share some recipes

Back in the 1990’s I discovered Caprial Pence. She has had her own PBS series and has also hosted Caprial and John’s kitchen with her husband. She has authored several cookbooks including American Bistro Fare.

One of my favourite American Bistro Fare recipes, and one that I have made several times (so much so that I no longer need the recipe) is Pumpkin Bread Pudding. It’s a great twist on the classic Pumpkin Pie and sure to become a favourite everywhere.

1 baguette, diced (I have found that a variety of day old white bread works well too)
1 cup toasted pecans (a few times toasted chopped filberts have gone over really well)
2 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree (the Libby’s in the can works great)
3/4 cup sugar (white sugar is fine, but everything tastes better with Turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablesppon crystallized ginger (rough chopped ginger, so that the pieces about the size of M&M’s seems to be what produces the best results)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (grate your own – the flavour will be amazing!)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The original recipe calls for a 10-inch springform pan, but I have found that well greased 8 or 9 inch square baking pans work well too. Place the diced bread in the pan, sprinkle the toasted pecans over the bread as evenly as possible.

In a medium bowl mix half and half, pumpkin, and 3/4 cup sugar. Then add brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, ground and crystallized ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

Pour this mixture over the bread and mix well. Let stand about 20 minutes so the bread can absorb the pumpkin mixture. Give it a quick mix again just before placing it in the oven.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Without hesitation, I highly reccomend jumping over to Amazon.com and checking out American Bistro Fare as well as Caprial’s other books.

The recipe comes courtesy of Mama Kaye, the godmother of both Obama daughters. Orange and lemon zest gives the squares plenty of citrus zing.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Amaretto (almond liqueur)
1 teaspoon each orange and lemon zest
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg white
Chopped nuts or dried fruit (optional)

Method:
Heat oven to 325°.
Line a 17×12 x 1-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. In large bowl, cream together butter and 11/2 cups of the sugar.
Slowly add egg yolks, and beat well until smooth. Beat in Amaretto and zest.
Stir in flour and salt until combined.
Spread dough evenly into prepared pan, flattening as smoothly as possible.
Brush top of dough with egg white; sprinkle with nuts or fruit (if using) and with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until brown, turn off oven and allow cookies to sit in oven (with door ajar) for 15 minutes. Cut while slightly warm.

Yields: 6 dozen 2” x 3” cookies

AUSTRALIAN LAMB
• 8 Australian lamb shoulder chops
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup apple juice
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1⁄3 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or cider vinegar
• 1 large green apple, peeled and thinly sliced
• 8-10 seeded prunes, sliced
OPTIONAL, TO SERVE
• mashed potato or squash

1. Trim the chops of external fat and season to taste. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan and sauté the chops on a high heat for 2 minutes each side or until browned.
2. Combine the apple juice, stock, maple syrup and lemon juice and add to the pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over a low heat for 30-40 minutes or until lamb is very tender. Remove lamb from pan, cover with foil and keep warm.
3. Boil the remaining juices until thick and syrupy. Return the lamb for a few minutes to heat through and coat well with the sauce. Serve the lamb chops on the mashed potatoes or squash and spoon over the sauce, apples and prunes.

• Olive oil
• 2 large green peppers, chopped
• 3/4 celery bunch, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 lbs chicken sausage, sliced
• 3 teaspoons dried marjoram or 2 tablespoons fresh
• 3 teaspoons dried thyme or 2 tablespoons fresh
• 3 teaspoons dried sage or 2 tablespoons fresh
• salt & pepper, to taste

• 2 pans (13” x 9” x 1/2”) cornbread dried & cut into cubes

• 28 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Notes: This was adapted from a recipe in Shape magazine.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Add oil to pan. On medium heat, add all veggies and saute until translucent, about 8 min. Add sausage; cook for about 10-15 min.

Stir in the herbs and cook for another couple minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Remove from heat.

Place mixture and cornbread in a big baking pan. Drizzle chicken broth over mixture until well-coated, but not soggy.

Seal tightly with aluminum foil to hold in moisure. Bake for 45 min. Remove stuffing from oven and sprinkle with pecans.

Serves 20-25

• 27 oz whole green chilis, diced

• 2 lbs sausage
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 24 green onions, chopped
• 3 cups fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1.5 lbs Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1.5 lbs skim milk mozzarella, shredded
• 3 tblspns cornstarch (or arrowroot)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• Dsahes of hot sauce

• tortilla chips

Notes: I modified the recipe slightly from a recipe from Bon Appetit.

Directions

Saute sausage (remove from casings) and garlic in very large skillet over medium high heat until browned, breaking into pieces for about 20 min. Add green onions; stir until wilted, about 5 min. Remove from heat. Mix in cilantro and green chilis.

Toss both cheeese and cornstarch in a large bowl until coated. Bring 2 cups broth to simmer in large pot over medium high heat. Add cheeses by handfuls, whisking until each addition is almost melted before adding next. Remove from heart.

Stir in sausage mixture. Thin with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick. Season with pepper & hot sauce. The cheese already has a lot of salt.

This queso dip is best kept in a crockpot warm or fondu dish warm.

Serve with tortilla chips.

*The green chili’s can be substituted for fresh roasted poblano chilis and the sausage can be substituted for chorizo. That’s what the Bon Appetit recipe had.

Serves 20-25.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut
2 tblspns cinnamon
1 tblspn ground cloves
1 tblspn cardamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
24 oz tomato sauce
16 oz warm water
15 oz coconut milk
1 lb diced tomatoes

3 zucchini, diced
2 yellow squash, diced
3 medium red potatoes, diced
3 cups portebello, sliced
1.5 cups pineapple, diced
1.5 cups mango, diced

Directions:
Okay, I made this up partially, taking the Korma recipe and modifying it to what I had.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken breast cubes & garlic until chicken is brown.

Add spices. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, water. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.

Add potatoes, zucchini, squash and cook for 60 min. on simmer.

Add pineapple, mango, portebellos 20 min. before done.

Another way to make this is to also add onions and cilantro, but I didn’t have those ingredients. You can toss everything into a crockpot, which makes it far easier.

• several large yellow onions (prepared the night before)
• butter

• several large red potatoes
• green beans, destring and remove ends
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• capers
• kalamati olives, pitted
• head of romaine lettuce (other hearty lettuces can be used)
• red vine vinegar
• course ground black pepper

Directions:

• Slice onions in thick slices and place in a crockpot with butter overnight on low.

• Boil potatoes until firm but not mushy. Remove to cool and cut in 8ths.

• Blanche green beans by boiling them for about 6 min., then fill a bowl with ice water and immediately take green beans from boiling water to ice water. Remove, pat dry. Split some of the green beans in half lengthwise.

• Add potatoes, green beans, carmelized onions, capers, olives, tomatoes. Tear some of the lettuce and toss with the rest of the mixture. Drizzle olive oil over mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt & ground pepper. Add the rest of the lettuce, tearing. Drizzle with vinegar shortly before serving.

Ingredients for the 1 l iSi Gourmet Whip:
450 ml strong, light, clear veal stock, 450 ml cream, 50 g butter flakes, 80 g fresh, trimmed mushrooms, finely chopped (without gills), 40-50 g wheat flour, 50 ml dry white wine, salt, white pepper, fresh lemon juice to taste.

Preparation
Melt the butter flakes and allow the chopped mushrooms to brown, then add the degreased veal stock and then the cream. Bring the mixture to the boil. Mix flour and white wine and stir into the boiling liquid with a whisk. Allow to simmer for a few minutes and then season with spices and lemon juice. Pass the sauce through a fine strainer or puree in a blender and strain. Pour the sauce into a 1 l Gourmet Whip, screw in two cream chargers and shake vigorously. Keep the filled Gourmet Whip warm in a bain marie at temperatures of up to 75° C / 165° F.

Serve with any type of veal combined with mushrooms.

For preparation in the 0.5 l Gourmet Whip, halve the amount of ingredients and use one cream charger.

Ingredients for the 0.5 L iSi Gourmet Whip:
3 egg yolks (pasteurized)
300 ml heavy cream
9 tsp. icing sugar (or 9 tbsp. sugar syrup)
900 g raspberries
12 crepes
pith of 1 vanilla pod

Preparation
Stir egg yolks, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into the 0.5 L Gourmet Whip, screw in 1 iSi cream charger and shake vigorously. Fill the fresh crepes with vanilla cream and raspberries, roll them and cut them into slices of approx. 2 cm. Decorate with vanilla cream.

For preparation in the 1 L Gourmet Whip double the ingredients and use 2 iSi cream chargers.

(I’m largely posting this so I remember what I did last night!)

The veg: onion, carrot, mixed peppers, spring onion, green beans, mange tout, spinach
The sweet: pineapple! Fresh sweet yummy pineapple (or tinned is fine), cut into bits.
The sauce: sherry (!), dark soy sauce, ground ginger, lemon juice, honey, tomato puree, tomato ketchup (!), garlic puree
The optional: meat, eg chicken. I don’t bother these days.

Usually I’d use pineapple juice rather than sherry – this is where tinned pineapple comes in handy, or failing that orange juice, although it makes everything very sweet. However, last night I discovered I had fruit smoothie, apple juice, and some weird grape-raspberry-something mix juice, none of which said ‘stirfry me’. So I cross-bred the recipe with a non-s’n’s version, and in went the sherry!

Usual method: chop all the veg; put rice on to boil (then discover you picked up quick-cook rice and have less time to do the veg than you thought!); stirfry the chicken first, if using, then the onion – it needs a bit longer than the rest. Dump the rest of the veg/pineapple in, give it a few minutes, then start adding the sauce.

Put the sherry in first, with the pan still quite hot – you get such a satisfying sizzle! It’s really just a large splash rather than any measured amount. Then add soy sauce – I like quite a lot – and let everything bubble and thicken a bit while you add the less liquid ingredients. Go for ‘a bit’ of each, really – or ‘to taste’ to sound like a proper recipe.

And.. that’s it. Let the sauce cook down while the rice finishes cooking and bung everything in a big bowl. It was the best version of this I’ve done, and the bland white rice I was trying to use up actually helped – it soaked up all the juices and went all dark’n’slightly sticky. Oh, yum! :)