Cook Like Mad

Today has not been the best day. Few things could boost my spirits after a day full of frustration and irritation, but this dish has (thankfully) managed to. What I needed was a quick, calming sweet treat, and this is just that. Crepes are easy and fast to make, and the pear caramel uses ingredients you already have in your fridge. What’s really great is that this little treat really isn’t that big of an indulgence, so the end of my night isn’t going to end with a sugar high. The pear caramel is more pear than caramel, but the sauce has an undeniable caramel flavor that ties the soft crepe and tender pear together.

What may shock you about the recipe is my use of milk instead of cream. While cream and butter are traditionally used to make a thick, rich caramel, using milk allowed me to create a thinner caramel with the same bold flavor you’re used to. There is still a touch of butter included for a boost of flavor, but overall, this is a delicate and largely healthy dessert. In fact, since each serving contains 1 whole pear, I would even say this would be great for breakfast, too. Surely this has less sugar in it per serving than the maple syrup you pour on your pancakes, or the brown sugar you add to your oatmeal, so why not start your morning right with with these crepes, loaded with fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals? Day or night, these pear caramel stuffed crepes are delicious, and soothing too, if you need that kind of food tonight. I know I did. Enjoy : )

Crepes with Pear Caramel

Makes 4 Servings

For Crepes:

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp sugar

For Pears:

4 ripe pears, bartlett, anjou, or bosc (my preference)

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups water

2 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

oil or cooking spray, for cooking

Method

1. Mix flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat egg, add in milk and vanilla, and mix the wet into the dry. Mix until there are no clumps of flour. This can be done in the blender to ensure a smooth batter.

2. Heat a small pan over medium high heat, spray or grease with a small amount of oil and pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Since pan sizes vary, I recommend adding just enough batter to fully coat the bottom of your pan, no more. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute on the first side (until lightly golden brown), carefully flip, and let the second side cook for another 10-20 seconds. Place finished crepe on a plate and continue making crepes in the same fashion with the rest of the batter.

3. Slice pears 1/4 inch thick, but no less since you don’t want them to fall apart while cooking. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat, add a little oil, and add the pears. Once the pears are warm, add the sugar, let melt and turn light brown, then add the water. Cook until the caramel begins to bubble more slowly and looks slightly thicker. Add the butter and milk, and stir well to incorporate them fully. Cook until caramel turn a deeper golden, bubbles even more slowly, and looks a little thicker. Turn off heat and let sit in the warm pan while you set up two crepes, flat on each plate.

4. Place 1/2 cup (approximately) inside each crepe, roll up, seam side down, and repeat until crepes are all full. For each duo of crepes, spoon over a little extra caramel sauce left in the pan. Enjoy!

-M

Just look at that photo- do I even need to say anything to encourage you to make this pot pie? Feel free to bake this in individual ramekins so you can serve them in their baking dishes. With this rustic dish, that would be a beautiful presentation. Interestingly enough, this dough is very similar to the dough I created to make those Chinese five spice pinwheels. If you find yourself with leftover dough, you can always bake up a few of these cookies while you wait for the chicken to cook through. Dinner and dessert in one recipe! What’s better than that? Enjoy : )

Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 3 Servings

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (broth is fine)

2 large chicken breasts

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

6 tbsp beurre manie (3 tbsp flour mixed with 3 tbsp oil or melted butter)

vegetable oil, as needed

1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp water

salt and pepper, to season

1 sheet Frozen puff pastry or use the recipe below:

Easiest Pastry Recipe:

1. Mix 1 1/4 cups flour with 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 6 tbsp diced cold butter. Mix in 4 tbsp water until dough just comes together, wrap in plastic and set in fridge. Roll out to 10” circle when you’re ready to cover your pie.)

uncooked pastry crust, with a decorative topping made from extra crust

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish that has a diameter of about 9” (I prefer a cast iron dish, but any baking dish will work). Bring chicken stock to a boil in a 4 qt pot, turn down heat, and keep hot over medium heat, covered.
2. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil in it, and add carrots, celery, onion and a pinch of salt.

