Here are the tastingspoons players. I’m in the middle (Carolyn). Daughter Sara on the right, and daughter-in-law Karen on the left. I started the blog in 2007, as a way to share recipes with my family. I’m still doing 99% of the blogging and holding out hope that these two lovely and excellent cooks will participate. They both lead very busy lives, so we’ll see.
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BOOK READING (from Carolyn):
Music of Bees, Eileen Garvin. Absolutely charming book about a woman in midlife, lonely, who raises bees, also makes unlikely friends. Heart-warming and very interesting about beekeeping.
A Postcard from Paris, Alex Brown. Really cute story. Dual time line, 1940s and present day about renovating an old apartment in Paris, things discovered.
Time of the Child, Niall Williams. Oh such a good book. Very small village in Ireland, 1960s. A baby is left on the doorstep. The town all whispers and helps. I listened to an interview of the author, which made me like him and his books even more.
Sipsworth, Simon Van Booy. If you like animals you’ll swoon. An old woman who really wants to die finds a tiny mouse in her house and befriends it and finds a reason to live. Utterly charming book.
The Forger’s Spell, Edward Dolnick. True story. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of Johannes Vermeer.
If You Lived Here, You’d be Home by Now, Christopher Ingraham. Could hardly put it down – about a journalist who takes on a challenge to move to small town in Minnesota and write about it. He expects to hate it and the people and place, but he doesn’t. Absolutely wonderful true story.
The River We Remember, William Kent Kreuger. 1950s, Minnesota. A murder and the aftermath. Could hardly put it down. Kreuger has such a vivid imagination and writing style.
How the Lights Gets In, Joyce Maynard. An older woman returns to New Hampshire to help care for her brain-injured son. Siblings and family, lots of angst and resentments.
The Filling Station, Vanessa Miller. Every American should read this book. A novelized retelling of the Tulsa massacre in 1921. Absolutely riveting.
The Story She Left Behind, Patti Callahan Henry. Love this author. Based on a true story. A famous author simply vanishes, leaving her husband and daughter behind. She had invented a mystical language no one could translate. Present day, someone thinks he’s solved the riddle, contacts the family. Really interesting read.
The Girl from Berlin, Ronald Balson. Love anything about Tuscany. An elderly woman is being evicted from a villa there, with odd deed provenance. Two young folks go there to help unravel the mystery. Loved it.
The Island of the Colorblind, Oliver Sacks, M.D. Nonfiction. The dr is intrigued by a remote Pacific island where most of the inhabitants are colorblind. He also unravels a mystery on Guam of people born with a strange neurological problem. Medical mysteries unveiled. Very interesting.
The Bookbinder, Pip Williams. Post 1914 London. Two sisters work at a bookbindery. They’re told to not read the books. One does and one doesn’t. One has visions beyond her narrow world; the other does not. Eventually the one gets into Oxford. Lovely story.
The Paris Express, Emma Donoghue. 1895 on a train to Paris, a disaster happens. You’ll delve into the lives of many people who survived and died in the crash.
A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Richard Grant. This is about Arizona. Author, wife and child move back to Arizona where they once lived. Part memoir, research, and reporting in a quest to understand what makes Arizona such a confounding and irresistible place.
The Scarlet Thread, Francine Rivers. A woman’s life turned upside down when she discovers the handcrafted quilt and journal of her ancestor Mary Kathryn McMurray, a young woman who was uprooted from her home only to endure harsh frontier conditions on the Oregon Trail.
A Place to Hide, Ronald Balson. 1939 Amsterdam, an ambassador has the ability to save the lives of many Jewish children. Heartwarming.
Homeseeking, Karissa Chen. Two young Chinese teens are deeply in love, but in China. Then their families are separated. Jump to current day and the two meet again in Los Angeles.
North River, Pete Hammill. He always writes such a good story. A doctor works diligently healing people from all walks of life. His wife and daughter left him years before. One day his 3-yr old grandson arrives on his doorstep.
A Very Typical Family, Sierra Godfrey. A very messed-up family. Three adult children are given a home in Santa Cruz, Calif, but only if the siblings meet up and live in the house together. A very untypical scenario but makes for lots of messes.
Three Days in June, Anne Tyler. The usual Anne Tyler grit. Family angst. This wasn’t one of my favorites, but it was entertaining and very short.
Saved, Benjamin Hall. Author is a veteran war reporter. Ukraine, 2022, he nearly loses his life to a Russian strike. Riveting story – he survives, barely.
Grey Wolf, Louise Penny. Another Inspector Gamache mystery in Quebec. She is such an incredible mystery writer.
All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each. Could hardly put it down.
Orbital, Samantha Harvey. Winner of 2024 Booker Prize. I don’t usually like those, but I heard the author interviewed and she hooked me. This is not a normal book with a beginning, a story and an end. It’s several chapters of the day in the life of various astronauts at the ISS (Int’l Space Station). All fictional. She’s been praised by several real astronauts for “getting it” about space station everyday life.
The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins. An island off Scotland. Inaccessible except when the tide is out. Weird goings on. An artist. A present day mystery too.
Iron Lake, William Kent Krueger. A judge is murdered and a boy is missing. Riveting mystery.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home, Carol Ricks Brunt. 1980s. A 14-yr old girl loses her beloved uncle. Yet a new friendship arises, someone she never knew about.
Four Treasures of the Sky, Jenny Zhang. 1880s, a young girl is kidnapped in China and brought to the United States. She survives with many hurdles in the path.
The Boy Who Fell out of the Sky, Ken Dornstein. Memoir, 1988. The author’s brother died in the PanAm flight that went down in Lockerbie, Scotland. A decade later he tries to solve “the riddle of his older brother’s life.”
Worse Care Scenario, T.J. Newman. Oh my. Interesting analysis of what could/might happen if a jet crashed into a nuclear plant. Un-put-downable.
Song of the Lark, Willa Cather. Complicated weave of a story about a young woman in about 1900, who has a gifted voice (singing) and about her journey to success, not without its ups and downs.
Crow Talk, Eileen Garvin. Charming story which takes place at a remote lake in Washington State, about a few people who inhabit it, the friendships made, but also revolving around the rescue of a baby crow.
The Story Collector, Evie Woods. Sweet story about some dark secrets from an area in Ireland, a bit magical, faerie life, but solving a mystery too.
A Sea of Unspoken Things, Adrienne Young. A woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death. She goes to a small town in California to figure it out, to figure HIM out.
The King’s Messenger, Susanna Kearsley. 1600s England, King James. About one of his trusted “messengers,” and his relationship with a young woman also of “the court.” Lots of intrigue.
In the Shadow of the Greenbrier, Emily Matchar. Interesting mystery in/around the area of the famous resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Isola, Allegra Goodman. Hard to describe, survival story on an island in the 1600s.
Save the Date, Allison Raskin. Rom-com, witty, LOL funny. Clever.
The Sirens, Emilia Hart. Numerous time-lines, Australia. Mysteries abound, nightmares, abandoned baby, weird allergies.
Red Clay, Charles Fancher. LOVED this book. Mostly post-Civil War story about the lives of slaves in Alabama during Reconstruction.
Stars in an Italian Sky, Jill Santopolo. Dual time line, 1946 and recent time. Love stories and a mystery.
Battle Mountain, C.J. Box. Another one of Box’s riveting mysteries. Love his descriptions of the land.
Something Beautiful Happened, Yvette Corporon. A memoir of sorts in Greece, tiny island of Erikousa, where the locals hid Jews during WWII. All elusive stories told by the author’s grandmother.
The Jackal’s Mistress, Chris Bohjalian. 1860s Virginia, about a woman who saves the life of a Union soldier. Really good story.
Song of the Magpie, Louise Mayberry. Really interesting story about Australia back in the days when it was mostly a penal colony. Gritty strength of a woman trying to thrive with her farm.
The Boomerang, Robert Bailey. A thriller that will have you gripping the book. About a lot of secrets surrounding the president (fictional novel, remember) and his chief of staff and about cancer. A cure. Such a good story.
