Nantucket Christmas Cranberry Pie

Fresh cranberries from the south coast of Massachusetts are lovely and they last a long time in the refrigerator. I brought about 2 pounds to Florida with me rather than freeze them at home in Marion.

This "pie" is yummy and could be made in a cake pan, torte pan or tart pan. I used a pie plate. Next time I will use a torte pan lined with parchment so that I can take it out of the pan to slice.

This recipe is from Barefeet n the Kitchen dot com.

Mix 2 cups of frozen cranberries with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Stir well and spoon into a well-greased pie plate or pan.

Top with a dough of 3/4 c. softened butter, 1 cup or less of sugar, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp. almond extract (lemon would be nice, too) and 1 cup flour. Start with butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs, extract and beat again. Then beat in flour, just to mix well.

Spread this thick batter, but don't worry about it being too smooth. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes and test for doneness.

Fast Marinara

While I was perusing my instant pot cookbooks here in Florida, I came across this Fast Marinara recipe in one called Lose Weight with Your Instant Pot by Audrey Johns. It seemed like a great idea and I will think about canning this one once I get home this summer.

Combine 1 tsp olive oil and one minced yellow onion in the pot, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on saute, low heat until the onion softens. Add 4 minced garlic cloves (I use about 2T of my own roasted garlic) and saute for 2 more minutes. 

Add 1/4 cup chopped basil, some Italian seasonings you might like, 2 T* tomato powder (I use the Spice House but there are tons on Amazon). Then add 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (Trader Joe's Fire Roasted are great), 115-oz can tomato sauce and 1 6-oz can tomato paste, and 1 tsp. sugar. Cover and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release. 

Yummy and quick and easy. Now you have time to make your homemade pasta!

*Optional

Three-way Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Update! We had tons of stuffing left over. I bought 18 more peppers (both poblano and cubano) and roasted and stuffed more and froze them.

My favorite was the turkey so I saved stuffing for 4 peppers. I sauteed more fresh corn and onion and some seasonings until it was beautifully tasty. I also added crumbled queso fresco. I stuffed each pepper, topped with crumbled cotija and sliced Monterey jack and baked until the cheese was melted. I served it with tons of the lime crema (recipe below) and chopped cilantro.   

Much better!!

I wanted to experiment with poblano peppers for the February Gourmet Dinner I am co-hosting at Barbara Wolfe's home here in Verandah. We rode in Babcock Ranch to the farmer's market on Sunday and got fresh poblanos and corn and limes. I'd hoped to find the cheese table  at the farmer's market, but the day was so windy that some of the regular vendors stayed away. The produce stand is simply amazing and they had their tents tied down very well.

The poblanos keep very well in the frig for at least a few days. If I'd thought clearly, I would have tried to get them all the same size. 

I gathered about ten recipes I found together and chose the ingredients I wanted to experiment with: pepitas, chorizo, turkey, and spices.

Note: Because I was mixing meats and drippings from meat, and beef broth in the rice, I decided there would not be a vegetarian version.

First, I cut the peppers in half, leaving the stem intact for at least one of the halves. I removed the extra pulp and the seeds. I placed them cut side up on a grilling stone that I had brushed with olive oil. I cooked these for 7 minutes in a hot 500-degree oven. I turned them over on the grilling stone and left them for the stuffing stage.

               

I had a packet of frozen chorizo from Rosy Tomorrow's Heritage Farm Goodness Box last spring. It had remained vacuum-sealed and frozen, so I took it out to defrost. I remembered her chorizo as spicy, so I was careful not to over spice that meat. In fact, I used the drippings to saute the fresh corn kernels and black beans to give them some spice. So, not in this order, I cooked the chorizo and set it aside, cooked a pound of organic Florida ground beef and set it aside, and also cooked a pound of ground turkey. Less meat would have been fine. (In fact less rice, beans and corn would be fine for 4-6 peppers. 

I cooked rice using 1 cups medium grain white and 1/2 cup brown in my rice cooker, using 2 cups of water and 1 of beef broth. I set the cooked rice aside to cool.

I sauteed kernels of corn from 2 ears in the chorizo drippings. I added two cans of rinsed and drained black beans.

