Author: lisaandfrancescook

Blood Orange, Almond and Ricotta Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

I’m hosting a dinner party in a few weeks, and this always means that I’m looking for delicious ideas for all the meal parts, but especially dessert.  This was so beautiful and different looking that I thought I might serve it, but being the naturally risk-averse person that I am, decided to “test” it first before finding out three hours before dinner that the recipe failed me or anything unexpected like that.

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THANK GOODNESS I did, since this ended up taking nearly twice the amount of time it claimed it would in baking, and I definitely needed an extra orange to get that amount of juice.  All in all, a delicious cake that is rapidly being devoured.

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Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon water
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated sugar
3 blood oranges
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (165 grams) ricotta
1/3 cup (45 grams) cornmeal
1 cup (135 grams) firm-packed almond flour or meal
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup apricot jam

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Stir brown sugar and water together so they form a thick slurry. Pour into prepared cake pan and spread thin. Set aside.

Whip egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until they hold thick peaks. Set aside.

Place granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Finely zest all 3 oranges over it.

Cut oranges in half. Cut one of the halves into paper-thin slices and arrange slices over brown sugar base in cake pan. Juice other 5 halves (to get about 1/3 cup juice) and set juice aside.

Add butter to zest and granulated sugar in large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer (you can use same beaters you just did for egg whites) until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat to combine. Add juice and ricotta; mix until smooth. Sprinkle salt over batter, then add almond flour and cornmeal and mix until just combined. Gently fold in egg whites.

Scoop batter in large dollops over prepared cake pan base. Gently spread batter flat, trying not to disturb orange slices underneath. Bake in heated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  (The original recipe calls for 35-40 minutes but my cake was waaaaaay undercooked at that point and had to keep cooking and cooking it!)

Cool cake in pan on rack for 5 minutes, and then run a knife around the side and invert onto a cake plate. If any orange slices don’t come out easily, just gently arrange them on the top of the cake. If desired, heat jam until loose and brush over cake top for a glossier finish. Let cool and cut into slices. Tastes good at room temperature or after being chilled.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Eggplant and Beef Albondigas

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Recently I was at an Israeli restaurant in Manhattan where we ordered a dish with Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced and grilled with a wonderful sauce on it.  I was reminded of how much I love grilled and roasted eggplants, and so when I found this recipe was very excited to see that eggplants were a part of it.  And after all, who doesn’t love meatballs.  It was a homey comforting kind of meal, and would be good for a day with it’s cold out.

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Ingredients

For the sauce

  • 3 medium eggplants
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • salt
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water

For the meatballs

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 3 tbsp bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • salt and ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or cilantro
  • oil for frying

Directions

1. Prepare the sauce Place the eggplants under a broiler and cook until charred.

2. Cool slightly and then peel the eggplants and scoop out the flesh.  Transfer to a colander and let it drain for about an hour.  Chop the flesh coarsely and set aside.

3. Place the bell peppers under the broiler as well and cook until charred, and then remove from oven, let cool slightly and remove the skins, seeds, and membranes.  Chop coarsely and set aside.

4. Prepare the meatballs  Combine the meat, bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley in a large bowl.  Knead thoroughly with your hands and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 300 F

6. Wet you hands or rub them with oil and form meatballs a little smaller than the size of a golf ball.

7. Heat the oil in a large skillet (I had to use a 10″ and a 12″ skillet to get everything to fit).  Add the meatballs and brown for 1-2 minutes.  Shake the skillets to roll the meatballs in the oil.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

8. In a large bowl, combine the reserved eggplants, reserved bell peppers, the garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt, tomato paste, water and mix well.

9. Arrange the meatballs in one layer in a shallow ovenproof saucepan and pour over the sauce.

10. Bring to a boil on medium heat, cover, and transfer to the oven for 1 hour.  Serve hot over rice or couscous.

Serves 6-8 (or 3-4 very hungry people)

Adapted from Jewish Soul Food by Janna Gur.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

After making French toast challah and some variation on an egg scramble for brunch for the last few weekends, and after finding some ricotta leftover from making a blood orange ricotta cake, I decided to try this recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes.  We’re usually always whole wheat pancake types of people, but the preface for this recipe claimed that these would result in very fluffy pancakes, or more elegantly put, “ricotta cheese lends a delicate, airy texture.”  They turned out so fluffy and just melted in our mouths.  Plus they were mini sized so it felt fine to eat them all!