Care and Feeding, Laurie Woolever. Really interesting memoir of a woman driven to succeed in the restaurant business. She worked for Mario Batali and then Anthony Bourdain. Gritty stories.
Everything is Tuberculosis, John Green. Maybe not a book for everyone. A real deep dive into the deadly tuberculosis infection, its history. I heard the author interviewed and found the book very interesting.
The Book Lovers Library, Madeline Martin. Fascinating read about Boots’ drug stores’ lending library. And the people who worked in them.
The Arrivals, Meg Mitchell Moore. LOL funny, about a middle-aged couple whose children (and their various family members) return to the family home and the chaos that ensues.
My Life as a Silent Movie, Jesse Lee Kercheval. About grief. A big move to Paris, finding herself a new life with a new set of real blood family.
Escape, Carolyn Jessop. Another memoir about a woman really in bondage in Utah, Mormon plural marriage.
My blog's namesake - small, old and some very dented engraved silver plated tea spoons that belonged to my mother-in-law, and I use them to taste my food as I'm cooking.
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Posted in Appetizers, Soups, on July 29th, 2010.
Looks like guacamole, doesn’t it? Wrong. It’s a smooth, unctuous spoon-able soup. Lovely on a hot, summer evening, in small glasses with some crushed tortilla chips on top and a little sprig of cilantro. It was VERY easy to make in the food processor. You just have to have some ripe avocados and some buttermilk. Very delicious.
Posted in Appetizers, easy, on July 27th, 2010.
Oh my goodness, was this good. And it’s so simple! It took about 5 minutes (well, maybe 8 or 9) to make it in the food processor – I did have to crush and chop fresh garlic, and run out to my kitchen garden to harvest some fresh mint, and mince a jalapeno (I didn’t want anyone to get a big hunk of jalapeno in their mouths, so I minced it up really fine to begin with, not trusting the food processor to do it). But the rest of it went into the processor and I touched the pulse button for about 15-20 seconds and it was done. I poured it out into a serving bowl, covered it with plastic wrap and pulled it out before serving.
The herbs absolutely make this. Since I love fresh cilantro any day, any time, and I’m in love with fresh mint these days, the combo of both herbs was a perfect marriage for me. The sour cream is nothing more than a neutral palate (like a piece of toasted bread is to a bit of jam) to mix with the herbs. Using light sour cream likely made no difference to the taste.
You could serve this with little baguette slices (toasted would be best), or the recipe suggested pappadums (an Indian fried bread) or some kind of crisp flatbread. I opted to serve it with some fresh sangak bread. People could tear off a piece of the thin, soft and chewy bread and spoon a bit onto it. My DH made a special trip to Wholesome Choice just to pick up a fresh flat of this delicious bread.
Recipe By: From Gourmet magazine, 8/2007
Serving Size: 8
1 cup light sour cream
2 cups cilantro — use a packed measure
2/3 cup fresh mint — use a packed measure
1 tablespoon green onion — chopped
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper — seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger — peeled and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1. Place all ingredients into blender (or food processor).
2. Puree until the mixture is evenly green with just tiny flecks of the herbs. Pour out into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Serve with crackers, pita chips, a flatbread, or Indian pappadums. Or, if you have a source for Iranian sangak bread, use that.
Per Serving: 34 Calories; 1g Fat (21.1% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 25mg Sodium.
A year ago: Cherries (everything you’d ever want to know about them)
Two years ago: KFC coleslaw (no, it’s not their recipe, and nowhere near as good as theirs)
Three years ago: Grilled Salmon on Watercress Salad (one of our family favorites)
Posted in Appetizers, easy, on July 23rd, 2010.
A couple of weeks ago we invited a long-time friend over, who brought her new BF to meet us. Donna brought along not only Mark, but a delicious appetizer too. This stuff is scrumptious. It’s the cream cheese that makes it, I think. Well, and the bacon. And there isn’t anything in it that’s healthy, but if you want an easy and really tasty dip that you can make a few hours ahead (in fact it should be made a couple of hours ahead of time), this is it.
