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Spinach and Garlic Alfredo Pizza (With or Without Onions and Anchovies)

May 9, 2012 by 7 Comments

Monday, I declared this week to be Pizza Week. Today is the first pizza in the series. All of these pizzas will use the No-Knead Whole-Wheat Semolina Pizza Dough recipe I posted Monday.

As much as I love a good, plain old pepperoni and cheese pizza, there is something about pizza that makes me wildly experimental.  The pizza shell is my canvas and I go all Jackson Pollack on it. Today, I will go all Jackson Pollack on this post. Disjointed. Scattershot. Yeah. Um, stick with me. The pizza is totally worth it.

I’ve played around with white pizzas over the years but until recently was never blown away by the results. The solution was two-fold.

  1. I found the perfect crust. (See yesterday’s post!)
  2. I started using garlic Alfredo sauce instead of olive oil and garlic.

I have to tell you that Alfredo sauce is my six-year old’s specialty in the kitchen. Granted, I measure the ingredients into a bowl for him, but he does all the grunt work. He whisks the ingredients together while I work on pizza crusts. We’re a well-oiled team. Actually, we’re a well-buttered team. The Alfredo sauce is pretty buttery. And creamy. And cheesy. This is mainly due to the fact that Alfredo sauce is made almost entirely of butter, cheese, and eggs with heavy cream thrown in for good measure.  Because really, butter, eggs, and cheese aren’t rich enough on their own. Oy.

To that rich, velvety, hubba hubba base, we add a touch of garlic, parsley and black pepper. Voila! You have a sauce that makes pizzas sing and pasta weep with joy. It also makes a pretty darned irresistible perfume if you’re married to someone like the guy I married!

Speaking of things that my husband can’t resist, I must broach the subject of anchovies. Full disclosure: I am an unapologetic anchovy cheerleader. I love them. I adore them. I pink puffy hearts love everything about them. I do know, however, that not everybody is in my camp. If the thought of the hairy, spooky little fish fillets on your pizza skeeves you out, might I suggest that you chop at least one and add it to your Alfredo sauce? You will be shocked -SHOCKED, I say- at the subtle boost the presence of the little fishy adds. If you just can’t leap that hurdle, mentally, it’s alright. I’m still here for you. I am still going to dangle anchovies proverbially in front of you from time to time until you feel brave enough to try them. That’s right. I am big sister to the world.

In short, if you don’t like anchovies and onions, don’t put them on the pizza.

…And since we’re on the subject of dangling things in front of people until they try them, let’s talk spinach. My kids -thanks to a friend who fed them spinach in my absence- are pretty keen on spinach. Even two of the founding members of my anti-veg contingent like spinach. Proving the aforementioned friend’s theory right again, combining spinach and Alfredo sauce on this pizza is -at least in my imagination- probably what it was like when someone first stuck a chocolate bar in a jar of peanut butter.  Heavenly angels singing comes to mind…

We can’t forget to talk about the crust! I made many promises about this crust in the post with the dough recipe. I cut the pizza and The Evil Genius swooped in (sans cape) to snatch the first piece after I photographed it.

He declared, “You must show them a picture of the bottom of the crust. That’s the key! That’s how they’ll know this is one crust to rule them all.” And to further drive his point home, this man -the one who I am convinced wears a hat in order to have something to pull over his face when I aim the camera at him- offered to hold the pizza up (after taking a bite, of course) and let his hand be in the picture.  It’s a banner day people. I present to you “Perfect Crust in a Manly Hand”.

Now let’s make a pizza -an AWESOME pizza- together, shall we?

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Spinach and Garlic Alfredo Pizza (With or Without Onions and Anchovies)

Spinach and Garlic Alfredo Pizza (With or Without Onions and Anchovies)

The perfect pizza dough is topped with a creamy, rich Garlic Alfredo, spinach, and mozzarella (and anchovies and onions in our house!) and baked to crackly crisp perfection with little charred bits on the crust and golden brown cheese. This is one white pizza to rule them all!

Ingredients

    For the Garlic Alfredo Sauce:
  • 1 cup (8 ounces by weight) butter
  • 2 to 2-1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (or a blend)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (or 1 tablespoon fresh, minced parsley)
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • For the Pizza:
  • 1 piece, about 5 ounces or the size of a large plum, of No-Knead Whole-Wheat Semolina Pizza Dough
  • 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of Garlic Alfredo Sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove most of the moisture
  • cornmeal or semolina for the peel
  • Optional but ever so tasty:
  • 2 (1/8 to 1/4-inch thick) slices of a peeled onion, cut into half moons.
  • 6 whole anchovy fillets (the packed in olive oil variety), blotted gently

Instructions

To Make the Garlic Alfredo Sauce:

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Whisk in all additional ingredients and refrigerate -tightly covered- until ready to use. Leftovers should be used within 3 days.

To Make the Pizza:

With a pizza stone situated in the bottom third, preheat the oven as high as you can get it. We use a 500°F setting on our oven.

Lightly flour your work surface. Form your pizza dough into a ball by gently stretching the top of the dough underneath itself. Place the dough on the floured work surface and pat it out gently with your hands into a disc shape until you cannot make it any wider. Flour a rolling pin and gently roll the pizza dough out. This works best if you look at the pizza dough as a clock. Start rolling from the center of the circle toward 12 o'clock, rotate your pin and roll from the center to 3 o'clock, then from the center to 6 o'clock, and so forth, ending back at 12 o'clock. Do this until you have a circle that is about 10-inches in diameter.

Sprinkle a pizza peel generously with semolina flour or cornmeal. Carefully transfer the dough to the peel. Shake gently to be sure no part of the dough sticks. This is crucial. You will be shaking the peel gently after each addition of toppings to make sure the dough can still move freely. If at any point the dough sticks, gently lift the offending area and throw a bunch of semolina or cornmeal under it.

