"Kitchen Sink" Meatloaf

"Kitchen Sink" Meatloaf

• 2 pounds good lean ground beef
• 1 large onion chopped fine
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 cup tomato juice (I use the juice from the canned tomatoes that go on top streched with wine if I need more liquid)
• 3 - 5 tbsp. (or more) red chile powder. (The kind I use is just chile, no added cumin or garlic) Your choice of heat level.
• 2 tsp cumin
• a lot of garlic, chopped, minced crushed or whatever.
• 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peeled red or green chile (or bell pepper if you can't get chiles)
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes (I like the plain ones but the seasoned ones are good too)

Mix everything except the beef and canned tomatoes together in a large stainless or other non-reactive container. This mixture can be stored in the fridge for a while to blend flavors. (Do not leave it to sit out for more than a few minutes because of the eggs.)

Prepare your baking pan by lightly oiling it with a little olive oil. Add a nice thick layer of sliced onions and then a layer of sliced potatoes.

Mix the ground beef into the other stuff, shape into a blob, plop in onto the layer of potatoes, cover it with a layer of canned diced tomatoes, and bake for about 1-1/2 hours at 350° F. I generally use a meat thermometer and call it done at 170° F internal temp.

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Dehydrating Eggs

Dehydrating Eggs

I can answer this one. I'm working on it now. I was going to post it on the blog with pics but was waiting to give them a try in a cake recipe or something similar.

You scramble eggs, cook them, put them in the dehydrator until crispy and grind the dried eggs to powder. Then you reconstitute 1 tbsp egg powder with 2 tbsp water.

I tried rescrambling and decided if I were starving they'd be better than nothing - too grainy to be delicious, but the taste was fine. Shrug, or maybe my blender just didn't grind smoothly enough, and a coffee grinder would work better. Haven't tried them for a cake or something yet. Supposedly they work, but I'm skeptical.

I saw a website last week that had something about dehydrating them like a fruit leather. I may look into that further. IDK about it, something about the rawness bothers me.

J. Gayle
(5/13/11)

Comment:

I found another method online in 2015. I have not tried the method.

You put 7 eggs in a blender and whip until very frothy. Set up your dehydrator in the spot it will stay the whole time it is working. 7 eggs fills one round sheet for that type of dehydrator.

Pour the eggs from the blender onto the sheet and start the dehydrator at... 135°F? When dried to a sheet, peel and scrape into a blender and powderize the egg. The powder is still not really dry, so the writer then redried the powder.

Then put back on (clean, of course), dehydrator leather and run through the powder again to fully dry it. Keep in a sealed jar.

Same proportions as J. Gayle said, I think. The woman said using a little bacon grease or butter when scrambling the reconstituted egg powder made them more edible.

I have no clue if this is safe or not. Proceed at one's own risk.

Debra

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Garlic Soup

Garlic Soup

1 bulb Garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tsp Olive Oil
4 cups Chicken Broth
2-4 large Egg Yolks, beaten

Optional:
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine

Sauté garlic in the olive oil until translucent and tender. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until the garlic is mushy, about 30 minutes.

Push the soup through a potato ricer or strainer into a small pot. Add the egg yolks slowly, stirring all the while. Return to the stove and heat until thickened, add the wine slowly if using. When all is incorporated, serve or chill. It is delicious either way.

Can be served with dollops of sour cream on top and/or with bread.

Debbi
(1/6/10)

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Blond Brownies

Blond Brownies

Grease a 8"x8"x2" brownie pan; I line the bottom with parchment paper too.
Preheat oven to 350°F.

1/4 cup butter (margarine, shortening or vegetable oil. Butter is better)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
3/4 cup King Arthur flour (it does make a difference to use this brand of flour!)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup (at least!) bittersweet morsels

Melt butter on low heat, do not burn.  Stir in sugar, cool.  Stir in egg. The idea is not to cook the egg before you start baking.

Measure flour by dipping method, mix in baking powder and salt, use a whisk or fork to be sure you've gotten the baking powder and salt well mixed into the flour.

