Remembering Paris

It’s official – the rain is here to cover our Pittsburgh hills, the air is crisp and cold, and it has been like this for a few days, now.  You know that autumn is right here, but I haven’t given up yet and I still hope for a few more sunny days.  Unfortunately though, for now, gloomy is written all over our Steel City.  So, to cheer me up a bit and to make our apartment warm and cozy, I’ve decided to bake some goodies.  And what’s better than Madeleines?  
 

I adore Madeleines.  These buttery sweet golden delights remind me of Paris, sitting at a café, slowly sipping my espresso while enjoying, what else, delicious Madeleines.  But this time I’m not only baking Madeleines to remind myself of Paris or to make the apartment warm and cozy, but also for Adrian to bring these pieces of heaven to the Breakfast Sale he has at work, tomorrow.  I told you that Adrian had a Bake Sale at work about two weeks ago, and tomorrow he has a Breakfast Sale.  And I’ve decided that it would be great for him to bring in Honey Madeleines with Toasted Almonds and Amaretto Icing – not your classic Madeleines.

Honey Madeleines with Toasted Almonds and Amaretto Icing

Adapted from Paris Sweets (and Boulangerie-Patisserie Poujauran) by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 16

Ingredients for the Madeleines:

·         ¾ cup (105 grams) all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon (2 grams) double-acting baking powder

·         ¼ cup (30 grams) toasted sliced almonds (toast the almonds for 5-7 minutes in a 350°F oven)

·         2 large eggs, at room temperature

·         1/3 cup (65 grams) sugar

·         1 Tablespoon (30 grams) honey

·         Grated zest from half a lemon

·         2 teaspoons (10 grams) pure vanilla extract

·         5 Tablespoons (2 ½ ounces; 70 grams) unsalted butter; melted and cooled

Ingredients for the Amaretto Icing:

Adapted from Apricot and Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing by Giada De Laurentiis 

·         1 ¾ cups (260 grams) confectioners’ sugar

·         5-7 Tablespoons (85-100 grams) Amaretto liqueur 

Instructions

Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Whisk in the toasted almonds and keep close at hand.  Working in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on a medium-high speed until they thicken and lighten in color, 2 to 4 minutes.  Beat in the honey, lemon zest and vanilla.  Switch to a large rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter.  Cover the batter with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably longer – chilling helps the batter develop its characteristic crown, known as the hump and bump.  (The batter can be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).  If your madeleine pan is not nonstick, generously butter it, dust the inside with flour, and tap out the excess.  If the pan is nonstick, you still might want to give it an insurance coating of butter and flour.  If it is silicone, do nothing.  No matter what kind of pan you have, place it on a baking sheet for easy transportability. 

Divide the batter among the molds, filling them almost to the top.  Don’t worry about smoothing the batter, it will even out as it bakes.

Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, small ones for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and golden and spring back when touched.  Pull the pan from the oven and remove the cookies by either rapping the pan against the counter (the madeleines should drop out) or gently running a butter knife around the edges of the cookies.  Allow the madeleines to cool on a cooling rack.  They can be served ever so slightly warm or at room temperature. 

For the Icing

Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium mixing bowl.  Gradually whisk in the Amaretto liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.  Place the wire rack over a baking sheet.  Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the madeleines with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet.  Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes. 

The madeleines are sublime!  The toasted almonds give them another level of texture and flavor, and the icing makes them shiny and brings everything together.  They are delightful with my French press coffee and I hope Adrian’s colleagues will also enjoy them at the Breakfast Sale, tomorrow.

Note:  For those of you who enjoy the classics, this is what you have to do to create the perfect classic golden madeleines.