Spread the Garlic Alfredo sauce over the dough to within a 1/2-inch of the edges. Shake the dough to make sure it's not stuck.

Sprinkle most of the grated cheese, reserving about 1/4 cup, over the Garlic Alfredo sauce. Pull off peanut-in-the-shell sized hunks of spinach and dot them over the cheese. If using the onions and anchovies, pull the onions into individual pieces and distribute them and the anchovies evenly over the top. Toss the reserved 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Gently shake the pizza to make sure it's not stuck.

Open your oven, position your peel over the back edge of the pizza stone. Flick your wrist to get the dough moving, pulling the peel back as you transfer the dough to the stone. Shut the oven and let the pizza bake on the stone for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is the desired colour and the cheese is melted and bubbly with golden brown or charred areas. Slip the peel back under the pizza and give a little jerk to move it safely onto the peel. Transfer the cooked pizza onto a cutting board and let it rest 3-5 minutes before slicing.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/09/spinach-alfredo-pizza-with-or-without-onions-and-anchovies/

 

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Instructional, kid food, Main Dish, Party Food, Pizza, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Pasties and Beef Gravy | Make Ahead Monday

March 26, 2012 by 18 Comments

Way back in 2008, one of the first recipes I ran on Foodie With Family was for my beloved pasties. (Pronounced PAH-steez, not PAY-steez, thankyouverymuch!) Today’s Make Ahead Monday recipe is a feature of those absolutely wonderful meat pies along with a (tada!) printable recipe and another for *gasp* beef gravy. Read on for why I’m all a-twitter over the gravy.

I was talking with my stepmom, Val, on the phone the other day when she said, “Oh no! Beccy! I have to go!” I said, “Are you alright, Val?” She responded, “I forgot I have to pick up our pasty order from the church. They’re going to close in a couple of minutes.”

All my sympathy and concern that I had queued up for her flew right out the window.

She got to scoot half a mile down the road to pick up a half dozen of the finest Finnish grandmother produced, hand-made, Yooper pasties. I got to drool.

I indulged in a certain amount of self-pity and then roused myself to action. I wheeled on my heel when my husband entered the room and announced, “There WILL be pasties. And it WILL be soon!” imperiously.

While on the whole I find it against my nature to march around making pronouncements, pasties warrant a massive exception. I queened it up big time.

“You must find me a rutabaga! A big one!”

My husband looked at me askance.

“…And we’ll need ketchup!” I added in my most royal tones. Then I said, “You know, Val eats her pasties with gravy. I love her anyway.”

That is where he revolted. “Hey. I know you Yoopers eat ‘em with ketchup and everything, but why? I’d give anything for some gravy with a pasty.”

My every fiber screamed, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”*

 *And here, perhaps, it is time for a brief cultural lesson. People who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are referred to –both by themselves and those below the bridge- as Yoopers. Yoopers love pasties. But even more than Yoopers love pasties, they love ketchup on pasties. Why? I haven’t the foggiest idea, but we do. And the quickest way to find out whether someone is a Yooper by passing them a gravy boat and a ketchup jar. Watch them carefully. A moment’s hesitation, a feint for the gravy boat, and you know without a doubt that you are not in the presence of a honest-to-goodness Yooper.

It was my turn to look askance. And askew. And aghast. “What do you MEAN you want gravy?”

He responded, quite reasonably, “I’m not saying YOU can’t have ketchup, but really, we’re talking about a meat pie with potatoes and stuff. What could be better on that than gravy?”

I had to admit that I didn’t have anything other  a traditional leg to stand upon in the argument.  There was no way I could deny him gravy. I’m not ashamed to admit, though, that my head spun a bit as I whipped up the beef gravy. Through my head whirled jokes family members had made about gravy-on-pasty eaters. I remembered a story my dad told about being at a county fair and overhearing some folks talk about being from the U.P. He then approached the couple and said, “Excuse me. I just have one thing to ask. Ketchup or Gravy?” They clapped him on the shoulder and said, “KETCHUP!” They became fast friends.

I put pasties on plates. I put ketchup and –horrors- a gravy boat on the table and watched quietly as all my offspring and my husband poured gravy on their pasties. I reached for the ketchup and scooped a generous portion onto my plate. (Another argument, but one for another day, is whether you put your ketchup on the side or on top of the pasties. What can I say? It’s cold and very rural. We do what we can to keep things interesting.) And then. Then they looked at me and used on me the argument I always use on them, “Aren’t you even going to try it?”

I sensed my authority hanging in the balance and said, “Oh ALRIGHT. Gimme the gravy boat. I’ll try it.” (I was less than gracious about it, but there’s only so much going back on tradition a woman can take with equanimity.) I poured a bit on the corner of my pasty and took a hearty fork full. And then I about died.

It really was not bad. In fact, it was pretty alright. Oh dang. It was good.

Rats.

I won’t have you believe I chucked my Yooper card and ate it wholesale with gravy. Oh no. I still had my ketchup, too, but I grudgingly admit the gravy will be on the table every time I make pasties.

Darnit.

Yoopers, look away.

In this fresh printable version of the old Yooper Pasty post, I’ve included a lovely beef gravy recipe. Just in case, ya know, you wanna freak out a Yooper you love. Or eat a pasty with it. Sigh.

 

 

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Pasties and Beef Gravy | Make Ahead Monday

Yield: 16 large pasties

Pasties and Beef Gravy | Make Ahead Monday

This is comfort food at its finest; hand held meat and potatoes pies with rutabaga, carrots and onions. Traditionally, these pasties are served with loads of ketchup, but folks have been known to love (read:inhale) them when covered with good beef gravy, too.

