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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.

 

Tasting Spoons

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 Chicken, Pasta, on July 21st, 2013.

artichoke_brocc_chix_pasta

This is a lesson in what to do with left over Artichoke Heart & Lemon Dip. The recipe, posted yesterday, made more than I’d expected – there was about a cup left over. It became the base for this fantastic pasta to which I added chicken cubes, more artichoke hearts (cut in quarters), broccoli and peas.

artichoke_lemon_dipPerhaps you’ll recall reading the post yesterday about the artichoke lemon dip (picture at right) I made for a dinner party we had. Even so, I had a bunch left over. As I began thinking about it, pasta sounded like the best way to use it – my friend Darci suggested it – and I just started thinking about what would taste good with it – fresh broccoli florets, cubed chicken, more canned and quartered artichoke hearts and some frozen peas. It was cinchy easy to make.

First I got all the different additions ready – I steamed the broccoli in the microwave, and I prepped the artichokes too. I buy Trader Joe’s canned (not marinated) artichoke hearts. The two cans I opened (one for the dip and the next day another one for the pasta) had fairly large hearts, and the outer ends were quite tough to eat (I tested one), so on each heart I cut off about 1/2 inch and discarded it.

I put a big pot of water on the boil for the pasta, then got out a pretty large skillet (enough to hold the sauce and the pasta both) and gently began warming the dip. I added a bit of half and half to the dip to loosen it up some. I did not bring it to a boil but just below that. Then I added in the broccoli and artichoke hearts and warmed those through, then lastly I added the chicken and frozen peas, which took maybe 90 seconds to heat through. Once the pasta was done, I drained it and tossed it in with the sauce. Onto a plate, sprinkled it with freshly grated Pecorino cheese and dinner was done.

So, on the recipe below, I’ve given you the ingredients for making HALF of the dip. You could make the full amount, serve part of it as an appetizer and use the balance for the pasta. I didn’t want you to have to go find and print the other recipe, so it’s all contained below.

What’s GOOD: gosh, it was delicious. The artichoke heart dip (made into a sauce) lends a nice, subtle artichoke flavor. It has a nice creaminess to it, of course and it sticks to the pasta very well. I liked the combo of veggies (broccoli and peas and more quartered artichoke hearts). Altogether good!
What’s NOT: nothing, really. It’s so easy to make if you have the ingredients on hand.

printer-friendly PDF – created using Cute PDF Writer, not Adobe
MasterCook 5+ file and MasterCook 14 file

* Exported from MasterCook *

Artichoke Heart, Broccoli & Chicken Pasta with Peas

Recipe By: My own concoction, 2013
Serving Size: 4

CREAM SAUCE:
7 ounces artichoke hearts — packed in water, drained, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley — chopped
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 small garlic clove — minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt — (taste first, may not need it)
3 1/2 ounces cream cheese — low fat is okay
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup half and half — or more if needed
PASTA:
12 ounces linguine — use thin variety if available
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
14 ounces artichoke hearts — packed in water, drained, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken — cut in cubes
2/3 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice — (taste first)
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated (garnish)

Notes: this recipe came to be because I made a dip (Artichoke Lemon Dip). With what was left over, I added some half and half and began making this pasta dish. If you want to alter the sauce, use half cream cheese and half Greek yogurt, which will reduce some of the fat in this. If you want to make the dip, double the quantity of the dip ingredients (without half and half), remove half for the dip, then use the other half, with the half and half in the sauce. No one would be the wiser if you served the dip as a prelude to this pasta.
1. SAUCE: Check artichoke hearts for tough ends – taste one or two at the outer end – if it’s tough, cut off the tough 1/4 to 1/2 inch on each one. In a food processor combine the softened cream cheese and artichoke hearts (chopped up into pieces) with parsley, lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Process until thoroughly combined. If time permits, allow to sit for a few hours to meld flavors.
2. Steam the broccoli in the microwave for just a minute or two until the florets are cooked, but not mushy. Set aside. Drain artichoke hearts and check these for tough ends – chop them off if necessary. Cut artichoke hearts in quarters and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add about 2 tsp salt to water, then add linguine and cook just until pasta is al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet place the sauce mixture over low heat. Add some half and half to thin the sauce and heat until it’s warm. Add the broccoli, artichoke hearts, cooked chicken and heat just until heated through. Thin with more half and half if necessary. Add peas and cook them just a minute or two until they’re tender.
5. Drain pasta and pour pasta into the sauce mixture and stir until the pasta is well coated. Taste and add salt, pepper or more lemon juice, or more half and half if needed. Use tongs or large spoons to place on individual plates. Garnish with grated Parmigiano cheese. If Italian parsley is available, sprinkle some on top.
Per Serving: 676 Calories; 18g Fat (24.0% calories from fat); 42g Protein; 88g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 87mg Cholesterol; 602mg Sodium.