3. Meanwhile, set up another pan (that has a fitting lid) with 2 inches of water and heat on high. Place chicken breasts in pan, cover, and once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and shallow poach the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. When cooked, remove from water to a clean cutting board and let cool slightly. Once cool, shread or cut into large dice.

4. Add vegetables to chicken stock once golden brown and slightly soft. Add chicken also, then whip in beurre manie. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes, then pour into baking dish. (Note, you can stop here and refrigerate mixture, if you want to serve the dish tomorrow.)

5. Place round of pastry crust (or puff pastry) on top of baking dish, ensuring that the pastry overlaps the side of the dish slightly, so you can crimp the sides shut. Brush top of pastry crust with egg mixed with 1 tbsp water and bake in oven on a sheet tray (to catch drips) for 20 minutes, or until top is golden and cooked through. Serve in shallow bowls and enjoy!

-M : )

Every January, I find it tough to snap out of the holiday mindset, and this year is no different. In fact, I think I’m finding it particularly challenging to snap back into work mode, since keeping a food blog makes my mind dwell on food in a way I’ve never experienced before. The fact is, during the holidays, everyone’s a foodie. Normally, people are happy to listen to my most recent concoction or latest favorite recipe, but once December rolls around, everyone, food enthusiast or not, can’t hardly stop talking to me about family recipes, food traditions, and foods they await to taste every Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year’s.

In fact, if I’m fair, I think this frenzy really begins in mid November, with the planning of Thanksgiving menus. So for a good month and a half, I have camaraderie like I’ve never had before. Being a foodie in Washington D.C. could have been lonesome if I hadn’t covertly converted my boyfriend into one, especially after spending a year in NYC. Still, most of my friends are not foodies, so having everyone so excited about food this time of year is particularly fun!

Here’s my problem, though, although I suppose it’s a “high-class” one. A month and a half of being essentially bombarded with new ideas and recipes means, for me, another month and half to digest all of this information. So each year, and I’m sure this year will be no different, I can’t get over holiday food until March. How to cope? Keep cooking holiday food! This recipe for Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing is delicious any time of the year, but in January, making this will certainly keep you feeling festive long after the icicle lights come down. I’ve crumbled it into omelettes, stuffed it into pork roasts or baby squashes, and grilled slices to accompany a light salad, but my hands-down favorite way to serve it is in the recipe below. The eggs add extra richness and creaminess to the stuffing, while the simple act of eating the dish in the bowl it was baked in, and with a spoon no less, makes it the ultimate comfort food. Enjoy!

Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing
Serves 8

1 small yellow onion, or ½ large one, small dice

1 large stalk celery, small dice

1 9×9 pan prepared cornbread, crumbled (I used 1 container of pre-made cornbread from Whole Foods Market and it was the perfect amount- it filled a 9×9 pan about 2 ½ inches high).

2 cups chicken stock

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 jalapenos, with seeds, minced (you can use one jalapeno if you want it less spicy)

½ tsp each, salt and pepper

canola oil, for sautéing

cooking spray, or more oil, for greasing pan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat and and about 1 tsp oil to the pan. When oil is hot, add diced onion and celery and cook until translucent and slightly golden, 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add cornbread to a large mixing bowl and add chicken stock, egg, and jalapenos. Mix well.

4. When onion and celery mixture has finished cooking, take off heat, let cool slightly, and add to cornbread mixture. Add seasoning and stir well.

5. Transfer mixture to greased baking dish and smooth top to ensure even cooking (and nice presentation!) Place on center rack in over and bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few small crumbs are fine). Serve immediately but be sure to save leftovers for second recipe below! Enjoy!

