Telluride

So I'm in Telluride this week continuing my love affair with Colorado summers.  And I have to say he's being very cooperative.  Not at all like most men I know. 

See.  Look how nice the weather is.  No 98 degree temps or 100% humidity ANYWHERE!  Let's just say I'm NOT homesick.

My ass is a little sore though.  We've hiked a total of about 15 miles in two days.  Yup.  My 71 year old mother is about to kill us all.  She never stops.  Except for cocktail hour.....thank God.

On Monday, we hiked Bear Creek Trail and I thought with a name like that I'd finally get to see that bear I've been looking for every year we come out here.  False freaking advertising.

Not a bear in sight but it was a perfect hike for the first day.

And if you hit it early enough in the morning, it's not busy.  We got there about 8:30 and only met a few folks on the way up.

 It was starting to get a a lot busier on the way down.  Plus the later in the day you go, the more annoying the flies can be.

We stopped at the 2.5 mile mark before heading back down, but can easily keep going.   Well not "easily"........but if you're feelin frisky, go for it.  Frisky, was not what we were feeling.  Hungry and thirsty?  Yup.

It's a beautiful spot to bring a picnic and hang out for a bit.

As a matter of fact.  That's a fabulous idea.  Just might do that later in the week.  I'll make my mom carry the picnic basket.

Or maybe hubs.

He's a big, strapping, hunk of a man.  He could easily carry the basket.  Nah....I think mama should do it.  Gotta wear her out somehow.

Another one of my favorite things about Colorado are the dogs.  Everyone has one, and they're so well behaved.  Never on a leash and never bothering anyone.  There were several on the trail.

I think my favorite was this gal....Belle.  We mistakenly made a comment about her being a "big girl" and her human rapidly corrected us saying she was just a little thick.  He said Belle walked this trail every day and was in great shape.  While we were stopped talking, she actually barked at her human to get going.  She didn't have time to stop and chat.  

 This guy ran all the way up and all the way down.

They were all so stinkin cute.

And there is always one laying outside of a store just waiting for their humans to do their business. Never making a peep.

I'm not sure Rafter would ever be quite so well behaved.

Sweet Corn Gelato

If you've visited here much, you know that I'm an Ohio girl.  More specifically, I'm a small farm town Ohio girl.  And Ohio sweet corn is king.  We even have a sweet corn festival.  I know.  Totally corny.  (Wow.  That was bad).  

There weren't too many summer nights growing up where there wasn't sweet corn on our table.   It was easy to come by......just about every farmer in town sold it along the side of the road....and it's easily one of my mom's favorite things.  That woman can thrown down when it comes to corn!

So when I saw the recipe for this in the August Bon Appetit, I knew I wanted to try it.  It's not made with my beloved Ohio corn since I live in Alabama, but it's still amazing.  Yes, it tastes like sweet corn, but it also tastes like a wonderfully smooth and deliciously sweet ice cream.  So to all of my Ohio relatives who have an abundance of corn (and the rest of you too) you have to give this a try.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Here's the recipe:

Sweet Corn Gelato

Bon Appetit, August 2011

3 ears of sweet corn, preferably white, husked
3 1/2 ups (or more) whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
1 tsp. kosher salt

Cut kernels from corn cobs, reserve cobs.  Break each cob into 2-3 piece.  Bring milk to a simmer in a large saucepan.  Add corn kernels and cobs.  Remove mixture from heat, cover and let steep for 45 minutes.

Remove cobs from milk, discard.  Puree mixture in batches in a blender.   Set a coarse strainer over a large bowl.  Strain mixture, pressing on solids, discard solids.  Add more milk if needed to measure 3 1/2 cups.

Bring corn mixture, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and cream to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Set a strainer over a medium bowl, set aside.  Whisk remaining 1.4 cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl.  Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture, return to saucepan.  Stir constantly over medium heat until custard registers 175 deg. F on an instant read thermometer, about 2 minutes.

Immediately pour custard through strainer.  Place bowl with custard over a large bowl of ice water.  Let stand until cool.  Cover and refrigerate custard for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

Process custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer to a container, freeze for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Manchego and Toasted Walnuts

So it seems that I haven't been posting enough savory items for some of my readers!  After I posted a link for the baked camembert recipe on Facebook Monday, my favorite cousin commented, "Now we're talkin!  No more desserts.  :)"  She's always been a little opinionated but fortunately for her, she's my homegirl and I happen to agree with her.   So I'm making a concerted effort to make things a little more balanced around here.

