Roasting brings out the sweetness of almost any vegetable because it caramelizes the natural sugars in it. The flavors aren’t diluted by water (even steaming involves water and evaporation of flavor) and the texture is tender but not mushy. The Panko add a nice crunch while the Parmesan adds a little zing. You could also use bleu cheese instead of Parmesan. My family won’t eat bleu cheese so I only use it for my portion.

Start with an organic, firm head of cauliflower with no brown spots. Don’t separate the florets, just slice the whole thing thinly.

Place the sliced cauliflower in a 13x 9 inch pan that has been rubbed with cut garlic and then olive oil. I like to use a glass pan for this. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake it at 375F until it begins to get golden at the edges and is tender.

Mix:

• 1 1/2 cups of Panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Sprinkle over the cauliflower and put back into the oven.

Bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until crumbs begin to brown. Remove and serve.

Absolutely simple, delicious, and a bit different. Because of the textures involved this goes great with fish add a little lemon zest to the crumbs) or roast chicken.

images:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

It isn’t so much that the family gets bored with the same old potatoes day after day.. I do. I hate cooking the same thing more than once. In fact I am pretty sure that I did not repeat a meal for at least the first ten years of my marriage. After that I got lazy.

I was always taught to eat the whole potato, including skins. This is great IF you are buying organic, but if you aren’t you may want to go ahead and peel.

I like to use an old fashioned potato masher for smashed potatoes. I like the rustic look, the texture, and the sheer coolness of using the potato masher that my grandmother did. You can whip them if you like but the potato masher is great fun.

These potatoes are spicy and cheesy with the addition of Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheeses. Easy to do, and awesome with almost any meat.

Or at midnight, straight from the fridge with a spoon…not that I know anyone that would do that…

Southwestern Smashed Potatoes

• 1/4 lb chorizo, cooked…optional
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3 lbs potatoes- peel russets, if using the red potatoes leave the skin on and just scrub well
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup half and half- simmering hot
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 1 cup grated Pepper Jack
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes in water to cover until tender.  Drain. Place in a large bowl.
2. Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil until tender. Add to potatoes
3. Add sour cream,  half and half cream, butter, and  the cheese.  Mash with a potato masher until fluffy and cheese melts.  Stir in the chorizo if you have opted to add it.
4. Serve hot

Serves 6-8

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Erin, my daughter, is addicted to mango. It has been one of her favorite fruits since she first sampled it, I think. Whenever I see mango in the store I think of her. And…this time of year they are at their best here so I buy them. The mango black bean salsa I made was so awesome I decided that I wanted to try a spicy mango chutney.

Spicy Mango Chutney

I used the traditional raisins even though I don’t like raisins cooked. I wanted to get a feel for the taste and texture before I played too much with it. Next time I think I will use dried cranberries instead. I also added the pecans, and made other adjustments but the recipe is based on one from the Culinary Institute of America Cookbook.

This is sweet, rich, spicy, and exotic all at once. I have used it several ways. I made a Moroccan Chicken, also based out of the CIA book, and I used the chutney along with cubed chicken breast as a tea sandwich filling for Erin’s shower.

…Then of course there was the bowl licking that I did…so, serve it with chicken, serve it with pork, serve it on a spoon…it is good no matter what you do!

If you don’t know how to cube mangoes, it is quite simple. Cut down through the mango on either side of the pit. Run your knife vertically without cutting through the skin, and then horizontally. Now Push the skin up from the bottom which will separated the mango squares. Cut them off with the knife, and voila! You have cubed mango.

Spicy Mango Chutney

• 2 cups very ripe mango, cubed
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 jalapeno seeded and minced
• 1/2 red fresno pepper seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the pecans in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer slowly, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.
2. Taste and adjust the sweet to tangy ratio to personal taste by adding a touch more sugar or balsamic.
3. Add the pecans just before serving.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

image:maryeaudet

Post from: Baking Delights

I am always looking for ways to fit it in in another dish.

I fell in love with risotto the last time I made it and my brain has been feeding me thousands of ideas for flavoring them.  The other day I was really hungry for something…warm, comforting, creamy…

This risotto is vegetarian, I made it as a side dish but this would be fantastic with grilled chicken breast added to it.  I finished the dish with a few tablespoons of cream just before serving to give it a little more creaminess and flavor.  This was addictive.

Mexican Risotto

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons dried cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon dried chipotle granules, or 1/2 teaspoon of powder
  
• 3 cups of rice
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Heat the chicken stock to a simmer.  Keep warm.

Heat olive oil in a heavy pan.  Add onion, garlic, and chipotle granules.

Cook stirring until onion starts to soften but do not let it brown.  Add the rice.

Continue to cook and stir until rice begins to color.  Stir in the cumin, salt, and pepper.

Add about a fourth cup of the hot stock and stir it into the rice until it is absorbed.  Continue adding stock and stirring it in to the rice about 1/4 cup at a time.  Be sure that the stock is absorbed before stirring in the next batch.

Continue adding the broth until the rice is tender and creamy.  If the broth is gone before the rice is tender use boiling water in the same way.

When the rice is tender pour in the cream and stir in the cheese.  Cover and allow to rest, covered, for five minutes.

Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve topped with grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and green onion.

serves 8

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Night.  The host this week is Ivy of Kopiaste.  If you haven’t checked out her blog you should.  Why? Because it is always incredible, that’s why.

I am finding interesting and varied pasta shapes more and more in the local stores.  This may be old news to some of you but trust me, around here you just don’t get the variety that you do in other places.  Apparently that is changing, something for which I will foreve be grateful because I get bored easily.

I was making BBQ sandwiches, a perfectly respectable Texas dinner, when I realized that I didn’t feel like making french fries, didn’t have time to make potato salad, and didn’t want corn.  That pretty much leaves pasta, right?

So, I cooked these pasta wheels, tossed in some other ingredients and came up with something that could easily be a vegetarian main course as well as a nice side.

Pasta with Spinach and Chickpeas

1 lb pasta of choice, cooked

• 1 lb spinach, chopped
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp chipotle, or red pepper flakes
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

1. Saute the chipotle, onion and garlic in the olive oil.  Don’t allow the garlic to caramelize or scorch.
2. Add the chickpeas and stir until warmed through.
3. Add the spinach and pasta and continue to stir until it is well mixed and the pasta is coated with the olive oil.
4. Serve with the Parmesan sprinkled over the top

About 6-8 servings

images: (c)Marye Audet 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

I made a rolled beef roast the other day and it was so good.  There is something so down to  earth good about old fashioned, plain cooking.  We don’t seem to do it so much anymore, preferring to look to European, Asian, and Noveau cuisines for our special meals.  But set a platter of good roast, some roasted potatoes, buttermilk rolls, salad, and pie down in front of most Americans and they will lick the plate.

It is our roots. Someday maybe I will create a new trend in food and call it Noveau American Gothic.

These potatoes are easy easy easy.  Just peel as many potatoes as you are going to need for dinner. Cut them into fourths. Douse them with a good balsamic based Italian salad dressing, either commercial or homemade.  Just don’t use low fat or fat free because you will need the oil for the potatoes to roast properly.

Toss  the potatoes to coat well, add kosher salt and pepper to taste.  You can also toss in some chunks of onion and garlic

Lay them next to your roast to allow them to soak up some of that flavor and just roast at 375 about an hour.  If your roast is going to cook more than an hour and a half you might want to just put the potatoes in for the last hour or so of the cooking time.

So easy.  So good.  So……American Gothic that you might want to add a chunk of cheddar to your apple pie.

image:marye audet (c)2009 all rights reserved

Post from: Baking Delights

It always amazed me that one of the best selling side dishes on the menu at the tearoom that we had was the humble carrot-raisin salad.  It was always the first thing we ran out of and people always wanted to know the secret.

The funny thing is there was no secret.  Carrot raisin salad is just good in a simple, homestyle way.  There are all kinds of things you can do with it to dress it up but when it comes right down to it everyone likes it best just the old fashioned way.

Carrot raisin salad goes great with fried chicken, sandwiches, hamburgers, and about anything else you want to serve it with.

Because it is so simple the ingredients are important.  The carrots with the green tops are often more  fresh and sweet than the others.  And it does get better if it stands for an hour or so but don’t hold it more than 24 hours or it will get too watery. Toast the pecans in the microwave, watching carefully so they don’t scorch.

The only other thing is to grate the carrots with a coarse hand grater.  The food processor just does not do it the same and the flavors seem to be less intense..but that could be my imagination.

 Carrot Raisin Salad

8 organic carrots, peeled and grated

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

2 tbs light brown sugar

1/4 tsp Korintje cinnamon

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup Hellmann’s Mayo

Mix together and allow flavors to blend for one hour.  Makes 8 servings.

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Carrots are not often served cooked around here. Not because we don’t like them but because my kids will go through a five pound bag of organic carrots in about two days..so if I want to do carrots I better have them on the menu for the day I shop.

These do not have a heavy flavor..the aroma of the anise and vanilla are delicate and the flavor is more of a nuance than anything. Still, they have a nice complex flavor, not too sweet,  and are a good side to chicken or pork. Probably fish too, but we don’t eat fish much.

These are not particularly sweet.  I added a little sugar to enhance the sugars in the carrots but don’t think of these as being glazed, because they aren’t.

I did these in the microwave, but you could do them on top of the stove. Don’t cook too long, you want them to have a little texture.  I just peeled the carrots and left them whole, but of course you could slice or julienne, adjust the cooking time accordingly.

I garnished with a little chopped parley for the picture..but if I had chopped mint I would have used that.

These would also be cool with a combination of the purple, red, and orange carrots, with maybe some parsnips thrown in as well.

Anise & Vanilla Carrots

• 4 lbs carrots, peeled
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 star anise
• 2 inches of vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• coarsely ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Place the lemon juice, zest, sugar, butter, anise, vanilla bean (if using extract add it after the sauce is cooked) , salt and pepper in a microwave save casserole or in a pan if you are using the stove.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Allow to steep for about five minutes.

Add the carrots and cover.  Steam until the carrots are just tender, about 8 minutes.  If you are using the stove top do not let them boil dry-add a little water if needed.  Stir once in awhile and bring the sauce up over the carrots as they cook.

If you used vanilla extract add it just before serving.

Serves 8

Image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights