Sunday, January 3, 2010
Butternut Squash Risotto
I think the most challenging thing about this risotto was chopping up the butternut squash. When is that knife skills class anyway? I thought I would never finish chopping this squash. AFTER, I finished chopping up the squash, I searched for helpful hints. There's a great post over at Simply Recipes. If only, I had read it BEFORE I chopped the squash.
I found this recipe at Bay Area Bites. The only change I made was to use shallots instead of onion. This risotto has a beautiful creamy texture and a wonderful slight cinnamon flavor. It went well with our Bourbon Apple Pork Loin.
Butternut Squash Risotto
Serves: 10-12
1/2 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
16 oz chicken broth
1 shallot, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
Olive oil for roasting and finishing
Roast the Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle.
Microwave the entire squash for 3-4 minutes so that it's easier to cut through. Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds.
Peel and cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.. Bake the squash, stirring the diced pieces occasionally, until tender and browned lightly, 20-25 minutes. Set aside.
In a saucepan bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
In a large pot melt the butter and add onion, carrot, garlic, and ginger. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice and let it toast a bit, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Stir in the broth ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Keep the risotto at a simmer throughout. Continue simmering, stirring, and adding broth, letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until about half of broth has been added. Stir in diced squash, honey, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and continue simmering and adding broth in same manner until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still slightly al dente, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the grated Parmigiano and combine.
Spoon risotto into serving bowls and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few curls of Parmigiano using a vegetable peeler.
Chocolate Creme Caramels - SMS
I was a little nervous because I'd heard how tricky caramel could be. Even as I was making these, I heard Sandy Gluck on Martha Stewart Living Radio talk about the challenges she'd had when making caramel. EEEKKKKK! I hope these turn out!!
There are two recipes in the cookbook for Carmels. The base recipe is Honey Creme Caramels and to make the Chocolate Creme Caramels, you just add...Chocolate. The carmel mixture is the most beautiful honey brown color while it is cooking.
Well turn out, they did! These are the most delicious caramels and remind me of one you might purchase at a fine candy store. Now with that said, don't make this recipe if you are in a hurry, it's not a quick one. The caramel took about an hour to get to 248 degrees. It seemed like it took forever to get from 225 to 248!!! I didn't have an 8 x 8 pan, so I'd planned to use a 7 x 7. I ended up with enough caramel for for two 7 x 7 pans.
These caramels made a wonderful addition to the treat bags for my staff. Thanks to Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake for choosing this fabulous recipe. You can find the recipe on her site and links to all of the other Sweet Melissa Sunday's members here!
Next up...Chocolate Pie Crust and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Cranberry, Pecan and Chocolate Cookies - SSB
This recipe is easy to put together. Measuring the ingredients is a snap using my scale. I am so glad I purchased one!!! The only change I made was to use semi-sweet chips instead of white chocolate chips. White chocolate is the ONLY kind of chocolate I don't like.
Stop over to Sweet and Simple Bakes and check out the other bakers cookies.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Little Bit of Everything in 2010
What else do I want to accomplish in 2010?
In 2009, I took a series of cooking classes, Culinary Boot Camp. I'd love to take more classes, a bread baking class and a knife skills class, as well as a cake decorating class.
I think my friends and family consider me a good cook but I want to learn to be more like a chef. I can follow a recipe and most of the time, it turns out great. I want to learn to create dishes without always following a recipe.
Create cocktails using herbs and infusions. These make for interesting and fun cocktails.
Explore the recipes from my collection of cookbooks. 100+ cookbooks, full of great recipes just waiting to be created!
Make more of the recipes from the recipe cards that belonged to my mother. These are such a special memory and should be shared.
Make more homemade bread! I love bread and nothing is better than warm homemade bread.
Let's consider these my blogging resolutions. Oh boy, resolutions!! I don't know about you but I am never very good at carrying out my resolutions. So let's just call them goals and maybe I will do better. Okay now I need a favor from everyone, help me to stay on task to achieve these goals.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
An Unusual Hobby?
I've found several blogs that are based on saving money. I wanted to share one I found recently that I love, Fantabulously Frugal. One of today's sales is on clearance items at expressionary.com. I'd been looking to purchase personalized notecards but didn't want to spend a lot for something that someone will read and toss in the trash. I was able to purchase 25 notecards for $5.46 and free shipping. This is one of the blogs I read every day. I can't wait to see what tomorrow's bargains may be.
Thanks, Lisa!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Breakfast
Menu
Asparagus-Potato Frittata
Broiled Grapefruit
Poinesettia Cocktail
Asparagus-Potato Frittata
Adapted from Food and Wine
1/2 pound unpeeled fingerling cut into 1/3-inch chunks
1/2 pound asparagus, peeled and cut into 3/4 -inch lengths
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 c. grated white cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
Steam the potatoes until barely tender, about 5 minutes; set aside. Steam the asparagus until bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes.
In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over high heat. Add the potatoes and sauté until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the asparagus and onion, season with the salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Wipe out the skillet, set it over moderate heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Beat the eggs with the heavy cream until smooth. Stir in the vegetables and pour the mixture into the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the edges just begin to set. Lift the sides of the frittata with a rubber spatula, tilting the pa n to allow the uncooked eggs to seep under. Continue cooking until the bottom is set and the top is barely runny, about 7 minutes. Set under the broiler for 3 - 4 minutes until golden brown.Cut into wedges and serve warm.
Broiled Grapefruit
2 large grapefruits, well chilled
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Garnish (optional)
20 grapes
3 Tablespoons sugar
Roll the grapes in the granulated sugar
Preheat a broiler.
Cut each grapefruit in half crosswise. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half, if necessary, so that it will stand upright.
Using a serrated grapefruit knife or a small, sharp knife, loosen the grapefruit segments in each half by first carefully cutting between the fruit and the peel and then by cutting along either side of each segment to free it from the membrane. Leave all the segments in their shells. Place the halves upright in a baking dish.
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Using your fingers, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the grapefruit halves. Slip under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat source and broil until the sugar is uniformly bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer each grapefruit half to an individual dish and garnish with the grapes. Serve immediately.
Poinsettia Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients:
1/2-ounce triple sec, chilled
Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
3-ounces cranberry juice, chilled
Pour Triple Sec and cranberry juice into a chilled Champagne flute. Stir well. Top with Champagne or sparkling wine. Yield: 1 cocktail.