This salad is a perfect place to start.  I wish that the title didn't give it away because anytime you say "Brussels sprouts", OMG.....noses turn up, gag reflexes engage, and everyone starts acting like a six year old who refuses to eat their veggies.  But, I guarantee you'll change your mind about the little cabbages after you try this.  In fact, this is a great way to sneak some nutrition in on your unsuspecting vegetable hating friends and family.   It's so good they'll end up thanking you.  It's the perfect combination of taste and texture.  And it's something that can be made ahead of time because the longer the Brussels sprouts, walnuts and cheese have to get to know one another, the better.

Serve this to everyone you know as soon as possible.  They'll beg you for the recipe.


Here it is:

Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Manchego and Toasted Walnuts

In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

10 ounces Brussels sprouts (1 container) trimmed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Coarse seal salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste (I only used about 1/3 cup)
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup grated Manchego or young pecornio cheese (or even aged Gruyere)

In a food processor using the thinnest slicing disk (I sliced mine on a mandoline), slice the Brussels sprouts (they will fall apart into shreds).  Or, using a knife, slice the sprouts as thinly as possible  Put the sprouts in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

Add the oive oil and toss well.  Add the walnuts and cheese and toss gently.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  You can serve this immediately, but it gets better after an hour or so.

Baked Camembert with Walnut Crumble and Ginger Marmalade

Who doesn't love a gooey, oozing baked brie.....especially encased in a buttery puff pastry?  OK, I'm sure there's someone out there that doesn't, but they're not members of my family of frankly, friends of mine!  In fact, when I serve baked brie to my crew, all of those lessons in boxing out during my high school basketball days come in damn handy.  You've got to throw some serious elbows to get my father out of the way so you're able to get remotely close to getting your fair share!

So imagine my shock when I read this recipe in Melissa Clark's fabulous book "In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite."  Oh and if you don't read her column, "A Good Appetite" in the New York Times, you're really missing out.  She has such a wonderful, engaging way of turning a simple recipe into a great story.....and a simple story into a great recipe!  Anyhoo....in this recipe, she writes that during a party at her home, she happened to overhear a few snarky comments regarding her perceived lack of sophistication at serving baked brie.  She also observed those same people gobbling it up.

Because she wasn't willing to forego a guilty pleasure, she decided she needed to maybe kick it up a notch, so to speak, so she went with the slightly more pungent Camembert.  She also added the ginger marmalade for some subtle sweetness and warm spice and the toasted walnuts for texture.  It totally works.  One of the other advantages of using camembert is that it comes in those handy 4" rounds so it's easy to wrap in the pastry.  Unless you're serving a big crowd (or my dad) and can use a whole large round of brie, the wedges tend to ooze a little too much and aren't quite as pretty once wrapped in the pastry.

That being said, I think the next time I'll try this with good ole trailer park brie!  I really prefer the more mild flavor and besides my friends and family aren't all that sophisticated anyway!  But if you need to impress at your next cocktail party serve this......but make sure you mention that it's Camembert.  I guess.

Here's the recipe:

Baked Camembert with Walnut Crumble and Ginger Marmalade

Adapted from In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 square of puff pastry, rolled out big enough to wrap around cheese
1 Camembert cheese wheel
1/8 cup ginger or bitter orange marmalade
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F and line a baking sheet with foil.  In a medium bowl, using your fingers to combine the walnuts, flour, butter, brown sugar, and salt.  Gently rub the mixture together until it forms large crumbs.

On a floured surface, roll out into a round about 1/4 inch thick.  Place the cheese in the center of the dough round.  Spread the top with the marmalade, then cover with the walnut streusel.  Fold the dough over the cheese.  Brush with the egg.

Set the packet into a gratin dish and place on the prepared sheet pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (Some of the cheese may bubble out.)  Serve warm with slices of baguette or crackers.

Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze

I'm having a houseful of family Labor Day weekend.  They're all arriving on Thursday evening and staying until  Monday and they all like to drink eat so I've been trying out several different recipes before they get here.  There have been a few flops.....like the Butterscotch Pie that was actually butterscotch soup.  Don't know what happened with that one.  

This cake, however, was not a flop.  It actually got the most glowing reviews from my taste testers.   And they were skeptical from the get-go.  I loved this one, as well.  The plums are just the right combination of sweet and tart, and the cake is moist with that wonderful warm spice from the cardamom.  And then there's the topping......crunchy almonds with cinnamon and a little more cardamom are sent over the top when you pour on that toffee glaze.  Heavenly.

A slice of this would be equally as good with either your morning cuppa joe or as an afternoon pick-me-up.  I'm sure my dad will have both!

Here's the recipe:

Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze

Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

Streusel:

1 cup sliced unblanched or blanched almonds

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, melted

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

5 medium plums, halved, pitted and cut into eighths

Glaze:

2 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Big pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

To make the streusel, in a medium bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients.  Toss with a fork or your fingers until evenly moistened, making sure the almonds are well dispersed.  Set aside.

To make the cake, in a small whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until completely incorporated.  Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the 1 teaspoon vanilla and the buttermilk and finally the remaining flour mixture.  Mix until just combined.

Scrape the butter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Arrange the plum slices in an even layer on top of the batter and gently press them in.  Sprinkle the streusel over the plums.

Bake until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan.  Release the sides of the springform pan.

To make the glaze, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 2 tablespoons butter with the dark brown sugar, cream and salt.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer gently for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and let cool completely.  Once cool, stir in the vanilla.  Spoon the glaze over the cake, encouraging some to drip down the sides.

Serve slices of the cake warm or at room temperature.

The cake is best the same day but can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days well wrapped.

You can also substitute fresh apricots for the plums.  A handful of fresh raspberries can be added to the fruit as well.

Ricotta and Herb Stuffed Chicken

Shocking!  I'm not posting a dessert recipe.  It seems like that's all I've been posting lately, but the regular dinner stuff I've been cooking just doesn't seem post-worthy!  When it's this hot (it's been over 100 degrees for the past few days, but we finally got a little break today after a passing rain shower overnight!) I usually keep it simple....some fish and vegetables tossed on the grill.  But I made this chicken a few weeks ago and we loved it so much that I thought I would share.  I know the picture sucks, but the taste of the chicken more than makes up for it.

I did this with a whole chicken that I butterflied.....here's a video on how to do that yourself (it's simple), or you can always ask the butcher to do it for you.  Or even easier, you can simply do this with a few whole chicken breasts.....bone in, skin on, of course!   And you can even make the stuffing a day ahead and keep it in the fridge until you're ready making this a relatively quick weeknight dinner.

The smells this creates coming from you oven while it's baking are mouthwatering.  Actually smelled like lasagna!!  Oh, and don't throw that left-over filling away (I actually advise making extra!!).  Bake it in a separate dish and serve it on the side.  Dayum, is it good!

I adjusted the herbs also, based on what was in my garden.  I used chopped fresh basil, oregano, parsley and lemon thyme.  Use what you like.


Here's the recipe:

Ricotta and Herb Stuffed Chicken

Gourmet Magazine, July 2007

(The recipe is for two whole chickens, so adjust accordingly)

4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups whole-milk ricotta (preferably fresh; 2 lb)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (2 oz)
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup shopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 whole chickens (about 3 1/2 lbs each)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with racks in middle and lower third.

Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in ricotta, eggs, parmesan, herbs 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Take the butterflied chickens and spread them flat, skin sides up, in a oiled large 17- by 12-inch) shallow baking pan.  Gently slide your finger between skin and flesh of breast and legs of chicken to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin).  Using a small spoon, slide 2/3 cup ricotta mixture under skin, using a finger on outside of skin to spread filling over meat of breast, thighs and drumsticks.  Tuck wing tips under like pictured above.  Stuff second chicken in the same manner.  Brush skin of chickens all over with oil (2 tablespoons) and sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Spoon remaining filling into oiled baking dish.

Bake chickens in middle of oven 30 minutes, then put dish of stuffing in oven on lower rack.  Continue baking until chicken is just cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (through stuffing; do not touch bone) registers 170 deg. F and until gratin is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes more.  Let chickens rest 10 minutes, then cut each into quarters.  Serve with gratin.