Fruitcake Biscotti

We loved this for Christmas morning with coffee.  And every morning after until they were gone! The recipe makes about 4 dozen generously sized biscotti. They were perfectly crisp and perfectly soft.

This is Martha's recipe:

• INGREDIENTS

  4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 large eggs plus 1 beaten large egg white, divided
• 1 1/2 cups sliced blanched almonds
• 1 cup candied citrus peel
• 2 cups mixed dried fruit, diced small
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using paddle attachment, combine flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add butter and beat on medium-high until coarse crumbs form. With mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in almonds, citrus peel, and dried fruit.
2. On two parchment-lined baking sheets, shape dough into four 3-inch-wide logs. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until just set in middle, 30 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. With a serrated knife, cut logs on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets until just golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets on racks.

Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

What a piece of cake - er, candy - this recipe is. From King Arthur Flour, it's a lot like a Heath Bar. I made double their recipe.

Update: December 31, 2015 - I made this again with dried cranberries added to the nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts).

• 2 cups unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (sea salt) plus more sea salt flakes or crystals
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 4-5 cups diced and chopped pecans, walnuts and slivered and sliced almonds.  I used mostly toasted ones. 
• 5-1/3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped; or any combination of chips, squares, etc.
• Chocolate candy topping if desired 

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a deep and big saucepan.  Stir in salt, sugar, water, corn syrup. Bring this mixture to a boil and boil gently over medium heat. I stirred and used a med. high temperature on the stove. It's frothy and light for about 12 minutes and then it turns caramel and less frothy as it gets to 280-300 degrees. As soon as it turns to caramel, it can quickly heat to 300 so watch carefully and use a thermometer.  Don't burn. Take it off the heat. I have a thermometer that alarms at temp. 
At the same time that the sugar mixture is first gently bubbling, spread half the nuts on a large cookie sheet which has been light greased with butter. The nuts should be evenly packed. Top with half the chocolate.

When the syrup is ready, immediately pour over nuts and chocolate and top with the rest of the chocolate.  Press down.

I poured a layer of chocolate over this. See the chocolate in the recipe for Caramel Nut Turtles on this blog. About a cup. Spread over and sprinkle with sea salt flakes or large crystals.

Cool in the garage overnight.

Break into uneven chunks by cutting with knife.

Get Sauced for the Holidays

Cranberries are plentiful on the southern coast of Massachusetts. In fact, Massachusetts is the second producer of cranberries in the country!

I've been canning this cranberry sauce for years and will be making plenty this year.

5 pkg. of fresh cranberries
4 thin-skinned oranges
2 cups white sugar and 2 cups brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2-3 T orange-flavored liqueur

First, chop 1 pkg. of the cranberries and 1 orange, unpeeled but seeded and cut into 16ths in the Cuisinart or grind through the coarse blade of your meat grinder. Transfer the fruit to a bown and mix in the salt, 3 T sugar and the liqueur.  Let this sit for a day in the refrigerator.

Zest the other three oranges and juice them.

Place the 4 pkg. of cranberries, all the sugar, 1 cup of orange juice, the zest in a roomy pan. Boil, stir and cover for 4-5 min. Mix in the refrigerated cranberry/orange/liqueur mix at the last minute.

Process in a water bath for 15-20 minutes.

Dried Fig and Apricot Jam with Anise Seed

In a Jam

It’s that time of year again. The days are warm and the nights are cool and thoughts of a steamy kitchen full of ripe tomatoes, peaches, apples, spices, herbs, and glass canning jars can be comforting.  Years ago I bought Gravenstein apples by the bushel to make homemade applesauce and Roma tomatoes by the box to make sauces. I relied on my trusty Ball canning jar insert literature and my Better Homes and Gardens canning and preserving recipe books. I also relied on my time as an at-home mom.

I pressure-canned mushroom marinara with tomatoes and bits of onion and garlic. Sometimes the marinara never made it to its marriage with the pasta it was meant for; instead, my children sometimes ate it straight from the jar with a spoon. The barbecue sauce, spicy and rich, was canned with the hope that it would make it through the winter, but it rarely did. The applesauce was chunky and flavorful and it accompanied pans of homemade macaroni and cheese.

And that’s the way it was when my at-home time was more plentiful.

Of course, life got in the way for several decades and while I still occasionally canned spicy cranberry sauce for the holidays, my water-bath canner and pressure canner collected dust along with the recipe books I had long ago loved and relied on.

This past week, I was inspired to begin canning again so that I could share some of the fruits of summer and fall with my family. I searched high and low for the recipes in the books that I had loved in years past, but to no avail. Although I can’t imagine giving the books away, they seem to have disappeared from my bookshelves. Thank goodness for my library and the Minuteman Library Network. Importantly, although my recipes were tried, true, and delicious, time has moved on and I have found some great new recipes. Gerry also picked up the hint and gave me some new canning books for my birthday! I'm

No one should be intimidated with canning jams, jellies, sauces, and relishes. It isn’t exactly rocket science, but it is very important to follow the rules. A very old technique of covering jellies and jams with paraffin is no longer considered safe. It’s also very important to use the correct method when preserving and canning anything. Boiling water-bath canning requires less science and less expensive equipment. Pressure canning differs in many ways, including using a costly pressure canner and a more organized kitchen. The reasons to use one over another depend greatly on the acidity and pH levels of the food being canned.

Therefore, it’s important to use a reputable cookbook. The Department of Agriculture has specific guidelines and most cookbook authors will rely on those. Choosing the right cookbook is essential for the first-time canner. Reading the introduction and chapters on canning essentials is a must. Following recipes and instructions is essential.

The Ball Company began manufacturing jars in the 19th century and it continues to be an expert in the field nearly 150 years later. The 37th edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (2011) is a tremendous book for both beginning and expert cooks. The guides, charts and explanations for the novice and the tried-and-true recipes for long-time cooks will help any level of canner. Another terrific resource (and my second favorite) is any of the Better Homes and Gardens canning cookbooks: BHG Complete Canning Guide (updated in 2015) and BHG You Can Can (2010). Another is Can It! (2012) edited by Jan Miller.

Lauren Devine, co-author of the Complete Book of Home Preserving (2006) was a test kitchen scientist with Jarden Home Brands (now the parent owner of the Ball Co.) Canning and Preserving for Beginners (2007) by Rockridge Press is also a terrific book to get you started; essential recipes and a canning supplies guide is a great resource in this book.

Once you’ve found that canning is not as terrifying as it sounds, and you’ve invested in some equipment, there is a multitude of great books in our own collection in Norwood. Blue Ribbon Canning by Linda Amendt and Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry by Cathy Barrow are two books just published in the last year. There are specialty books for those who want to make small batches of preserves for their own family or for gifts: Southern Living Little Jars, Big Flavors (2013), The Canning Kitchen by Amy Bronee, and Food in Jars (2011) and Preserving by the Pint (2014) both by Marisa McClellan are four of them.

Rachel Saunders, author of The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook (2010) followed that book up with The Blue Chair Cooks with Jam and Marmalade in 2014. She has recipes for adding the contents of your jars to homemade jars to muffins, ice cream, and salads. Another book with plenty of recipes is Eugenia Bone’s Well-Preserved (2009). Pints of her Tomatillo Sauce can be used in Corn and Tomatillo Soup or Chicken and Tomatillo Stew. Gifts of pickled vegetables, savory relishes, and sweet jams and marmalades are sure to be used if they include a yummy recipe suggestion along with the jar.

The best way to put up the summer and fall bounties is to can throughout the year. Fruits can be frozen in the summer and preserved in the winter. Tomatoes can also be frozen by the bushel when Romas are plentiful and ripe and cooked into sauces and catsups in March.

