From The Midwest's Open Salon Blog

Orange, Almond, White Chocolate Muffins--Foodie Tuesday

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:05:49 -0400

My comrades at work are still talking about these muffins that I brought in last week. I'm always a bit nervous when I make up a new recipe, so I certainly appreciated nods of approval as they gobbled them up

Earlier, I had seen a recipe for scallion muffins with a goat cheese interior. I made one-half batch and they were just so-so. But I loved the texture of the muffin and what the cheese did for the interior of the muffin--keeping it moist. So many muffins are dry.

That's when I'd thought I'd try a sweet muffin with a cream cheese filling. I had all the ingredients on hand, and couldn't get the idea out of my head. Since I planned to use orange and almond, several shots of Grand Marnier seemed the logical choice.

Grand Marnier is an intense orange liqueur distilled in France. A tiny bottle (about 1/4 cup) will set you back several bucks, but it's worth having on hand for recipes. I do the same for rum, Amaretto, whiskey. Since I really don't drink hard liquor, these small bottles are a great price alternative and perfect for one who cooks.

These muffins go together fairly easily. I kept the sugar to a minimum since they already had white chocolate. I wanted something a bit "grown-up" and not overly sweet.

A while back I finally broke down and threw away all my old muffin tins which I had for years. I invested in some that were twice as heavy. My choice was Circulon. I liked the hefty weight and the beefy handles on either end. Clean-up is a snap and muffins and cupcakes cook evenly.

I'm not an advocate of paper liners from muffins. I like the outside a bit crisp. Be sure to use a fresh orange since the rind of older ones is bitter. And, yes, rinse your orange first and then dry it. A micro-plane makes for the best and easiest zesting.

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 heaping cup granulated, white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 heaping cup white chocolate morsels
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2-1 teaspoon almond extract
225 ml. whole milk (one cup minus two tablespoons)
1 large orange, zest only
Almond slivers

Filling:
6 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Lightly spray/grease 12 muffin cups. Set oven to 400 F degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the filling ingredients. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add sugar, baking powder, salt and white chocolate morsels.

In a medium bowl, blend the melted butter, milk, egg, almond extract and orange zest.

Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until incorporated without over-stirring.

Fill each muffin cup a little less than halfway. Evenly divide the cheese mixture to each cup. Now distribute remaining batter to each cup to fill. Top with slivered almonds.

Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool about ten minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

I think these are best warm when the outside is still a bit crunchy/chewy. But I had one the next day and gobbled it up!

Notes: If too little batter is placed on top of the cheese mixture, the cheese will leak out during baking:

I Won!--Foodie Tuesday

Tue, 8 May 2012 08:05:23 -0400

Thanks to all those who took time to vote for my Shrimp Pizza recipe in The Great Leftover Challenge: Kitchen Bounty: Pizza with Shrimp. It was voted Number One!

Peach Jell-O Mold -- Foodie Tuesday

Tue, 1 May 2012 13:05:41 -0400

My first Jell-O mold!

Oh, we're all "acquainted" with Jell-O. Notice I didn't say we're all on friendly terms. Or even best friends. Jell-O is something that has quite literally "slipped" into our lives and down our childhood mouths. And memory.

Mothers use it as a medicine.

Grandmothers and aunts arrived at holidays burdened and armed with "the mold" precariously but sacredly balanced. Everyone gathered around for the "unmolding" holding their breath and hoping it didn't stick.

My family still serves green pear mold every Thanksgiving. And somewhere in my 1960's mind, I remember chopped carrots and pineapple suspended in a green gel. I actually liked it.

To a child's fancy, Jell-O is magical. Layered with rainbow colors, it's like eating crayons. It moves and jiggles like a toy. It plays with light, like glass marbles. It's cold and melts in your mouth (kind of) like ice cream. You can suspend just about it anything in it, including olives which I always kind of found fascinating, like Martian eyeballs or something.

Vintage Jell-O ads are wonderful. It's always portrayed as elegant, nutritional fare. Glamorous and "hostess worthy."

But we all grow up. Unlike peanut-butter-and jelly or grilled cheese, Jell-O is that kind of fond food we quietly leave behind, like training wheels. Away we go never to look back.

But Jell-O has a zombie life. It never dies. Never. Instead, it re-invents itself constantly. Like that pear mold. And I had many a Jell-O cake in the teacher's lounge when I taught school. I enjoyed them all. It's even become an art form. I've seen creations with Barbie-doll heads suspended in it all fetus-like. Yuck!

But I think Jell-O's biggest reinvention was simply to grow up. Go to college. Where it was introduced to booze. The friend of fraternity and sorority alike. Jell-O shots were born and the rest is history.

Jell-O was suddenly re-discovered. Blogs were written. Books published. It was no longer your mother's or grandmother's Jell-O. It was back.

Armed with my flea-market, one-dollar, vintage "copper" molds, I embarked on the Jell-O journey. The recipe below was cut in half to fit my 3.5-cup mold. The original recipe can be found here: Peaches & Cream Jello.

The following recipe called for peach schnapps. I didn't have any so I simply flavored the milk layer with a bit of almond extract and fresh-grated nutmeg. Rum would have been a nice addition. Following recipes will most likely have the booze. Stay tuned. In the meantime, give this a try. It really wasn't difficult and will take the angst out of making a Jell-O mold if you've never tried.

I unmolded this on a hot day (Jell-O is tough to photograph). I found it refreshing and cool. The almond layer gave it a grown-up taste. Will I make it again. You betcha. With the booze!

