Potatoes with Chorizo and Bacon (Patatas con chorizo y bacon)

This is kind of a cheat post.... I haven't actually made this recipe yet. My sister R cooked a really lovely birthday dinner for the Robber when he visited Roch in January, using recipes from the cookbook that we purchased for her for Christmas: 1080 Recipes by Simone and Ines Ortega. The cookbook is reportedly the "Bible" for Spanish cooking, the definitive collection both inside and outside of Spain. Along with the recipe below, she made us an orange flan and some lemon chicken, both were delicious! But this recipe, laden with fat as it is, was my favorite. I'm hoping to make it again, probably some time when the Robber comes or I have guests. Or I could see this being a delicious one-dish alternative to the traditional hash browns and bacon that we have every year for Christmas breakfast. Maybe I will remember and suggest to R that she make it this next year. The notations in parentheses are from R.

Ingredients:

4 T lard or 3 T butter (I used butter)
5 T oil
2 oz chorizo sausage, peeled, thinly sliced (I used chicken chorizo, which is somewhat unusual, and each sausage was 3 oz so I used 3 oz)

3 1/2 oz thickly sliced bacon, cut into half-inch wide strips
3 1/4 pound small potatoes, preferably new potatoes (I used about a pound-and-a-half each of red and white new potatoes)
1 T chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
Directions:

1. Melt fats in a very large, thick skillet-- it needs to be big enough to fit all the potatoes in a single layer. Add meats and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes.

2. Add potatoes. Season with salt and cook over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for 45-60 minutes, until the potatoes are evenly browned. (The recipe says nothing about a lid, but at about 40 minutes I got nervous they wouldn't get done because of the uni-directional heat, and put a lid on them for the next 20 or so minutes. I think that they would have gotten done anyway, although I don't think the lid hurt, either. DO NOT put on a lid any earlier, though. Steamed potatoes get very mealy rather than creamy).

3. Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic and parsley and stir for a few minutes more. Serve.

Note from R: the book says some types of chorizo become hard with prolonged cooking. This wasn't a problem for me because I used chicken chorizo. But to prevent this, it says you can cook the chorizo with the bacon and set it aside. Sounds like a bother.

Light, Fluffy, and Rich Pancakes

From the Minimalist again, albeit with a little bit of disappointment. I made these for the Robber when he came at Valentine's Day, but I could have just stuck with the tried and true coffee cake which the Robber loves because we both found these, while light and fluffy, somewhat lacking in flavor. How to fix it? I did not have a lemon, so while I added lemon juice they were lacking the zest which might have helped. Perhaps adding some more salt would do the trick? I told the Robber that perhaps I would make these again if I had female company, but there are better pancake options yet for that-- like the ricotta cheese apple pancakes from the Moosewood or even the oatmeal pancakes also from the Minimalist. I wonder if you could use the whipped egg white texture in another recipe to get the same light effect without the combined heaviness given these pancakes by the ricotta cheese. Hmmmm. I ate the leftover this morning with strawberry jam and wasn't impressed with the age either. I will stick to KT's whole wheat flapjacks for Bob I think, but if I am ever bored and in need of a pancake mix-up, I suppose this isn't a bad idea to have around and to tinker with in the future.

Ingredients:

1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3 eggs, separated
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Butter or grapeseed or other neutral oil as needed

Directions:

1. Beat together the ricotta or cottage cheese, sour cream or yogurt and egg yolks. Combine baking soda, flour, salt and sugar. Beat egg whites until fairly stiff but not dry.

2. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you finish batter. Stir flour mixture into cheese mixture, blending well but not beating. Stir in lemon juice and zest, then gently fold in beaten egg whites; they should remain somewhat distinct in batter.

3. Add about 1 tablespoon butter or oil to griddle or skillet and coat surface. When it is hot, add batter by the heaping tablespoon, making sure to include some egg white in each spoonful. Cook until lightly browned on bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook second side. Serve immediately.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/dining/204mrex.html

Fettucine Alfredo

I asked Robber to make me some fettucine alfredo with chicken for Valentine's Day because it is one of my favorite foods. I must admit that I was looking for something with a little more sauce to noodle ratio and perhaps a little thicker or whatnot, but I will tell you that this fettucine was really, really good and I gobbled down the leftovers like crazy. So even though it wasn't quite the noodles swimming in thick white sauce I had imagined, I think I am ready to give up that vision in favor of this more classic, restrained but definitely delicious sauce.

Multiple reviewers on Epicurious note that you can substitute half and half for the cream to cut calories, recommend adding garlic (or other flavorings), suggest using whole wheat pasta, and add a variety of other vegetables or meats in with the sauce to make a meal.

Ingredients:

8 to 9 ounce egg fettuccine in nests

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

1. Cook fettuccine in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.

2. Meanwhile, bring cream and butter to a simmer in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat, adding 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

3. Add fettuccine, 1/4 cup reserved water, and cheese to sauce and toss. Add more cooking water if necessary.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fettucine-Alfredo-350227#ixzz1EYReAlE8

Molten Chocolate Cake with Mint Fudge Sauce

The Robber made these for me for Valentine's day along with the Fettucine Alfredo and some awesome vegetables. He came up with the concept himself and then executed the whole thing along with the sauce. Well done Robber! Unfortunately, we only had a muffin tin so we divided the batter into nine muffin cups and baked them for the same amount of time. In retrospect, we should have shortened the baking time because the cakes were mostly done all the way through and not very molten-y. But delicious all the same. The sauce, when refrigerated, turns into a nice fudge that you can eat as fudge or warm up again for sauce with the leftovers or with another dessert. Originally from Bon Appetit, you can find the recipe on the Epicurious link below.

Ingredients:

Sauce

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cakes

5 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

For sauce:

1. Stir both chocolates in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted. Add 1/3 cup hot water, corn syrup and extract; whisk until smooth. Remove from over water. Cool slightly. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Before serving, rewarm in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.)

For cakes:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

2. Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Spoon sauce around cakes. Serve with ice cream.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Molten-Chocolate-Cakes-with-Mint-Fudge-Sauce-104604#ixzz1EYPzfVh1

Triple Coconut Cream Pie

(Adapted from Tom Douglas at Dahliah's Bakery in Seattle)

I found this recipe on pieloveyou.blogspot.com and decided to make it for Bob's birthday. I was a little worried it would be too hip for him. If it's all the rage in Seattle, it is probably a little avant garde for Bob's taste but why not try it?

In the end, he wanted just the regular old coconut cream pie. He liked this pie, but likes a saltier crust to offset the sweetness of the filling. I, on the other hand, enjoyed this coconut crust, the less sweet filling, and wanted to put white chocolate curls on the top were it not for Bob's preference otherwise (it was his birthday pie.) I think in the future I will mix and match this recipe-- maybe try the crust with another filling or the filling with a saltier crust. Or both together again, that would be just fine for me. After all, this was gloriously creamy, gloriously coconutty, and wonderful to the taste.

Ingredients:

Coconut pie crust


1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut


1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces


2 teaspoons sugar


1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


3 to 5 tablespoons ice water



Coconut Cream

2 cups milk

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

2 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Cream Topping

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled (2 cups if probably sufficient)

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Garnish

2 ounces unsweetened "chip" or large-shred coconut (about 1 1/2 cups) or sweetened shredded coconut

Chunks of white chocolate (4 to 6 ounces, to make 2 ounces of curls)

Directions:

Crust

1. Pulse first 5 ingredients in a food processor 6 to 10 times or until mixture is crumbly. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until dough holds together when pressed between fingers. (Dough will not form a ball or even clump together in processor-it will be loose.)



2. Turn dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap; press into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.


3. Roll dough to a 12- to 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming excess to a 1- to 11/2-inch overhang. Turn dough under along rim of pie pan, and flute edges. Chill at least 1 hour before baking.



4. Preheat oven to 400°. Place a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper in pie crust, extending over edges, and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; discard foil and beans, and return pie crust to oven. Bake for 14 to 17 more minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Coconut Cream

1. Make the coconut cream while the crust is chilling in the fridge. To make the coconut cream, combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring a small amount (about 1/3 Cup) of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The coconut cream will thicken as it cools.


3. When the coconut cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface. In an electric mixer with the whisk, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Gradually increase the speed to high and whip to peaks that are firm enough to hold their shape. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the whipped cream and pipe it all over the surface of the pie, or spoon it over.

Garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the coconut chips on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, watching carefully and stirring once or twice, since coconut burns easily, until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of the white chocolate into curls.


Serve!

Cardamom-Scented Oatmeal Pancakes with Apricots and Almonds

From the Minimalist Blog at the NYTimes. Mark Bittman has this way of convincing you that really, oatmeal cardmom apricot almond pancakes aren't any harder than the usual kind. And don't they look even more delicious in the picture?

I don't always fall for what he passes off as "minimal," but this one taunted me into trying it this Sunday morning. I brought extras to my little teacher development class for a lesson and they were generally well received, although I don't think anyone is a permanent convert from the regular pancake.

I recommend following his suggestion and serving with honey, although maple syrup works too but it has a tendency to overpower the subtle flavors more than the honey. They are not too sweet alone and would also be overpowered served with very sweet fruit like pineapple or canned peaches. Fresh bananas and milk might be a better choice. These would well for a small brunch with friends.

If I made this again, I might increase both the cardamom and the apricots.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups cooked oatmeal
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots

Vegetable or olive oil, for frying
Honey, for serving.

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Combine the flours, oats, almonds, baking powder, cardamom and salt in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk; stir in the cooked oatmeal and the apricots until just incorporated. Add the oatmeal mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently; don’t overmix. The consistency should be that of thick pancake batter; add a little more milk or whole-wheat flour as needed.

3. Put a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. When a few drops of water dance on its surface, add a thin film of vegetable oil and let it become hot. Spoon out the batter, making any size pancakes you like. Cook until bubbles form on the top and pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook until they’re browned on the other side, a couple of minutes more. You may have to rotate the cakes to cook them evenly, depending on the heat source and pan. As they finish, transfer them to a plate in the oven while you cook the remaining batter. Serve with honey.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Bread-Pudding-with-Caramel-Sauce-104182#ixzz19q6PWaRp

From Epicurious. Bob loves this, the reviewers love this, why not?

Ingredients:

Bread pudding

2 cups half and half
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp each allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 cups 1/2-inch cubes egg bread (about 10-ounces)
1/2 cup golden raisins

Caramel sauce

1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream

Powdered sugar

Directions:

For bread pudding:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in golden raisins. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce:
Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar over bread pudding. Serve warm with caramel sauce.

Notes:

I cooked the sauce for longer-- boiled it for about 30 seconds or so and this made a thicker sauce for the pudding. I used half a loaf of Texas toast (about 11 oz.) which was a good ratio of bread and pudding. I also omitted the raisins and used a 9 x 9 pan.