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups blackberries (or raspberries)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 7 oz ricotta cheese (or 15 oz – I halved the ricotta only because I only had 7 oz lying around my fridge, but I’m pretty sure these would turn out better with all 15 oz)
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • canola oil or butter for cooking.

Directions

1. Combine the berries and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, sitrring occasionally, just until the berries begin to release some juices, about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, flour, egg *yolks*, sugar, melted butter, lemon zest and vanilla.  In another bowl, using a clean whisk or handheld mixer (I use a standing mixer) on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks begin to form.  Scoop the whites onto the batter, and using the whisk or a spatula, fold them in evenly.

3. Place a griddle over medium heat until hot.  Lightly oil the griddle and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle.  Cook until bubbles form on the surface, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Flip the pancakes and cook until the other sides are golden, about another minute.  Repeat until all the batter is used.

4. Serve with the warm berry compote poured on top.

_MG_6486.JPG(Note on servings – the recipe claims it makes enough for 4 servings, but Matt ate them all in one sitting… so if you have a big eater, make sure to scale the recipe accordingly.)

From Breakfast Comforts, Williams Sonoma.

Crock-Pot Beef Stew

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

beef stew1

There are few dinners that are homier or easier to make than a good beef stew. Whenever possible I buy chuck roast and I cut my own stew meat. It really doesn’t take that long and chuck roast is just the best quality meat for beef stew, instead of the odds and ends of all kinds of beef that are sold as “stew” meat in the grocery. Stew only takes about 30 minutes to assemble and then you put it in a low slow oven or slow cooker and leave it alone. I picked up the knack of using instant tapioca to make a wonderful thick gravy from an Amish cookbook. It requires no messing with making a roux and adding it slowly to avoid lumps. The tapioca goes in the mix at the beginning and when the stew is ready, the gravy is silky, coats a spoon and is delicious. No muss; no fuss. I have always made this in my Dutch oven, but I decided today to use a crock-pot. I usually forget that I have one since it is stored out of sight, but I know how useful they can be. Hopefully, I won’t mess it up!

I make this for Sunday night dinner and then have delicious left-overs for the week. This can also be frozen. The only change you will see when re-heating the stew is that the vibrant green of the peas will fade. No taste is lost. Be sure to serve a good bread or roll to wipe up all of that flavorful gravy!

Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds of chuck roast cut into large chunks (about 3-inch pieces)

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced OR a 1 pound bag of baby carrots

1 pound of cippolini onions peeled OR if you are feeling lazy a bag of frozen pearl onions

10 ounces of frozen peas

About 12 red baby bliss or small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and left whole unless larger (then cut them in half)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced thickly or left whole if small (try to use a Cremini or Baby Bella) optional

1 cup red wine like a Cabernet or Zinfandel, but even a Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc would work. Use either what you have left-over or what you will be drinking with the stew.

1 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juice (I like fire roasted)

1-2 cups of beef broth or water

1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

5 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca

Directions

  1. I read somewhere that we should be preheating our crock-pots so I preheated mine on high while I prepared my stew ingredients.
  2. I layered in all of my ingredients, except for the frozen peas and parsley and then stirred everything through to distribute them well. I covered the slow-cooker and put it on high for 1 hour.
  3. After 1 hour, I turned the slow-cooker down to “low” but did not touch anything inside the pot. I set the timer for 4 more hours.
  4. After four hours, I stirred in the peas and parsley, adjusted the seasonings and left the slow-cooker on “warm” until I was ready to serve it.

Beef stew

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata with Goat Cheese

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Frittata bite

Everyone should have a frittata in their cooking repertoire. It’s a wonderful brunch option or makes a quick light dinner. And once you know the basics, you can let your imagination run wild with combinations. Just don’t skimp on oiling your pan with whatever fat you are using, have your oven hot enough and you will have success. Leftovers can even make an un-sad desk lunch.