Mix in the vanilla into the wet ingredients. Mix in the flour, then the chocolate chunks

Spread in pan. Bake for 25 minutes, don't over-bake. The edges should be slightly darker than the center but over-baking will not be good.

Remove and let the temperature drop a little, then using the thinnest knife you've got, cut the brownies.  While a little warm, put a plate over the pan and invert; then make sure the cuts are clean.

Elena
(12/28/09)

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Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

1 can (10-1/2oz) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup*
2 lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 cup fine dry Bread Crumbs
1 medium or large Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped Parsley (dry is fine)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire
1 lg. Egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper to taste
a few Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 fresh Tomato, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (I add 1 cup)

*I get an organic brand instead of the Campbell's soup junk.

Combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Put into a shallow baking pan or a meat loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until done.

Deb note: halfway through cooking, I pour any grease out. This makes for a nice crust. I prefer the butt-cuts. ;)

Note: If you have enough for a second day (depending on family size, etc.), slice the cold meatloaf and lay out on a broiling pan. Broil, turning when brown. This gives another flavor that is excellent to leftover meatloaf.

Debbi
(10/9/09)

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Janet's Protein Bars

Janet's Protein Bars
I've made my own in the past. My recipe is not very exacting, so modify as you like. Try this:

4-6 bananas that have been allowed to ripen to black
1 cup protein powder (I use one that is 50g protein/half cup)
4 egg whites
1 cup dried fruit (I like pineapple)
1 cup raisins
1 cup nuts
oatmeal

Mash bananas. Mix in egg whites, protein powder, then fruit, raisins and nuts. Add oatmeal, one cup at a time, mixing until you get a rather wet "cookie dough." Press mixture into glass baking dishes. Bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly, then cut into 1-1/2" x 4" bars. Yield for me is usually 24 bars, IIRC.

Every time I've put this recipe through a calorie calculator the bars work out to about 250 calories with about 10-12 g protein in each. You might try adding flax and/or hemp seed to the mix, for additional Omega fatty acids.

janet
(4/13/09)

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Betty's Better Mayo Recipe

 Betty's Better Mayo Recipe

1 whole egg
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp sugar (I omit)
1/4 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper ( I also add a dash of paprika)
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
1 cup salad oil (sometimes +1/4 cup if egg is huge)

In your blender (I like a small food chopper instead) put the egg and everything but the oil. Now add 1/4 cup of the oil. Mix for about 5 seconds. Beat on high speed and slowly add the oil in a thin stream. Scrape the sides and give a final whirl.

If the mayo isn't thick enough for you, you can up to 1/4 cup oil until it is. If you add much than that, it gets icky oily.

Of course, you can use this as a base and add various herbs - dill, oregano, etc. You can thin it with a little water, or more lemon juice or sour cream, or milk, or whatever, and make salad dressing.

Adding a bit of madras curry powder makes a delicious dressing.

Jola Gayle
in Memphis
(3/10/09)

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Chocolate Decadence Flourless Chocolate Cake-like Dessert

While I haven't made the following recipe, it is in the Holiday 2008 issue of Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking. It's called 'The Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cake.'

They also tested chocolate for this cake and found that Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate gave the best results. Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate was runner-up.

Chocolate Decadence Flourless Chocolate Cake
serves 12-16 people

16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, plus extra for greasing the pan
8 large eggs, cold
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse
1/4 cup strong coffee or liqueur (optional - may also use a nut, coffee, or orange flavor)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Line bottom of 8" springform pan with parchment paper and grease sides of pan. Wrap outside of pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil and set in large roasting pan. Bring kettle of water to boil.

Beat eggs in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment at high speed until volume doubles (to approximately 1 quart), about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate and butter (with coffee or liqueur, if using) in large heatproof bowl set over pan of almost simmering water until smooth and very warm (about 115°F on instant-read thermometer), stirring once or twice. (To melt in microwave, heat chocolate in microwave-safe bowl at 50% power for 2 minutes, stir, add butter and coffee, if using, and continue heating at 50% power, stirring every minute, until chocolate and butter have melted and are smooth, another 2 to 3 minutes total.) Using large rubber spatula, fold one-third of egg foam into chocolate mixture until only few streaks of egg are visible; fold in half of remaining foam, then last of foam, until mixture is totally homogeneous.

Scrape batter into prepared springform pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until cake has risen slightly, edges are just beginning to set, thin-glazed brownie-like crust has formed on surface, and instant-read thermometer inserted halfway into center reads 140°F, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from water bath and set on wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

About 30 minutes before serving, remove sides of pan, invert cake onto sheet of waxed paper, peel off parchment paper, and reinvert cake onto serving platter. Sieve light sprinkling of confectioner's sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder over the cake to decorate, if desired.

To serve, use sharp, thin-bladed knife, dipping knife into pitcher of hot water and wiping blade before each use.

As soon as I can get a springform pan, I plan on trying this one. My fiberarts group will go ape for it!

kate
(1/15/09)

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Olíusósa - Homemade Mayonnaise

All this discussion of fresh scratch made mayo made me go look it up. Doesn't look hard to make either: http://www.simnet.is/gullis/jo/Miscellaneous.htm
The above is the site I got this from. (non-English language site)

Olíusósa - Homemade Mayonnaise

makes 200-300 grams (7-10 oz.)

2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
200-300 ml salad (or cooking) oil
1 pinch pepper (optional)
1/2-1 tsp sugar
1 pinch dry, ground mustard seeds (optional)
1-2 tsp vinegar* or lemon juice

*White vinegar can be used but will make the taste sharp. Flavoured vinegar, such as tarragon, makes the taste more mellow.

Mayonnaise can be made in a blender or a mixer, or by hand, using a whisk and a bowl with a rounded bottom.

Egg yolks and oil must be at room temperature. Mixing bowl/blender cup must be clean and dry, and also at room temperature.

Choose oil that has little flavour of its own.

Mix and stir the egg yolks with the salt until light and thickened. Add the sugar and the spice, if using (pepper OR mustard) and half the vinegar/lemon juice and mix well. Lemon juice is healthier than vinegar, and mayonnaise made with lemon juice is better in dressings meant for fruit salads.

Start mixing the oil into the egg yolks, first drop by drop, and then, when the oil begins to blend in, in a steady trickle.

Stirring must be constant, or else the sauce may separate. The mayonnaise should thicken bit by bit as more oil is added.

If it becomes thinner the oil and egg are not mixing, i.e. the sauce is separating. If that happens, stop adding oil, stir the sauce harder and add 1 tsp water or cream. If that does not thicken the sauce, there are two methods you can use to save the sauce:

a) take a fresh egg yolk and put it in a clean bowl, whisk with a little salt and then add the thin sauce in a steady trickle, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. The continue adding the oil until the sauce is the right thickness.

b) put 1 tbs. cold water and a bit of vinegar/lemon juice in a clean bowl and add the thin sauce in a steady trickle, stirring with a clean whisk. Then add the oil until the sauce is the right thickness.

Prepared, home-made mayonnaise should be thick, smooth and shiny. It keeps well in a closed container in a cold place for a few days. Must not be allowed to freeze and must not be kept in the coldest spot in the refrigerator because then it will separate when it is taken out for use.

When putting the mayonnaise away, smooth it into the container and put a tiny amount of water or oil on top so that a film can not form on top. Spices may be stirred carefully into the sauce before use, and for thinning, whipped cream may be mixed in.

The sauce must be thick if it is to be used for decorating food or in salads that will be used to top bread.

Sauce that will be used on food can be thinner and may be made using whole eggs instead of yolks, or eggs and yolks (1 whole egg + 1 yolk).

If you want to enlarge the recipe, follow these guidelines:
100 ml of oil should be used per each egg yolk, or 150-200 ml per whole egg.

The eggs can bind more oil than than, but then the mayonnaise will taste oily.

Sent in by Elena

---

Comment on making Mayo below

Homemade Mayonnaise

A couple of comments if you've never made mayo from scratch before. A lot of cookbooks suggest that an electric mixer, food processor, or blender are directly interchangeable with a balloon whisk and a bowl. Not really.

A balloon whisk will produce a thicker, creamier mayo. If you want a lighter, fluffier mayo then let the machine do it.

Also, if you've never made your own sauce mayonnaise before, use a balloon whisk the first time. Basically, you're making an emulsion like a sauce hollandaise. Adding the fat, in this case the oil, too rapidly, or beating too aggressively can cause the sauce to break. Some cookbooks refer to this as "turning", "curdling" or "separating", but basically what's happening is the emulsion is breaking down. Doing it by hand the first time gives you more control, and you'll have a feel for the changes in appearance and consistency you want when you do decide to let your appliances do the work for you. Your first time out it's also a wise idea not to try doubling the recipe. Any given egg can only bind with so much oil. Until you have a feel for what you want in a good mayo it's easier to work with smaller quantities. If you need more, repeat the recipe until you have the quantity you need.

Homemade mayo does have a couple differences, other than taste, when compared with store bought. It has a shorter shelf life in the frig because it doesn't contain any preservatives. The other thing to know is that it will not hold the way a store bought mayo will. It will separate because it doesn't have the stabilizers added to commercially prepared mayo. BTW, you can force Hellmann's or Best Foods to separate by lowering their temperature enough. It's the reason they tell you not to freeze their product.

If your homemade mayo does separate, don't worry. It's easy to fix. Remembering that emulsions form more easily at room temperature, let your mayo warm a bit. Then in a warm bowl beat together one tablespoon of any prepared mustard with one tablespoon of your mayo until the mixture is thick and creamy again. You can use whatever mustard you have handy. It doesn't have to be Grey Poupon. After the mixture has thickened, continue adding the separated mayo by spoonfuls beating after each addition.

Happy Sinko de Mayo!
Randall
(6/22/08)

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Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise is also a cinch to make. I use a whole egg instead of a yolk, lemon juice, about 2/3 butter and 1/3 olive oil. Sometimes add capers, especially if serving it with fish. I use less fat than most recipes say, maybe 3-4 tbs. It's still very tasty.

Hollandaise Sauce

Melt the butter and oil together. Heat a small pan of water (about half an inch) to a simmer.

Beat the egg in a small bowl and add a piece of cold butter, and the lemon juice and some salt (optional).

Heat while whisking. When the butter starts to melt and the egg warms, start pouring in the oil/butter mixture, whisking all the while, until all incorporated.

Optional additions, herbs such as fresh tarragon, or capers, or some half and half to thin it if you want, or whipped cream.

While whisking, if the mix starts to cook (looks like curdling) take off heat, and add a bit of cold butter.

Perfect this time of year with asparagus.

Mary
(6/22/08)

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Marta's Chocolate Mousse

Marta's Chocolate Mousse

Someone mentioned cookie recipes the other day...I'm not so good at cookies but here's something truly yummy and easy:

1 pound cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 egg yolks
12 oz chocolate, sweet, melted
     (Debbie LFB knows the BEST kind of chocolate)
3 egg whites
2 cups heavy cream

Mix cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg yolks and chocolate.

Beat egg whites and cream separately then fold into cheese mixture.

Pour into dessert glasses and chill.

You'll notice that the eggs are not cooked in this recipe...you are warned.

Marta
(12/5/07)

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Asian Noodle and Vegetable Salad

This is absolutely delicious! It was taken from OrganicStyle.com magazine, which Ramona used to get.

Asian Noodle and Vegetable Salad

Sauce
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp brown sugar

Noodles: 6 ounces rice vermicelli (The kind with the black band around them.)
Note: The recipe calls for 6 bundles but 2 was plenty.

1 bunch spinach, rinsed and drained, stems trimmed
      (One bag pre-washed works well, even with the stems.)
7 tsp light olive oil
1 large egg, separated and beaten
2 medium white onions, thinly sliced
8 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1-1/2 lg carrot, cut into matchsticks

Salt and pepper

Whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.

Soak noodles in hot water 10 minutes; drain. Cook in a large pot of boiling water, uncovered, for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well and pat dry.

Put spinach in salted boiling water; cover and immediately remove from heat. Let sit 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze into a large ball to remove excess water. Chop into 4 thick chunks. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Tilt pan to cover with oil. Pour egg whites on one side of skillet, as for an omelet. Cook 1 minute without stirring. Remove, cover and let sit for a minute. Slice into thin strips. Repeat with yolk. Set aside.

Get a large bowl ready near the stove. Coat bottom of large nonstick skillet or wok with 1 tsp oil and heat over medium heat. Stir-fry each vegetable separately until just soft, adding 1 tsp oil and a pinch of salt for each. Add a little water if it gets too dry. Transfer to bowl.

Add last tsp of oil and stir-fry noodles until just heated. Put noodles in with veggies, add sauce and lightly toss. Top with egg and serve.

J. Gayle
(12/2/06)

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Anita's Persimmon Pudding

Anita's Persimmon Pudding

Preheat oven to 350°.

2-1/4 cups Persimmon pulp 
3 eggs
3 cups sweet (whole) milk
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 cups Flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp Baking soda
1/3 tsp Nutmeg

Mix all together, it makes a thin batter. Pour into 2 loaf pans or one 9" x 9" baking pan.

Bake until a knife inserted comes out clean, 1/2 to 1 hour depending on size of pan used.  Freezes well.

Anita
(12/1/06)

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Pecan Pie Bars

Pecan Pie Bars

The original amount is listed first. After the recipe, is my cut-down of the recipe. We do not need 6-8 dozen bars for 2 people. (g)

6 cups all-purpose Flour
1-1/2 cups Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 cups Cold Butter (NO substitutes!)

Filling:
8 Eggs
3 cups Sugar
3 Cups Corn Syrup
1/2 cup Butter, melted
3 tsp Vanilla Extract
5 cups Pecans, chopped

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in better until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of two greased/buttered 15" x 10" x 1" baking pans. Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until crust edges are beginning to brown and bottom is set.

Do not turn off the oven just yet! You are not done!

For Filling:
Combine the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla in a large bowl; mix well. Stir in pecans. Pour over crust.

Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until edges are firm and center is almost set. Cool on wire racks. Cut into bars.

Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 6-8 dozen.

Note: We nuke some warm and eat with vanilla ice cream, or as-is.

Smaller Batch Pecan Pie Bars

1-1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup + 1-1/2 tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Cold Butter

Filling:
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Corn Syrup
1-1/2 tbsp Butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1-1/4 cups Pecan, chopped

Follow recipe as stated, using a 9" x 13" pan.

Debbi
(11/30/06)

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Autumn Trifle with Roasted Apples, Pears and Pumpkin-Caramel Sauce

Autumn Trifle with Roasted Apples, Pears, and Pumpkin-Caramel Sauce

Here's one of the desserts I made for Thanksgiving. A very picky friend of my daughter's said, wide-eyed for emphasis, that it was the best thing she'd ever eaten in her ENTIRE LIFE (which is probably only about 16 years, but still):

A pastry bag and large rosette tip are optional for the whipped cream topping, which can also be spooned over the trifle.

Cinnamon Pastry Cream
6 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cake flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Pumpkin-Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin

Roasted Fruit
3 large Fuji apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 4 cups)
3 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 3 cups)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes

For Assembly
3-1/2 dozen (about) soft ladyfingers
1/3 cup dry Sherry

2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 (1/8"-thick) slices Bosc pear
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

To Make Cinnamon Pastry Cream:
Whisk yolks and 1/2 cup milk in large bowl. Add sugar, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Bring 1-1/2 cups milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk milk into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Cook until custard
thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Add butter and stir until melted. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2
days ahead. Keep chilled.)

To Make Pumpkin-Caramel Sauce:
Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and cook until mixture is deep amber, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes (mixture will be grainy). Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Stir until caramel bits dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin; stir until heated. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

To Make Roasted Fruit:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix apples, pears, and lemon juice in large bowl. Place butter on rimmed baking sheet. Heat in oven until butter melts and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add fruit to baking sheet and toss with butter. Roast until fruit is soft and golden, turning with metal spatula every 15 minutes, about 1 hour. Cool fruit on sheet.