Ingredients

    For the Filling:
  • 1 large rutabaga and 1 small rutabaga
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2 medium onions
  • 8 medium potatoes, preferably a waxy variety like Yukon golds or reds
  • 4 pounds lean ground beef
  • salt and pepper to taste
    • For the Crust:
  • enough sturdy pie dough for eight double crust pies (or eight boxes prepared refrigerated pie crusts) I use a double or triple batch of this pie crust.
    • For the Beef Gravy:
  • 4 tablespoons butter or beef fat drippings
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons browning sauce
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • a pinch of thyme and granulated onion
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Slice a sliver off one end of the rutabaga so that it stands sturdily on your cutting board. Then use your biggest, sharpest knife to lob it in half. If it’s freaking you out too much to try to hold a slippery, wax covered, round and really hard vegetable while trying to cut it, feel free to whack it in half with a hatchet or an axe. Just don’t do it on your kitchen counter!

Once you have the brute opened, lay it on the flat side and dismantle it further so your original sphere is in quarters. Take another little bit off the bottom so you can stand the quarters up on their ends and use another sharp knife to remove the peel from the sides.

Cut the rutabaga into 1/4? slices and stack them like a deck of cards. Slice them into 1/4? strips that will then be cut into 1/4? cubes.

Peel and dice the carrots, onions, and potatoes in the same way. Combine all diced vegetables in a gigantic mixing bowl. Break the lean beef over the top, add salt and pepper, and use your hands to mix thoroughly.

Roll out a piece of pie crust to a diameter between 8? and 10?. Lay on a pie plate with the crust hanging over the lip of the plate by about 1/4?. Use your hands or a large spoon to transfer as much filling onto the crust as you can, mounding and pressing down lightly with your hands, to fill the half of the crust that is hanging over the plate.

Now fold the empty part of the pie crust over the filling, pinch the seams together, transfer to your countertop and crimp the edges with a fork.

Transfer to a parchment lined pan and slice a couple of small vents into the top of each pasty.

Slide those pans into the oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Since pasties don’t traditionally get an egg glaze, they won’t be a shiny brown when done, but a deep crispy looking golden brown.

Serve immediately with beef gravy (see below) or cool completely, wrap with foil and freeze for later use.

To Reheat from Frozen:

Place foil wrapped pasty in a preheated 350°F oven on a rimmed baking sheet for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, open the foil so the top crust of the pasty is exposed and heat for an additional 10 minutes, or until hot all the way through.

To Make the Gravy:

Melt the butter or pan drippings in a heavy skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking often until bubbly and fragrant smelling, at least 2 minutes. Whisk in the cold beef stock, thyme and granulated onion and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Taste the gravy, adjust the seasonings and serve hot.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/26/pasties-and-beef-gravy-make-ahead-monday/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Comfort Food, Freezer Pleaser, Instructional, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: ,

Nutmeg Banana Chips

March 23, 2012 by 10 Comments

Back in October of last year, we made the sixteen hour drive through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and way up north into the tippy top of the lower peninsula of Michigan over The Big Mac and into the Upper Peninsula to see my dad and stepmom. We stocked up for the road trip with the usual suspects: pretzels, sandwiches, water, apples, bananas and whatnot. We ate most of what we had packed on the trip north, but were three days into the visit before we realized we had forgotten a bunch of bananas under the seat in the van. They looked, at that point, like they were fit only for banana bread, so I brought them into the house and asked Val whether she’d like to use them. Val said, “Oh no! Those are perfect for banana chips!” She sat down, sliced them, put them on dehydrator trays and within minutes the machine’s fan was whirring and the house smelled divine.

While the bananas were doing what they had to do, Val offered me a handful of the banana chips she had already made. They were crisp and intense and sweet and totally different than the banana chips I’d had before. All the other ones were greasy* and had a weird after taste. These were caramel brown and clean tasting.

*This is because the vast majority of banana chips (dried or otherwise) that are commercially available are fried, and often in palm oil. Hooooooboy. That previously healthy sounding snack doesn’t sound so healthy now!

Val told me, “Get the reduced price bananas that are intended for banana bread and use those. That way the bananas are already very sweet. When you dry those they’re just that much more flavourful.” So, in the name of quality control, we ate our way through their stash of banana chips for the rest of the visit. Dad and I ate banana chips with apple chips, banana chips with pear chips, triple decker banana/apple/pear chip ‘sandwiches’, and smeared banana and apple chips with peanut butter. We ate a lot.

On the drive home, Dad called me and said, “I just had an idea. What if you sprinkled a little nutmeg over the banana slices as they were dehydrating? Then they would be like eggnog chips.” Ohmygoodness, that was a good idea.

The day after we got home, I was eager to put the idea to the test. I sliced about seven pounds of bananas as thinly as I could without making them fall apart, laid them out on trays and grated a little fresh nutmeg -just a smidge- over the top of all of them. A little over twenty four hours later, we sampled our first banana chips- dead crisp and sweet with full banana flavour -almost like vanilla- and a hint of nutmeg. It didn’t scream eggnog, but it was so good. Now, I know we have a lot of people eating here (okay, we have a Viking horde) but nothing prepared me for the speed with which my guys ate an entire dehydrator’s worth of banana chips. It took them two days. TWO DAYS. Two days to eat seven pounds-worth of bananas dried into chips.

In the months that have passed between October and now, I have made close to fifteen batches of nutmeg banana chips and watched them disappear by the handful into my husband, children and their friends.  They’re so good that a couple of my kids’ friends’ families have purchased dehydrators to keep their kids in nutmeg banana chips. If the fact that they’ll go to a jar of banana chips to sate their hunger before hitting a bag of Fritos isn’t enough to keep me making batch after batch, then this is; even the two vehement anti-fruit two-some loves nutmeg banana chips. I’m going to keep making these until no one wants them anymore, which doesn’t appear to be anytime soon judging by the current rate of consumption.