Classic Madeleines

Adpated from Paris Sweets (and Patisserie Lerch) by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 16

Ingredients:

·         ¾ cup (105 grams) all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon (2 grams) double-acting baking powder

·         2 large eggs, at room temperature

·          ½ cup (105 grams) sugar

·         Grated zest from 1 lemon

·         2 teaspoons (10 grams) pure vanilla extract

·         5 Tablespoons (2 ½ ounces; 70 grams) unsalted butter; melted and cooled

Instructions

Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Working in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on a medium-high speed until they thicken and lighten in color, 2 to 4 minutes.  Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.  Switch to a large rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter.  Cover the batter with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably longer – chilling helps the batter develop its characteristic crown, known as the hump and bump.  (The batter can be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).  If your madeleine pan is not nonstick, generously butter it, dust the inside with flour, and tap out the excess.  If the pan is nonstick, you still might want to give it an insurance coating of butter and flour.  If it is silicone, do nothing.  No matter what kind of pan you have, place it on a baking sheet for easy transportability. 

Divide the batter among the molds, filling them almost to the top.  Don’t worry about smoothing the batter, it will even out as it bakes.

Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, small ones for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and golden and spring back when touched.  Pull the pan from the oven and remove the cookies by either rapping the pan against the counter (the madeleines should drop out) or gently running a butter knife around the edges of the cookies.  Allow the madeleines to cool on a cooling rack.  They can be served ever so slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Enjoy!

Give me corn and… more corn chowder

OK, I’ll admit it – I’m a fanatic.  That is – a corn fanatic.  Who doesn’t like corn?  Well, probably some people might not like it.  Not me, though.  I love, love, love corn!  Let me say that again.  I LOVE corn!  I could eat corn all day, every day.  I’d probably be sick after a while, but I could definitely do it.  I could add corn to anything – soup, salad, salsa, stew, side dish, chili – anything, or just have the always delectable corn on the cob.   

I may be quite late for fresh corn since we’re already in October, but I’m never late for corn chowder.  Back home in Romania, I didn’t even know that you can make soup with corn.  I’m so glad I know that now.  I can’t believe I’d been oblivious to that fact until I discovered the chowder.  And I’m not talking just about corn chowder, but any chowder for that matter – corn chowder, clam chowder, quahog chowder, Manhattan clam chowder…any chowder that comes to your mind.  Now, I can’t have enough of it.  I would say, though, that my favorite is Corn Chowder.  That’s why I was so, so, so incredibly ecstatic when I discovered this recipe, by mistake. 

I was cooking something one day (I really don’t remember what it was), and my TV was on the Food Network – by the way, my TV is always on the Food Channel or the Cooking Channel when I’m cooking.  I knew Giada’s show was coming up, but The Neelys were up first.  And all of the sudden I heard Corn Chowder.  I was hooked.  I dropped everything, turned off the stove, and started paying full attention – I was glued to the TV.  While they were making it, I was already eating it with my eyes.  I had to try it as soon as possible.  Now, this corn chowder is a staple in my house, and, trust me, after you’ve made it once it might be one of your favorites, too.   

Corn Chowder

Adapted from Gina’s Spicy Corn Chowder by The Neelys

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

·         4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

·         1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·         ¼ heaped cup all-purpose flour

·         4 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water

·         2-3 large red potatoes, well scrubbed and small diced

·         1 ¼ cups heavy cream

·         16 ounces frozen corn

·         ¼ teaspoon paprika or cayenne pepper

·         1 bay leaf

Instructions

Put a large pan on medium heat and add the oil.  Add the onions and red pepper and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté the vegetables until tender and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.  Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined.  Cook the flour until it reaches a slight blonde color, about 1 minute.  Stir in the chicken broth, the water and the potatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes; potatoes will become soft.  Add the cream, corn, paprika (or cayenne) and bay leaf.  Simmer for 20 more minutes.  

I made the Corn Chowder again, last night.  Who knew that every spoon-full of this creamy, rich, velvety, sweet, comforting soup can bring so much joy and warmth, and that you want more when you get to the bottom of the bowl?  It was just the perfect warm and comforting soup on a cold and rainy night.  I’m already looking forward to making it again, soon!

Leftovers are not enough

This will be a short posting, but I had to stop by and tell you about this new recipe I found, tried and enjoyed so much!  Last week we had a lot of leftovers, especially the delicious Chicken Korma, which, it has to be said, got better with every day.  I will have to make it again and soon.  

