Add the broth and herbs; heat to a boil. Lower the heat; cover the pot almost completely. Simmer 20 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig.

Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Taste for salt and white pepper. Pour the soup back into the pot; heat over low heat until hot. Serve garnished with creme fraiche.

Indulge yourself in some tasty holiday reading.

Lacquered Short Ribs with Spicy Ginger Sauce

During this very busy time of the year, quick, but delicious, hearty, strengthening meals are a must.  With so many errands to run, gifts to buy, and chores to do I find I rely more on my Crockpot now than during any other season.  So, when disaster struck two weeks ago in our Fibber McGee Closet when the electric skillet plunged to its death, landing on top of the Crockpot, cracking the bowl, I knew I had to do something fast.

Coupon in hand, I was off like a shot to Bed, Bath and Beyond where I purchased a newer model with a timer (Yay!), and made this delicious recipe for tonight.  (I also made Dorie Greenspan's Parisian Mushroom Soup - more about that later.)

I was lucky to have found seriously meaty, dense short ribs.  I bought only 1-1/2 pounds of meat, so halved the recipe (but not the cooking time, and chose the low setting over the high one).  As frequent preparers of ethnic foods I happened to have all of the ingredients in our pantry, but if you don't, this recipe is worth the purchase.  It is a bit spicy, so if a little heat bothers you, consider cutting back on the pepper flakes and Sriracha sauce.  It is tasty and different from any other short rib recipe I've tried.

It goes together in the morning before you head out, and is the perfect meal for a frigid day, warming you both inside and out.

Lacquered Short Ribs with Spicy Ginger Sauce

Cuisine at Home, Slow Cooker Menus

(Printable Recipe)

For the short ribs:

3 lbs. short ribs, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 T. olive oil

For the spicy ginger sauce:

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup minced fresh ginger root

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 Sriracha sauce

1/4 cup molasses or cane syrup

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Brown ribs in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Work in batches and don't crowd the ribs. Transfer the ribs to your crock pot.

Combine the scallions, ginger root, brown sugar, Sriracha sauce, molasses or syrup, hoisin sauce, lime juice, fennel seed and pepper flakes. Pour the sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook on high for about five hours or low for 8 hours.

Serve over rice or noodles.

SURPRISE COOKIES

If this picture doesn't make you want to lick the screen then you don't like chocolate, and to me, nothing says a really good cookie like chocolate. A chocolate cookie with chocolate icing, oh boy, heaven! Toss a marshmallow into the mix and you have bliss. Well, what you actually have is the recipe for Martha Stewart's Surprise Cookies from her book COOKIES, and it's no surprise that they are delicious.

This was an easy and fun cookie to make, destined to become a regular on the holiday cookie tray. The end result was a chewy cookie with an almost cake-like interior. The marshmallow topper was very good, and the frosting deliciously chocolaty. I poured my frosting into an icing bottle and squirted it on in a circular motion which made this a quick and easy way to get the job done. Rich and delicious, one of these makes an excellent dessert.

MARTHA STEWART'S SURPRISE COOKIES

(Printable Recipe)

Makes about 2 dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.

Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

FROSTING

Makes 1 cup

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

 

This is linked to Cookbook Sundays, Seasonal Sundays and Tasty Tuesdays.

HOLIDAY PROJECT # 2 - Pretty Packages



A wrapped gift employing the use of florals, a glue gun, and a recycled bow.



I made quite a score at Michael's the other day when they put their florals on sale for half off and THEN had a coupon to get an additional 15% off of an entire order including sale items.  Can you say, giddy with excitement?

Just a  fraction of the items I got ON SALE at Michael's.

Looking at all of the beautiful winter flowers and greenery gave me an idea (helped, no doubt, by being stuck in a long and slow-moving line next to a rack of glue guns).  Why not skip the ribbons and bows on wrapped packages this year in favor of flowers and greenery? And wouldn't using a glue gun be so much faster?

Do you know what? It is!  And not only faster, but the packages are prettier and it looks like you've spent hours on them when essentially you've just spent minutes (plus the time it takes to you  heat up the glue gun and try to remember where you put the wire cutters).

In order to expedite things, it helps to snip all of the leaves and flowers from their stems using wire cutters, or a sharp and powerful pair of kitchen shears (The kind that cuts through a chicken carcass with ease works particularly well.).  Discard the stems, and divide into "leaf" piles and "flower" piles, then sort by color.

Warm up your glue gun while wrapping gifts so you'll be ready.  Then, assembly-line style, hot glue flowers securely in place with dabs of glue in the center and on about half of the outside petals.  Then put a dot of glue underneath the base of the leaves and place them where desired beneath the flower, pressing down until the glue takes hold. Voila!  A beautifully-wrapped, professional-looking package in no time and on a budget.

I used a bit of sparkly gold curling ribbon on this package to bring out the gold on the flower.

After a while you'll develop both a rhythm and a real eye for design.  If you need some inspiration, I recommend Carolyne Roehm's book, Presentations: A Passion for Gift Wrapping.

This is linked to Metamorphosis Monday.

Panettone French Toast

One of the many things I enjoy about this time of the year is the appearance of Panettone on the shelves of local markets and import stores.  This Milanese sweet bread is a favorite of mine when toasted for breakfast, but this morning I thought I'd try something new and turn it into French Toast.  Wow, was this ever a great idea!  I based my version on Ina Garten's Challah French Toast recipe that appears in her Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook, substituting the Panettone for Challah, and scaling it down to serve two. It was delicious and a very special treat for the season.

Slice a fresh loaf of Panettone into 3/4" thick slices.

Soak slice in egg mixture for 5 minutes.

Flip slice after 2-1/2 minutes for even coverage.

Fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.

Panettone French Toast for 2

(Printable Recipe)

2 extra-large eggs

1/2 cups half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon good honey

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large slices Panettone
Unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a 9" x 9" baking dish, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the panettone into 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak one slice at a time in the egg mixture for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat (I used my Cuisinart Griddler). Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slice, adding butter and oil as needed, until it's all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners' sugar.