Posted in Appetizers, on July 20th, 2013.

artichoke_lemon_dip

No mayo in this – but there is cream cheese. You use canned artichokes (not the marinated type), parsley, Parmesan (I used Pecorino), lemon juice and zest, and fresh garlic. Really very VERY easy to make. Delish too.

If you aren’t a reader of Simply Recipes, you should be. Elise Bauer runs the blog, but the recipes come from her as well as several members of her family. I’ve been reading her blog for years and years. I’ve made several of her recipes, and have a bunch saved to my MasterCook to-try file as well. This is one of them, and it’s a real keeper. Not only is this easy – cinchy easy – but it can be made ahead and will keep for a loooong time. With the left overs I’m going to mix some with pasta – maybe I’ll add some chicken, some half and half to thin it out a little bit, perhaps some peas. Zucchini would be a good addition too. You do need to make this dip.

What’s GOOD: the garlicky, zesty taste – you definitely taste the artichokes. And the garlic, I did mention the garlic, didn’t I? I used one large garlic clove – if you’re at all sensitive to that, use a very small clove, or half a one. Really good with relatively plain crackers. I used those heart-shaped water crackers, but Triscuits would also work well, I think.
What’s NOT: nothing at all. It makes a LOT – if you’re only having a few people I’d recommend halving the recipe. But make it you should.

printer-friendly PDF – created using Cute PDF Writer, not Adobe
MasterCook 5+ import file and MasterCook 14 import file

* Exported from MasterCook *

Artichoke Lemon Dip

Recipe By: Simply Recipes blog
Serving Size: 10

14 ounces artichoke hearts — packed in water, drained, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese — (25 g) packed, grated
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 clove garlic — minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream cheese — (225 g) room temperature
3 tablespoons lemon juice — or more

My Notes: This recipe makes a LOT of dip – leftovers could be served atop green vegetables, or tossed with pasta.
1. Put the drained artichoke hearts, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest, garlic, and salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times until a paste forms. You should still be able to make out bits of parsley and lemon, so don’t over-process it.
2. Place the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl. Add the artichoke parsley mixture and the lemon juice. Stir until well blended. Add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Garnish with a few fresh leaves of parsley or ribbons of lemon zest.
Per Serving: 111 Calories; 9g Fat (66.1% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 26mg Cholesterol; 196mg Sodium.

Posted in Uncategorized, on July 18th, 2013.

mastercook14If you’ve never been a user of recipe software, you’ve probably not paid any attention to the little links I include with every recipe (just above the red recipe box on nearly all my posts) that indicate you can download a MasterCook file. It will import directly into the recipe program – it just simplifies importing a recipe from the web and usually needs no other steps.

I’ve been a MasterCook user since the old-old days – back to about MasterCook version 4, I think it is, and with each new version, I’ve migrated to it. A few years ago Sierra sold MasterCook to another company, ValuSoft. Oh so sad at the time, because Sierra had decided the program wasn’t worth keeping and they no longer wanted to invest in updating it, upgrading it or improving it. Whether Sierra just didn’t know how to market the product (that’s my guess) or whether most of the computer geeks who worked on the program just couldn’t get into recipe software, I don’t know.

It’s been a few years, and those of us who have been die-hard MC users have continued to use it. ValuSoft has done a couple of revisions, but the changes were very minimal – mostly to make the program compatible with newer operating systems and to fix some bugs.

In the ensuing years I’ve continued to LOVE the program, and have been faithful to it. It had some glitches (not liking being shared on a network, though a few people were able to do it). I had a couple of big issues – once my computer shut down when I had a recipe in process and the program wouldn’t start after that. But fortunately, there have always been some fantastic resources to go to for help. Pam Erickson and John Shotsky run a Yahoo Discussion Forum (and have for decades) to address MC issues and to coach newbies to the program. I’m telling you about this because IF you decide to buy MC, I highly – HIGHLY – recommend you go to the Yahoo MasterCook Discussion and join the group (no charge, just sign up).  Once you’ve joined, you can choose to receive all the daily questions people query about – from old version questions to the newest 14 (in individual or digest form) OR you can choose to not get any of them (that’s what I do, but that’s because I’m a relatively seasoned user). I just go to the website when I need to, input a search string and see if others have had the problem. If not, I post my own question and usually within a day the moderators have answered my questions. On the issue of the program not running, I sent via email the cookbook that was having the problem and the moderator fixed it for me. No charge. Just fixed it – bless her heart! Every single time I’ve had trouble in the past they’ve been able to resolve my problem.