But somehow, I felt that we needed something more, that the leftovers were not enough.  We haven’t had soup in a while, so I decided that a warm comforting soup would do the trick.  And I was right.  As I mentioned before, this turned out to be a Jamie Oliver week. 

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup

Adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

·         2 carrots

·         2 celery stalks

·         2 medium onions

·         2 cloves of garlic

·         1 ¾ pounds sweet potatoes

·         7 ounces chorizo sausage

·         A small bunch of fresh parsley

·         1 ¾ quarts chicken or vegetable broth

·         Olive oil

·         1 heaped teaspoon curry powder

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

To make your soup

Peel and roughly slice the carrots.  Slice the celery.  Peel and roughly chop the onions.  Peel and slice the garlic.  Peel and chop the sweet potatoes.  Slice the chorizo.  Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks. 

Put a large pan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients with the curry powder and mix together with a wooden spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden.  Add the broth to the vegetables.  Give the soup a good stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potato is cooked through.

To serve your soup

Season with salt and pepper.  Using an immersion blender or liquidizer, pulse the soup until smooth.  Divide between your serving bowls and tuck in.

The soup turned out to be smooth, silky, smoky, sweet and totally yummy!  The chorizo also gave it a subtle hint of spice.  It was definitely a great way to welcome fall.  Enjoy!

A bake sale

Today, Adrian had a bake sale at work.  People brought all kinds of baked goods, they sold them for $1 apiece, and the money was donated to a charity.  I couldn’t let my darling husband go empty handed, so I decided to bake something lovely. 

Thus, yesterday morning at 9:00 AM I was already baking away my carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting before I went to my weekly racquetball workout.  (After you satisfy your sweet cravings you’d better do some cardio).  By 10:00 AM the entire apartment was infused with warm aromas of cinnamon, carrot, ginger and vanilla.  However, the combination of aromas was brought to glory by the rich smoky bouquet of my hot French press coffee that was impatiently waiting for me on the coffee table.  Suddenly, I realized I was surrounded by autumn scents.  I guess autumn is just around the corner anyway.  

The cupcakes looked gorgeous in their colorful polka dots paper liners, smelled amazing, and, most importantly, were delicious.  I couldn’t help myself, so I tasted one before my workout and enjoyed it with my cup of French Roast coffee.  Yum!  The carrot cupcakes were moist, crunchy, and scrumptious.  They were ready for the bake sale.  There was a little bit of leftover frosting, but I was generous enough and left it for Adrian.  Just as I expected, he cleaned up the bowl.
 

Carrot Cupcakes

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (June 2011)

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

·         1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         ½ cup sliced almonds

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         ½ teaspoon ground ginger

·         1 ½ cups grated carrots

·         2/3 cup vegetable oil

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         3 large eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

·         2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

·         8 ounces cream cheese, softened

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

·         1 teaspoon lemon juice

·         ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes

Raise the oven temperature to 350°F.  Line one 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.  Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, grated carrots and vanilla extract in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Fill each paper liner with the dough three-quarters of the way.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool completely.

To make the frosting

Beat the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until fluffy.  Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Pipe or spread on the cupcakes.
 

My carrot cupcakes were sold out before noon.  They were a total hit at the bake sale!  I hope you will enjoy making and especially eating these superb carrot cupcakes.

A Tale of Two Chickens

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Jamie Oliver.  Well, with his food to be more precise.  I am more of a Giada De Laurentiis and Barefoot Contessa kind of girl when it comes to food.  But my best friend Rachel gave me Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook when she visited me a few months ago.  I never really thought much of him or his food until I got his book.  I think of him as a very unconventional chef.  Also, he is quite entertaining on camera and his show is one of the most popular cooking shows in Romania.  Even my grandmother loves him. 