I have it down to a science and can fill a dehydrator with banana slices in about thirty minutes. And while we like ours thin and crispy, there is a little play you can do with it. Do you want a finished banana chip that’s slightly chewier? Just start with thicker slices! Mess around with it and figure out which way you like them best.

And then have a little more fun. Try them by the handful, on peanut butter sandwiches, in trail mix, or one chip at a time smeared with a little Nutella. Let me know what your favourite way is to eat them. I can’t wait to hear!

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Nutmeg Banana Chips

Nutmeg Banana Chips

When overripe bananas are dried with a little nutmeg grated over the top, they become a sweet, healthy, crispy treat. My kids and their friends go crazy over these. I'm sure yours will, too!

Ingredients

  • a bunch of slightly overripe bananas- just about at the banana bread stage. It takes between 7 and 9 pounds to fill my 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator.
  • fresh nutmeg

Instructions

Peel the bananas and slice them into 1/16- to 1/4-inch thick slices. The thinner you slice them, the crispier the final result will be. Grate a little fresh nutmeg over the tops- a little goes a long way. Dehydrate at 135°F for 24 hours or until they are a caramel brown colour and are completely dry. Transfer the dried chips to a large bowl and let them sit exposed until completely cool. Store the chips in glass jars with tight fitting lids or zipper top resealable bags. These will store in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Good luck stretching them out that long!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/23/nutmeg-banana-chips/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Camping Food, Comfort Food, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Simple Garlicky Green Bean Stir Fry

March 16, 2012 by 11 Comments

Let’s review the rules of Tasty Penance.

  1. I give you a highly caloric or nutritionally suspect recipe that is irresistible (par example: this.)
  2. I feel guilty.
  3. I offer a recipe that is nutritionally sound and legitimately good for you that also tastes irresistible.
  4. I’m off the hook and feel free to give you more naughty recipes.

Take a good look at number three on the list because the last bit of the sentence is most important; the Tasty Penance recipe still has to taste outlandishly good. I’m not well-suited to culinary hair shirts and gustatory self-flagellation. My taste buds still have to be happy because I am needy.

Today’s recipe knocks requirement number three out of the park.* These crisp-tender, garlicky, gingery, spicy green beans are not just packed with all my favourite flavours, they’re also great for you. If you blanched (vegetable pun) at the sight of the word ‘spicy’, don’t fret, the spice is easily omitted from this recipe. Whenever I make these, only about half of the finished product makes it to the table because The Evil Genius and I circle around the kitchen on any little excuse we can think of, snitching at first just one green bean, but then becoming bolder and dangling three or four into our mouths at once. Such is the power of this green bean dish. Did you ever think they could be so good?

*Cue baseball analogies because Spring Training is going strong. Go Red Sox!

Making this dish even more appealing is the fact that it is so easy to make.

I just have one warning, but it’s a biggie.

More than one person has sworn off stir-fries because they didn’t follow the law. They’ve gotten two or three or however many steps in and realized they forgot to peel/chop/measure/BUY some crucial ingredient and it derailed the whole process. I feel that pain. There is nothing quite like unrequited stir fry cravings. I can help, though.

I can. Trust me. The one simple hide-bound rule to successful stir-fries is this:

You need to remember to have absolutely everything -ingredients AND equipment- ready and within reach before starting to cook.

Have your green beans washed and trimmed if necessary, your garlic/onion/ginger minced or sliced according to directions, your water and oyster sauce, your wooden spoons, and your serving bowl standing on the counter raring to go. Once you put the oil in the pan, you are on duty and you will not walk away until it is done and in the bowl to be served. It’s the law.

Now go forth and conquer stir-fries starting with this perfect spring green bean dish. Tasty Penance is a good thing.

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Simple Garlicky Green Bean Stir Fry

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings for a side dish, 2 for a main dish

Simple Garlicky Green Bean Stir Fry

Crisp-tender, garlicky, gingery, and coated in a slightly sweet sauce, these spicy green beans are good enough to be a stand-alone vegetarian main dish, but are intended to be served alongside any number of stir-fries or grilled or fried meats. Healthy tastes great!

Adapted, with thanks, from Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh green beans (Preferably haricot vert, but any fresh green bean will do.), ends trimmed if necessary, and strings removed if they are particularly stringy.
  • 2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or peanut oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon of ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Omit if you're sensitive to heat.)
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (found near the Asian foods in most grocery stores.)
  • Optional:
  • sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Cut and discard a thin disc from both the blossom and stem ends of the onion. Peel the onion and cut in half from top to bottom. Lay each half and cut the onion into slivers (again from top to bottom) that are about the same thickness as the green beans.

Put a large wok or heavy pan with a tight fitting lid over high heat for 1 or 2 minutes or until you can no longer hold your hand a couple inches above the pan because it is too hot. Carefully add the oil to the pan and swirl to heat it through. When the oil is shimmery -about 30 seconds- add the garlic, ginger, onions and crushed red pepper flakes. Use two wooden spoons to keep the contents moving until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add all of the green beans and the salt and use the two spoons to toss the green beans, garlic, ginger and onions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Add the water and put the lid on the pan. Let the beans steam for 5 minutes, checking about halfway through to see if it is too dry. If the pan is dry, add a teaspoon of water, replace the lid and continue steaming.

After 5 minutes, remove the lid and add the oyster sauce, using both spoons to toss the beans and sauce together. Continue cooking over high heat for 2 minutes, or until the oyster sauce is distributed evenly and the beans are all coated and crisp-tender.

Serve hot garnished with sesame seeds, if desired.

Leftovers (if you have some) store well tightly covered in the refrigerator and reheat very well either in the microwave or in a covered saucepan with a splash of water.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/16/simple-garlicky-green-bean-stir-fry/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Happy Healthy and Wise, Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Layer Cake with Ganache

November 28, 2011 by 11 Comments

It’s birthday season around here, as I may have already mentioned once (or twice)… With the exception of the one child who requested shepherd’s pie for his birthday dessert until I informed him he could have it for dinner AND have a proper cake or pie, everyone has asked for something spectacular. Last week was no different, but the pressure was amped up a bit. My eldest and youngest were born on the same day, eight years apart. Birthday feasts and desserts take on a special level of crazy when two people are egging each other on in the brainstorming process.

