Archive for Let’s Cook

Newer Entries »

What About Some Peaches and Cream…in a Tart?

Posted in Food with tags , on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by Becky

I love real peaches…not “peach flavored food”, it is like the coffee…I love the real thing…, or  chocolate… nothing is like the real thing, almost like the one that Moctezuma used to have in the land I  live. O but I was talking about peaches…“peaches and cream”.

I made this great tart for my family this weekend, and it came out so good, that I want to share  with you the idea.

It is a tart from my Martha Stewart Magazine, I followed it step by step… until I reached Crème Frâiche, I did some research and decided to substitute it with:

1 pint of heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

Beat with a globe, and there you have it, ready to use.

Some other little changes…

I used more peaches than Martha, instead of 5, I used 9 medium peaches…it was perfect!

Next time I will double the recipe for the Pate Sucree , because I had trouble to cover  my whole pie plate with the dough.

Hope you enjoy it, as much as we did.

May your heart have a song of praise for Him today.

If you are visiting from Femina, welcome and thank you for coming.

2 Comments »

What About Some Rich Cocoa Brownies?

Posted in Food with tags , on Friday, January 22, 2010 by Becky

When I was ready to pack for our trip my son asked: “Mom, could you please, make us some brownies?”

No…yes,...YES!

So I made these delicious brownies, dark, not so sweet….perfect for Mommy and her crew! Even Grandma came and enjoyed one.

What you’ll need...( I am sure you have it all in your pantry)

14 tbsp of butter (I used the Kirkland brand… my favorite for baking, found at Costco)

1 1/2 cups sugar.

1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract.

4 large eggs

1 cup flour

3/4 cup of walnuts (optional…but great if you choose to add them!)

The Steps (not so many and very easy)

UNO. Pre-heat the oven to 325º F (165ºC). Spray some PAM on your favorite brownie baking pan.

DOS.  Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium microwave bowl and set the bowl in the microwave at medium for about 1:00 min. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Set  the bowl aside briefly. We don’t want our mixture to be very hot.

TRES. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, remember they taste great in these brownie mix. Spread evenly in your pan.

CUATRO. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. You, know..this is the tricky part…they seem undone but they are done. Hard to explain. Let them cool completely before attempting to serve. I have tried to cut them when they are not cold enough and they all crumble. If you can’t resist the temptation, it’s ok, just be sure that you don’t want them to look pretty.

CINCO. Enjoy with your children. It’s a great opportunity to stop and listen, laugh, chat and enjoy.

Saying YES…is also a gift from above!

3 Comments »

Thinking about Soups

Posted in Food with tags , , , on Thursday, January 14, 2010 by Becky

“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)

Soup, as everything else, has its own history, and I found this interesting article about it.

And, why  the word “soup”? Well, this is what I just learned.


“The etymological idea underlying the word soup is that of soaking. It goes back to an unrecorded post-classical Latin verb suppare soak’, which was borrowed from the same prehistoric German root (sup-) as produced in English sup and supper. From it was derived the noun suppa, which passed into Old French as soupe. This meant both piece of bread soaked in liquid’ and, by extension, broth poured onto bread.’ It was the latter strand of the meaning that entered English in the seventeenth century. Until the arrival of the term soup, such food had been termed broth or pottage. It was customarily served with the meat or vegetable dishes with which it had been made, and (as the dreivation of soup suggest) was poured over sops of bread or toast (the ancestors of modern croutons). But coincident with the introduction of the world soup, it began to be fashionable to serve the liquid broth on its own, and in the early eighteenth century it was assuming its present-day role as a first course.”
—An A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 316)


Onion Soup with Loads of Thyme and Giant Gruyère Crostini

Ingredients

1 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly cut lengthwise
3 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups beef stock/chicken stock/or vegetable stock (good quality please)
1 cup water
1 1/2-inch-thick slice of ciabatta bread cut in half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Gruyère cheese

Preparation

In a heavy 5-quart pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the onions are deep amber and exceedingly soft, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine, increase the heat, and let the wine bubble away for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and water, and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.

Place the ciabatta on the middle rack of the oven and toast until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the soup and discard. Pour the soup into two ovenproof bowls, float the toasted ciabatta on top, and cover it with a thick layer of the Gruyère. Put the soup bowls under the broiler on the middle rack and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden.

This is so delicious on a cold night !

Thank you to my “new cuz” Andrea for passing along this great recipe.

Ecclesiastes 5: 18-19 says,

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.”

Let us be grateful for the gifts that come from Above.


You can leave a link to your own post, or to the place where your favorite soup recipe is found…(Or you can just leave a comment…thank you!)

Powered by MckLinky

Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

1 Comment »

What about Apples, Spinach and Blue Cheese…in a Tart.

Posted in Food with tags , on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 by Becky

I have some great friends, and one of them, Csi, now living in Vancouver,  gave me once a cookbook that I have used several times with great enthusiasm and delicious results…(the only thing that I literally threw away, were some brownies that sounded great but I forgot to add the sugar!) I am still waiting -and hoping- that all will forget that experience so I can try making them again.

This tart, however, has become one of my favorite dishes. It is creamy, and the flavours just melt in your mouth…the sweetness of apples with the strong flavor of blue cheese is absolutely a delight, and there is still more; you serve it with an onion-thyme confit.

It looks beautiful on the table, great for brunches, lunches, buffets, or even a lighter dinner.

I would like to share the recipe with you…ENJOY, and then tell me what you though about it.

Apple, Spinach and Blue Cheese Tart.

1 pre-baked tart shell (I use TB’s recipe-below-)

1 tbsp (15ml) butter

1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil

1 cup (240 ml) chopped leeks

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked pepper

1 bunch of spinach, stemmed, washed and wilted

3 eggs

1 cup (240 ml) light cream

1 cup (240 ml) crumbled blue cheese

Note: If you are serving little kids, you may want to use 1/2 cup blue cheese and 1/2 cup of a mild white cheese. ( I used Mexican manchego)

3 apples, a combination of red and green.

1 egg white , slightly beaten.

UNO. Heat butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and sauté until the leeks are soft. Set aside to cool. wilt the spinach, squeeze out excess water and chop. Next, lightly, beat the eggs in a bowl. add cream, salt and pepper and whisk together.

DOS. To assemble tart, evenly distribute crumbled blue cheese over bottom of the pre- baked tart shell. Follow with the leeks and the spinach. Pour the egg mixture over top.

TRES. Quarter and core the apples. Thinly slice each quarter into 8 thin wedges. Starting at the outer edge of the tart, overlap apple slices, skin sides facing out, in a circle around the edge. Spiral the overlapping slices towards the center of the tart to cover the entire surface. Beat the egg white in a small bowl and brush over the apples. Place the tart on a baking tray and bake at 350ºF for 25- 30 mins., or until egg is set and the crust has browned. Let the tart rest for at least 15 mins ( I let it stand for almost 30 mins) before serving from the pan. Cut into wedges and serve with the onion-thyme confit on the side.

(You want to know something? I forgot to take a picture of the result!  but just imagine it…)

ONION- THYME CONFIT

2 tbsp butter

2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced.

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp minced thyme

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Melt the butter in a skillet; add onions, salt and sauté 10 mins. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for 20 min., until the onions are golden, sweet and broken down.

TB’s Tart/ Pie Shell

Never fails…just add 4 tbsp sugar if you are using it with a sweet pie or tart.

2 cups flour

300 grs butter (3 1/2 sticks)

4 egg yolks

12 tbsp cold water

Work together into a nice and smooth dough.

I really hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. May your conversations around the table be better yet!

Csi, I miss you!

Thinking about soup? Come here this next Thurday and share your best recipe or give us a link to your post.

This post is already found in the new blog! Just in case  you were curious…

Leave A Comment »

Ready for Pears, Ginger and Lemon Zest?

Posted in Food with tags , , on Saturday, November 21, 2009 by Becky

I want to share with you this great recipe; I got inspired in a red big book that my dear friend, Jen, gave me a few years ago, however, I made several changes, because I never use solid vegetable shortening…and I  love cranberries, and cheese!

I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Pear, Ginger, and Lemon Zest Cobbler.

What You Need:

10 ripe pears. Do not peel them, just core them and cut them into thick cubes.

2  tsp grated fresh ginger…my favorite!

1/2 c. plus 3 tsp of sugar

1 tbsp.  fresh lemon juice…I actually plucked a lemon from our beautiful tree for its juice.

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup  dried cranberries

2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup of butter

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

Cheese, any kind of Manchego, or Gruyere…several thick slides.

How to do it:

1.  As always…pre-heat oven to 425º F. Butter a large casserole or 2 souffle dish.

2. In a bowl, combine the pears, ginger, 1/2 cup of sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and dried cranberries.  Enjoy the aroma…spoon into the dish.

3. In another bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder,  1 tbsp of sugar, and butter. Work these ingredients with your fingertips…(great time to call in for little hands’ help) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs…

4. In a very small bowl beat the egg lightly and milk; stir into the other mixture. Knead, and knead, you might need to add a little bit more flour just to form a soft, and nice dough. Not sticky, please.

5. Break off portions of the dough (as if you were to make cookies) and place them on top of the fruit. cover all the fruit and then sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the dough…can you imagine it now?

6. Bake until well browned, 35- 40 mins.

7. Serve immediately along with 3 or 4 slices of your favorite cheese.

Forgot to mention….this goes great with a french press of strong coffee.

Enjoy, enjoy with  your family.

Every good gift comes from above, from our Heavenly Father.

Leave A Comment »

Newer Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.