What's in a Name?

I realize this is a little bit of a tease, but hopefully it will also be motivational. 

I had leftover cauliflower curry and some potatoes au gratin. Looking at them they just seemed like tired leftovers, but I threw them in Thor and whipped them up with some chicken stock and viola, soup. More accurately, it was a rich, creamy potage. When experimenting with food I've found it is a good idea to hold off on naming the dish until finished. So much of success is defined by expectation. For a soup it was a little thick, but by calling it a chowder or potage I hit the nail on the head. It's all in the spin, don'tcha know.

Of course, I can't pass on a precise recipe for you (there's the tease) because it was a one time shot. I think I may start designating one night a week for cleaning out the fridge and seeing what delights materialize.

Out of Your Gourd Good

I'm not the first to think of it by far, but pumpkin makes a great base for smooth, custardy, sweet things. Pie, mousse and ice cream come to mind. You can double up on this recipe if you are making it for a group. I tend to like to make smaller batches because I live alone and can make my way through a pint before growing bored of the flavor. (Here I paired it with homemade granola).

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Makes 3 cups

5 egg yolks

3 ounces brown sugar

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash kosher salt

8 ice cubes of pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

To make the custard whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl. In a saucepan, heat the half and half and milk over medium heat until just below boiling. In a small, steady stream add the hot milk mixture to the yolks. Return the milk-yolk mixture to the saucepan and return to medium heat. Whisk fairly constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Transfer to a closed container and chill.

Place pumpkin cubes and custard into the container of the Vita-Mix. Add the spices. Start on variable #1. Increase to #10. Run until combined and smooth, 30-40 seconds. 

Transfer back to custard container and freeze for 3 to 4 hours. Place frozen mixture with sweetened condensed milk in the container of the Vita-Mix. Blend on variable #1, increase to #10. Stop as soon as four mounds form. This can be eaten soft serve or frozen a final time for a perfect scoopable ice cream consistency.

Therapeutic Baking

I'm at home sick today. And although it is completely warranted, I find myself with enough energy to bake. Actually, it gives me energy and comfort. It's cathartic to measure things out, have them work as they should and fill the house with the domestic smell of sweetness.

I love my Kitchen-Aid and would never give it up. However, I've found there are some joys to using Thor for baking I never would have expected. Creaming butter and honey (especially if you haven't planned ahead and brought it to room temperature) can take a long time and not fully homogenize. As long as you only use the Vita-Mix for the wet ingredients you won't have to worry about over-mixing the batter.

Typically I add some salt, but the honey has enough sodium it doesn't go missing. This bread is super moist and the lemon oil gives it a lift from being too earthy.

Honey Pumpkin Tea Bread

Makes 1 loaf

(Adapted from the National Honey Board)

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup honey

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon lemon oil (may substitute 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with baking spray.

Combine the butter and the honey in the container of the Vita-Mix. Start on variable #1, increase to #7. Run to completely homogenize the mixture. Add the pumpkin. Blend in on #5, using tamper if any sticks to the sides. Add eggs, lemon oil and vanilla. Run again on #5 as before.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and spices with a whisk. Pour the wet mixture over all and fold in. Do not over mix.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60- 65 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold and continue cooling on the rack for 30 minutes before cutting.

Take-Two Granola

My boyfriend has unlocked the magical mystery to homemade yogurt. I failed miserably on my first attempt, so I am profoundly grateful that someone in the family has figured it out.

To contribute my part I went back to the drawing board on granola to serve with it. You have complete control over what you add or subtract from this blend as long as you keep the wet to dry ratio of ingredients fairly consistent. This becomes just one more dumping ground for pantry leftovers.

Homemade Granola

3 cups uncooked oatmeal (not quick cooking or instant)

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/c cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix together all but the maple syrup, honey and vanilla in a large bowl. In a glass measuring cup combine the syrup, honey and vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture. Stir to thoroughly combine. Bake on a cookie sheet with sides, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Store in airtight container

Gas Station Chili

Ok, so it's not much to look at. But to be fair, neither is traditional chili. 

I'm kind of weird about my meat. I don't enjoy steaks or ground meat in any of its many forms, i.e. hamburger, spaghetti sauce, lasagna. But give me a strip of dehydrated cow and I'm in heaven. I find the salty, chewy consistency of jerky utterly irresistible. So the idea planted in my head of using jerky in place of hamburger in chili. Once I was in prepared-food mode I thought of some other short-cuts that might be fun. Salsa! Canned beans! This effectively did away with the need for the spice cabinet. While I used much higher quality ingredients than the corner 7-11 (all can be found at Trader Joe's), technically speaking one could make this from ingredients found at the gas 'n' sip... thus the name. There's something comforting in knowing an all-American meal is just a flickering neon sign away.

Gas Station Chili

Serves 4

6 ounces peppered beef jerky (or any favorite flavor)

16 ounces spicy tomatillo salsa (or any favorite flavor)

15.5 ounce can Cuban style black beans, undrained

15 ounce can kidney beans*

Put the beef jerky in the container of the Vita-Mix. Set on #6, start and stop in bursts until the jerky is a uniform "grind". You don't want it to entirely loose it's integrity and turn to powder, but you don't want large strips remaining either.

Microwave the salsa and the beans until hot, about 4 minutes. Stopping after 2 minutes to stir.

Add the salsa and beans to the Vita-Mix. Pulse on #3 until combined, but still chunky.

Microwave in serving bowls if not hot enough.

Serve with extra-sharp cheddar cheese and ciabatta bread.

*I didn't try it with the final can of kidney beans, but think the intensity of flavor would have stretched over another can if desired.

Parsnippity!

Parsnips are a completely under-utilized vegetable. Ask six people what they are. Three will think you mean a turnip. The other three will have no idea what it is, though they vaguely know you find it in the produce aisle.

Parsnips look like albino carrots and taste piney. They often play supporting cast to a more dominant vegetable, but I think they deserve center stage.

This is a fall soup that does just that. The one carrot to the pound of parsnips give the soup its orange hue. The flavor is subtle and over-all earthy, but once you peel and chop the raw guys you'll know what lends this soup it's distinct, hard to place flavor.

Parsnip Soup With Caramelized Apples

Makes 5-6 servings

(Adapted from Bon Apetit, Nov. 2001)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 cup chopped onions

1 pound parsnips, peeled, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons half and half

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer 2/3 of the apples to a small bowl; set aside for garnish.

Add onions and carrot. Saute until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add parsnips and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Using a ladle for the solids and then pouring in the liquid, transfer the soup to the container of the Vita-Mix. Start on variable #1, then increase to #10. Run until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the half and half and lemon juice. Blend on #1 to incorporate. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each bowl of soup with reserved apples.

Happy Accidents

There's a reason they call it Gingerbread and not Molasses-bread. But all too often you find a recipe with too much "edge" which comes from an overdose of black strap molasses.

As a happy accident (seemingly the story of my culinary experiences) I only had half the amount of molasses for this gingerbread. In its place I substituted honey, one of my current favorite flavors. The result is a super moist, milder cake, still redolent with spices, but not as bracing.

Honey-Gingerbread

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup honey

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch cake pan.

Mix the milk, lemon juice, zest, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, honey, butter and vanilla in the container of the Vita-Mix. Start on #1 variable. Increase to #7. Run until combined, about 1 minute.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the container. Pulse on #5 a few times to incorporate. Do not over blend.

Pour into the cake pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is dry and the cake has just begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool in pan before cutting.