Mercifully, the eldest wanted fried chicken and the youngest wanted fried chicken nuggets. (Bless you child. Your nuggets were boneless, skinless chicken thighs dredged in the same coating as your elder brother’s fried chicken. And it was good.) The youngest deigned to allow the eldest to have a fruit salad even though, as he has repeatedly informed us he does not “wike fwoot.” And then came the negotiations on the cake.

Cake, for crying out loud.

How complicated does it need to be*? The answer to that, evidently, is extremely complicated. Eldest wanted a vanilla cake with strawberry layers. Youngest, again, informed us he doesn’t “wike fwoot”. Youngest wanted chocolate. Eldest didn’t want plain chocolate. Eldest suggested combining chocolate and mint. Youngest now decided he didn’t “wike mint”.  Eldest suggested I make two cakes. Youngest agreed. And then one of them, can’t quite remember which since my head was spinning on its axis, said, “Why don’t you just make a huge chocolate and vanilla swirl cake? Then you can put ganache** over the whole thing!”

*This is a question I should be past asking considering one year they wanted a realistically shaped/decorated globe cake, another year someone wanted a 3-D Tardis, and so on and so forth. But I am an optimist. Some day someone will ask me for a sheet cake with nothing on it. Then I’ll probably cry.

**Because my children do say things like, “Put ganache over the whole thing!” I suppose this means I’ve spoiled them.

Phew. It’s the lead-up to the cake request that stresses me out the most. Swirls I can do. Swirls I have done. But my previous swirly cakes were a bit more on the dry side (intentionally) since they were to be layered with ice cream. This cake was to be a moist, stand-alone (if you count being smothered with ganache as standing alone) birthday beauty. Enter butter… and quite a bit of it.

 

Let’s talk about ganache just for a moment. If you’re not familiar with it I’ll break it down for you. Ganache is equal parts heavy cream and chocolate, melted together and gently stirred until it magically turns into a thick, glossy, chocolate spread. And oh, what a chocolate spread. When refrigerated, it is thick enough to roll into balls  to nibble,  drop into hot milk for hot chocolate, or coat with cocoa powder or chopped nuts or more melted chocolate for homemade truffles, or, or, or… to frost or sandwich between cookies, or CAKES.

So, to recap, we have a big layer cake made with lots of butter covered with dark chocolate and heavy cream. Very diet friendly. But diets have no place in a home with five sons. This is my justification and I’m sticking with it. Would anyone else like to join me here on Delusional Island? We have cake. And ganache.

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Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Layer Cake

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Layer Cake

Birthdays (or any occasions, for that matter) get a delicious boost when you serve this moist Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Layer Cake frosted with dark chocolate ganache.

Ingredients

    For the Cake:
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons, separated
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups fine or superfine sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to room temperature plus 4 tablespoons, separated
  • 2 level tablespoons dark cocoa powder
    • For the ganache:
  • 16 ounces (2 cups) heavy cream
  • 16 ounces chopped dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate
    • Optional for garnish:
  • Melted white chocolate for drizzling

Instructions

To Bake the Cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in colour.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then 1/3 of the flour, again beating to incorporate.

Repeat this process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are added and mixed in evenly.

Divide the batter equally between two mixing bowls. In one, add 2 tablespoons of milk and the additional 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Whisk until smooth.

In the other bowl, whisk in the cocoa powder and remaining 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth.

To create the swirls, scoop 1/3 of a cup of the white batter into the center of each prepared pan. Follow this with 1/3 of a cup of the chocolate batter directly into the center of the white batter in each pan. Repeat the process -white batter, chocolate batter, white batter, chocolate batter- each time, pouring the batter directly into the center of the contrasting batter. This will form concentric circles (and when baked, the stripey swirls) of contrasting colour. Repeat until you run out of batter.

Bake, rotating midway through, for about 35 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out onto the racks to finish cooling.

To Make the Ganache:

Heat heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan just until it is about to boil. Pour immediately over the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and let stand undisturbed for 5 minutes. Using a wire whisk, gently stir in one direction until the ganache becomes glossy and evenly dark. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until thick.

To Assemble and Frost the Cake:

Level out your completely, 100% cooled cakes and cut each into two even layers.

Place one layer on a cake plate then add a layer of ganache, spreading to the edges and evening out as you go. Repeat with the remaining layers.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining ganache. If you have uneven areas, you can put the cake into the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so, then use ganache to fill in the spaces.

If desired, drizzle melted white chocolate over the top of the cake to garnish.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.

Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/11/28/chocolate-vanilla-swirl-layer-cake-with-ganache/

 

Happy Birthday to my sweet bookends.

My Chocolate and my Vanilla…

Am I the luckiest mom in the world or what?

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Holiday Food, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Carnitas Style Chicken Tostadas

November 7, 2011 by 8 Comments

Authenticity Alert: As in, this is not authentic but it is far, far too tasty not to share, and so, I am telling you now that I am completely not responsible for anyone taking offense to what I’ve done to Tex-Mex or Mexican cuisine. Honestly, I don’t even know enough to tell you which of those categories it strays from the most. All I know is you should make these tonight.

I know. Carnitas are pork. Crispy, delicious, succulent little fried bits of braised pork. This is not that. But it is the chicken equivalent and I’ll be darned if it isn’t crispy, delicious, succulent little fried bits of chicken on a crunchy fried tortilla with pan sauces and all the things that are great and good about Tex Mex food piled on top. Hallelujah, Amen and pass the tostadas.

First, though, I have to tell you a little story.

Last week there was a day that mucho much candy entered our home. I think you know which day I mean. When I say much candy, let me set the stage. Five grandsons, one Nana, and a good working knowledge of which houses in town give out the best goodies. There was so much candy that I feared for the peace in our home. Or at least for the textured ceiling. I mean honestly, sugared up kids bouncing off the ceiling leaves a mark. Each child had netted close to three pounds of candy in a little over an hour of wandering the beautiful streets of Geneseo. I had visions of weeks of blue tongues and green lips and twirly eyes. After forty-eight hours of utter chaos, I laid the smack down.

“Guys. You can each choose ten pieces of candy and put them in one of these bags,” (here I brandished pre-labeled zipper top bags), “Those are your pieces. You can stretch them out as long as you want. The rest of the loot goes into this bag,” (I waved a two-and-a-half gallon zipper top bag), “This is the family bag. I’ll use it in brownies and on cakes and all sorts of good stuff like that.” Then I braced myself for the blow-back.

“Cool! You’ll make brownies?” said one son while the others sorted through to pick their ten favourite pieces before handing over the rest. Don’t pity them. They each had at least two regulation sized, honest-to-goodness candy bars in their bags. Geneseo folks don’t mess around.

The rest of the candy went into the mega bag and then into the broom closet and I didn’t think of it for a few days.

Then came this weekend…

The weather was glorious. The sun was shining, the breeze blew and we had loads of yard work to do to prepare for the winter weather that’s right around the corner. My husband and I were like two ships passing in the pretty-nifty day. We were hanging laundry on lines, stacking wood, trimming weeds and whatnot when I asked, “Has anyone seen Daddy?”

Our youngest said, “Daddy’s out in the annex eating candy.” I said, “Hey. Don’t tell fibs. The candy isn’t out there. Is Daddy really in the annex*?”, then got distracted by yet another yard chore.

*Before you start thinking I’m all fancy with my annex let me explain that it is a large, uninsulated, exterior-walls-only room with window openings (sans glass) that is full of wood for keeping us warm over the winter and is attached to the house. Why such a hoity-toity name? Because I can. And technically? I’m right. Plllllbbbbbt.

Later that night when the kids were all tucked cozily into their beds, my husband brought the loot bag to the den have a little sweet snack. I reached in for a Heath bar (again, Geneseo gets mega points) and asked my husband how they got so cold. I wondered aloud whether there was a problem with the insulation in the broom closet. He responded, “I’m keeping them in the annex in a locked box. Hey! Where you going?”

I went straight upstairs to apologize to my son then came back down for the Heath bar.

The candy has been flying like glitter before a cheerleading tournament. People are fired up here, self included, so we needed something to counteract all that sugar and food dye. Enter mondo protein meals, stage left.

Protein gives your body something to do other than jitter. I can’t think of a simpler way to get a delicious protein-packed meal into you than these Carnitas-style Chicken Tostadas. The body soothing protein comes in the form of three-ingredient braised chicken that is then shredded and dropped into a wicked hot pan with a little oil so that it is crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. This is, quite possibly, the easiest meal this side of heaven.

Toast or fry some corn tortillas and pile on refried beans (the protein fairy says hi!), the crispy chicken, some lettuce, cheese (Huzzah for more protein!), hot sauce or The Sauce, some candied jalapenos, and a fistful of chopped cilantro if you fancy it. Now comes the only difficult part of the whole process; balancing the whole shebang and getting it to your mouth. I do advise you to eat this over a plate. Then eat another. Maybe one more? Now call everything that fell onto your plate a taco salad. See? I love you.  And I’m not at  all sugared up*.

*Chocolate bars don’t have sugar, right?

Print
Carnitas Style Chicken Tostadas

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: a lot!

Serving Size: 2 Tostadas

This super fast and satisfying supper takes advantage of individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs. In a little over an hour and a half, you go from frozen blobs of chicken to braised, flavourful, crisped chicken on crunchy corn tortilla tostadas with a compliment of refried beans, cheese, sour cream, smoked paprika and chipotle sauce and candied jalapenos. I am willing to bet this becomes a regular in your rotation like it is for us on busy nights.

Ingredients

    For the Chicken:
  • 3 pounds of individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can start with fresh rather than frozen, just adjust cooking time accordingly.)
  • 1 teaspoon canola, vegetable or peanut oil, plus additional oil for crisping the meat later
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 cup of your favourite salsa ( I use smoky roasted tomatillo and tomato salsa )
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
    • For the Tostadas:
  • 1-inch of vegetable or canola oil in a heavy pan
  • corn tortillas (2-3 per person)
  • salt, to taste
  • refried beans
  • shredded or baby lettuce
  • sour cream
  • Smoked Paprika and Chipotle Sauce
  • Candied Jalapenos

Instructions

In a large, heavy pan with a tight fitting lid (preferably a dutch oven) over high heat, pour the teaspoon of oil. Arrange the frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the pan in such a way that the lid can be put on it and sit firmly. Before adding the lid, toss in the garlic cloves and pour the salsa and chicken stock or brother over the top. Place the lid on the pan and let cook over high heat until steam starts escaping from under the lid. Drop the heat to medium low and let it continue cooking until a piece of chicken removed from the pan shreds easily between two forks, between 45 minutes and an hour*.

*If you start with fresh (not frozen) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you can cut that time down a bit.

Remove all of the chicken to a bowl or platter, leaving the juices in the pan, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes, lightly covered with foil. Replace the pan over the burner and turn the heat to high, bringing the pan juices to a boil and letting it reduce by 3/4, or until thick like gravy. Set aside.

Use two forks to shred all of the chicken. Set aside.

In a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat, add 1-inch of canola, peanut or vegetable oil. Fry tortillas, 1 or 2 at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes, flipping once or twice to ensure it is crispy all over. Transfer the fried tortillas to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt.

Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet and return it to high heat. When the oil is very hot and shimmery, slide about half of the shredded chicken into the pan and press down on it with the back side of a sturdy spatula so that you bring more surface area of the chicken in contact with the hot oil and pan. Do not stir the chicken. When the edges appear to be dark brown or deep golden brown, pick up the crisped chicken with a spatula and flip it crisp side up onto a plate. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining chicken.

To Assemble Tostadas:

Spread hot refried beans on a crisped tortilla, top with chicken, a drizzle of the reduced pan juices, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, Smoked Paprika and Chipotle Sauce and candied jalapenos.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/11/07/carnitas-style-chicken-tostadas/

 

 

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: , , ,

Individual Garlic Bread Braids

September 26, 2011 by 16 Comments

Bread makes me happy. Garlic bread makes me happier. Individual garlic bread makes me even happier than that, but individual garlic bread that is braided makes me happiest of all. They hit all of the food points that make me nearly weepy*. You have a.) bread, b.) extra tasty bread, c.) cute bread, and d.) cute bread to the fiftieth power.

*I cannot be the only person who starts feeling a little teary over food they love. Come on. Somebody say it’s not just me…

Everyone loves individual servings. It’s like when you were a kid and you scraped together enough money to buy your own comic book or candy bar when your mom was grocery shopping. Remember how excited you got when the clerk put it in a bag by itself and handed it to you*? It was better than playing grown-up. You had arrived.

*Again, this isn’t just me, right?

Now, when I’m given an single serving size anything -bread, custard, cake (ooooh, cute little cake- not to be confused with cupcake), cornish game hen, or whatnot- I feel like I’m a kid again. So what is about individual servings that does it?

Theorizing about marginally useless stuff is one of my specialties, so I’ve given this some thought. It’s about feeling like someone took trouble to please you. When you get that perfectly-sized-for-one item, you feel like one of a kind. It seems like it was made just for you: like someone wants to make you  happy. It feels like love.

There’s nothing wrong with buffet or family style meals; they’re what we serve here every night. But this is the little touch that says to each child, “I love you. This is for you and you alone. You are special.” That is always a good thing.

Do you want to make someone feel loved tonight? Put one of these tender, golden-brown, garlic and herb brushed braids next to their plate and watch their face light up. The day’s burdens ease a bit, the tension melts away like warm butter on hot bread, and the conversation flows just a bit more easily.

Print
Individual Garlic Braids

Rating: 51

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 braid

Put one of these tender, golden-brown, garlic and herb brushed braids next to dinner plates and watch faces light up. The day's burdens ease a bit, the tension melts away like warm butter on hot bread, and the conversation flows just a bit more easily.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (1 pound, 1 ounce, by weight) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (11 1/2 ounces, by weight) semolina flour
  • 3 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
  • 3 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons sugar or non-diastatic malt powder
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups (16 ounces, by weight or volume) lukewarm water
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced)
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings

Instructions

To Mix Dough By Hand:

Add all ingredients except oil, garlic, and seasonings to a large mixing bowl and stir together with a sturdy wooden spoon until you form a shaggy but cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered with a clean towel. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter top and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To Mix Dough By Stand Mixer:

Add all ingredients except the oil, garlic and seasonings to the work bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn mixer onto the lowest setting and mix until a shiny, elastic dough forms. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To Mix Dough By Bread Machine:

Add all ingredients except the oil, garlic and seasonings to the pan of your bread machine that has been fitted with the dough paddle(s). Set the bread machine on the dough setting and press start. When the cycle is completed, proceed with shaping…

To Shape the Dough:

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and form into a neat mass. Divide into 3 equally sized pieces. Divide each of those pieces in half. This will give you 6 pieces all together. Cover all but one piece with a tea towel.

Divide that one piece into 3 equally sized pieces.

Roll each piece lightly with the hands to form a rope between 10 and 12 inches long. Repeat with the other two pieces so that you have 3 ropes of roughly equal length. Line them up in parallel with the ends facing you.

Gently grasp the end of the rope on the far left. Lift it to about the center, leaving the far end on the counter, cross it over the rope nearest to it and lay it down. Now grasp the end of the piece on the far right and lift it to about the center, leaving its far end on the counter, cross it over the (now) center rope (which is the first one you moved) and lay it down. This is the manoeuver you will repeat – far left over center, far right over center, and so on- until you have ends too short to continue. At that point, pinch the ends together and tuck under the braid. Now go back to the center of the loaf and finish braiding the loaf toward the top. When you reach the ends, pinch together and tuck under. Transfer the braid to a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. (For a photographic how-to on braiding bread, visit this post .) Let rise in a warm place until puffy in appearance and about doubled in size.

While dough is rising, stir together the olive oil, garlic and Italian seasonings and preheat the oven to 400°F.

When the braids are puffy, brush generously with the olive oil mixture then bake on the center rack of the oven until deep golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.

Brush the finished bread again with the remaining olive oil mixture and let cool at least 10 minutes before eating.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/09/26/individual-garlic-bread-braids/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Bread, Instructional, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Roasted Red Pepper Spread | Gardener’s Delight Eggs

September 22, 2011 by 10 Comments

And POOF! Just like that, summer was gone. I am fully aware that it is still technically summer but the tell tale signs are all around us: breath is foggy in the morning, cozy socks are back at the front of the sock drawer, scarves and jackets are shaken out of storage, and the produce at the farmers’ markets is taking a definite pumpkin-y turn. This, my friends, is fall.

That giant cosmic yawp you just heard came from my ever-optimistic beloved husband who views the turning of the leaves as a personal metaphor for mortality. This is the same man who spends the first official day of summer in mourning because it means that the days will grow shorter until the year ends. Poor guy. Don’t feel too badly for him, though. He lives with a compulsive baker and we all know that bread makes everything better.

Some of us, though, are not-so-secretly rejoicing. I’ve rustled up my fingerless gloves and my woolen caps for my morning strolls. I’m thrilled that I’m no longer sweating buckets near (not over, perish the uncouth thought) my canning pots. In fact, I’m upping the canning program in order to help keep warm until my husband finally acknowledges that summer has flown the coop and fires up the wood stove*.

*Firing up the wood stove is like my husband throwing the white flag of surrender and admitting that one more summer is behind him.

In the meantime, I will keep filling jars with little tastes of summer for my soon-to-be hibernating husband to put on his fresh bread. Jams and jellies are wonderful, but nothing beats cracking open a vibrant, ruby-hued jar of savoury garden goodness when the brisk wind is blowing and the sky is gun-metal grey.

Roasted Red Pepper Spread is just the thing to banish chills to the body or soul. You can’t help but smile when you see the bright red jars with flecks of basil peeking out at you. And when you open it? It’s everything wonderful about summer encapsulated in one little jar. The silky smooth, thick red pepper spread with the full taste -courtesy of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and red wine vinegar- is at home dolloped on fried eggs, spread on toast, as a pizza sauce, or as a dip (either alone or stirred into mayonnaise or softened cream cheese.)

While my poor husband may never recover from the suggestion that winter is soon to follow, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer the following tip; if you tie a simple gold, silver or raffia ribbon and gift tag around the top of the jar, it makes a beautiful and tasty (and perfectly colored) Christmas gift. Red and green and good taste. What could possibly be better?

The recipe yields around five eight-ounce jars, but can easily be doubled or tripled. I recommend an automatic doubling of this recipe if you intend to give it as gifts, because once you taste it you won’t want to part with it. That is as incontrovertible a fact as the passing of the seasons.

Print
Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Rating: 51

Yield: About 5 eight-ounce jars

Roasted Red Pepper Spread is just the thing to banish chills to the body or soul. It’s everything wonderful about summer encapsulated in one little jar. The silky smooth, thick red pepper spread with the full taste -courtesy of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and red wine vinegar- is at home dolloped on fried eggs, spread on toast, as a pizza sauce, or as a dip (either alone or stirred into mayonnaise or softened cream cheese.)

Adapted from The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Ingredients

  • 5 ¾ pounds sweet red bell peppers
  • ¼ pound fresh cayenne peppers (or other red-hued hot peppers) (If you don’t like heat, use an additional ½ pound of sweet red bell peppers.)
  • 1 pound plum tomatoes
  • 1 small onion, unpeeled and uncut
  • 3 large cloves garlic, unpeeled and uncut
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons, packed, thinly sliced (chiffonade) of fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar (I prefer raw)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the broiler in your oven. Spread the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast under the broiler, turning frequently, until the peppers are softened and blackened all the way around, and the tomatoes, onion and garlic have some black spots on them. The more thoroughly blackened the peppers are, the easier they are to peel. Transfer the peppers and tomatoes to a paper bag, fold the top down three or four times to seal it, then let cool about 15 minutes, or until the produce is cool enough to handle. Set the onion and garlic on a cutting board to cool as well.

When the peppers and tomatoes have cooled, use your hands to rub the skins off as well as you can. Don’t panic if a bit of the skin remains. Cut the peppers open in order to remove their stems and seeds. Rip the peppers into strips and put into a blender or food processor (in batches if necessary) and process until smooth. Pour into a stainless steel stockpot and repeat the process with the tomatoes.

Peel the onions and garlic then finely chop both. Add this and the remaining ingredients to the purees in the stockpot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Lower the heat to medium low and continue a gentle boil, stirring often, for about 20 minutes, or until the spread can be mounded on a spoon.

You may either refrigerate the red pepper spread at this point, or freeze it in single serving sizes, or can it to make it shelf stable.

To can the spread for long-term storage:

Ladle the hot spread into prepared 8-ounce jars leaving ½-inch of headspace. (For information on how to do this, click here ) Use a stainless steel chopstick or butterknife to remove any air bubbles. If the level of the spread lowers after air bubbles are removed, you can add more hot spread.

Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp cloth, put the lid in place, and screw on the rings until fingertip tight. Place on a rack in a canner, cover with hot water, and bring to a boil with the lid on the canner. Once the water reaches a full rolling boil, begin a 10-minute timer (15 minutes for pints). When the timer is done, remove the lid from the canner, turn off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes before carefully transferring the jars to a towel or rack on the counter to cool, undisturbed.

When the jars are completely cool, remove the rings for storage, wipe the jars clean and label. Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/09/22/roasted-red-pepper-spread-gardeners-delight-eggs/

Would you like another good reason to have this on your shelves? I gotcha covered! This is my current favourite breakfast.

Print
Gardener's Delight Eggs

This almost instant breakfast delivers a hugely satisfying punch of flavour courtesy of big, bold, smooth, garden-fresh Roasted Red Pepper Spread dolloped on fried eggs with pan-fried tortilla rounds. This breakfast will keep you going for hours.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 flour tortilla, cut into quarters or rounds (with a biscuit or cookie cutter)
  • 2 tablespoons Roasted Red Pepper Spread (see recipe above)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: Fresh basil, thinly sliced (chiffonaded)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Crack the egg and slide it onto the skillet near one edge. Place the tortilla rounds or wedges along the other side of the skillet. Flip the tortilla rounds when they begin to lightly brown. Toast the other side and transfer to a serving plate.

Cook the egg, flipping once if desired, to your preferred doneness. Use a spatula to place the fried egg on top of the toasted tortillas. Top the egg with the Roasted Red Pepper Spread. Sprinkle with fresh basil, if desired.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/09/22/roasted-red-pepper-spread-gardeners-delight-eggs/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Canning, Condiments, Food Preservation, Gifts, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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