Lemony Blueberries with Oatmeal Cobbler

Dessert for breakfast? Hell, yes! Isn't that exactly what so many breakfast favorites are? Pancakes, french toast, muffins, scones. My basic rule with the boys is: if is has fruit and/or other nutritional merit and uses sugar judiciously then last night's dessert is fair game for the morning meal. Yesterday, I made this specifically for breakfast with blueberries I had just picked. The fruit mixture was not-too-sweet and had a nice hint of lemon. The oatmeal in the cobbler topping gave it a hearty, comforting taste and texture. 

I used a go-to recipe for blueberry pie filling (from MarthaStewart.com), adding a little lemon zest. I adapted a cobbler topping from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, a favorite cookbook of mine. I happened to have some left over heavy cream, which I popped into the whip creamer for a last minute splurge.  The boys and I really enjoyed this wonderful late-summer breakfast.


Note: We ate it hot and the filling was a little loose, but it thickened up upon cooling. 

Blueberry filling
8 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbs. lemon juice
Finely grated zest of one lemon
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Cobbler topping
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (I use equal parts oat flour and white wheat in all my baking)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp/ baking soda
1 tsp. salt
10-12 Tbs. cold butter
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup lowfat milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray a 9 x 13" baking dish with a little oil. Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl then the pour the mixture into the baking pan, spreading evenly. Dot with butter. Set aside.

Combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter. Mix together the sour cream, milk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture along with the oats, stirring just enough until all the flour is moistened.

Drop globs of topping of various sizes all over the top of the fruit. It should look like a cobblestone road.

Bake for 35 minutes or so, until the cobbler is lightly browned and cooked through and the fruit is bubbling. Cool 20-30 minutes before serving.

Panna Cotta: A simple refreshing summer dessert

You know, if you were just checking this blog out and did not know me you would think I prefer baking and dessert making more than preparing savory foods. Not really true, but somehow that is what always gets onto this blog. Actually, since having kids I find that I do tend to repeat the tried and true meals a little more than I experiment with new entrees. New sweets are essentially always a hit. 

This is what mine looked like when I served it at a small family dinner party.
I used vanilla bean (see the seeds?) rather than extract as called for in the recipe.

So in line with that,  I now present a fabulous recipe for panna cotta. This Italian dessert is like a vanilla-ice-cream-flavored Jello. It is extremely easy to make, makes for a variety of interesting presentations, and is cool and refreshing. Since you make it a day before serving, it is really a time saver. It pairs well with many summer fruits.


I adapted this recipe from Epicurious.


Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with
Rhubarb-Rasberry Sauce and Berries
Serves 8

Panna Cotta

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons cold water

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half and half

1/3 cup sugar

Half of a vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Sauce

1 cup rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces (fresh or frozen)

1 pint raspberries, fresh or frozen

Splash of water or juice

Sugar to taste (start with 1/2 cup)

Couple dashes of cardamom or cinnamon (optional)

Garnish

Blackberries

Sliced strawberries

A sprig of fresh mint

In a small bowl sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds or so until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Set aside.

Combine cream, half and half, sugar, vanilla bean case and seeds in a large saucepan.  Bring

just to a boil over med-high heat, stirring. Remove pan from heat, strain, and stir in gelatin mixture. Fill eight 1/2-cup custard cups with the mixture and cool to room temperature. Cover each portion with a small piece of plastic wrap. Chill at least 4 hours.

While the panna cotta is cooling, make the sauce. Combine all sauce ingredient in a saucepan and cook over med-high heat until the rhubarb is quite soft. Cool 15-20 minutes. Press through a strainer or finest screen of a food mill. If the sauce is still thinner than you like, return it to the saucepan to reduce a bit. Taste and adjust sugar. Chill.

To serve: Spoon a little pool of sauce on 8 dessert plates. Dip cups, 1 at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a thin knife or spatula around the edge of each and invert onto sauce. Garnish with berries and mint.

Barbequed Baby Back Ribs

Photo from mamas-southern-cooking.com

Years ago, when I was pregnant with Samuel, a scientist friend of Jim's from NIH and her husband invited us for dinner. They served up the most amazing ribs and a slaw with sunflower seeds and crunchy noodles.  I have since made them several times myself. The recipe from Epicurious.com includes both a delicious spice rub and a homemade bourbon-mustard barbeque sauce, which I have only made once. It makes a boat load and freezes well so you can keep some for later grilling or give it to friends. Most often, I just use a bottled barbeque sauce. My kids like Sweet Baby Ray's. I like Stubb's.