Donna said she found the recipe on the internet somewhere. Ah, I found it at about.com. That site that offers lots of information. Kind of like Wikipedia, but it’s different. And they have some recipes too.
Anyway, you just mix up cream cheese and mayo, then add in the cooked and crumbled bacon, Parmigiano-Reggiano grated, a dash of garlic powder, some green onions, then gently stir in some chopped cherry tomatoes. It gets refrigerated for a couple of hours and you’re ready to go.
We really enjoyed Mark – he’s a keeper, as they say in dating circles. So is she, for that matter! Donna was one of the first employees I hired at the first ad agency I worked for. This was back, oh, 1977, I’m guessing. She only worked for me for a year, then she got pregnant and quit. But we stayed friends, through many jobs for her, through her divorce. That’s what being girlfriends is all about. Donna is a sweetheart and I love her to pieces. She’s a grade school teacher now. She e-mailed the recipe and said it was okay to share it on my blog. This, too, is a keeper.
Recipe By: From my friend Donna, who found it at about.com
Serving Size: 8
8 slices bacon — cooked, crumbled
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup green onion — minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes — chopped
1. Combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl. Mix well, until it’s thoroughly combined.
2. Add the Parmigiano, garlic powder, bacon and green onion. Stir to combine, then gently stir in the cherry tomatoes.
3. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours. Serve with breadsticks, crackers or toasted French bread (the best).
Per Serving: 262 Calories; 26g Fat (87.2% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 45mg Cholesterol; 358mg Sodium.
Three years ago: Citrus Gazpacho
Posted in Appetizers, on June 21st, 2010.
For those of you who live in non-Trader Joe’s geography, I’m truly sorry. Sad for you! Because you can’t buy the plentitude of good stuff the store has to offer. And the really nice prices too. So you can tune out here. But, for those of you who DO live in Trader Joe’s country, get thyself to the store and buy these adorable mini-wontons. They’re in the freezer case with the other wontons and pot stickers. (Except that last time I went they were out of them – hope that doesn’t mean they’re discontinuing them – they’re new – they can’t do that!) They’re chicken and vegetable. They’re tiny, bite-sized. Perfect for an appetizer. My friend Cherrie brought these (above) to a dinner we had here a couple of weeks ago. These disappeared very quickly. But then, our youngest grandson, Vaughan, “almost 3,” he says, was madly in love with these. He must have eaten about 13-15 of them all by himself. Always dipping them, with a toothpick, into the sauce.
Since I love the dressing I make for my Grilled Salmon on Watercress Salad, that’s what I’d serve with it – it takes two shakes to make this. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, don’t worry about it – it’s very forgiving. If you have leftover sauce, toss it on a salad. It tastes great that way.
Asian Dipping Sauce:
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger root — minced
1 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper — to taste
Combine ingredients and allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving.
One year ago: Lamb and Eggplant Shepherd’s Pie
Two years ago: Chicken Salad with Almonds Sandwiches (for a tea), Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches (also for a tea), Ham Mousse sandwiches (ditto)
Three years ago: Chicken with Artichokes and Olives
Posted in Appetizers, Grilling, on June 7th, 2010.
These skewers were so pretty. And very tasty. At the Tarla Fallgatter cooking class two weeks ago she made these mozzarella-walnut bread-tomato appetizer skewers. The brown cubes you see in the
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Posted in Appetizers, easy, on June 2nd, 2010.
Nope, that’s not guacamole. There are some similar flavors here, but it’s definitely not guacamole. It IS a kind of avocado dip, but made with all the flavors of Caesar dressing. Meaning it contains anchovies (just a little bit), Parmesan cheese, sour cream, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, and this one contains some cilantro too. And avocado . . .
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Posted in Appetizers, Breads, on May 27th, 2010.
At the bacon-oriented cooking class last week, Phillis Carey served numerous dishes, including this bread/tart/pizza thing that she mentioned was one of her top favorite dishes anytime, anywhere. That kind of recommendation is something I listen to closely. So when it was served early-on in the class, we all had great expectations. It did not disappoint!