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata with Goat Cheese

Yield: 4-6 servings with salad and bread

Ingredients

8 large eggs, preferably brown, cage free

1 pound of asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds

8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

3-4 ounces of fresh goat cheese

1 -2 Tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley – any one or a mixture)

2 Tablespoon of milk (any kind will do as long as it isn’t sweetened)

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Generous 1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano or thyme

EVOO for the pan plus 2 Tablespoons of butter OR all EVOO

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pour 1 Tablespoon of EVOO and 2 Tablespoons of butter into a 10 inch no-stick oven-safe pan. (You can also use a well-seasoned cast iron pan.) Lightly saute the vegetables, including the garlic, until they just begin to soften and the asparagus turn bright green. The pan will be very full. That’s what you want. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk with a wire whisk until foamy. Add the salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Pour the vegetables into the eggs and mix through.
  3. Oil the pan you used for the vegetables or spray it well with something like Pam. This should be the bottom and sides. Heat the pan on medium heat.
  4. Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the pan, just making sure that the vegetables are more or less evenly distributed. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
  5. After 10 minutes, uncover the pan. The edges of the frittata will have begun to solidify but th ecenter will still be pretty liquidy. Scatter the goat cheese over the top. Place the pan, uncovered into the preheated oven. The frittata will puff up some and finish baking in the oven. It can take up to another 10 minutes but keep an eye on it since ovens are different.
  6. Once the frittata looks finished, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for 2 minutes. With a thin spatula, carefully loosen the frittata from the pan. If the pan was no-stick and well-oiled, it won’t even need that – just a good shake. Unmold the frittata onto a cutting board or serving tray and cut into quarters with a large, sharp knife.

 

Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 3 Comments

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I’m always searching for great vegan dessert recipes so that my godson, who is deathly allergic to eggs, can enjoy everything that the rest of us do. However, I also only want to make things that everyone enjoys – not something that people will eat and say “well, for vegan, it’s pretty good.” My husband and I are having Shabbat dinner with my niece and my godchildren asked if I would make the dessert. I found a recipe for a chocolate cream pie that is wonderful and I have been reading all about something called aquafaba as an egg substitute. Aquafaba is the liquid in the can of chickpeas (or chickpeas that you cook yourself) that most of us drain off and discard. Well apparently, it shares many of the same protein qualities as eggs without adding any strange tastes. So now you can make all of those lovely meringue kisses or even lemon meringue pie – without eggs. You could also cover this pie with whipped cream, but since my niece also keeps Kosher and we are having meat for Shabbat dinner, I am going with the vegan meringue. No one who eats this will say anything other than “more please!”

Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie adapted from Chocolate Cream Pie by Claryn

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Ingredients

1 baked 9-inch pie crust of your choice (I’m actually making an Oreo crust this time for the children and Oreos are vegan)

For filling

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup  plus 2 Tablespoons almond or vanilla soy milk

2 Tablespoons strong black coffee

1 15–ounce can coconut milk (the higher the fat percentage, the better)

5 ounces good quality dark chocolate (I used a Valhrona 64%) finely chopped. (You don’t want to use a chocolate with a higher cacao percentage because it simply won’t have enough cocoa butter in it and the custard will not work correctly.)

1 tsp vanilla

chocolate curls, optional or dust with sifted cocoa powder if using whipped cream as your topping

 

Instructions

  1. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
  2. Gradually whisk almond OR vanilla soy AND coconut milks and black coffee into dry mixture.
  3. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a simmer.
  4. Whisk constantly until custard is thick – it happens suddenly so watch carefully.
  5. Remove from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
  6. Pour filling into cooled pie crust, tilting the pie dish as needed until it’s evenly distributed.
  7. Cover chocolate filling with plastic wrap pressed right onto the top and let cool for at least 3 hours (or overnight), until fully set.  IMG_1063
  8. Right before serving, top very generously with whipped cream or vegan meringue.
  9. Garnish with chocolate curls. (Optional)

For Vegan Meringue and the lessons I learned in using it!

Okay, I just made this for the first time and this is magic! It looks and tastes and feels just like meringue – only it’s totally vegan! Who EVER thought of using chickpea liquid this way? Just incredible.

Ingredients

1 15 OR 16 ounce can of chickpeas – put a colander over a large mixing bowl and pour the chickpeas in to drain the brine into the mixing bowl. Put the chickpeas in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to eat.

¾ of a cup of finely ground sugar – grind regular sugar in a blender if you don’t have finely ground sugar

¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar

1.5 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a large standing mixer bowl add the cream of tarter to the brine (aquafaba) and mix with the balloon whisk attachment on a high speed until combined. Turn off the mixer and add the sugar and vanilla and mix on a high speed for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meringue forms stiff peaks. After this is placed over the chocolate pie filling, you can take a kitchen blow torch and brown the edges of the meringue peaks. You could also do this under the broiler watching VERY CAREFULLY. Refrigerate for several hours to make sure that everything is fully set.