I’m hoping my Strawberry-Margarita,Triple-Berry and Caramelized Onion jams are happily eaten this winter when the fresh berry season is long over. Cranberry season has just now arrived on the South Coast of Massachusetts. Ketchup, Cranberry Barbecue Sauce, and Bourbon Cranberries should be welcome additions to our holiday table and those of friends.

Lamb and Flageolets with Fay's Relish

Bob's Red Mill has heritage flageolet beans and I had a bag of them on our pantry shelf. I just knew they would be good with a bone-in lamb shoulder steak I had in the freezer. I found this recipe in Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington's Heirloom Beans. I think any lamb would do.

Warm 2 T. olive oil in a large pot, turn to medium high and place a seasoned steak in the pot. Sear it well until is is browned. Remove the steak and reduce the heat to medium and add 2 small carrots (peeled and chopped), 1 celery stalk (chopped), 1/2 medium yellow onion (chopped), 3 garlic cloves (minced) with a bit more oil. Saute until golden.

Add 1 pound of soaked flageolet beans* and cover the beans and vegetables. Return the lamb to the pot (crock pot works well) and cook several hours on high (more hours on lowe) until the beans and lamb are tender.

Make a relish with 1 large bunch of cilantro (chopped), 1 medium shallot (minced), 2 garlic cloves (minced), the grated zest of a lemon with 1/2 of the juice, and 1 T. olive oil.  Stir together.

*soak the beans for several hours. You may substitute cellini or runner cannellini beans.

Black Bean Chili for a Spring Sunday

I wanted to make chili for the guys today - it's a gorgeous spring day but still a bit cool and I needed to use up some ground beef in the freezer.  Some of the stuff I used can be substituted for other things in the frig and pantry.

3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste along the way
1 cup chopped red, orange, yellow peppers
1 cup chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves

1 tsp. ground coriander, roasted garlic flakes and celery salt
1 T. dried cilantro, cumin, minced onion, and chili powder (more to taste)
1 can chopped jalapeno peppers
2 cans chopped tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil
1 qt. of vegetable or beef stock
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 T. molasses or sorghum*
any kind of mole, enchilada or chipotle sauce, if you have it.

2 pounds ground beef, browned
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. Wondra flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
Williams-Sonoma Tacolicious Mole Rojo
*Muddy Pond Horsepowered Tennessee Sorghum

I heated up 2 T of the olive oil with salt and pepper and threw in a bag chopped red,orange and yellow peppers (about one cup) I had frozen. I don't like green peppers and this was a great substitute. I added about a cup of chopped shallots and sauteed it all with three garlic cloves, sliced thin. I threw in 1 tsp. of ground coriander, 1 tsp. of celery salt, 1 T. dried cilantro, some roasted garlic flakes, 1 T. cumin and 1 T. chili powder.  I sprinkled on some dried minced onion and cooked this all together, adding some vegetable stock to keep it from sticking to the pan.  I then added 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (with garlic, basil and oregano) and 1 can of chopped jalapeno peppers.  To this I added about 1/2 cup of some Williams-Sonoma Tacolicious Mole Rojo.

I tossed this all in a crock pot and set it on High (4 hours) with 1/4 cup real maple syrup and 1 T. Muddy Pond Horsepowered Tennessee Sorghum.  Some molasses might work just as well for flavor.

I added 1/4 cup cornmeal to this and mixed well, topping off with the rest of the quart of vegetable stock and let it all start cooking.

I browned 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef and placed this in a colander to drain the fat. I added it to the chili and let it all cook for about 2 hours.  When it was bubbling, I sprinkled on 1/4 cup of Wondra flour and mixed it in very well so as not to lump or clump.  I then added four drained cans of black beans.

I cooked this all on High for four hours and then set it to 12 hours warm until the guys ate it later with chips.