Now, to current news. Sometime in the last year ValuSoft was sold to a group of 3 investors and they have taken a look at MasterCook and they like it. A lot! Not only have they updated it, but the 3 investors and their families have been using MC for awhile. That’s the kind of support MC needed – once people use it, they love it. MasterCook 14 was released about 3 weeks ago, and I purchased it right away. Because I would prefer to have my own CD, I purchased the program (which I downloaded and it worked immediately) but I also purchased the CD for an additional $6.99. The program is $19.99 if you are new and it’s $14.99 if you upgrade your current version (plus the $6.99 for the CD) so it all is about the same price. If you’re interested, here’s the link to purchase the program.

What’s new – well, there are a lot of things. The software itself has been updated some (new color scheme, font adjustments, email capabilities) but with the purchase you also get a 1-year subscription to a presence on mastercook.com where you can store your recipes/cookbooks (probably will have to pay for that after a year, though) so you can access your recipe database from any computer where you have the program loaded. I haven’t done that part yet, but will sometime soon. Since I have a blog, and most of my favorite recipes are already on the blog, I can access it (and I do) when I’m out, or at the grocery store. But for all of YOU with your own recipe collections and no blog to go to, once you have all your recipes in MasterCook and you upload them to the cloud, then you’ll be able to access yours anywhere, anytime. Your cookbooks and recipes can also be stored on other cloud storage locations like Google Drive, SkyDrive, & Dropbox.

There’s also a new widget that will allow you to grab (copy) an online recipe and upload it to your mastercook online cookbooks. There’s a default cookbook (called Web Import) at the website and once you highlight, click the widget, up comes a box, you check it over, categorize it and click Save. All done. Works beautifully. For those of you who are MC users already, you don’t have to use the Import Assistant anymore. It’s seamless! Whoopee!

The other really wonderful thing is that v. 14 allows me to upload a MC compatible file to my blog that also contains the photo I have with the recipe. So if you have the program you can import the complete recipe from my blog or anywhere else on the web (and photo) directly into your MC program. So, you’ll now see two links on all my recipes – one for older MC recipes since MC5, and another link for just MC14. So, see, there’s another reason you should buy this. I don’t get anything if you to buy MasterCook 14 – I’m just encouraging you to do so. So in the case of my blog, you have to go TO my web page to do this (can’t do it from a blog reader) and click so you have up just the blog post you want, click the import button – the program figures out what to grab, it does, and that’s it.

Pam Erickson, the wonderful person who has dispensed advice all these years from Yahoo is on staff with the new ValuSoft Cosmi. The folks there have taken her seriously (she’s a programmer and also a cook) and she’s part of their team now. I feel like I know her (I don’t) since I’ve communicated with her numerous times over the course of about 12 years!

Posted in Appetizers, on July 16th, 2013.

bankok_style_guacamole

We all know guacamole, right? Avocado, lemon or lime juice, maybe garlic? Maybe a bit of onion, cilantro and chili powder. Well, this one’s a twist on the regular one – a Thai twist with a Thai chile if you can find one, fresh ginger, fresh mint, and some fish sauce. Yes, fish sauce. It’s wonderful!

Really, I enjoy reading Food52. That website is just a treasure trove of recipes, and I don’t mean ordinary brownies or black bean salad. The contributors really offer some different riffs on standard recipes – like this one. At Food52, this recipe was what they call a “community pick.” That means the cooking community at Food52 (the readers and testers and tasters) picked it as something special. I agree.

It’s guacamole, but as I listed above, with some different ingredients. I couldn’t find any Thai chiles, so had to substitute a serrano instead. I had fresh ginger and garlic (which I smashed rather than grated). I had mint and cilantro. And regular basil, not Thai basil. But even with my minimal substitutions, this dip was just fabulous. We had guests over that night (I made half of a recipe – using just one avocado), and I can tell you that they scraped every last little smidgen of this dip out of the bowl pictured above. A good sign, of course! They raved about it, my hubby raved about it, and I got my fair share also. All delicious.

If you’ve never used fish sauce before, PLEASE don’t bypass this recipe thinking the guacamole is going to taste fishy. It absolutely doesn’t. Fish sauce smells fishy, but it doesn’t taste fishy and it adds a depth to almost anything you use it with. I always have a bottle of it in my pantry and it doesn’t require refrigeration. If at all possible try to buy the one with the picture of the 3 crabs on the label. It’s considered by most sources as the best.

What’s GOOD: just everything about the taste. I love it when someone comes up with a different taste change to a standard we’ve always made. I’ll make this again for sure!