Lessons learned

If you are using this as a pie topping, put it on at the last minute. I first topped my pie the night before and the next day, I had all of this sticky liquid on the shelf in my fridge and down the sides of the pie dish. So I scooped the meringue off the top of the pie, cleaned up the mess and started over. This time I placed only about half of the meringue over the top of the pie and I didn’t go to the edges of the pie. It still gave off some liquid over the course of a few hours before we ate dessert, but it wasn’t too bad. However, I took the remaining half of meringue and put it in a container in my fridge to see what would happen and to try baking some meringue kisses. The meringue gave off some more liquid which went to the bottom of the container, but the remaining meringue was stiffer, which was what I actually wanted.

So my advice is that if you have the time, make the miraculous meringue the day or morning before you need it and place it in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl in the fridge. I do this with whipped cream all the time. The resulting cream or meringue will be a bit more dense and you will have none of the liquid on the dessert because it went through the stariner into the bowl below.

Yemenite Chicken Soup

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 3 Comments

Yemenite chicken soup

Chicken soup, no matter the cuisine, is food for the soul. It can cure a cold or soothe you after a bad break-up (is there a good break-up?) I have made traditional Jewish chicken soup and Italian wedding soup and wonton soup and I love them all, but this time I wanted something with a bit more zing. I love well-seasoned foods but not overly spicy. This Yemenite soup has the ability to be very spicy, but you can also control the heat. The fresh herbs and spices smell so wonderful and while many of the individual pieces are familiar, when put together they make a dish that is surprising and incredibly satisfying. I have a good spice store near my house, but if you don’t, everything is available online. It is the spices that make this dish, so don’t skimp or substitute. And if you are into Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine as I am, you will use the spices in many other dishes. Don’t get scared off by the long list of ingredients. The dish itself is not complicated if you follow the steps. It is easiest if made over two days. There are no special techniques to learn or stressful timing. The result is incredibly delicious and totally satisfying. This is especially wonderful served with challah.  Frances made this challah last night and Matthew sent me a a photo. One day, I may even share my recipe which I developed over about 5 years. For now, only Frances and I have it. Warmed pita or na’an would also go well.

challah

Yemenite Chicken Soup adapted from Joan Nathan Yemenite Chicken Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

One 4-4.5 pound chicken left whole and with giblets removed (you can use the gizzard, heart and neck if there is one, but save the liver for another use)

2-3 onions, peeled and coursely chopped

8 large garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1 large tomato, cored and almost quartered but not cut all the way through at the bottom

3 stalks celery, cut in half

2 Tablespoons Kosher salt (yes, you read that correctly. It’s a big pot of soup.)

1-2 Tablespoons hawayij (see recipe below)

4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds about 1/4 inch thick

3 medium potatoes like a red or Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into a medium dice

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 bunch dill, finely chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

z’hug or harissa to taste (I used red z’hug because I already had it, but there is also green z’hug, which is likely more what the Yemenites use. Moroccans use the red. This is the one place where I cheated!)

hilbe to taste (see recipe below) Start preparing the day before, but at least 3 hours before.

Directions

  1. Place the whole chicken in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 3 inches. Bring to a simmer and skim off the scum that rises to the top, cooking for about 30 minutes.
  2. Add the onions, garlic, tomato, celery, salt and hawayij. Simmer covered for another 45 minutes. In the meantime, you can make the hilbe.
  3. Add the carrots, cover and turn off the heat. Allow to cool.
  4. Once the pot is cool, remove the whole chicken, which should be falling apart as you lift it. Remove the skin and bones and return the chicken to the pot. For greatest ease, refrigerate overnight to allow the fat to rise to the top and solidify. You can then skim the fat and discard it. You can skim the soup without this step, but it is MUCH easier this way.
  5. Add the potatoes to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for about 15 -20 minutes. Now add the parsely, dill and cilantro and mix through. IMAG0972Cook for a few more minutes uncovered just to warm the herbs. Serve as is or over plain cooked rice and season each bowl (or let your family or guests do it) with the z’hug and hilbe.

Hawayij

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Yield: About 5 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons black peppercorn

1 Tablespoon black caraway seed

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of the seeds from green cardamom

2 teaspoons turmeric

pinch of saffron (optional)

Either pound the spices with a mortar and pestle or use a coffee/spice grinder. This can also be purchased online. I made mine.