This could be served as an appetizer. It could be served as a dinner dish – with a salad (that’s what I did) – or with soup. If there was such a thing as a French pizza, this would be it. It’s rich. Not only are the onions rich, but you stir it up with some sour cream (I used light) and an egg, along with a little squirt of Dijon mustard. Then you add some cheese on top. I happened to have some goat-cheese Monterey jack cheese on hand (Trader Joe’s). I mixed it with Gruyere and sprinkled that on top – you don’t need much. Oh my yes this was fabulous.
Buying a raw ball of pizza dough is so darned easy. A 1-pound ball (Trader Joe’s) is just enough to fill one of the 15×10 baking pans. Do use a Silpat underneath . . . the dough will adhere to it well and it takes very little effort to push it out to the edges. If you don’t have a Silpat, I am pointing my finger at you … telling you to go out and buy one. You’ll not regret it. I use mine all . . . the . . . time. The filling is piled on top (leaving a 1/2 inch border of dough) then cheese is sprinkled. It bakes for about 25 or so minutes – do use convection bake on this one. You want the underside of the pizza to be just golden brown – so check for that as it’s baking.
If you don’t have convection bake it might take another 5 minutes or so of traditional baking time. Let it rest for a few minutes (so you don’t burn the roof of your mouth) before serving.
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Recipe By: From a Phillis Carey cooking class 5/2010
Serving Size: 6
8 slices bacon — smoky type, thick-sliced, chopped
5 cups yellow onions — sliced
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt — (maybe optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch ground nutmeg — freshly grated
1 pound pizza dough
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese — grated
1. Preheat oven to 375 using convection bake, if that’s available.
2. Saute bacon in heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crisp. Drain out most of the bacon drippings. Add onions to bacon and saute over medium heat until onions are very tender and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool.
3. Whisk egg, sour cream, mustard, salt (if using), pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl to blend. Stir this into the cooled onion mixture.
4. PIZZA DOUGH: Use a large baking sheet and line it with a Silpat. Roll and stretch the pizza dough out onto the Silpat. If it shrinks, stretch it as far as it will go, cover with a slightly dampened tea towel and wait 10 minutes. Stretch the dough again. Allow it to rest a 2nd time and stretch the dough until it’s nearly filled the pan.
5. Spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch unadorned border around edges. Sprinkle the pizza with the cheese (it will seem like very little, but it’s sufficient). Bake the tart until the onion-custard is set and crust is golden brown around the edges and on the bottom (use a knife to lift up the crust to see if the bottom is browned), about 25 minutes.
6. Remove the pizza from the pan and put out onto a cooling rack (off the baking sheet). Allow to cool about 10 minutes, then slice and serve in wedges or rectangles.
Per Serving: 357 Calories; 14g Fat (35.4% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 61mg Cholesterol; 392mg Sodium.
A year ago: ButterSCOTCH pudding
Two years ago: Mashed Potatoes with Shallots and Truffle Oil
Posted in Appetizers, on May 25th, 2010.
Last week my friend Cherrie and I attended a cooking class with Phillis Carey. And the class subject? Bacon. There was bacon in absolutely every single dish. Yes, including dessert. You’ll have to stay tuned for that one!
Certainly you wouldn’t want to serve all of the bacon-laden dishes in the same meal, but oh, there are some real winning recipes in the bunch. I’ll be posting them in the next week or so. Maybe I’ll intersperse them with some others so you don’t go into bacon-reading overload.
Pancetta. You know what it is – an Italian bacon, but it’s not smoked. We Americans are much more interested in smoked food than other cuisines and cultures, apparently. Many major grocery stores now sell a little package of sliced pancetta. Pancetta comes in a round tubular shape, like a log, and they slice it super-thin. That’s what must be used for this appetizer. Here’s a photo of a typical pancetta package. Each of those tiny rounds is laid flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet (not touching) and reshaped slightly if necessary (you want it to be a complete round, not a u-shape).
