Bourbon is, to me, a winter ingredient. I say ingredient because I don’t drink hardly at all..and rarely hard liquor. Strawberries are spring and summer…the two should not mix….except…

Except this worked. I was amazed. The flavors just all blended into a mass of incredible. This went way beyond homey, comfort food and into the realms of kitchen nirvana. The tartness of the rhubarb and the tangy sweetness of strawberries turned into velvety marriage of flavors when the smooth, sweet bourbon sauce mixes in. I added some thickened, sweetened cream as well.

I loved this. It is perfect for last of the season berries and rhubarb here in the south, or a great way to use the fruit you have frozen. Did I mention is was super easy?

Try to get good, fresh rhubarb with a nice rosy color. There isn’t that much difference in taste but the eye appeal is better!

Don’t slice the rhubarb too thin. It will cook down too much and lose it’s character. Rhubarb without character is a terrible, terrible thing.

Always sweeten according to taste, no matter how much sugar the recipe calls for. Keep the filling tart with this though. You want to have a nice contrast to the sweet topping and sauce.

The crisp topping is made with brown butter. This gives an added complexity and depth of flavor.

These are some of the ingredients! Vanilla will be needed as well to just heighten the flavors a notch.

Can’t you almost smell it?

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with Hot Buttered Bourbon Sauce

Topping

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup  light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• Generous pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned, and allowed to cool to abotu 110F.

Filling

• 5 cups sliced rhubarb
• 2 cups halved strawberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Sauce

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• About 4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• Sweetened whipped cream, beat until just thickened

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 13×9 inch casserole and set aside.
2. Mix berries, rhubarb, and flour and allow to sit for about 15 minutes.
3. Pour into the casserole.
4. Mix the topping ingredients with fingers until crumbly.
5. Sprinkle thickly over the crisp. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, or until juices thicken and topping browns.
6. Just before crisp is ready to come from the oven put the bourbon and sugar in a heavy pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes until thickened and reduced.
7. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
8. Add vanilla and blend. Taste to adjust flavors.
9. Serve the hot bourbon sauce over the warm crisp with a spoonful of the cream

serves about 8-10

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At our house this is Feijoada. A long LONG time ago when we had very little money for groceries I wanted to make something different. I had black beans, ground beef, and rice. After much searching I found a recipe for Feijoada and even though I had few of the ingredients, I made it with what I had.

Now, argue with me if you want but that is the true spirit of Feijoada, isn’t it? Using what you have in such a way as to create gastronomic Olympus.  Rich and spicy, filled with the flavors of Central and South America this is my version of a Brazilian dish.  It is flavorful, frugal, foreign and filling and can you ask for much more than that out of a food? Really?

I serve this with brown rice, and a salad of some sort. I think that in keeping with the simplicity of this dish the best dessert is fruit. I will post the fruit recipe soon, but for now try this dish. It is just so easy and versatile that you are bound to make it often. Adjust amounts for your family, and adjust peppers to your own tastes.

Feijoada

• 1 can organic black beans
• 1 can organic cannellini beans
• 4 slices smoked bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp
• 3 carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• Chopped hot peppers of choice, jalapeno, serrano, poblano etc. Adjust to your taste
• 1/4 tsp dried chipotle
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes
• 8 cups of cooked brown rice

1. Add a little olive oil to a skillet. Saute garlic, onion and peppers until tender.
2. Add meat and brown,
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cumin
4. Add chicken broth, carrots, and beans and simmer until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Just before serving squeeze the juice of one lime into the stew.
6. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve over the rice with slices of lime on the side.

Serves 8

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Spring is here.  I got fresh asparagus for 99 cents a pound and nothing says spring more than that.  When I bought it I knew that Pasta Primavera was not far behind.

In this case, the pasta I used was Orzo.  I took the casserole dish of it over to my daughter, Erin’s, house when she was still on bedrest from having the baby.  This dish is delicate, rich, and creamy and has spring in every single bite.  For  a nice change grill the asparagus rather than steaming it.

Orzo Primavera

• 1 lb orzo
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 lb asparagus, steamed or grilled until crips tender and cut in 3 inch lengths
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of elephant garlic, one peeled and cut in half and one peeled and sliced thinly
• 3 carrots, peeled and julienned, steamed
• 1 cup pecans or pine nuts, toasted
• 1 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Bring the cream to a simmer in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl.  Add one elephant garlic clove, cut in half.  Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cook the orzo until tender, drain, add a little oil and set aside.
3. Add the sliced garlic, olive oil, and onions to the pan and cook until the onions are transparent.  Do not allow to brown.  Add the asparagus, the carrots, basil, and the nuts.  Stir carefully to coat with oil.
4. Stir in the orzo and heat through.
5. Just before serving remove the garlic from the cream, pourit in the orzo mixture and stir.
6. Stir in the grated cheese.
7. Allow to heat through, plate it and top with shaved parmesan.  Serve immediately.