Hilbe

hilbe

Yield: About 3/4 cup

Hilbe is a creamy Yemenite sauce often added to soup. Fenugreek, which is mentioned in the Bible, is a medicial herb that the Yemenite Jews most likely learned to use from the Indians. Traditionally whole fenugreek seeds were ground with water into a paste. Fenugreek powder (also called “methi” is readily available and can easily be used here.) Hilbe can also be bought online but I made mine. Because I used a red z’hug, the hilbe is pinkish. With green z’hug, it will be green.

3 Tablespoons fenugreek powder

1/2 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 generous teaspoon z’hug

  1. Soak the fenugreek powder in the water for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  2. Add the z’hug, lemon juice and salt to the fenugreek mixture and using a wire whisk, beat until smooth. Adjust the seasonings, This should be fairly spicy since it is a condiment.

 

Ghormeh Sabzi (Chicken and Kidney Bean Stew)

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Persian stew3

I love all kinds of Middle Eastern food and I’m always looking for new and interesting recipes. There is something about all of the wonderful fresh herbs and spices that I find irresistable. I came across this one when I was looking at some other recipe and like a magpie, my eye went to the shiny new object – in this case cooking with fenugreek and Persian limes. Whenever I am trying a new recipe, I try to find several versions of it and take what I like best from each of them. I didn’t actually do that here since this was such an unfamiliar recipe for me. However, I did note that many of the versions called for using lamb or beef stew meat, which I might try another time. Chicken is, of course, considerably less expensive than either lamb or beef and is also good if you are staying away from red meat. Meat will also have a longer cooking time. I would advise using the chicken thighs, however, as they are more flavorful than the chicken breast and also less prone to drying out. For just me and my husband, I am serving this with my version of a Jerusalem salad. If I am serving this to guests, I would serve several Middle Eastern salads and some warm pita or other flat bread.

Ghormeh Sabzi (Chicken and Kidney Bean Stew) from Tasting Table by Jake Cohen

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS                              Persian stew1

3 tablespoons canola oil

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

6 ounces (12 medium) scallions, minced

2 cups minced parsley, plus more for garnish

1½ cups minced cilantro, plus more for garnish

4 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves

5 dried black Persian limes

Two 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained

Pita, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and add to the pot. Cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the turmeric and onion to the pot, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the scallions, parsley and cilantro, and cook until wilted and dark green, 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and add the chicken stock, fenugreek leaves and dried limes.

3. Bring to a simmer  and cook uncovered until the chicken is tender and the liquid has reduced, 25 minutes. Halfway through cooking, pierce 3 of the limes with a paring knife. Persian stew2

4. Add the kidney beans and cook until warmed through, another 5 minutes. Divide the stew between bowls and garnish with more parsley and cilantro. Serve with pita on the side. This is actually a very light dish and when making it again, I would serve it over rice.Persian stew4

Meatloaf My Way

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meatloafAlmost every European and Mediterranean cuisine makes forcemeat in some form or other, whether it is a terrine, pate, kibbeh or meatloaf. The type of meat or poultry and the add-ins and seasonings are all that changes. Meatloaf is a good way to stretch your meat and while I love it hot, it is also delicious as a leftover in sandwiches or even crumbled on top of pizza. And unlike with baking, you can feel free to play with the seasonings here to personalize to your and your family’s tastes. As a little girl, when my mother made meatloaf, she was something of a purist. She used no egg binder and no minced vegetables – just meat, seasoning and bacon over the top covered by chili sauce. However, she did place whole hard-boiled eggs in the middle of the loaf as a surprise for me and my siblings. While I loved her meatloaf growing up, I actually prefer my version nowadays. I do still occasionally add the hard-boiled egg as a surprise and I always use chili sauce like she did instead of ketchup.

Meatloaf

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds of ground beef or a mixture of ground veal and beef or lamb and beef. It should be 2/3 ground beef to 1/3 ground lamb or veal.