1, 14-oz peach slices, drained, syrup reserved
1, 3-oz. package peach-flavored Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cold water

1 pkg. Knox Gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup boiling water
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
6 tablespoons peach schnapps
1/2 the drained peach syrup (if not using liquor, add all the syrup)
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (omit if using liquor)
Several grates fresh nutmeg (omit if using liquor)

1, 3.5-cup mold

Drain peaches and reserve the juice.

In a small bowl, dissolve the Jell-O in the 1 cup of boiling water. When fully dissolved, add the cold water. Stir and place in refrigerator until custardy thick. If you leave it in too long, nuke a bit in microwave.

Place about six sliced peaces in the bottom of your mold. Spoon the thickened gelatin over the peaches. Refrigerate until set but not firm (your finger should leave an imprint when you touch the gelatin). If you allow it to set too much, the next layer may slide off when unmolded.

Dissolve the unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Then add the 3/4 cup boiling water. Continue to stir until powder is fully dissolved. Add the 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk, peach syrup and/or liquor and, if using, almond extract and nutmeg. Stir. Taste. Adjust flavorings as needed.

Refrigerate until a bit thick. It will kind of resemble cooked egg whites. Spoon over the peach layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To unmold, place mold in warm water for a few seconds (don't overdo it). Wet a plate and put plate on top of mold. Flip. The mold should slide out easily. If not, repeat the process.

Slice and serve.

Stewed Tomatoes with Fluffy Dumplings--Foodie Tuesday

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:04:16 -0400

A can and a pan. It's amazing what one can create with those two items!

I had intended to make a small pork roast with this dish, but the stewed tomatoes with the fluffy dumplings turned out to be a meal in itself. This could easily feed several adults. Next time, I may just add some white beans and more stock.

This is one of those recipes that is versatile and adaptable. A bit of spinach or kale? Go ahead. Perhaps some chopped bacon? Why not? And certainly a sprinkle of cheese.

If you have a Meatless Monday in your week or a vegetarian in your household, this will fit the bill nicely.

Tomatoes and dumplings was a popular Depression-Era dish. I used canned tomatoes and cut them up using kitchen shears. I can't wait to use a mixture of summer-fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes.

Serve with a grating of yellow cheese or a pat of butter.

For the fluffiest dumplings, use White Lily Flour if you access to it; otherwise, use cake flour or a combination cake flour/all purpose flour. The recipe below made seven, light wonderful dumplings. It's important to remember that when making dumplings, they will absorb the juices from the stew, hence the importance of adding some stock.

The Tomato Stew

1, 28-ouce can whole tomatoes, chopped, with juice (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup butter (not oil or margarine)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch of allspice or 1-2 allspice berries, crushed (optional)
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom pan. Add the onion, green pepper and celery. Cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the brown sugar and, if using, the allspice. Bring to a slow simmer and cook partially covered for about 30 minutes, adding stock as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper (if you like things a bit spicy, add a bit of Tabasco Sauce)

The Dumplings

1 cup flour (White Lily or cake flour recommended)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon cold butter
1 tablespoon cold lard
Parsley, chopped (fresh or dried)
2/3 cup whole milk

(Before making the dumplings, cover the stewed tomatoes and make sure it is on a medium simmer. Dumplings cook by "steaming.")

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Cut in the cold butter and lard using a pastry blender. It doesn't have to be perfect. Stir in the milk and mix just until blended. Add the parsley.

Uncover tomatoes and drop six to seven large spoonfuls of batter onto the surface of the stewed tomatoes. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes. They will almost double in size as they rise and puff out. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

This was even better the next day!

Fluffy dumplings and stewed tomatoes. Great by itself or a side to chicken,

beef or pork. The brown sugar turns the tomatoes a deep, red.

Notes: I added a slice of smoked bacon to the stewed tomatoes as they cooked and then removed it before adding the dumpling batter. I also used Self-Rising White Lily Flour but still added a bit more baking powder.

Last week I posted a recipe for shrimp pizza. I made up the recipe to post in a contest that emphasized creative uses of leftovers. If you have time, swing over to Danny's Kitchen to vote for my recipe in The Great Leftover Challenge. Thanks!

As always, more great recipes at my blog: Kitchen Bounty

Shrimp Pizza

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:04:36 -0400

^{One of the advantages of working in a grocery store is that I have the entire shift to figure out what I want for dinner. I roam the aisles viewing what's on sale, what's fresh, and putting it all together in a menu.}

^{Lately, I’ve been making pizzas, so I knew that’s what I would be having for dinner. My fridge contained the following leftovers: some pizza dough, asparagus stalks, green onions, pasta sauce (from two jars), mushrooms, several packages of opened cheese. But I wanted something on top. Fresh shrimp was on sale, so I bought a dozen ($1.41). Here’s what I did:}

^{Roll your dough into a 9-inch circle. Grate with fresh Parm. and bake for about seven minutes in a 450 F degree oven. Remove. Spread lightly with pasta sauce. Sprinkle with green onions and garlic. Then put down a thin layer of grated cheese followed by the mushrooms. Scatter chopped thyme on top and sprinkle with another layer of cheese. Arrange the asparagus stalks on top and sprinkle with a bit more cheese}

_{Bake for about 9 minutes. Remove and add the shrimp with just a sprinkle of cheese. Return to oven and bake for about 5-7 minutes until shrimp turn pink.}

_{Because I used a large number of mushrooms, the pizza became a bit watery. Next time I will sautee them first before adding.}

As always, more great recipes at my foodblog: Kitchen Bounty