What’s NOT: only a problem if you can’t get all the ingredients – like the herbs, but as you can read, I substituted several other items. This one’s a keeper.

printer-friendly PDF – created using Cute PDF Writer, not Adobe

MasterCook 5+ import file and MasterCook 14+ import file

* Exported from MasterCook *

Bangkokamole

Recipe By: From Food 52 blog 7/12
Serving Size: 10

1 large lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 medium shallot
3 medium garlic cloves — peeled
1 1/2 to 2-inch knob ginger
2 large avocados — ripe
Mint (about 10 large leaves)
Thai Basil (or less if substituting regular basil)
About 10 sprigs cilantro
1 whole thai chiles — or serranos

1. Wash lime thoroughly and remove 2 loosely packed teaspoons of zest. Place zest in medium bowl. Juice lime and add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of lime juice to bowl. Add fish sauce to bowl. Mince shallot and add 2 tablespoons to the bowl. Stir to combine.
2. Using microplane grate the garlic into the bowl (about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Using microplane grate the ginger and add 1 tablespoon to the bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Cut each avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh and add it to bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado, then stir to thoroughly blend the ingredients. Taste for salt and acidity. Add a splash more fish sauce or lime juice if needed.
4. Coarsely chop the mint, basil, and cilantro. Measure 2 tablespoons of each by gently scooping it into a measuring spoon (or eyeball it if you’re good at that sort of thing.) Add each to the bowl. Finely mince the thai chile(s) and add 1/2 (or less) to the bowl. Stir to combine. Taste for heat and add more chile if desired.
5. Allow flavors to marry for 20 minutes or longer before serving. Keeps covered and refrigerated for at least 12 hours.
Per Serving: 72 Calories; 6g Fat (72.4% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 5mg Sodium.

Posted in Uncategorized, on July 15th, 2013.

stradivarius-poster

A real Stradivarius violin; photo from broadconversation.com

Until a couple of nights ago I’d only read about the famous violins, the Stradivarius. Then we went to a concert at our local outdoor amphitheater 2 nights ago and listened to a gifted young 21 year old woman, Caroline Goulding, play a real, honest-to-goodness Strad. During the concert I didn’t know she was playing one, but I noticed what a true sound came from it – it was unbelievable. I was awed. She played Mozart’s Magic Flute, for about 20 minutes, nearly nonstop, and all from memory. Amazing.

I don’t play the violin. Never have, but I wondered as I sat there soaking in the sound at the spirited playing by this young woman, that she must be playing a really good instrument. At the end someone read it in the fine print of the program – she had played a Stradivarius! Wow. I wished I’d known all through it. Not that I didn’t pay attention to it, but I’d have paid MORE attention!

For those of you who aren’t musically inclined, a Stradivarius, commonly called a “Strad” is a superb violin made by Antonio Stradivari (from the town of Cremona in Italy) back in the late 1600’s and early 1700s. The one Caroline Goulding played is called the General Kyd Stradivarius and is believed to have been made in 1720, which is on loan to her. At the rare times Strads come up for sale, they go for millions and millions of dollars. Stradivari also made harps, guitars, violas, and cellos–more than 1,100 instruments in all, by current estimate. About 650 of these instruments survive today. Experts, to this day, don’t truly understand why a Strad plays such a special tone and resonance. From Wikipedia: it is known for certain that the wood used included spruce for the top, willow for the internal blocks and linings, and maple for the back, ribs, and neck. There has been conjecture that this wood was treated with several types of minerals, including potassium borate (borax), sodium and potassium silicate, and vernice bianca, a varnish composed of gum arabic, honey, and egg white.

If I had a bucket list, that would have been on it, to have listened to a Stradivarius. So there’s your music lesson for today!

Posted in Pork, on July 14th, 2013.

pork_tender_grape_chutney

A mustard and thyme rub on the pork gives it good flavor, and a short roast in the oven. But it’s the grape chutney – grape chutney, I ask? Really. Yes. Delicious. Easy.

It had been awhile since I’d been to a Phillis Carey cooking class (this was about a month ago) and after enjoying every single dish, once I got home I discovered that my friend Cherrie and I had already been to classes where she’d prepared 3 of the 5 things. First, it was the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella pizza topped with an arugula salad and pine nuts. It was fantastic! Then she made asparagus pesto on broiled lemon salmon. And lastly, Phillis, the queen of chicken breasts, made lemon-basil grilled chicken breasts with tomato, cucumber and basil beurre blanc. Cherrie and I do attend Phillis’ classes in more than one location, so perhaps that’s what we did – as Phillis tries not to repeat at any one class location. We’re going to need to read the menu synopsis more carefully for future classes!

But, she did make 2 things we’d not had before, this pork tenderloin and a lemon panna cotta which I’ll write up in a couple of days.

You might think chutney is a misnomer here, since most people only know quite sweet fruit-based chutneys. And this one has fruit, but no sugar at all. Yet chutney (a word derived from Sanskrit) refers to a family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice(s), vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s). Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and can have a coarse to a fine texture (from Wikipedia). The first chutneys were from India (my first introduction to chutney was with a 21-boy curry and referred to Major Gray’s bottled chutney). From there I made my own a time or two, and prefer it to any prepared chutney.

So, THIS extremely simple chutney is just a combination of red and green seedless grapes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, some dried thyme, S&P. That’s it. That mixture is spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roasted for about 20 minutes – you want the grapes to shrivel, but not fall apart. You can also make these ahead.

The pork – easy – just rub with a mixture of Dijon, dried thyme and olive oil and roast for about 20-25 minutes. See, I told you it was easy.

What’s GOOD: the tender, juicy pork, and just one grape with each bite is just delicious. The grapes just barely pop in your mouth – not really – but just about. One pork tenderloin will usually feed 3 light eaters (the ones from Costco are quite large). If you happen to buy a lot of grapes, I’d suggest you make a double batch. For sure you’ll want more of the chutney – it would also be wonderful with fish or chicken.
What’s NOT: absolutely nothing at all.

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Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Chutney

Recipe By: Phillis Carey cooking class, 2013
Serving Size: 6

CHUTNEY:
1 cup seedless grapes — red, halved
1 cup seedless grapes — green, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
PORK:
3 pounds pork tenderloin — (2 tenderloins)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. CHUTNEY:Preheat oven to 425°. Stir together all ingredients and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet (do not use Silpat for this). Roast for 20 minutes or until grapes begin to shrivel. Let cool for 30 minutes and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. If desired.
2. PORK: Preheat oven to 425°. Use Convection Bake setting if you have it available. Trim pork of all fat and silverskin. Combine the mustard and thyme and spread all over the pork, then drizzle it with the olive oil. Set pork on a parchment-lined baking sheet (Silpat is fine for this part). Roast pork until it reaches an internal temp of 145-150°, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil, before slicing on the diagonal (across the grain) into 1/2 inch slices. Serve pork with grape chutney.
Per Serving: 375 Calories; 15g Fat (36.8% calories from fat); 49g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 148mg Cholesterol; 422mg Sodium.

Posted in Salads, Veggies/sides, on July 12th, 2013.

roasted_sw_pot_black_bean_salad

Revisiting this salad was a not a tough decision. In between making new things to post about on my blog, I also crave some of my old favorites. This one? I got a craving for it the other day – the day our weather turned from pleasant to hot and I wanted salad for dinner.

So this time I decided to ramp up the flavor just a bit – I added a poblano chile to the roasted veggies – and I added a few shallots to the mix as well. Other than that, the recipe is identical to the one I posted 4-5 years ago. But since I know many who have come to my blog somewhat recently haven’t ever gone back to look at old recipes, it’s a good time to revisit this one. It’s been on my Favs list all this time, and I always make it at least once every summer. It just begs for a nice piece of grilled chicken or pork. Even a juicy steak. Or ribs for that matter. If you want to read about my original post, you sure can.

Here’s a quick review of the recipe: you combine raw, peeled sweet potato, red onion, shallots and a poblano chile, toss them with a little bit of olive oil and roast them just until they’re tender. Meanwhile, you rinse and drain a can of black beans and make a spicy jalapeno dressing in your blender. I didn’t make any additional dressing – it seemed to be enough for the added ingredients. You can make this several hours ahead, and it keeps for a couple of days. Just return it to room temp before serving – that way the olive-oil based dressing will be loose enough to toss a bit better. I think I also added some green onions to the finished salad.

What’s GOOD: there’s something special about the sweetness of the potato countered by the heat of the dressing and the lovely color from the black beans. The onions are sweet too. Even though the dressing is made with jalapeno chiles, you’d hardly know it – it must be the sweet potatoes temper the heat somehow. But then, sometimes jalapenos are hotter than other times. Perhaps this one was particularly mild. I also love that it can be made ahead – in the morning when your kitchen is cool. And it really does keep for at least a day or two.
What’s NOT: nothing that I can think of. If it’s been on my Favs list for years, you know it must be a keeper!

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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans, Poblano and Chili Dressing

Recipe By: Adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe
Serving Size: 6

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes — peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large red onion — peeled, chopped
1 whole poblano pepper — cut in large, flat pieces
2 medium shallots — peeled, quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked black beans — drained (canned are fine)
1 red bell pepper — or yellow, seeded and finely diced (or mix with both)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
DRESSING:
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon jalapeno chile pepper
1 clove garlic — peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice — (from 2 limes)

1. Heat oven to 400°. Place sweet potatoes, onions, poblano chile and shallots on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with ample salt and pepper. Roast, turning at least once, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Do NOT overcook the mixture as the potatoes will dry out. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.
2. Put chile in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.
3. Place warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.
Per Serving: 346 Calories; 19g Fat (47.4% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 15mg Sodium.