Stuffing, Round Two:

Eggs en Cocotte with Stuffing
Serves ? (Depends on how much you ate the night before…Count on 1 cup stuffing per portion)

Leftover Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing- 1 cup, per person

2 Eggs, per person

1 Slice bacon, per person, cooked and crumbled, (optional) (Applewood smoked bacon is killer here)

1.5 oz Aged cheddar, per person, thinly sliced (optional, or substitute favorite cheese)

Pinch of salt, per person

Cooking spray, as needed

Maple syrup, hot sauce, or whatever you like, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Count the number of people you’re feeding and coat that many small oven-safe bowls with cooking spray.

2. Spoon about 1 cup (depending on the size of your bowl) cold leftover jalapeno cornbread stuffing into each bowl and press down with the back of a spoon or your hand to make a flat surface.

3. If you are using bacon, sprinkle it over the stuffing now. If not, move on to step 4.

4. Crack two eggs over each filled bowl, trying not to break the yolks. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggs (remember, only the stuffing has been seasoned so far).

5. Set directly in the oven, or place bowls on a baking sheet and then move to the oven. Bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, but thick. If you prefer firm yolks, simply cook 5-7 minutes more.

6. If you are using cheese, once the whites are nearly set, take the bowls requiring an addition of cheese out of the oven, place cheese slices on egg whites and return to oven for 2-3 minutes more.

7. Remove once the eggs are done to your liking, but be careful! The bowls remain very hot for some time after they’re out of the oven- warn your guests : ) Serve with desired accompaniments and enjoy!

-M : )

No, this isn’t the corny name of a new dessert I’ve created, but an expression of my excitement about having my Kashi Apple Pancakes named one of the best food blog recipes of 2007!! Amusingly enough, I found this out while perusing my blog stats and clicking on a link I was unfamiliar with. The link took me to a page of the Best of 2007- Foodblogger’s Recipe Collection. Entries came from many countries and I am delighted to be listed among such talented cooks and bloggers. My recipe is under the “U.S.” heading, of course, and is several entries down. How exciting- Happy New Year indeed!

-M : )

Healthy and decadent are two words that seldom appear in the same sentence, but this breakfast is entitled to both descriptions. While winter doesn’t offer as plentiful a bounty as the other seasons, there is no excuse to exclude fruit from your breakfast. When its cold outside and snow covers the ground, all we can think about is heavy food- stews, braised meats, and tummy-warming baked goods- but in reality, these foods take our bodies out of balance. Sure these foods are nourishing, but often, they are more comforting to our inner child than beneficial to our physical selves. What I mean is, the foods we eat during winter time weigh us down; they make us lethargic, sleepy, and slow. They require so much energy to digest that we feel drained after such heavy meals. So many casseroles, meats, sausages, and potatoes, and too little veggies and fruits- why do we put our bodies through this?

Perhaps I am more sensitive than many, but these foods truly wreak havoc on my body and after a winter of heavy eating, I spend all of spring just getting my energy back. Is that large breakfast worth the bloating you’ll suffer through an hour later? Try this oatmeal and baked pear breakfast combo and you’ll soon realize that satisfying (there’s 10 grams of fiber per serving!) and heavy don’t have to be synonymous. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Baked Pears

Serves 6

Oatmeal:

1 small slow cooker

1 cup steel cut oat groats (these can be found in most health food or natural food stores)

4 cups water

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp chinese five spice powder (optional)

Method:

1. Dump ingredients into a small slow cooker, stir to combine, and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. In the last hour of cooking, open top and stir in cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and five spice powder, if using. Place top back on and finish cooking.

2. Place cooked oatmeal in a large container, cool, and score top of oatmeal with a knife to mark six even sections.

Baked Pears:

6 bartlett pears, ripe but not mushy

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup dried cranberries (the higher the quality the better)

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp brown sugar

cooking spray

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray ceramic or glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Halve and core pears. Place cut side up in baking dish. Soak raisins and cranberries in 2 cups boiling water for 10 minutes.

3. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small dish and sprinkle over cut sides of pears. Drain raisins and cranberries, but save the liquid, and place in the holes in the pears where the core used to be. Pour soaking liquid from dried fruit into the bottom of the baking dish.

4. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 35-45 minutes, or until pears are soft and a knife pierced into a pear faces no resistance.

Pears soft and juicy after a long, hot bath in the oven!

Final preparation:

1. Place 1/6th of oatmeal in 6 separate bowls and add 1/4 cup of water (a little less if you like really thick oatmeal) to each bowl. Microwave each bowl on high for 2 minutes (approx) and top each with two stuffed pear halves. Enjoy!

-M : )

Newton’s third law states that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” so it comes as no surprise that the fast food industry is currently being attacked by a stronger-than-ever coalition of extremely vocal and well-supported food alarmists. Now don’t get upset, I’m no fast food junkie. However, I do believe in a consumer’s right to choose and that birthday parties should involve cake, Halloween should involve kids collecting candy, and schools should have the ability to offer students a dessert option with their lunch.

In this time of feuding non-profits, where organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Center for Consumer Freedom are butting heads over “issues” like if a child should be allowed to bring birthday cupcakes into school to share (!), or whether non-chain restaurants should disclose the nutritional information of their menus, I find myself inclined to back away from this battle and get back to the basics. I say ignore the food-focused fear-mongering and rely on a little personal responsibility. All you need to know to be healthy is what you already know, intrinsically:

1. Fruits and vegetables are good for you. Eat a lot of them. Period.
2. For proteins such as poultry, fish, and meat, a portion size is closer to the size of your fist than the size of your plate.

3. Carbohydrates are easy access energy for your body, since they are more easily broken down into elements your body can use than protein is, for example. Whole grains contain more fiber and nutrients than refined grains, but white bread isn’t evil. Neither are cupcakes. Moderation is key.

4. A little fat in the diet does the body good. Some nutrients are only fat-soluble, meaning that without the presence of fat in the body, we can’t break these vitamins and minerals down for our bodies to use. Also, our brain is made mostly of fat. Think about that! The unsaturated varieties are preferable, but when it comes to saturated fats, Coconut Oil is a good example of a healthy one. This doesn’t mean you should eat it by the spoonful, but try substituting it for canola oil once in a while.

5. Sugar, refined or not, is still just a carbohydrate and a little candy, chocolate, or cake should be a source of pleasure not anxiety.

So with that said, I have a great banana muffin recipe to share. Yes, it calls for refined all-purpose flour, real butter, and white sugar, but you can modify the recipe if that suits you.

A couple notes:

*For a more substantial muffin, try dropping peanut butter into the centers, or add jam also and make them pb&j muffins. Apple butter, or other fruit butters also make delicious additions, as does chopped fruit, such as apples or pears.

*To add a center to your muffin, fill up the muffin tin halfway with batter, drop in a teaspoonful of your filling, and cover with a thin layer of batter so the filling is hidden. I also love to crumble two of these into an ovensafe bowl, crack two eggs over it, and bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Sprinkle salt on the eggs and eat from the dish- the sweet muffins with the salty eggs is a great combination! Either way you choose to serve them, enjoy. And see…without even trying you’re getting a little of everything you need here: carbs, fiber, protein and a little fat, as well as added vitamins and minerals from the bananas. Here’s to not over-thinking our food.

Fool-Proof Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large very ripe bananas (or 4 small), mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (oil can be substituted)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat muffin tins with liners or cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients together except for the flour in a large bowl and carefully stir in flour at the end just until incorporated. Don’t over mix or your muffins will be tough.

3. Fill muffin tin 3/4 way full and place tin in hot oven. Bake 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of your muffin tin, until a cake tester comes out clean. Rotate tins halfway through cooking if the heat of your oven is uneven.

Enjoy!

-M : )