A rib dinner at our lakeside cottage rental last week.

The Rib Rub
2 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. dry mustard
1 Tbs. coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2-3 racks of pork baby back ribs



Generally, I apply the rub the day before cooking, wrapping them in foil then placing them on a baking sheet in the fridge.  I par cook the ribs still in the foil in a 300° F oven for 90 minutes or so until they are practically falling off the bone. Then I cut them into sections of 3 ribs, apply the sauce, and finish them up on a hot, well-oiled grill.

We all love them. A side of slaw, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, and a cold beer make a lovely home-style summer meal.


Here is the sauce recipe if you are feeling ambitious.

Mustard-Bourbon Barbeque Sauce
from Epicurious.com


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 bunches green onions, chopped
2 cups chopped white onions
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup tomato paste (about 9 ounces)
1 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
1 cup water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 large dried ancho chili, stemmed, seeded, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups bourbon

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add green onions, white onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Mix in all remaining ingredients, adding bourbon last. 

Simmer sauce until thick and reduced to 7 cups, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Sauce can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Mmmmmm...they were finger-licking good.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Baby-Back-Pork-Ribs-with-Mustard-Bourbon-Sauce-5461#ixzz1U08wCjXk

Blueberry Clafouti and Raspberry "Pudding"

Hello, Blueberry, my old friend. 


Here in Vermont, Sam, Ethan and I recently enjoyed a lovely afternoon picking the most luscious blueberries right down the road from our house. Adam's Berry Farm is an organic farm located in Burlington's intervale, a nice patch of fertile land along the Winooski River right in the heart of Burlington. We pick there every year because produce does not get any more local than this and because they don't use icky pesticides that make you feel bad about your kids eating handfuls of the sweet berries as you pick. This year has yielded a tremendous crop of extra sweet and big berries. We ate many, many handfuls. 

What a beautiful pie I made!

Of course, I made a pie right away and today I made a clafouti (see recipe below). Clafouti is a dessert from the countryside of France—usually cherries topped with an eggy batter, but sometimes a more cakey topping.  I had to try it because it reminds me of a dessert my mother's (LaPierre) family has enjoyed for the past 3-4 generations, at least. We call it Raspberry Pudding, but it is more like an upside down cake. Nowadays, my mom and sisters cheat and use a yellow cake mix instead of from-scratch batter, but I always used Memere's recipe, a simple batter that takes only minutes to prepare. I included the recipe below.


Anyhoo, I was checking the internet for recipe ideas, thinking I might make a trifle with the remaining blueberries, some left over angel food cake, and some lemony whipped mascarpone. I stumbled upon a recipe for Old Fashioned Blackberry Pudding at the One Perfect Bite blog, which reminded me of Memere's pudding, which led me to try to figure out why the heck it is called pudding, which lead me to clafouti, of course. It just seemed prudent to try it out so I found a recipe that looked excellent at The Curvy Carrot (the recipe was originally from Sur la Table).  I will go back and try the blueberry pudding after my next round of blueberry picking.


The dessert, which I ate a little warmer than room temperature, was custardy and delicious—not too sweet, a silky texture, and bursting with berries. Not at all like my family's pudding, actually. I think I might even like it better. From what I read, there are other versions of clafouti that are cakier, which may be the origin of Memere's pudding. Or, perhaps it is from the British tradition of calling cakey things puddings. Or, perhaps it is related to summer berry puddings (another French creation, I think), which combine juicy berries and stale bread in a molded treat. Maybe I'll never know for sure, but so far it has been tasty trying to find out.

Blueberry Clafouti 

(originally from Sur la Table)

Doesn't look good? It was soooo good.

Servings: 6

1 tsp. unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup, plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

3 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup almonds, toasted, and coarsely chopped 

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Using the butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 2-inch round baking dish, or another low-sided baking dish with a 1½-quart capacity. Sprinkle the bottom and sides with the 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Put the blueberries in the prepared dish in an even layer.

Put the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla and almond extracts, salt, and the remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour carefully over the berries so as not to dislodge them. Scatter the almonds over the surface.

Bake until the clafouti is puffed and firm to the touch, about 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes, then dust thickly with confectioners' sugar. The clafouti is best when served warm.

My modifications: I left out the almond extract and the toasted almonds and added a little lemon extract and zest instead. Since I had only lowfat milk, I added a Tbs. of melted butter to the batter.


Here's the family recipe, which would also work well with blueberries or vice versa. You can decide which one you like best.

Memere LaPierre's Raspberry Pudding
serves 8-12


2 eggs, beaten
1 full cup sugar
3 Tbs.  Crisco (I use butter)
2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 quart  basket of fresh raspberries (4 cups)
1 1/2 c. sugar (this can be halved, otherwise it is quite sweet)

Cream together eggs, 1 c. sugar, and Crisco.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and add into cream along with 1/2 c. milk.  Beat, adding remaining 1/2 c. milk and vanilla.

Grease 9x13” baking pan and line with half of batter.  Top evenly with raspberries; pour 1 1/2 c. sugar over berries; then top with remaining batter.  Bake at 375° for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake for another 40 minutes.  

Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Elegant Apps

NOTE: I actually wrote this post in May/June, which was appetizer season for me.

Lately, I have really been into eating and making appetizers. This is probably for many reasons.  First, I have always liked tiny food. The marketing gurus who came up with the idea of miniaturizing products have made some serious cash from me. Tiny crackers, tiny vegetables. Everything tastes better when it is petit. Second, I generally prefer eating a lot of different foods to having a big dish of one thing. I love the increasing number of restaurants where you can get small plates and tapas are muy delicioso! We even served apps in lieu of a wedding dinner at our reception.  Lastly, I have been more mindful of my food intake in the last several months and apps are a great way to have the joy of these often-high-fat favorites without forsaking health totally.

These are some of the appetizers that I think are worth trying. I am happy to provide recipes to anyone interested. And, I would love to know what your go-to apps are.

• asparagus wrapped in prosciutto
• bite-sized crab cakes with dilled hollandaise (or wasabi aioli)
• beef bulgogi lettuce wraps
• buffalo chicken mini meatballs
• warmed brie with fig preserves and crispy pink lady apples
• tomato, mozzarella and basil bites
• creamed cheese and hot pepper jelly with crackers
• lobster salad in small endive leaves
• bell pepper strips and Boursin wrapped in filet mignon
• mini empanadas with chicken, olives and currants

Potato pancakes with Smoked Trout. Pic from MyRecipes.com (of course, I forgot to photo mine)

Last weekend, two of my brothers, Chris and Tom, came over for dinner with their spouses Linne and Therese. Most of you know that I have a very large family. When we get together, even just part of the family, it is a large and loud party. So, it was nice to get together in a smaller group where we could talk for more than a minute or two and hear each other without screaming. I opted for a light and healthy dinner followed by a simple dessert and went heavy on the apps.

The most-enjoyed of the three apps I made were mini celeriac/apple/potato pancakes with horseradish creme fraiche and smoked trout. Quite delicious and definitely worthy to serve at an elegant cocktail party. The recipe is adapted from one at epicurious.com, which actually used smoked salmon (click here to check it out).

Mini Latkes with Horseradish Creme Fraiche and Smoked Trout
Makes 20-25 Pancakes
Enough for 6-8 people

1 pound russet potatoes (1 large), peeled, grated

1 medium onion, peeled, grated

1 2-inch cube peeled celeriac, grated

1 medium Granny Smith apple (unpeeled), grated

1 large egg

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 cup corn starch (or flour)

Vegetable oil (for frying)

GARNISH

1/3 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)

2 tsp. drained prepared white horseradish

8 ounces smoked trout

Chopped fresh chives

(Capers would also go well in lieu of chives)

Line a medium bowl with a kitchen towel. Transfer potato, celeriac, apple, and onion mixture to towel. Gather towel tightly around potato mixture and squeeze out as much liquid as possible into bowl; discard liquid. Place potato mixture, egg, salt and pepper in same bowl; toss to blend. Mix in corn starch.

Heat oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Form pancakes into desired size. I made them the size of a small meatball. Add to pan and flatten with spatula (they should be about 2" in diameter). Fry until cooked through and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to paper towel line plate and cool a little before assembling so the creme doesn't melt.

Mix crème fraîche and horseradish in small bowl. Garnish pancakes with dollop of horseradish cream and a piece of smoked trout. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

NOTES: 

I made the pancakes earlier in the day and kept on paper towels at room temp. Reheated at 375° for 15 minutes to crisp them up again before serving.

I did not feel you could taste the celeriac and enough to warrant the cost and effort. I think next time I would omit it and double the apples. A little celery seed would probably add more celery flavor than the celeriac did.