Posted in Fish, Grilling, on July 10th, 2013.

halibut_basalmico

Three separate things to make for this meal – marinate the fish (easy) – chop up the tomato salsa stuff (also easy) – and whisk the balsamic vinaigrette (nothing to it, really). It’s worthy of a company meal. Plus, except for cooking the fish, everything can be done ahead.

First thing, I grabbed the package of fish out of the freezer. It was vacuum sealed, so I put it in a large bowl, filled it with cold tap water and weighted it down for a couple of hours. That method doesn’t work quite as well with big roasts and things, but it sure is a simple defrosting method for anything flat. I’ve learned now that it’s very safe leaving that kind of defrosting package, in the bowl, in the kitchen sink, weighted, for several hours. Not all day – that wouldn’t work, I’m afraid – if you’re at work all day.

Defrosting Tip:

Did you know that the easiest way to defrost things is to plunge the vacuum sealed item in a bowl of cold water for a few hours? Be sure to weight it down so it stays under water.

Then I made the vinaigrette. I have a bunch of different balsamic vinegars – the one I used this time was tangerine, but you can also use just plain, ordinary types too. Even the cheap grocery store stuff will work on this recipe because the astringency of the balsamic is muted significantly by all the other stuff going on on top of this fish! Then I made the salsa – now, this isn’t an ordinary Mexican style salsa at all – it’s an Italian style. Except for the fresh chiles, it could be a Latin type. This one uses cayenne – I used the Mercken spice I have in my pantry – it’s a Chilean chile powder mixture that’s a regular condiment on the tables of most people in that country. But just use cayenne, since most people won’t have the Mercken. The salsa has parsley instead of cilantro and fresh oregano instead of any other seasoning. Taste it as you make it – to make sure it has balance (of sweet, sour, salt, etc.).

Meanwhile, the fish is marinated, sort of, in a little bit of olive oil, fresh chopped thyme, salt and pepper. You could do that several hours ahead, cover and keep in the refrigerator. I just let it sit for 30 minutes or so, out on my kitchen counter. I cut the fish into serving portions just to make it easier to cook it in a frying pan.

The original recipe for this came from an Italian cook and chef, Nadia Frigeri. Many years ago I took several cooking classes from her – and learned how to make her polenta, and a variety of other Italian dishes. And this was one of them, and I forget about making it!

The recipe indicates to grill the fish – which you can – but it was blisteringly hot the night I made this, and I didn’t want to make my hubby stand outside at all. I’d cranked our A/C down to 73° so I could stand to cook in the kitchen at all. First I browned the fish on both sides in olive oil, then added some water and a lid and let it steam/simmer for a few minutes. Nothing fancy about that. Just don’t over cook it!

To serve, you drizzle a bit of the vinaigrette on the plate or platter, place the hot-from-the-grill fish, then spoon the salsa on top, drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and top with toasted pine nuts.

What’s GOOD: the lovely, white flaky fish is foremost, of course. I loved the salsa and the balsamic sauce – it was just a wonderful combination. And the little bit of crunch from the pine nuts too. There’s enough of the salsa for each bite to contain some.
What’s NOT: there is nothing not to like about this. As I mentioned, it would make a great company meal. Easy too.

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Halibut Balsamico

Recipe By:Nadia Frigeri, www.nadiafrigeri.com, from a cooking class
Serving Size: 6

2 pounds halibut — thick cut, in 1 piece
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme — minced salt and pepper
VINAIGRETTE:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons pine nuts — toasted
SALSA:
3 medium yellow tomatoes — seeded and chopped (or red, or combo)
1/3 cup green onion — chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley — minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano — minced (or 1 tsp dried)
1 pinch cayenne
3 medium garlic cloves — peeled and crushed
salt — to taste

Note: If the fish is more than an inch thick, you can bake it in a 400° oven for about 16-20 minutes until cooked through.
1. Arrange halibut filets in a large glass dish; season with salt, pepper and thyme, then add olive oil. Turn fish over in this marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, if possible.
2. Combine tomatoes, green onions, parsley, oregano, cayenne, salt and garlic in a bowl. Toss well, cover and chill until ready to serve, or allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Combine in a small bowl or jar the salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar. Whisk or shake mixture and add the oil as you whisk. Add pine nuts.
4. Grill fish on outdoor grill on both sides until almost cooked through. (Alternately, brown the fish on each side briefly in individual pieces in a little olive oil, add a T. or two of water and steam for just a few minutes too cook through. Do not over cook.) Remove fish from the grill. To plate the meal, pour a small amount of vinaigrette on the plate, and place a single fish serving on top. Add a scoop of the salsa, then sprinkle with more toasted pine nuts and drizzle more vinaigrette on top.
Per Serving: 364 Calories; 23g Fat (57.6% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 108mg Sodium.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Salads, on July 8th, 2013.

cherry_tomato_vinaigrette

This recipe title is misleading. It isn’t really a salad dressing, which is what you’d think from the word VINAIGRETTE. According to wikipedia, the word can also mean a sauce or marinade. In this case it’s more like a sauce, but it’s a “fresh” sauce, not a truly cooked one, although it is cooked a bit. I know, very confusing . . . read on for a better description.