Serves 8

Image:MaryeAudet

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Erin loves anime, cherry blossom scented body items, and has a real affinity for Japan…so I wanted to make something in that theme but also easy since I would be cooking at her house with limited resources.

I used a white cake mix as the base on this.  I wasn’t sure what she had and what she didn’t.  Use any white cake recipe that you like, or even a cake mix-no one is going to know.

The rose and cherry flavor of the cake was delicate and floral.  The house smelled amazing.  The green tea frosting was the perfect compliment to give this dish an exotic flair.  It was quick enough that I had everything done in less than an hour and a half, including smoked turkey, dried cranberry, and pecan tea sandwiches that I made for her.

Rose & Cherry Cupcakes

• 1 box white cake mix or your favorite white cake recipe (Use the egg white only version, the yolks will change the color)
• 1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained and juice reserved
• 1 tablespoon high quality  rose water

Make your cake batter according to instructions but substituting the cherry juice for as much of the liquid as possible.  If the recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, for example, use the cherry juice and add heavy cream to make up a cup.  Place in cupcake liners and bake according to instructions.

Meanwhile make the frosting.

Green Tea Frosting

• 1 green tea teabag
• 1/4 cup water, brought to a boil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond flavor
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• pinch kosher salt
• 1/2 c white shortening
• 1/4 c unsalted butter

Beat confectioner’s, butter, shortening, and salt together until crumbly.

Add flavorings and beat well.

Add cooled green tea until the desired consistancy is reached.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting and use the maraschino cherries as garnish.

Makes 24 or so.

image: maryeaudet2009

Post from: Baking Delights

I am having such a great time with the Artisan Bread book!  It has made things so much easier.  Last week I wanted to make the kids something quick…but what?  I had some of the baguette dough in the fridge, some leftover hot Italian sausage…

Calzones!

I swear, I got these calzones done in a matter of about an hour.  The calzones rested for 40 minutes before I put them in the oven and then baked for 20.  The dough was somewhat wetter than what I usually work with and so I tore it a few times, which made the filling run out during baking.

But the final product was so good!  The kids and Marc loved them and I get to be SuperMom again, for coming up with such a cool recipe…

I am giving the filling ingredients.  You can use the dough from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day or you can use your favorite pizza crust recipe.

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Calzone Filling

3 links hot Italian Sausage

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 green pepper

1 cup chopped kale

1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

1 can drained black olives, sliced

1 Jar Newman’s Own Sockarooni Spagetti Sauce

2 cups (or more) mozzarella cheese, shredded

Pizza dough or baguette dough

Break the sausage up and brown it in a little olive oil.  Add the onions, peppers, mushrooms, and kale.  Cook until the vegetables have softened. Stir in olives.  Set aside.

Take small scoops of the dough and pat it out into  rounds.  Place a spoonful of the filling on each, then a spoonful of the sauce, and about 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Fold over and seal.

Lay them on a baking sheet that has been dusted with coarse corn meal.  Allow to rest for 40 minutes.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before eating.

Makes 6 or so.  If you have leftover filling it makes a great pasta sauce.

images:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights, but it may not be my only one.  It is Presto Pasta Night’s 100th posting date and I wanted to do something special..This was incredible but I am still working on a more incredible birthday surprise..which may or may not work.

Seriously.  Cajun Black Bean Fettuccine. Yum.  You have to like spice for this…and you have to go to Bacon Freaks and get the cajun bacon.

This is spicy.  And different.  And good.

Cajun Black Bean Fettuccine

1/2 lb cajun bacon, chopped (you can use less if you like)

2 onions, chopped

2 cans organic black beans, drained

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb fettuccine, cooked and drained

Sour Cream for garnish

Saute bacon until almost done.  Add the onion and garlic.  Saute until the onion is transparent and tender.  Pour off the fat and reserve.

Add the black beans and toss together.  Add about a tablespoon of the bacon fat to the fettuccine and toss to coat the fettuccine.  Place the pasta on a plate and top with black bean and bacon mixture.

Serve with sour cream garnish, avocado on the side, a sour dough baguette, and lots of water.

serves 6-8

images: marye audet (c) 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

I wish I could call this Calvados Chicken Normandy but I can’t.  I didn’t have any Calvados but I did have a nice bottle of Crown Royal that a customer gave to Marc a couple of years ago.  What can I say? We don’t drink very much.

I wanted to make a cider reduction for this chicken and I thought that the whiskey would give it a nice mellow depth.  I was not disappointed at all, and the Hot Pepper Jelly was a brilliant touch if I do say so myself.

The flavors in this are sweet and tangy with leaving just the hint of a burn in your mouth.  Very complex and it goes perfectly with the chicken.  Add a nice artisan sour dough, a good salad with bleu cheese, and a perfect bittersweet chocolate truffle for dessert and you will think you have been transported to the French countryside.  Try a fruity  wine with this, something even a little sparkly..like a 2006 Henry Estate – Muller-Thurgau.

Whiskey Chicken Normandy

• 6 chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 Empire Apples or other sweet cooking apple, chopped and cored but not peeled
• 1 red onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup organic, unfiltered apple cider
• 3 tablespoons red pepper jelly
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1/4 cup whiskey or Calvados
• Olive oil

1. Grill the chicken breast in the grill pan for about five minutes on each side, or until you have good grill marks.  Place in a casserole dish that has been wiped with olive oil.
2. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until chicken registers 180 on a meat thermometer.
3. Meanwhile saute the onions and apples in a little olive oil until they begin to get tender.  Add cider, jelly, vinegar, and whiskey and allow to reduce, simmering about 10 minutes.  Stir in butter.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Plate the chicken, add a few tablespoons of the pan drippings to the apple reduction and then spoon apples and sauce over the chicken breasts.
5. Serves 6

image: (c)2009 marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

First of all…I have to admit that I dropped the camera.  Now when I want to take a picture I have to hold the thing closed with a finger while trying to get the shot without shaking.  Easier said than done… Hopefully I can either get that fixed or get a new camera soon.

Anyway, I was amazed.  Chocolate lava cakes look so complex but they are so amazingly easy!  If you have not tried them..this is seriously a dessert that you can have on the table in under 30 minutes and people will think you are incredible.

Which of course, you are.

I used a couple of recipes to create this one.. epicurious has a few.  SOme have alot of butter…some have alot of chooclate..I wanted rich chocolate flavor as well as melt in your mouth butteriness.  So I used butter and chocolate..and cocoa powder. And this is what I cane up with.  Do not over cook them…and remember they will continue to cook when they come out of the oven.

I used muffin tins lined with greased silicone cups.  It made 11.  I think if you use custard cups then you can figure on 6 and add 5 minutes to the cook time.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter

8 ozs bittersweet chooclate chopped

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Mix the butter and chocolate and melt together until smooth in the microwave.  Let come to room temperature.

Beat the eggs until thick and lemon colored.  Add sugar a little at a time beating well.

Stir in melted chocolate.

Mix the flour and cocoa and fold in.

Spoon into greased custard cups or muffin tins.  For muffin tins bake for 10 minutes (custard cups 15 minutes) or until set.  Turn out immediately and eat while warm.

These are very, very rich and chocolatey. I added whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Is that all there is?

Yep. It is that easy!

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

While many of you may not think of cheese flautas as being basic they are a fantastic easier-than-you-think addition to your cooking repertoire.

They go together in minutes, nearly everyone loves them, and the filling variations are endless; cheese, cheese and chile, cheese and chicken, chicken and chile, left over beef, taco..the list is endless and can end up with such interesting variations as brie, chipotle, and pecan…or mushroom and parmesan…

You can have your own Mexican Restaurant at home.

If you aren’t hooked yet, then consider that they can be everything from an appetizer, to a snack…main course to dessert (can you imagine pecan praline flautas with cinnamon ice cream?)  There ya go..now you’re getting it!

The hardest thing about flautas is holding them together while they are frying.  There are a few ways to do it.  You can secure the rolls with toothpicks or you can hold them partially in the hot oil and wait for the heat to glue them together.  I use the latter method but I would suggest the toothpick method to use at first.

Some people use a layer of oil in the frying pan.  I prefer using the deep fryer, I think you get more consistent results.

So, here is the basic recipe. Use any variation that appeals to you.  If you have 15 minutes you have time to make these for dinner.

Cheese Flautas

8 ozs grated cheese

4 tbs canned chiles (or chipotle, or…)

12 corn tortillas

Deep fryer heated to 375F

Warm the tortillas in a microwave until they are pliable.  Keep them covered so they stay warm.  Place 1 tbs cheese and a sprinkle of the chiles down the center of the tortilla.  FOld in the ends and then roll so that the cheese is sealed inside.  Secure with toothpicks.

Repeat

*Tip: lower the basket slowly into the oil to keep them form unwrapping!

Fry a few at a time until crispy and golden.  Allow to drain, turn out on absorbent toweling and serve hot with salsa, queso, or ranch dip.

Need a bigger meal?

For a more substantial meal add Chicken Tortilla Soup , a salad, and finish with Sopapillas!

Is that all? You bet! That is it.  You can use any type of tortillas you like.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner…Slow food that is FAST!

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights