0 SUNCHOKE, LEEK AND TERRAGON SOUP

hands down..THE BEST SOUP I HAVE EVER MADE

sunchokes, if you can get your hands on some of these ugly little devils, do it. ask your produce guy if he has any and where they are hiding. you might have already passed them by thinking it was ginger. as you can see in the photo above they do resemble my best new friend the ginger knob. (side bar..i'm on a ginger kick !). i've read that there is a small window of opportunity for the elusive sunchoke and i think the window is open right now. i forgot about these little gems. i remember quite a few years ago i used to eat them just boiled...i found them interesting because someone told be they taste like artichoke, and they DO! they pretty much taste like artichoke hearts without having to whittle your way down to the best part...the whole thing is the best part. they aren't even related to artichokes. wierd...huh?...they are from the sunflower family. click here for more info on the sunchoke...Jerusalem artichoke.




so, about this soup...easy peezy. this could absolutely be the star at a dinner party. as a starter or even the main course, i think your guests would be impressed. i even thought it worthy of dragging out the Hermes dinnerware...need i say more?...ok, i will. i don't know why i thought this soup was so over the top. you might wonder if i get out much. while i'll admit i'm not a huge soup connoisseur, i do know good taste and texture when it passes my lips. maybe this is no big new flavor for all you foodies out there, but the combo of the sunchoke, leeks, roasted garlic and fresh tarragon, might i even say, "dee-vine"?...a definite winner in my books. the sunchoke does resemble artichoke, but i've never had artichoke soup either and who wants do deal with artichokes. all the thorny leaves and the hairy inside just to get to the heart? besides, i think the sunchoke definitely has a different consistency. i'm thinking it has a more starchy effect. i read somewhere it's a good substitute for potatoes (starchy) if you're a diabetic or watching your glycemic index. it's lower on the scale than potatoes and won't spike insulin levels like some starches do. don't quote me on this, please.

i found quite a few recipes for this soup or something similar to it. as i was cooking i kind of adapted a little something from each one. i think i had 3-4 recipes out on the table. the recipe i have for you below was adapted from C.L. at Wellsphere. hers seemed most like the soup i had in mind...and besides it's adapted from Thomas Keller. if you want to make a good soup, you can't go wrong with something out of Keller's kitchen....EDIT-after i have now just glanced at T.K.'s original sunchoke soup recipe, i see that his is, of course, a bit more complex. the one below is much more simple and quite a bit...alot...easier on the ol'waistline.

CREAMY SUNCHOKE SOUP

adapted from C.L. at Wellsphere who adapted it from Thomas Keller

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 pound sunchokes
1 large leek, white part and an inch of the green portion, rinsed well
1/2 onion. chopped
1-3 cloves garlic...i like allot.
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil...enough to saute leeks, onion and garlic
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
pinch of sea salt
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
5-6 roasted garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 full Tbsp fresh chopped tarragon. extra for garnish
1/2 cup cream...optional

MY NOTES...and instructions...

important-***no need to peel chokes. just clean them good and scrub off any dark parts and nubby parts (the whole thing is a nub so don't scrub too hard ok?)

cut into approx 1" pieces and drop them into a bowl of water with a little lemon (they will turn brown like a potato if you don't).

saute the leeks onion and garlic until translucent in large pot or dutch oven.

drain the sunchokes out of the lemon water and add to pot and pour in chicken stock. 4 cups (maybe more) or enough to cover everything by about 2".

i had some roasted garlic cloves in the fridge so i threw those in. about 5-6...i think this is a must. the roasty flavor really added an extra layer.

add 1/2 tsp dry oregano and a little fresh ground pepper.

bring to a boil then turn to a simmer. my sunchokes took about 45 minutes to get fork tender. it really depends on how large you cut the pieces. just remember you'll need them soft enough to blend into a creamy soup. keep an eye on them while they are simmering. don't let them go too long or they will start to fall apart like a potato.

when fork tender turn off and get out your immersion blender. you can use a stand blender, but i suggest getting an immersion(stick) blender. much easier. the beauty of the stick blender is that you finish off the soup in the one pot.

no need to strain or get the chinoise, just blend until there are no chunks, lumps or bumps.


i like to season at this point(salt and pepper). you might need to add more stock if it reduced while simmering. it also depends on the consistency you want to end up with....are you adding cream or not...

as for the cream...you can blend some in before serving or give your guests the choice. i prefer mine without, but the rest of the family likes the swirl of cream.

i'm not a good judge of how many servings this should make because, again, it depends on how thick or thin you like your soup. i would say 4-6 full servings and maybe even 8 first course or side servings.
i hope you enjoy this as much as i did...i found myself licking the bowl...amongst family, of course.

0 Guilt-Free Chocolate Cupcake

this is hands down THE BEST guilt-free CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE RECIPE i have ever tried. first and formost i must thank Stephchow for this fabulous fat free treat. recently she posted about her Chocolate Cream Pie and she mentioned that she used this cupcake recipe for the cake layers. well, i can't thank her enough for linking to an older post of hers that led me to this chocolate cupcake recipe.


for the photo i dressed them up a bit. of course the added peanuts and the dollop of Nutella adds a bit of the guilt back in, but it looks cute. the chopped peanuts are worth the extra calories, but i swear these don't really need a thing. oh...and i wanted to mention that they really were best the day of baking. i had one the next day and while it was still good, over the top guilt free good...it was best the day of. maybe if i had wrapped them tighter over night they would have kept that just baked texture.......hmmmm. i shall be more careful next time.

as you can see in the photos, i chose to try the wonder batter in a mini cake pan and it works just fine, really cute. i think it might work in any size pan. stephchow shows that it works in a 8" for a regular cake size so i think it's pretty flexible, just watch your cooking time...oh...and the recipe says it makes 12 cupcakes. mine made 6 cupcakes and 2 mini loaves, which i think translates to about 10 FULL cupcakes. i like a cupcake thats pushin' over the edge. the first one should be big enough so i don't feel the need for a second. hmph!...yeah right...who am i kidding. the problem with these is they're so guilt-free you think you can have 10! they're healthy and everything, but watch it...they are that good...mmmm...specially right out of the oven...i have to go make more today !


GUILT-FREE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

from STEPHCHOW. click HERE for original post and check out the other goodies she makes with a heathy spin.

Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 12)

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup splenda blend for baking

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup Hershey's 100% Cocoa Special Dark

2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

dash salt

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips (i used semi-sweet chips)

1 tsp cocoa and 1 tsp powdered sugar to dust cupcake tops

Preheat over to 350 F

Mix apple sauce, splenda, vanilla, beat in egg. In a separate bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon. Add flour mixture to wet mixture a little at a time, stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 12 silicon muffin cups (or lightly greased cupcake tins)

Bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are firm to touch. Dust with cocoa/powdered sugar mixture.
MY NOTES........i used 6 baking cups (should have used silicone) and 2 mini loaf tins.

things i added...

approx 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped roasted, salted virginia peanuts

AND 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (maybe a touch more)

0 BACON CHEDDER BEER BREAD

Beer Bread..it's like magic. a few ingredients and POOF you have bread...

i was in disbelief. i love attempting something i don't think could possibly work. the basic Beer Bread recipe is only a few ingredients. the recipe that first caught my eye was HERE. sugar, flour and BEER...that's it! now how on earth is that going to become a loaf of bread using a little heat from an oven? i really should have tried this exact recipe first, but i wanted to make it a little bit more healthy. so i went on the search for a beer bread using whole wheat. i found a few and settled on PEANUT BUTTER BOY's Whole Grain Beer Bread recipe found HERE. it sounded so easy and i like the invitation to add any extras yone chooses. i, of course, chose bacon and cheddar. oh, and i threw in about 1/3 cup of oatmeal too (substituted for 1/4 cup of the flour).









YUM...a hearty crunchy crust with a moist dense inside. perfect fresh or toasted. i sprinkled the top with black salt and raw sugar before baking. i REEEEALLY like the black salt. if you can find some, BUY IT!. it' seems more powerful than regular salt and it really adds something to what ever you accent with it...and i use the word accent because baking or cooking with it wouldn't let it shine to it's full potential. i'm crackin' myself up now...back to the bread....

when i took the loaf out of the pan, i thought i might have to get out the chain saw. it felt like a hollow rock, so hard and heavy. once i sliced through the crunchy crust i could tell this was a success.

so i say...if your curiosity gets the best of you, try this hearty bread. add in some of your own flavors. it might be a little plain all by itself, but still good and healthy. you might want to go the white flour way with the butter poured over the top...i'll bet that would be yummmmy. there's all sorts of recipes out there. i just chose this one so i wouldn't feel so guilty gobbling it down with apricot jam every morning. ooooo...the sweet and savory thing really works with this one.

Peanut Butter Boy's recipe found here and copied below for you with my notes to follow.

3 cups whole wheat flour (or WW pastry flour or spelt flour*)

1 cup extras ( optional)

2T raw sugar

1T baking powder

1t salt

1 (12oz) bottle beer (Yuengling, or any other)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl, making sure to lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups to avoid using too much. Whisk together all the dry ingredients.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 bread pan with butter or cooking spray. Pour beer into the dry mixture and stir to with a wooden spoon. Use your hands to mix once it becomes difficult just until all ingredients are combined. Transfer dough to your bread pan and press down gently so it spreads out evenly. Bake for 1 hour. Let sit for 5 minutes in the pan.
3. Slice thin and spread on butter or crunchy peanut butter. It’s the perfect side to a bowl of Peanut Butter Chili or Peanut Butter Chicken & Vegetable Soup. Leftover bread will stay good for a week, but toast it first to restore the crispiness. You can also freeze the loaf for several weeks.

MY NOTES...i added 1/3 cup oatmeal and used 2 3/4 cups WW flour instead of 3.

i added a rounded 1/2 cup crumbled bacon and a large 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese,

sprinkle with black salt and raw sugar before baking.

0 ALMOND JOY SHORTBREAD BARS

i'll make this quick...

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Shortbread with Roasted Salted Almonds...

what's more to say?...they're good, they're great, they're pretty and they're impressive. not too much of any one flavor, just enough for each element to shine and create that fab taste trio that you get from an Almond Joy...chocolate, coconut and almond.

.
i find this recipe a classic for dense Scottish Shortbread.
i've used this recipe quite a few times with a few changes in flavor and it always works well. many thanks to Barry the blogger @ ROCKRECIPIES for the recipe copied below. you'll find my notes and changes following the original.

Cream together:
1 cup salted butter
3/4 cup sugar
Add 2 tbsp vanilla extract
Fold in:
4 cups flour


for the coconut flavor i added a rounded 1/2 cup of shredded sweetened coconut. i put it in the processer until i didn't see any more long shreds, not to powder form but close to it.

i used 2/3 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup

and used 1 tsp vanilla AND 1 tsp coconut extract

Roll in balls and flatten or roll out and cut into shapes as desired. I like to bake the dough in large rectangles and then cut the cookies in fingers just when they come out of the oven and are still warm. (don't forget to use a parchment sling)
Bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes until edges are golden brown. Allow longer baking time if you are baking the large rectangles of dough to be cut in fingers.
.
my shortbread notes.....i put the dough directly into the pan and start pressing down firmly....i mean i like this dough packed in tight, i don't want it flakey at all. press all the way to the edges. i put a flat surface in top, like a book and stood on it for goodness sake! then half way through the cooking i went in and lightly pressed the top with the bottom of a flat glass...
i think shortbread like this should be scored before cooking. then cut all the way through while still warm. i like to keep it in the pan through the whole process until completely cool in order to really hold it's sharp edges.

to creat the Almond Joy look...


my suggestion is to use roasted salted almonds (always the sweet and savory)


before dipping you must secure each almond to the top of the cookie with a dab of chocolate and let dry...check that they are stuck on there good, then proceed with your dipping. i chose to dip just the tops. i didn't want the chocolate to overpower the almond or coconut flavors. dip two cookies then sprinkle with a little coconut. they're kind of tedious at this point and a bit messy, but well worth it when your friends look at you in disbelief ..."did you actually make these?"

i must say they are excellent with a nice warm cuppa tea or a tall hot latte.

0 SIMPLE ROASTED VEGGIE SOUP

ROASTED VEGGIE SOUP...i know we've seen a bucket-full already this winter, but i don't think it can be said enough how easy and rewarding this little "bowl of gold" can be. the color, texture and flavor are well worth the few simple tasks it requires for this wonderful, smooth, savory pureed soup.

there are so many ways to prepare this soup and all of them are good. for instance some say cut the squash in half and roast it cut side down on a cookie sheet. some say boil the squash cubes in broth. some say butternut only. some say this and some say that. i can only tell ya what I SAY...

i say..use peeled and cubed squash because it gives a more roasty per square inch flavor.

for this batch i chose the ever popular butternut squash. the week before i used banana squash which was very similar to pumpkin. during pumpkin season i went wild with those cute little pumpkins. i kept buying them for decoration, but they would end up in a soup before the week was up. there's nothing like that pure, rich, deep orangy pumpkin meat.

HOW TO...

choose your squash. something like a med. size butternut.

peel and cube

2 small onions quartered (leave root end on so they don't fall apart)

5-10 cloves garlic (i like alot) peeled before or after roasting...just watch it. you might have to remove cloves before the squash is done

spread everything on a large cookie sheet

drizzle with olive oil

season with salt pepper and garlic salt

toss around on the sheet so everything is coated

roast in a 375 degree oven. approx 45-50 minutes

check every 10-15 minutes and stir

done when fork tender

now..put all your yummy roasted veg. into a deep stock pot and cover with approx. 6 cups of stock. i prefer homemade chicken broth. boxed or canned will be just fine. vegetable or beef is good too. what ever you have on hand.

cover veggies by an inch or two. remember you can always thin out your finished product by adding more stock, but you can't take it out.
add 1-2 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

bring to boil and immediatly turn to a simmer for 15-20 minutes

get out your immersion blender or GO BUY ONE...

a stick blender makes life so much easier in the creamy soup world. of course you can use your stand blender or food processer, but it's such a mess and if you've never pureed hot soup before. it can be quite dangerous. just go get a stick (immersion) blender. you'll love it and use it all the time.

remove bay leaf and blend untill smooth and creamy.

check seasoning and add what's needed.

at this point you can thin it to your preferred consistancy with some more stock . my mother likes to add milk or cream, but i like the pure veggie taste. when left a bit thick this makes a great pasta sauce or is just fabulous under roasted chicken or fish as a nice color addition to the plate.

so...starter, main course...soup or side dish?...i like to keep something like this in the fridge as a staple for those cold rainy days or those "WHAT WILL WE HAVE FOR DINNER?!" nights. this will always add some color and make any quick meal feel homemade and slaved over.

0 Daring Bakers Pick Me Up

Time for another Daring Bakers' challenge. This month's challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They came up with an amalgamation of recipes for a tiramisu. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post (newspaper), Cordon Bleu at Home (cookbook) and Baking Obsession (blog).

Tiramisu is typically custardy mascarpone cream layered with ladyfingers/savoiardi biscuits soaked in espresso. A little bit of booze like marsala or rum is usually present too. We were required to make the mascarpone cheese and ladyfingers from scratch. We were also required to make the zabaglione and pastry cream for the custardy cream layers.

I've never thought about making mascarpone from scratch since I can buy an 8 ounce tub for about $3 around here. The recipe looked fairly straightforward. Who knew it was just heated heavy cream and lemon juice? I used a really nice 36% butterfat organic cream. Unfortunately, even though I heated the cream for 30 minutes in a stainless steel bowl in a skillet of simmering water, my cream never got any hotter than 170F. The instructions said it would get to 190F in about 15 minutes. So I forged ahead anyway and added the lemon juice and waited for the curds to form. That never happened either. So after another 10 minutes I just poured my "cheese" into my cheesecloth lined strainer. After the overnight refrigeration I expected that some whey would have drained out. Nope, my "cheese" looked no different than it had when I first pour it into the cheesecloth and it looked nothing like creamy mascarpone.