I have to laugh – within one week, at different times, once reading a newspaper, and another time reading Bon Appetit, I clipped out two recipes for cherry tomato vinaigrette. Having never heard of it before, it took me a few days before I realized that on one side of my kitchen island I’d put one, and on the other side I’d put the other. Only after I started making the one did I notice the other clipping. I compared the two. Hmmm. Almost the same (tomatoes, vinegar, S & P, olive oil and herbs). So I combined them both. One had you cook all the tomatoes. The other one had you cook half and add raw, whole ones at the end. I cut all of them in half and cooked half and added the other half at the end. One called for basil; the other one chives. I used both. One recipe did suggest this for a green salad, so I kind of made up what I wanted to do with it along the green salad line. I wanted these tomatoes to be the “star of the show” on a green salad with rather sturdy greens.

Tomatoes are just beginning to show up in ripe fashion at our supermarkets and at Trader Joe’s. I nearly bought a dozen gorgeous heirloom varieties the other day ($4.99/pound) but wasn’t sure what I’d do with them, so I held off. But I did buy a big box of mixed-color and mixed-variety cherry tomatoes at Trader Joe’s. They are SO sweet and delicious. The box contained 2-3 cups of them – just the right amount for this recipe.

First I fixed the tomatoes, which didn’t take long. If you’ve never used the quick and easy method of slicing cherry tomatoes, go to this youtube video and watch these 2 guys. I learned this at a Phillis Carey cooking class several years ago, but some people have never seen it or done it. It’s SO simple – it took me about 2 minutes to cut all of the cherry tomatoes in half using a serrated knife.  Then I sautéed the shallot in olive oil, added half the tomatoes and cooked them just a bit, then added the red wine vinegar. Once cooled, I added the other raw tomatoes (I wanted the texture of some raw and fresh tomatoes, not all mushy ones). cherry_tomatoes_defined

Do use it within an hour or so, otherwise refrigerate it (without the herbs). According to the recipes, you can serve this in a variety of ways – on top of a steak as a kind of salsa thing – in an omelette with Ricotta cheese – on top of pasta (I think I’d add a bit more oil) – or on top of a skirt steak or flank steak – or you can use it in a green salad as I did, below.

GREEN SALAD: I combined a variety of sturdy stuff – Romaine, some celery, green onions, sugar snap peas, a tiny bit of multi-colored mixed greens just for color, AND some goat cheese. First I piled the tomato mixture on top of the salad and tossed it. I tasted it that way, but felt there wasn’t enough dressing, so I added the last of my new favorite Molasses Honey Vinaigrette to the salad. Not very much, as it didn’t need much. Then I sprinkled the top liberally with chopped basil and chives.cherry_tomato_vinaigrette_green_salad

The dinner also included a nice big chunk of pork that my hubby grilled. If you haven’t prepared this yet, do try it – Grilled Rack of Pork with Rosemary, Garlic and Sage (except I didn’t use garlic or sage this time, just rosemary and chives). I guess each Costco store is different, but at one of ours we can buy a long, long rack (about 14-18 inches long) of pork chops on the bone. I cut it up into manageable portions, vacuum seal it and freeze. We had a guest for dinner, so I pulled out a 3-bone roast, which took about half an hour on the grill. I also made a raw apple-sauce in my new Vitamix blender. It was delicious, although it turned an awful shade of brown. And I made one of my old favorites – a sweet potato and black bean salad. I’m going to write up a re-do of that recipe in the next day or two. It’s so darned good it’s worth re-visiting.

What’s GOOD: If you have an abundance of cherry tomatoes, this is a great way to showcase them. We all loved, loved the salad. It’s nice to be able to make the tomatoes ahead of time. The salad ahead of time too. Then you just have to toss it all at the last minute. Do have some dressing on hand in case it needs a bit more than what’s in the tomatoes.
What’s NOT: nothing at all.

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Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

Recipe By: Combined from 2 recipes (Bon Appetit and Orange County Register food section), 2013
Serving Size: 4

1 pint cherry tomatoes — both yellow and red if available
4 tablespoons olive oil — divided use
1 large shallot — finely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar — or more
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons fresh basil — slivered
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Note: Serve on or in an omelet, on top of a grilled steak or pork chop, or make a hearty green salad (using sturdy greens) and make the tomatoes the star of the salad along with some goat cheese. It could also be a topping for hot pasta – add grated Parmesan or goat cheese. Add more olive oil if needed.
1. Cut all the cherry tomatoes in half. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.
2. Add HALF of the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to release juices, 4–6 minutes. Mash some of tomatoes with a spoon or a potato smasher.
3. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and remaining oil; season with salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more vinegar, if needed. Allow to cool, then add the remaining raw tomatoes. Serve warm or at room temperature; add chopped basil and chives just before serving.
4. DO AHEAD: Vinaigrette can be made (without the fresh herbs) 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and stir in herbs.
Per Serving: 139 Calories; 14g Fat (86.0% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 7mg Sodium.

Posted in Desserts, on July 6th, 2013.

peach_cobbler_whipped_cream

The cobbler part isn’t quite visible there under the small mountain of whipped cream. But it’s there. And the cream – well, it’s enhanced with some peach brandy. For me, though, it was the almond flavoring in the peach part that just “made” this.

The other day I asked my DH, on one of his trips to Costco, if he’d try to find a box of the I AM RIPE brand of peaches. Since peaches are officially in season, I hoped they’d have some, as I’ve been very, very happy with the taste of them the last two summers. Indeed, they did, and 2 days later those peaches were at their peak of ripeness.  Last summer I made a great peach crisp. And I could have used that recipe again, but after reading something about this one online somewhere, I had decided I wanted to try it because of the almond flavoring in it. This one is from the Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition’>Silver Palate Cookbook, one of my old standby favorite cookbooks. I’d never made this version. In fact, I’d never even looked at the recipe, I don’t think.

This version uses one of the techniques I like with peaches – baking the peach portion for awhile before adding the biscuit/cobbler part. The sliced peaches are combined in a greased baking dish (don’t use the juices you’ll make while you’re peeling and slicing them – they will create enough juice on their own – they don’t need more!) with sugar, lemon juice zest and some almond flavoring. I used more almond than the recipe called for – I like almond flavoring. If you’re not-so enamored, cut the almond extract in half and it will be just subtle.

peach_cobbler_bakedWhile the peaches were baking I whipped up the biscuit dough. Easy enough to make. The dough is spooned onto the hot peaches, sprinkled with granulated sugar and baked for about 15+ minutes, just until the biscuits were getting golden brown. They sat out for about an hour or so and I served the cobbler warm with the whipped cream. Yum.

What’s GOOD: the almond flavoring in the peaches. I really liked that. Also the peaches were at perfect ripeness, so they were exceedingly juice and sweet. I cut down the sugar just a little bit because of that. I really enjoyed the peach whipped cream too. I had Peach Pucker Schnapps in my liquor cupboard (something I’ve had around for about 4-5 years and rarely use) and it worked perfectly in this. But because it’s tart, not sweet, I added some powdered sugar. I also think some Amaretto would be lovely in the whipped cream too, in the event you don’t have any peach brandy (I don’t). Try to eat this up in one sitting (see below).

What’s NOT: we didn’t have tons of left overs, actually because we invited friends to come over for dessert that first night. So, the next night the biscuit part was quite leaden. I had removed them from the peaches and placed them on a piece of plastic wrap, right on top of the peach part so they wouldn’t get any more soggy, but even heating them up in the microwave a little bit they were kind of heavy. The peaches were VERY juicy. I need to remember next time to sprinkle just a little bit of cornstarch in the peaches before they bake. Not that it doesn’t taste good – it does – but I think ripe peaches just tend to juice-up a lot.

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Peach Cobber a la Silver Palate

Recipe By: Adapted slightly from The Silver Palate Cookbook
Serving Size: 8

5 1/2 cups peaches — ripe, peeled and sliced
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest — grated
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract — original recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg — lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
For a decadent topping:
1 cup heavy cream — chilled
3 tablespoons peach brandy or peach cordial — or more to taste [I used peach pucker schnapps and added some powdered sugar too]

Note: If you don’t have peach brandy, use Amaretto in the whipped cream.
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Slice peaches over a different dish or plate, and not over the dish you’ll bake in (you don’t want any more juice than needed). Arrange peaches in baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar, the lemon zest and juice, and almond extract. If the peaches are very juicy, sprinkle about 2-3 tsp of cornstarch in with the peaches.
3. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. While peaches are baking, sift flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder, and salt together into a bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Combine beaten egg and milk and mix into dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Remove peaches from oven and quickly drop dough by medium-large spoonfuls over surface. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until top is firm and golden brown.
6. Whip cream to soft peaks. Flavor with peach brandy to taste.
7. Serve cobbler warm, accompanied by whipped cream.
Per Serving: 395 Calories; 21g Fat (46.3% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 68mg Cholesterol; 340mg Sodium.

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