The pancetta pieces are baked at a high heat until they turn golden-crisp, about 10 minutes. They need to be carefully slid onto a rack or on paper towels to drain. Meanwhile you mix up the filling. I use that word loosely as the pancetta rounds kind of crinch-up a bit, they get humpy and bumpy (examine the picture at top and you’ll see what I mean), so really all you do is carefully place a teaspoon of the goat cheese/pesto mixture on top. Whatever you do, don’t press down on the pancetta or the careful little tower you’ve built will collapse and shatter. Garnish with a little sliced basil and you’re done. Serve them while they’re still warm, if you can and eat the crisp in one bite.
Do make extra of these, as you’ll likely crumble a few. An average pancetta package holds about 8 slices, so you’ll need at least two of them, if not more. These are just scrumptious, so everyone will want at least two of them. Maybe you can buy the pancetta at an Italian deli also.
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Recipe By: From a Phillis Carey cooking class 5/2010
Serving Size: 16
NOTES: You can substitute sun dried tomato pesto for the basil, if preferred. MAKE AHEAD: You can also crisp the pancetta an hour or two ahead of time, then rewarm them for about 4-5 minutes at 350 before continuing with the filling, etc. The pancetta you want to use is extremely thin – you could almost see through it. Some markets sell it sliced and prepackaged, or buy from an Italian deli and have the butcher slice it for you. The crisps are very fragile, so do make more than needed as there will be some breakage.
16 slices pancetta — very thin slices (the round shaped type)
freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces goat cheese — or cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons pesto sauce — (basil)
1/4 cup fresh basil — finely shredded (sliced)
1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Place wafer-thin slices of pancetta in a single layer on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Reform the slices so each are more solidly round (overlap as needed). Sprinkle pancetta with pepper. Bake them until golden, and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, VERY CAREFULLY slide pancetta crisps onto a paper-towel lined plate. Allow them to cool slightly.
3. In a small bowl mash together the goat cheese and pesto. Gently spoon about one teaspoon onto the top of each pancetta crisp (don’t press down on it or the pancetta will shatter). Top each crisp with some shredded basil and serve.
A year ago: Grilled Skirt Steak with Quesadillas
Two years ago: Cashew Caramel Cookies
Three years ago: Roast Pork Loin with Apricot Compote
Posted in Appetizers, on May 5th, 2010.
So, I made this appetizer. To somewhat mixed reviews, including my own. I liked the components – the savory cheesecake layer, and the spiced apple layer, and the bacon sandwiched in between – but when you eat it. . . well, it’s good, but I wouldn’t call it outstanding. It’s best with a cracker or some kind of neutral palette to put it on; otherwise it’s too rich. And if you eat just the cheesecake alone – no. Didn’t like it. Adding the apple really makes a different, but then when you put it on a water cracker, it was very good. But it’s very unusual. Made for a nice addition to a buffet-type potluck event we went to. Would I make it again? Uhm. Maybe, maybe not. But not because it’s not good. I’d want to do something different to it. But I can’t figure out what. I’d for sure add less bacon, and I’d crumble it up really finely. And I’d probably not use the Irish porter ale cheddar that I did. I’d use ordinary sharp cheddar cheese. The porter ale cheese just got lost in the dish; maybe it even flavored the dish in an unpleasant way somehow. And it gave the cheesecake layer a speckled, or freckled look. Some guests, I noticed, just picked off the apples on top. They didn’t know what was underneath and didn’t want to try it. (Aren’t people funny sometimes?
This recipe comes from Diane Phillips’ cookbook, Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead: A Year of Feasts to Celebrate with Family and Friends
The making of it wasn’t difficult, although there are several steps to it. The most time consuming was peeling, coring and slicing the apples. They’re mixed with some butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (and a little tiny nip of lemon juice) and placed into the bottom of a prepared springform pan. I used parchment paper, but learned a valuable lesson – with a mixture as liquidy as the butter/sugar mixture from the apples, it oozed right out of the springform pan before I could get it in the oven. So you need to line the springform with a single piece of foil or parchment (I think foil would be easier to mold around the sides, but it’s got to be from one of those wider-width boxes of foil) that molds partway up the sides. It’s not necessary to go ALL the way up as it’s only the apple liquid that is in danger of leaking out. And it only fills the pan about 3/4 of an inch or so.