I drained 1 can of chopped tomatoes with peppers (Ro-Tel.)

I had NOT salted or peppered up to this point.

I sauteed 1 yellow onion and 1/2 large Vidalia onion (chopped) with 2 T of my homemade roasted garlic puree. At this point, I added salt and pepper to this mix.

Chorizo: I mixed 1/3 of the rice and 1/3 of the corn and black beans, 1/3 of the onion/garlic and set aside.

After adding the onion/garlic mixture (above), I then added 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp chili pepper to the onion/garlic mixture for the spice that the beef and turkey needed.  Note: I'll add more spice to taste before filling the peppers. The same with salt and pepper.

Beef: I mixed 1/3 of the rice and 1/3 of the corn and black beans, AND 1/2 of the chopped tomato, adding 1/2 of the onion/garlic mixture I had seasoned.

Turkey: I mixed 1/3 of the rice and 1/3 of the corn and black beans, AND 1/2 of the chopped tomato, and 1/2 of the onion/garlic mixture I had seasoned. I added 1/4 - 1/2 cup pepitas. I added a 1/2 cup soaked raisins; added a nice sweetness.

This left me with no ingredients left but the slightly charred peppers. I chilled all the mixtures in bowls so that I filled the peppers later before baking.  I expected to have plenty left for more recipes later in the week (enchiladas, etc.)

Cheeses: Crumbled queso fresca, shredded Cotija, and shredded Monterey Jack. Sprinkle over all the peppers before baking 10-12 minutes until the cheeses are melted in a 375 degree oven.

Lime Crema: Mix 1 cup of sour cream, 2T mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 lime, zested and juiced, 1 clove of garlic, pressed, and 1/2 tsp. coarse salt. Process until smooth. Double as necessary!

Green Tea Ice Cream

Update for the Year of the Dragon Feast 2024: I added only two packets of the matcha powder (from Trader Joe's) and this ice cream was delightful! I garnished with a sesame-honey almond.

I'm not one to like green tea, but I seem to remember having green tea ice cream at an Asian restaurant or two and loving it. 

So for the Year of the Rabbit Gourmet Dinner on January 18th at my home on Cottonwood Bend (seven guests), I decided to make Matcha Green Tea and Ginger-Ginger-Ginger (a tried-and-true favorite) ice creams to serve with a crushed cookie topping and a fortune cookie that my co-host brought. 

Well, finding green tea powder was not easy. I looked in the international sections of grocery stores and in two Asian markets within a twenty-five-minute drive of home. Where did I finally find it? Trader Joe's. Thank goodness they opened a Trader Joe's in Fort Myers last year.   

The recipes I found all used powder (not Matcha drink mixes). They seemed easy enough. One called for a bit of vanilla and eggs in the cooked custard. The easiest one called for 5 T. of matcha powder and claimed one T is 6 grams. The Trader Joe's box is seven packets (equaling a total of 10.5 grams.) Gerry and I made a special trip to get more powder - and at $7.99 per box, it seemed an expensive endeavor. Ah well. When pouring the packets out, I had second thoughts about 30 grams of powder and used only 21. Well, I should have listened to my head and used only one box. The ice cream is very strongly flavored. We shall see!

I ended up making it with  Jeni's ice cream base because I knew that would work. This added a few more ingredients than the four in the "easy" recipes I found online that called for milk, cream, Matcha powder and salt. 

So, I made the custard mix with the usual ingredients. In addition, I mixed 14 (but use only 7!!) packets of the Matcha powder with 1/2 c. of the heavy cream. Use an immersion blender to make sure it is totally mixed. (Or blend in a blender.)  Warm the milk/cream and sugars as the Jeni's base calls for and then add the Matcha/cream to the pot. Boil just 3 minutes, take off the heat, and add the slurry. Turn back on the heat and boil 1 minute until thickened. Mix in the cream cheese and salt. (I always use an immersion blender in the deep pot to make sure the cornstarch and cream cheese have blended. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

Cool on ice for an hour or so and process in the ice cream maker for 60 minutes and pack into container to freeze at least eight hours.