Then I tried to remove my mascarpone from the cheesecloth. It was stuck on pretty tightly. So tight that when I forcefully scraped it off the cloth, all I got was a block of "cheese" covered in lint. I thought cheesecloth was supposed to be lint free? Maybe I got the wrong kind of cheesecloth? (I used a 100% unbleached cotton cheesecloth.) So I scraped off the linty side of the mascarpone and saved the unlinty part to use in my tiramisu. Thank goodness we only needed 1/3 cup for the tiramisu.

I love ladyfingers. When I was a little girl, sometimes my dad would take me with him while he went to Ahren's Bakery on Van Ness Avenue to pick up some pastries for the restaurant. The bakery workers were always so nice to me. While I waited for them to fill my dad's very large order, they always handed me a giant cookie from the bakery case. I felt so special. But the best part of our trips to Ahren's was the bag of soft ladyfingers that we would bring home. Sets of five ladyfingers were lined up next to each other waiting to be pulled apart. I can still recall that soft, airy interior with that wonderful crispy, sugary crust. I wonder if Ahren's was still around today and I ate one of their ladyfingers would I still love it as much as I did as a child? I'd love to say yes, but the truth is probably not. The most flavorful ingredient is nostalgia.




I loved this ladyfinger recipe. They remind me of those from my childhood. I couldn't help but sneak a few bites everyday. Well, maybe I had more than a few bites. By the time I was ready to assemble my tiramisu three days later, I only had enough ladyfingers for two layers instead of three. I plan to make these ladyfingers again and again.

In the past I've only made tiramisu recipes that had a zabaglione with mascarpone. But this recipe had the unusual addition of a pastry cream. It was also a bit strange that it only called for a teeny tiny amount of mascarpone cheese. Typically mascarpone makes up a large portion of the cream layers. The zabaglione was easy to make. The method for the pastry cream was a bit different than I am used to since the cold milk was combined with the egg then cooked. I am used to warming the milk, adding it to the eggs and then cooking it until thick. I think the cold milk method took longer to thicken than the warm milk method, but the resulting pastry cream was just fine.



We were allowed to assemble our tiramisu any way we liked. I decided to use an 8-inch round springform. If I knew ahead of time that I was going to use a round cake pan for assembly, I would have piped my ladyfinger batter into 8 -inch disks instead of individual fingers. It would've made for a nicer presentation.

Overall the tiramisu was delicious. But what's not to like about whipped cream, custard and coffee soaked ladyfingers? Even though I found the whole recipe to be a bit overly complicated and fussy for a tiramisu and I would probably never make this exact version of tiramisu ever again, I'm so happy that I have gotten such a great ladyfinger recipe out of this DB challenge. Okay, I'm off to have another slice now.



The fine print:
The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

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0 Coconut Goodness

During a recent trip to New York City my brother Rich wanted to stop at Magnolia Bakery. He had tried Magnolia's coconut cake once before and absolutely loved it. Since we were close enough to the Rockefeller Center location of Magnolia we walked over to have a slice. As we approached the bakery we saw the huge line of about 40 people wrapped around the corner storefront. I've never seen such a long line for any bakery except perhaps Tartine Bakery here in San Francisco. We decided that no cake was worth that wait especially since it was about 40 degrees F that night. (We're wimpy Californians.)

I told Rich that I would make him a coconut cake when we got back from NYC. I delivered on my promise by making him some coconut cupcakes. It has all the components of a layered coconut cake but in cupcake form.

The cupcake batter has coconut milk, shredded coconut and coconut rum. The filling is a coconut pastry cream. The cream cheese frosting has some of the coconut pastry cream mixed in and then the whole thing is topped off with some toasted coconut.

I don't know how much more coconut goodness I could've packed into this cupcake, but I did my best to really max out the coconut factor and I think I succeeded. So if you're looking for a cupcake that really screams coconut from head to toe, this one is for you.


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