Anyway, the parchment or foil gets fizzed with nonstick spray. Then you very carefully arrange the apple slices in a pattern (like a spoke). I did that for the bottom ( the bottom that became the top once this was unmolded), then just poured in the remaining apples and the liquid. Then the bacon was sprinkled on top of the apples. Meanwhile I’d made the cheesecake mixture – cream cheese, two eggs, a dash of hot sauce and the shredded cheese. That combination was thicker than something you could pour, so I spooned it on top of the apples and carefully spread it in an even layer. It was at that point I discovered the brown sugar and butter sauce had oozed out of the bottom of the springform pan and all over my kitchen counter. Darn! I just hoped there was enough still inside that it didn’t ruin the appetizer. (There was, but it would have been nicer if it had ALL been there, of course. I did save some of it from the foil wrapped around the springform pan and poured it on top after it was baked and removed from the pan.)
So, back to the baking – I put the springform in a rimmed baking sheet, just in case more juice escaped. It baked for 45 minutes, at which point you stick a toothpick in the center to make sure it’s done (it was). Then it cools IN the oven for another 30 minutes with the door ajar (helps prevent cracks in the cheesecake). Once removed from the oven it needs to cool completely before you turn it over onto a platter. I did have a bit of trouble with this step – because the cheesecake was only about 1 1/2 inches high inside the springform pan, when it was turned over to unmold most of it came up, but because I’d not made a continuous piece of parchment, part of it stuck in the bottom of the pan. Sigh. But it didn’t matter – once the cheesecake cooled enough I was able to piece the top back together. See picture below.
The cheese came from Costco. It has a very dark look from the porter ale used, obviously. It has a really delicious nutty kind of taste. The white part is the cheese; the dark part is the ale they’ve somehow made it so it firms up like cheese. Do note – on the far right of the middle picture at the bottom you can see a small chunk of the cheese. Unusual, huh?
The bottom right picture shows the two layers – the cheesecake part and the apple layer on top. Made for a very attractive platter. We’d been invited to a Kentucky Derby party, and were asked to bring an appetizer. Sometimes brown-ish food doesn’t look all that appealing. I did hear a couple people whisper to the next person – what’s that, do you think? I should have made a little sign. Yet, the cheesecake part with the bacon was kind of hard to distinguish what it was. It needs to be eaten together – on a cracker or bread. Definitely. Maybe more would have tried it had I not used the porter ale cheese, which gave it a very unusual look. They ate about 2/3 of it, so now I need to figure out what to do with the leftovers. Any ideas?
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Recipe By: From Diane Phillips’ cookbook Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead
Serving Size: 16
NOTES: It’s important that the parchment or foil completely cover the bottom and partway up the sides in one continuous piece (without any patched pieces or edges) as the liquid from the apples will ooze right out of the springform pan. Although this is an appetizer, it can also be served as a sit-down starter for a light dinner. You can use different kinds of cheddar cheese (I used an imported one that contained porter ale, which gave the cheesecake a freckled look), but it does need to be a sharp cheese.
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 medium Granny Smith apples — peeled, cored, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
6 pieces bacon — cooked and crumbled
16 ounces cream cheese — softened
2 large eggs
2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese — grated
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan or a cake pan with 3-inch tall sides with a continuous piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the sliced apples and stir to coat them with the sauce. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg and continue stirring a few times for 4-5 minutes. The apples will retain their crispness but should have absorbed some of the sauce. Pour the apples and sauce into the prepared pan and arrange in a decorative pattern, if desired. Sprinkle the bacon evenly on top of the apples.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°.
4. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in the cheddar cheese and hot sauce. Gently pour or spoon the mixture over the apples and bacon in the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cheesecake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar for another 30 minutes (to help prevent cracks from developing).
6. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool on a rack for another 30-45 minutes.
7. Place a large serving plate over the pan, invert, and remove the pan from the cheesecake. Peel away the parchment or foil. At this point you can let the cheesecake cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temp before serving. Serve at room temp with crackers or bread.
Per Serving: 180 Calories; 15g Fat (71.6% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 67mg Cholesterol; 141mg Sodium.
A year ago: Orange Coconut Sour Cream Cookies
Two years ago: White Chicken Chili
Three years ago: Stacked Enchilada
Posted in Appetizers, on May 4th, 2010.
I had this all ready to post right around Easter, then promptly forgot it was in my “draft” queue. So, it’s a bit late, but . . . I didn’t want to look at it in my drafts until next Easter!
Ever watched the youtube video about how to peel hard boiled eggs? It was on somebody else’s blog a year or so ago and I couldn’t believe it. I watched it, but doubted it.
I don’t know about you, but periodically I have difficulty peeling hard boiled eggs. I did all the tricks – and my most common technique was to tap the wider end – after boiling – until it was cracked moderately, then I soaked them in ice water for half an hour or so. Supposedly the water seeps behind the membrane and loosens it. And most of the time that works. But not always.
Of course, you know the part about never hard-boiling newly purchased eggs. The chemistry is that air has to permeate the eggshell – to slightly dry out that membrane – to allow a minuscule air pocket around the egg. That just takes time – a week or so while the eggs rest and dry out in your refrigerator. Once you boil them, it supposedly makes for easier peeling. But sometimes, no matter how hard I try – no matter how many days I wait, the shell just doesn’t peel easily.
SO . . . I tried this new trick from the video – adding baking soda to the water. I used 2 teaspoons of soda to boil about 16 eggs (I was making a lot of them). Our grandson Logan tried. He was “grossed out” about putting his mouth on the shell. He managed to get 2 of the 4 or 5 he tried, to pop out. But, gosh, it took a whole lot of huffing and puffing. I tried 3 and was successful with one, but it wasn’t worth it. So I stood at the kitchen counter and reverted to my usual method of letting the eggs soak in ice water for at least 30 minutes and peeling them the old way. We had problems with about 4 eggs out of 3 1/2 dozen. Not bad. But I probably won’t try the blowing trick again. We tried smaller holes, blowing from different ends, only blowing the ones that were perfectly intact (no cracks other than the mashed-in ends). None of that worked well. The one I was successful doing I blew from the large end. But the next one I tried – nope.
Surely every cook reading my blog has made hard boiled eggs, so I won’t belabor this. Except to tell you a few things:
(1) Simmer the eggs; don’t boil them.
(2) Rinse in cold water, then add ice cubes to the pan/bowl and let them soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Lightly crack the larger ends so some of the water can permeate. Then peel them . . .
(3) Trim a tiny little flat spot at each END of the eggs (i.e., don’t cut them in half lengthwise), then cut them in half, across. Each egg half will stand up perfectly. You can probably see this in the photo up top.
Then make up the filling. My deviled eggs aren’t all that different, really. But I often revert to a recipe my former business partner, Audré, used to make. She added curry powder. I loved them, and still do. Here’s what goes in my eggs:
Taste it to see if it needs more salt, or pepper. Or curry powder. Sometimes I make half regular and half with curry powder. Not everybody likes curry. I took 3 dozen deviled eggs to church on Easter morning. We folks who sing in the choir had to sing lots of music on this celebration day, at 3 services (8, 9:30 and 11). During the 2nd service, after we sing, we leave the sanctuary and we eat breakfast, potluck. I’d signed up for eggs. I didn’t use curry for those because I wasn’t sure our choir friends were all that adventurous. I made more for Easter dinner, and in those I added the curry. Yum.
A year ago: Italian Crumb-Crusted Chicken
Two years ago: Mango Strawberry Salsa
Three years ago: Lemon Velvet Gelato/Ice Cream (a real favorite!)
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