To Assemble Trifle:
Place ladyfingers, flat side up, on baking sheet. Brush with Sherry. Line bottom of 2- or 3-quart glass trifle dish with single layer of ladyfingers, Sherry side up. Line bottom edge with 1 row of ladyfingers, Sherry side in, pressing gently against dish.

Spoon half of pastry cream into lined dish; smooth top. Cover with half of fruit. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over. Line edge of dish with second row of ladyfingers, Sherry side in. Cover fruit with single layer of ladyfingers.

Spoon remaining pastry cream over. Cover with remaining fruit. Drizzle fruit with 1/2 cup caramel sauce. Line edge of dish with third row of ladyfingers, Sherry side in. Chill at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla in bowl until mixture holds peaks. Fill pastry bag fitted with large rosette tip with whipped cream and pipe over trifle (or spoon whipped cream over). (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead; chill.)

Drizzle whipped cream with 2 tablespoons caramel sauce. Brush pear slices with lemon juice; arrange decoratively atop whipped cream. Serve, passing remaining caramel sauce separately.

Makes 12 servings.
(Bon Appétit November 2003 Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Yes, it's long, yes, there are multiple steps and many ingredients, but it's totally worth it (and makes a LOT). If you pick one part to make, pick the pumpkin-caramel sauce, which is heavenly. The cinnamon pastry cream (a.k.a. custard) is pretty damn good too. Would probably be fabulous over sliced bananas.

Charlene in St Louis
(11/30/06)

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Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos

4 Poblano peppers, try to get pretty ones with long stems that aren't deeply indented or
     they will be a bitch to peel
monterey jack cheese (or your preferred filling)
2-3 roma tomatoes
a tbsp of tomato bullion
1/2 of an average white onion
a clove of garlic
3 eggs, separated
a small amount of flour (I dunno how much, maybe a 1/4 cup?)
oil or lard for frying
toothpicks, unless you like to live on the edge

Wash and dry your peppers. Blister (blacken) the outsides of the peppers (I do this over the flames of my gas stove, but you can use a griddle, just takes longer). The peppers will get lighter in color. Wrap the peppers with a damp towel.

Grate your cheese and separate your eggs and/or make your side dish.

Rub the skin off of the chiles. It doesn't have to be perfect, but get as much as you can. Make a slit in each chile. Clean out the seeds and stems, but be careful! Those suckers BURN (ask me how I know!). Stuff your chiles with cheese and toothpick them shut. Flour your chiles.

Heat oil/lard for chile frying. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Beat the yolks in their separate bowl. Fold yolks into whites, being careful not to deflate the whites. When oil is hot, dip/roll chiles, 1 at a time, into the egg mixture and fry them. This works best if you bathe the top of the chile with oil while the bottom is cooking. When the bottom is a nice golden color, roll the chiles over and let the top cook. Remove to drain on paper towels.

Heat a little oil/lard in a sauce pan big enough to fit your chiles. Roughly chop your tomatoes (3 or 4 pieces is good). Put in blender with onion, garlic, bullion, and a bit of water (just enough to blend). When thoroughly pulverized, fry sauce in the oil until the color turns a nice deep red. Add water to get the consistency of tomato soup. Put your chiles in the sauce to reheat.

In our opinion, these are best served with fresh warm tortillas and mexican cream, with arroz rojo on the side.

geeze...it really looks more complicated than it is. I made these just a couple days ago and it took probably about 1/2 hour to make the whole meal, including the rice. If you choose not to use the bullion, you will need to add salt. If you do use it, don't add salt or it will be too salty.

~Jen
(11/28/06)

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Olive Macaroni Salad

Olive Macaroni Salad

One box elbow, bow-tie, or shell macaroni
5-6 eggs
1-1/2 to 2 cups green olives with pimentos, sliced (I slice each olive into abour 4 slices across)
2-3 tsp (or more) celery seed (add as you like, I usually add more cause I love the stuff)
1 tsp Mrs dash
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise (again, as you like)

Cook the macaroni and boil the eggs. Chop the eggs, drain the macaroni, add all other ingredients with the macaroni and eggs in a bowl, mix well. You can eat it then or let it refrigerate.

You can also add other seasonings if you wish, or more olives and more celery seed, it's an individual thing. It is really good the next day. I hate traditional macaroni salad, but I like this one...oh and don't cook the macaroni too mushy....

Marsha
(11/26/06)

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Challa Bread Pudding

Challa Bread Pudding

Tear a loaf of challa into bits.  (If you have it every week, you can save the half from one Friday night to blend with the half from the next Friday night. It is also an excellent place to dispose of stale dinner rolls, buns, bread ends, etc.  The only thing that has ever failed has been bagels.  When I catered, we used stale croissant.)

Mix 2 cups of milk with four eggs (if cholesterol bothers you, call a cardiologist vbg)

Add 1/2 cup sugar OR 1/4 cup honey OR 1/4 cup maple syrup (the tree kind) and 2 tsp vanilla.

Pour the egg mixture, beaten, over the bread bits, mix around until all liquid is absorbed.  Turn into a greased 8" by 8" pan.

At this point, you can put it in the fridge so that it can be baked in the morning, or pop it straight into a 350°F oven.  If it has been refrigerated, bake for 45 min.  If straight in, usually 30 -35 min.

Mmm, tasty.
Laura in ALameda, CA
(11/26/06)

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Uszka (and other hand-made pasta in the ravioli family)

Uszka (and other hand-made pasta in the ravioli family)
(no filling recipes included)

I have made tagliatelle, but I usually make uszka (small ravioli with a particular shape which is hard to describe) or pierogi (larger pasty- shaped ravioli).

The recipe is easy - 1 cup of flour (00 durum flour is best, but bread flour will work), a small egg, about 1/4 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Mix the ingredients to make a firm dough, then knead it for 10 minutes or so. You can feel the texture change when it is 'right'. I've never made the dough in a processor, but I'm sure that would work too.

On a floured board, roll out perhaps a third of the dough (depends on the size of the board) and roll it out so thin you can read a paper through it :). Seriously, this stuff expands like mad when you cook it, so you want it very, very thin.

Now make into the shapes you want. For uszka, I cut into 2" squares, drop a little filling in the centre, dampen 2 edges, fold over into a triangle and seal well. Then join the two long points to make a 'tiara' shape. Much easier is just to leave it as triangles, or cut into 2-3" rounds, fold those in half over the filling and seal.

Drop into boiling salted water and cook till they are how you like them.

Jenny, CoSS in England
(1/27/05)

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Bobotie (Chutney)

Bobotie (Chutney)

Chutney is traditionally served with mince meat dishes in S. Africa. My favorite is bobotie:

2 thinly sliced onions
1 kg ground beef or mutton
1 slice bread
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp. medium curry powder
1-1/2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tbsp. turmeric
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup almonds (quartered or sliced)
1/2 cup raisins
4 lemon or bay leaves (or zest of one lemon rind)
3 tbsp CHUTNEY

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Brown meat and onion in pan.

In a separate bowl mix milk and bread, stir and pour off the milk (but save). Mix all ingredients expect for half of the milk, 1 egg and the bay leaves (I also keep out the almonds).

Spoon mixture into greased pan and insert leaves into surface of mixture (leave sticking out a bit for easy removal after cooking) and sprinkle almonds on top if not already mixed in. Bake for 30 min.

Mix remaining egg and milk and pour over meat. Bake for another 30 min.

Serve with rice and chutney.

I have another version that uses apricot jam that is mixed with the bread and milk (in lieu of the chutney) but that's in Afrikaans and it's too late for me to translate. I have to admit that I haven't tried this version yet since Mrs. Ball's chutney is more expensive here than apricot jam but the one above is from the Afrikaner equivalent of The Joy of Cooking so I'm sure it's good.

erin in SB
(10/28/04)

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