If I had had grated cheese, more chopped onion, fresh corn, sour cream, chopped cilantro and sliced avocados, I would have served it with these - but I didn't.  They loved it anyway.

Baked Eggs with Fresh Cheese and Uncured Ham

Yesterday, we traveled about on the South Coast and found a small shop called Milk and Honey in Tiverton, RI. I must admit, we were a bit disappointed in the fact that there was very little honey in this shop, but there was a great selection of cheese.  I bought something called Cloumage which is a fresh cheese like a softened buttery cream cheese in a tub. It wasn't too expensive (we also bought some Rubiolo which was a bit pricey.)

This morning, I melted butter in some medium, deep crocks (see photo - these are like ramekins but are deep and not tiny.)
I lined the crocks with three slices of uncured Trader Joe (no nitrite) Black Forest Ham. I sauteed two shallots in butter, salt and pepper until they were nice and golden and limp and placed them on the ham. Then I spooned about 3 T of the fresh cheese on top and sprinkled it with about 12-15 fresh cilantro leaves. I dropped in two fresh eggs (without breaking), topped with fresh pepper and sea salt and lightly sprinkled with Trader Joe Bread Crumbs. I baked them for about 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven until I could see that the whites were cooked and the yolks not completely.

Yummy! We had no breads in the house so I added Asiago and Cheddar Cheese Crisps.

Liddabit Sweets' Turtles

It's Volunteer Appreciation Day once again - the 4th annual at the Morrill Memorial Library and I'm making candy this year.

I'm a bit nervous because I'm not a candy maker and I don't trust those candy thermometers. But I'm risky and my oven is broken so stovetop is the real deal this year.

Update!  They were delicious. I assembled them in wide, shallow muffin cups I found at IKEA.  I made two matches from the ingredients I had leftover for neighbors.

3/4 c evaporated milk
3/4 c plus 1 T granulated sugar
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean, slit open and seeds scraped out, pod reserved 1/4 tsp. vanilla paste or 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
80-100 toasted pecan halves
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2 T unsalted butter
2 cups chopped dark chocolate (13 oz) OR
2 cups chopped dark chocolate and 1/3 c. clear oil
1-1/2 t coarse sea salt
Maldon sea salt for garnish

Stir together the sugar, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean and seeds in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered and without stirring.

While this caramel mixture is heating up, arrange the nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place 4-5 whole pecans in a star shape for each turtle.

Once the caramel mixture has come to a boil, insert the candy thermometer.  Add the light corn syrup and stir gently with the heatproof spatula until everything is mixed well. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring often and making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to keep the mixture from burning, until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F (thread stage) about 30 minutes.

Add the butter to the caramel mixture and fish out the vanilla bean. Stirring continuously, cook the caramel until it reaches 241 degrees F (soft-to-firm ball stage), 15-20 minutes; it will be a deep tawny color and have slow, rolling bubbles in the center. Remove it from the heat.

Stir in the salt and the vanilla paste or extract, making sure to mix well so that they are distributed evenly. Allow it to cool for about 5  minutes, stirring it a couple of times, until it thickens up a little bit and has the consistency of hot fudge.

Pour a couple tablespoons' worth of caramel onto each pecan cluster.  Allow them to set up until they are no longer warm, about 20 min.

Meanwhile, temper the 2 cups of chocolate or use the 2 cups of chocolate and 1/3 c. oil to make Cheater's Chocolate* coating.

Once the caramel has set up, pour some of the prepared chocolate into the clean funnel. Top each turtle with about a T of chocolate. The turtles' heads and feet should be visible.  When the turtle chocolate is completely cooled but not enough to be hard: Garnish with a few flakes of sea salt. You don't want the sea salt to melt into the chocolate but you do want it to stick.

Cheater's Chocolate Coating:
Melt the chocolate by placing it in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave on High for 20 seconds.  Stir the chocolate with a whisk or heatproof spatula, then continue heating it on High in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until the chocolate is completely melted.

Alternatively, use a  double boiler over simmering water, allowing the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally until it's completely liquid and there are no lumps (15-20 min.)  Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the oil (sunflower or safflower) until it is completely incorporated.  Keep the coating warm by setting the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until you're almost ready to use it; then remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it has the consistency of warm fudge sauce - 15-20 minutes.

Pears, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, using Blade B, spiralize and place on parchment on baking sheet. Roast 8-10 minutes after sprinkling with salt and pepper, to taste
Spiralize 1 large asian pear

Place 3-4 oz of arugula, ¾ cup pomegranate seeds, 3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts in bowl with spiralized pear.  Toss with vinaigrette.

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon soy sauce
and pepper, to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed and then minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Coat lightly with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through but still al dente. While the squash cooks, combine all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette and toss with pear, arugula and pomegranate seed.

Once butternut squash is done, add it to the large bowl and toss. Serve immediately.

We served this with Sockeye salmon broiled with a bit of salt and pepper and maple-balsamic oil.

Beef Bolognese with Fresh Pasta

Last night we arrived home late from holding the new grand babies at the hospitals and our last Blue Apron meal of the week, Beef Bolognese, was waiting to be cooked. It sounded heartwarming and hearty and as usual, Blue Apron has attended to all the details and all we have to to do is the fun stuff - cook and eat.

We liked this recipe so much that we thought we might duplicate it at a moment's notice and wanted to have the recipe handy.

For each two people: (multiply as needed)
8 ounces of premium ground beef
8 ounces of fresh pasta, preferably something wide and dense like Pappardelle
6 ounces of fresh, large Brussels sprouts (discard stems and white inner core saving only leaves)
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 yellow onion
1 large bunch rosemary
3 T. tomato paste
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Dice the carrot, celery, onion. Crush the garlic. Chop the rosemary leaves (leaves only)
Saute in a pan with 2 tsp. olive oil and stir until softened and fragrant, 2-4 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook until fragrant and deep red in color, 2-3 minutes.
Add the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper, breaking up meat and browning, 4-6 minutes.
Take off the heat while pasta cooks.
Add the pasta to boiling salted water and cook al dente, 3-4 minutes (unless dry pasta and cook a minute shy of the directions).
Reserve 1-1/2 cups of the pasta liquid and then drain the pasta completely.
Add pasta and 1 cup of the liquid to the meat sauce, cooking for 2-3 minutes until all is coated, thick and combined.
Add the Brussels sprout leaves and all put a pinch of the Parmesan to the pan.
Cook and coat 1-2 minutes. Add more of the pasta water if this is too dry. Season again with salt and pepper. Plate and garnish with the rest of the Parmesan.
Delicious and filling! And good for you, too. About 700 calories per serving.

Shopping list for four, six, eight: Four: 1 pound of fresh, premium ground beef 1 pound of fresh pasta, preferably something wide and dense like Pappardelle 12 ounces of fresh, large Brussels sprouts (discard stems and white inner core saving only leaves) 4 cloves garlic 2 carrots 2 stalks celery 2 yellow onions 2 large bunches rosemary 6 T. tomato paste 2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Six: 1-1/2 pound of fresh, premium ground beef 1-1/2 pound of fresh pasta, preferably something wide and dense like Pappardelle 18 ounces of fresh, large Brussels sprouts (discard stems and white inner core saving only leaves) 6 cloves garlic 3 carrots 3 stalks celery 3 yellow onions 3 large bunches rosemary 9 T. tomato paste 1 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Eight: 2 pounds of fresh, premium ground beef 2 pounds of fresh pasta, preferably something wide and dense like Pappardelle 24 ounces of fresh, large Brussels sprouts (discard stems and white inner core saving only leaves) 8 cloves garlic 4 carrots 4 stalks celery 4 yellow onions 4 large bunches rosemary 12 T. tomato paste 1-1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated