Buttermilk biscuits

Source:  Buttermilk carton

2 c flour sifted
1 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/3 t sea salt
10 T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2/3 c chilled buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and blend with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. I used my pastry blender.  Gradually add buttermilk, mix with fork until large, most clumps form.  Shape dough into a ball and roll out on a surface well dusted with flour.  Cut into 3 inch rounds.  Place biscuits one inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  I used a pizza stone -- no parchment. Bake biscuits approximately 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

I love a good biscuit.  Never made one before.  I'd always been scared off by the rolling, the mixing, the over mixing.  But it was time to take a chance.  I was invited for soup to a friend's house and I thought --let's try it.  I looked at several recipes, and i am prepared to try several , but my first attempt is a buttermilk  one, because I love the texture buttermilk gives baked goods, and was hoping it would be more forgiving.

I tried to follow the recipe exactly.  I  cut in the butter thoroughly.  I tried not to overmix once I added the buttermilk.  I rolled it out, cut it out, and baked them.  That's when trouble started.  The biscuits would not rise.  They stayed pretty much the same size as when I put them in the oven.  They kind of looked like hockeypucks.  :(  The good news is that they tasted delicious.  Exactly the way biscuits are supposed to taste.  I am not sure what happened -- maybe the baking powder wasn't fresh, maybe I rolled out the biscuits too thin.

We enjoyed them with the salad and soup for dinner -- Certainly not biscuits that you can split in half, and slather with butter.  But delicious taste.  The quest continues, I might even try this recipe again with a brand new box of baking powder.

Autumn Pork Supper

Source:  Schnucks recipe contest grand prize winner

1 cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic
1 onion coarsely chopped
2 apples cored and cut into eights
6 loin chops
3 T oil
1/2 c apple juice
2 T brandy
1 bay leaf
2 T breadcrumbs
2 T parmesan chees
1/2 cup heated cream

Bring two inches of water to boil in a large pot.  Cook cabbage about 3 minutes and drain.  In a large skillet, melt butter.  Saute onion and garlic over low heat, stirring until translucent.  Add apples and cabbage and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir another 3 minutes.  Set aside in a bowl.  Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.   In the same skillet used for the cabbage and apples, heat the oil.  When hot, add the pork chops and brown for a few minutes on each side.  Remove and set aside.  Add cider and brandy to deglaze pan.  Boil rapidly and reduce liquid by half.  Pour this liquid over the apple cabbage mixture.   Preheat oven to 350 F.  Use a covered heavy oven safe dish.  Spread 1/3 of the apple cabbage mixture, then layer 3 chops, then another third of the apple cabbage mixture, then a second layer of chops. Finish with a layer of apple cabbage mixture.  Lay bay leaf on top and sprinkle on breadcrumbs and cheese.  Pour heated cream over all.  Bake covered for 35 minutes.  Remove cover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.


Today the first day of Fall.  This recipe screamed Fall.  And not just b/c of the name of it.  I love pork chops, I love cabbage and apples, this just sounded like a perfect Sunday dinner on a Fall day.

I am not going to lie -- there are several steps and layers to this recipe.  I am always particularly aggrieved when multiple pots and pans need to be used for a recipe such as this one.  Chopping a cabbage is no fun.  And it was not fun or easy to get the steaming hot heavy cast iron Dutch oven out of the lower rack of the lower oven.

With all that said -- spectacular dish for company.  There is something super comforting about the big cast iron Dutch oven with the delicious smell of porkchops, cabbage and apples mixed together. The taste is exactly what you'd expect from this traditional flavor combo.  The cream adds a touch of richness to the sauce.  There is a surprising amount of liquid -- but that's perfect to keep everything nice and moist.  Don't be afraid to season aggressively, this dish can take it.  Would be good with boiled potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the liquid and add a starchy element.  A perfect Fall meal.

Pasta with Roasted Tomato- Meat Sauce

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

1 pint cherry tomatoes
8 oz uncooked spaghetti
2 t unsalted butter
9 oz ground pork
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 t crushed red pepper (I omitted this b/c I didn't think my 3 year old could handle the heat)
3 canned anchovy fillets, drained and chopped (I use tubed anchovy paste -- keeps better and is less messy -- so I just used a nice big squirt)
1/4 dry sherry
1.5 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c fresh basil (I omitted this., b/c ....well, b/c I was too lazy to walk down to my neighbor's yard, and pick some)


Put tomatoes on cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Melt butter in large skillet.  Add pork, garlic, salt, pepper and anchovies.  Cook 4 minutes or until pork is browned, stirring to crumble.  Add sherry to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add tomatoes and vinegar; cook 2 minutes or until tomatoes release their juices and sauce is slightly thickened.
Combine pasta and sauce in a large bowl, toss to coat.  Sprinkle with basil.


I was looking for a quick and easy recipe.  The fact that it's "healthy", didn't hurt either.  And I am always on the hunt for recipes where the leftovers make for a good and portable lunch the next day.  And then, my daughter LOVES "noodles", so I knew this would be a hit.

This recipe is a little work, and there are a few unusual flavor twists.  But well worth it.  You can tell just from the recipe that the seasoning is fairly aggressive, and the recipe takes advantage of every trick to impart flavor without fat and salt.  (think -- roasted tomatoes to make sauce).  And it's absolutely dynamite.  Juicy, flavorful, rich tasting sauce.  I highly recommend this one.

And one quick closing note on the issue of anchovies.  I know most people don't like them.  I don't like them.  People on Food Network always say:  "it doesn't tasty fishy, it just deepens the flavor of the dish.  Sounds stupid -- maybe.  But absolutely true.  So don't skip this ingredient.  It'll add much to your dish.

Merry Cherry Plum Berry Tart

Source: Pillsbury Pie Crust

Crust and  Topping

2 refrigerated pie crusts
1/4 c chopped almonds
3 T turbinado sugar (I used regular sugar, and it turned out fine)

Filling

1/2 c dried cherries
1/2 c dried cranberries
3/4 c Amaretto
1 1/4 c fresh blueberries (I couldnt' find fresh blueberries, and used frozen ones thawed -- I made sure I let them drain well after thawing not to make the filling too wet)
2 plums cut into pieces
1/5 T cornstarch

White Amaretto Truffle Sauce

1/3 c white vanilla baking chips (I've seen recipes calling for vanilla baking chips, and haven't been able to find it in the grocery stores -- so I used white chocolate chips -- maybe that's wrong, but that's how I roll)
1/2 x whipping cream
2 T Amaretto

Heat oven 425.
Let 1 pie crust stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften.  Unroll  crust onto 9 inch tart pan.  Lightly press crust into fluted sides. Cut of excess crust on top of pan.  Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork.  Bake for 10 minutes.

In saucepan heat cranberries, cherries and Amaretto for 5 minutes.  Add blueberries and plums.  Cook for another 15 minutes.  Stir in cornstarch.  Pour into parbaked pie crust.

Remove remaining pie crust from refrigerator.  Chop into small pieces, adding almonds and sugar to make crumblike topping.  Sprinkle over pie.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes.

Place baking chips in medium bowl.  Heat cream over medium heat.  Just before boiling, remove from heat and pour over baking chips.  Stir until chips are melted. Add Amaretto.  Refrigerate for 1 hour, and stir every 15 minutes.


Yes, I am back to making desserts.  I love desserts.  Tarts are so elegant.  The weather has started to cool down, so you just want to make a pie.  Plums are fresh and delicious, cherries and dried cranberries are always lovely -- I had almonds and Amaretto at home -- come on, who wouldn't want to make this pie. Oh,  and I am crust impaired, so I use premade crusts in all my pies.  And the rolled up refrigerated pie crusts are so good these days, I don't think you can tell the difference.

This is not a very technical dessert -- which for me is a good thing. The only special equipment is a tart tin, which I happen to have.  I suppose it would work in a pie pan as well.   I wish I would have put my pie weights in the crust, so it wouldn't have puffed up at all.  The filling starts at very liquid but never fear, once you cook it per the recipe, it turns dry and jammy -- which is necessary so the crust doesn't get soggy.

The finished pie -- yes, I know, I should have covered the edges with foil so they don't burn.  I was so worried that the bottom of the pie would be soggy, that I didn't think to cover up the edges.. :(

I forgot to take a picture of the pie sliced.  It was definitely overbaked -- Like I said, in my quest to make sure that the bottom doesn't get soggy, I overbaked it.

The flavors were great -- a less burnt crust would have been great, and it would have benefitted from the filling being a little more moist, but the taste was good, and paired really nice with the toasted almonds in the topping.  I wasn't overly impressed with the sauce -- tasted very alcoholic.  I would experiment with a different sauce -- the tart definitely needs the moisture.  Maybe even with half the alcohol it would have been better.  All in all, i think with a little tweaking, this has the potential of being a really delicious dessert.

Tiramisu Bowl

Source: Jell-O

8 oz cream cheese - softened
3 c cold milk
2 pkg (3.4 oz each) Vanilla Instant Pudding
8 o.z CoolWhip - thawed
48 Nilla Wafers
1/2 c brewed coffee
2 squares of semi sweet chocolate -- grated
1 c fresh raspberries

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy.  Gradually beat in milk and pudding mixes.  Stir in 2 c CoolWhip.

Line trifle bowl with 24 wafers, drizzle with 1/4 c coffee.

Top with half the pudding mixture and half of the chocolate.  Repeat layers, starting with wafers.

Top with remaining CoolWhip and raspberries.  Refrigerate 2 hours.

I needed a recipe to take to  a Labor Day party.  People generally expect me to bring dessert, and it's been so hot, that I really didn't want to be baking anything.  Tiramisu is also my favorite dessert, so this recipe seemed an ideal choice.

Now, before everyone gets all upset, I am fully aware that this is not a tiramisu recipe per se.  The use of Nilla wafers , CoolWhip and cream cheese instead of lady fingers and mascarpone cheese is enough to rile up most traditionalist.  I thought the name was a little misleading -- "American Tiramisu" might be more appropriate.  Nevertheless, I had high hopes for these combination of flavors, and the ease of preparation.  (The most challenging part is finding enough room in the fridge!).

i ended up making 3 layers -- the bowl I picked was fairly big, and I didn't want the dessert to look skimpy.  I also was very conservative with the "custard" layer at first, so I had enough to have three layers.  And I was happy to use up the entire box of Nilla wafers (no need to have that temptation around the house, right).

So here is what it looks like:

I thought it looked really good, quite spectacular for a party.  I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in the taste -- it was a little one note, just sweet.  Maybe b/c I didn't use quite as much coffee as the recipe called for (there were kids at the party, and I didn't want them to taste bitter coffee taste) -- but it was just sweet, and that's it.  So it's a recipe that needs a little tweaking -- bit of a disappointment.