Ice cream base:

The base recipe is 2-1/3 cups milk, 1-1/2 heavy cream, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 c Light Karo. Heat to boiling and boil 3-4 minutes, stirring. Take off heat and stir in a slurry of 2 T cornstarch mixed with about 1/4 c of the milk (above). Bring back the heat and stir until thickened. Take off heat, mix in 2 T softened cream cheese and a generous pinch of sea salt. I use an immersion blender to take out any lumps. At some point all recipes will tell you when to mix in flavorings, syrups, and other ingredients. Pour the hot custard into a cold pan that can settle safely on a container that holds ice water. Pour into ice cream maker or compressor when it’s cool. Process according to the machine/maker. 

Pork Tenderloin with Honey, Rosemary and Thyme

This dish is cooked in the instant pot because we wanted moist, easy and fast preparation for a dinner with lots of courses.

This recipe instructed that if the tenderloin weighed less than 1-1/4 pounds then the cooking time is one minute. If it is heavier than 1-1/4 pounds, the cooking time is 3 minutes. The recipe also said that two tenderloins could be cooked at the same time, as long as they are seared separately. So we settled on 2 minutes for two 1-1/4 pound tenderloins in the instant pot at the same time. Also, start with a tenderloin that has rested at room temperature.

First, remove the tenderloin from the plastic wrapping and dry with paper towels. Mix together 1tsp. garlic powder,  2 tsp. dried rosemary, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Rub the tenderloin with 1/2 T. olive oil and pat on the dried seasonings. Double this seasoning mixture if making two tenderloins. 

Whisk together ingredients to make the cooking liquid and gravy: 3/4 cup chicken broth, 2 T soy sauce, 2 T honey, and 2 tsp. dijon mustard. Make a slurry of 2 T cornstarch combined with 2 T. water and set it aside.

Add 1/2 T. olive oil to an instant pot on the saute setting, or in a separate grilling pan. Sear the tenderloins on all sides. Remove to a plate. 

Pour the chicken broth mixture into the instant pot. Deglaze the pot and scrape off the bits on the bottom. Return the pork to the pot and close and seal. Cook on high pressure. Let the pork naturally release for 12 minutes.

If the pork is not cooked (test for doneness with an instant-read thermometer or by slicing into the center to see if it is raw) return to the pot, lock the lid back on and cook in the residual heat for 2-3 minutes more.

Let the pork rest for 10 more minutes.

Press cancel on the instant pot and then press saute. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and let it come to a simmer, stirring often. Press cancel. Stir periodically. 

Pour gravy over the tenderloin. We served with roasted potato wedges and roasted Brussels sprouts leaves.

Roasted Butternut Squash-Carrot and Apple-Red Onion Maple Soup

I attended the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Library System at the Devens Commons Conference Center last Monday and was treated to a delicious lunch of soup and salad. The butternut squash soup was absolutely delicious but it was like dessert. I wanted to duplicate it at home for a special dinner on the weekend.

I found several recipes online for butternut squash soup with apple and maple syrup. I put the ingredients together and the result was an absolutely yummy soup. And this was a perfect size recipe. We served just a ladle full into a low soup plate. There were enough cups left over to send home with them for a side serving the next day.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (on bake or roast).

First, cut one large, peeled and seeded butternut squash into chunks (or use two pounds precut chunks); chop three large peeled carrots; dice 1/2 small red onion; and core, peel and chop 2 large HoneyCrisp apples (or other firm, tart apples.)

Toss the squash and carrots with 2 T. olive oil and salt and pepper. Place them on a parchment paper-lining baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes.

In a Dutch oven or medium pot, saute the apples and chopped red onion in 2 T olive oil in a large soup pot for 10 minutes on medium-low to soften them. (I plan to add a tsp. of roasted garlic next time.)

When the squash and carrots are softened (not crisped or burned), toss them into the pot with the apple and onion. Add 3 cups of vegetable broth/stock and blend them. I blended them in our Magic Bullet but you could use an immersion blender, a food processor, or a blender. Don't overblend into baby food! I left a touch of texture. Add more broth if it is too thick and add more as you go for a desired consistency (thick, but not too thick.)

Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 1/4 tsp.of nutmeg.  Stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes to full incorporate the flavors. Reheat before serving with buttered croutons, a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream (or yogurt), a dribble of maple syrup, and a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Autumn Dinner