2 Tablespoons EVOO

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped red, yellow or orange pepper

1/2 cup minced carrot

3 cloves of minced garlic

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup of chili sauce

1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground allspice

several good grinds of cracked black pepper

1 bunch,  finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1.5 cups of fresh bread crumbs (about 2-3 slices – I use a multigrain bread, but any will do)

3-4 slices of bacon (If you don’t wish to use any pork product, then ask your butcher for some beef fat (suet)) to lay over the top to keep it from drying out.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 10 x 6 inch deep bread pan (This can also be made free-form in an oval, but I always use a bread pan.)
  2. Either by hand or in a food processor, prepare your vegetables and then saute them in the EVOO with about 1/4 teaspoon of the salt for about 3 minutes or until just softened. meatloaf1Turn off the heat and add the bread crumbs and parsely to the mixture. Allow to mostly cool.
  3. In a large bowl (I always use either glass or stainless steel for raw meat.) add your meat, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the allspice, cracked black pepper and the beaten eggs. Mix through. (I use my hands for this. If you are squeamish, buy some nitrile or surgical gloves and put those on first and toss them when you are finished.) Now add the vegetable mixture and again mix through, breaking up any clumps.
  4. Pack the mixture into the oiled pan meatloaf2and using strips of bacon or suet, cover the top. meatloaf3Place the pan in a larger pan with at least 3-inch sides and add enough hot water to partially come up the sides of the pan with the meat loaf. Place this in the oven and bake for 1.5 hours.
  5. At the end of the baking, remove the pan from the pan with the water and carefully pour off any excess fat. Place the pan on a cooling rack and cover with a piece of parchment or foil. Place a weight (a brick or large can) on top for 30 minutes. This will consolidate the meat and make it easier to cut when it is hot. You can skip this step but if you have the time, it is nice to do.
  6. Remove the weight and parchment/foil and carefully turn the meat onto a cutting board. (Before you do this there might be some additional fat to pour off. It will depend on the meat you used.) Slice it and serve with additional chili sauce on the side. I like to serve meat loaf with “smashed” potatoes and broccoli with lots of garlic. Leftovers can be wrapped well and refrigerated for up to a week.

Gateau Breton – French Shortbread Cake

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments

gateau breton1

I have been making this recipe for over 30 years. It is ina book I keep of hand-written recipes and the more beloved they are, the more stained the page. The page for this recipe is very stained! It is a deceptively easy recipe, but if you don’t use the best quality ingredients – and all of them – then please do yourself a favor and make something else. For years I would scrupulously write down recipes for people only to have them later complain to me that it didn’t taste like mine when they made it. After trying to determine the problem, I found out that they decided to not use real butter or left out the bourbon or cut the sugar or didn’t add the coffee to the chocolate. It finally got to the point that I stopped giving out recipes. Make this cake as written and you will not be disappointed.

This wonderful almond shortbread cake is best made at least one day ahead and will keep at least a week if it isn’t all eaten up. It can be cut into thin slivers for those forever on a diet and becasue it is so rich, a little goes a long way. This would take a starring role for any “high” tea and goes equally well with coffee or a little dessert wine. Unfortunately, I have no recollection where the recipe originated, so my apologies to that cook. I have made a few minor changes to it over the years as I do with most things.

Gateau Breton

Yield: One 9-inch cake that will easily serve 8-10

Ingredients

1.25 cups of unsalted butter, at room temperature (2.5 sticks)

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I always store my sugar in a glass jar with a few vanilla bean pods embedded)

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

1/3 cup ground almonds (they can be blanched or unblanched – both work)

1.5 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla

1 Tablespoon Kirschwasser (cherry liqueur, which is also wonderful for mascerating fruit)

1.75 cups all purpose unbleached flour, sifted

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of ice water or milk and lightly beaten

2 Tablespoons sliced almonds (with skins or blanched)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lavishly butter a fluted flan pan with a removeable bottom. (If you don’t have one, buy one. They are so useful.)
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (I have done this entirely by hand, but the results are better and it is so much easier with a standing mixer and if y ou intend to do much baking you should really get one. I had one that lasted over 30 years, so they are an investment.)
  3. Beat in the whole egg and 2 egg yolks one at a time.
  4. Beat in the almonds, kirsch and vanilla. And then fold in the flour using the lowest speed on the mixer.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the lavishly buttered pan and using a spatula, spread it evenly. If you made this by hand, the batter will be stiffer and harder to spread – not impossible, but more difficult. It also won’t be as fluffy.
  6. Brush the beaten egg yolk mixture of the top. I would suggest placing the pan on a baking pan since sometimes the butter can ooze through the bottom a bit. Gateau Breton ready for ovenBake until the top is golden, about 30-35 minutes. This cake is almost impossible to dry out because of the high butter content.
  7. Cool in the pan on a wire rack and then carefully remove from the pan. gateau breton2When totally cool, wrap it well in foil lined with waxed paper or parchment.