However, over the past few weeks I’ve been trying several of his recipes and I was not disappointed.  I love how he uses cilantro in almost anything he makes whether it is Indian food, chili con carne, or a simple ginger and parsnip soup.  One of my favorites so far was his Chicken Tikka Masala.  I have to tell you, dear reader, that my husband and I are deeply in love with Indian food.  We have never ever had Indian food until we came to the States.  We didn’t even know what kind of food Indians ate or what their traditional dish was.  Nada…  But little by little we learnt about it and now we are Indian food aficionados.  In fact, I think that the best Indian restaurant in the US is in Boston, but that’s a different story for another time.  So, coming back to Jamie’s Indian food recipes.  Well, I think that I will have to try them all eventually, and last night I was on track with Chicken Korma.  One word – DEVINE!  It’s not your usual restaurant style Chicken Korma with raisins and tons of cream, but rather a lighter and more delightful version of the traditional dish.  So far, we loved both chicken recipes and it’s my pleasure to share them with you, and hope that you will enjoy them too.  Sit tight, I think we’ll have a Jamie Oliver week!

Chicken Korma

Adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

Yields 4-6 servings

 

  

·         1 ¾ - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         2 medium onions

·         Optional: 1 fresh green chile

·         A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger

·         A small bunch of fresh cilantro

·         1 x 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans

·         3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 Tablespoon of butter

·         ½ cup korma or mild curry paste, such as Patak’s (I used Patak’s mild curry paste)

·         1 x 14-ounce can of coconut milk

·         About ¼ cup sliced almonds, plus extra for serving

·         2 heaped Tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         Optional: 2 ½ teaspoons of sugar (the recipe doesn’t call for sugar, but I personally love that hint of sweetness)

To prepare your curry

Cut the chicken into approximately 1-inch pieces.  Peel, halve, and finely slice the onions.  Halve, seed, and finely slice the chile if you’re using it.  Peel and finely chop the ginger.  Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks.  Drain the garbanzo beans.

 

To make your curry

Put a large casserole-type pan on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add the onions, chile (if using it), ginger, and cilantro stalks.  Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.  Keep stirring it enough so it doesn’t catch and burn but turn evenly golden.  Cook for around 10 minutes.  Add the curry paste, coconut milk, ¼ cup sliced almonds, the drained garbanzo beans, unsweetened shredded coconut, and sliced chicken breasts.  Half fill the empty can with water, pour it into the pan, and stir.  Add the sugar and stir again.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes with the lid on.  Check the curry regularly to make sure it’s not drying out, and add extra water if necessary.  When the chicken is tender and cooked, taste and season carefully with salt and pepper (and more sugar if necessary).

Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted slightly from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

Yields 4-6 servings 

·         1 ½ - 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         2 medium onions

·         A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger

·         A small bunch of fresh cilantro

·         3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 Tablespoon of butter

·         ½ cup tikka masala or mild curry paste, such as Patak’s (I used Patak’s mild curry paste)

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes

·         1 x 14-ounce can of coconut milk

·         A small handful of sliced almonds for serving

To prepare your curry

Cut / slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes or ¾-inch-thick strips.  Peel, halve, and finely slice the onions.  Peel and finely slice the ginger.  Pick the cilantro leaves and put to one side, then finely chop the stalks. 

 

To make your curry

Put a large casserole-type pan on medium heat and add the oil and butter.  Add the onions, ginger and cilantro stalks.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, until soften and golden.  Add the curry paste and the chicken.  Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes and the coconut milk.  Fill one of the empty cans with water, pour into the pan, and stir again.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes with the lid on.  Check the curry regularly to make sure it’s not drying out and add extra water if necessary.  When the meat is tender and cooked, taste and carefully add a bit more salt and pepper.   

I served the chicken dishes with fluffy basmati rice.  I used Kohinoor Authentic Basmati Rice.

Yields 4-6 servings

·         1 ½ cups basmati rice

·         2 1/3 cups water

·         2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·         Salt and pepper

Wash the rice and soak it in cold water for about 30 minutes before cooking.  Drain the rice.  Put a pan on medium heat and add the oil.  Add the rice and water, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes with the lid on.  Do not remove the lid while cooking.  Remove the pan from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

What is interesting is that I made the Chicken Korma before my husband and I went to our weekly Yoga class.  I didn’t realize it when I chose to make this dish, but I have to say that Yoga and Indian food go very well together.  Of course we ate after our Yoga class.  And it was delicious!  Namaste!

Let’s get this rolling

I don’t really know what it is that I’m doing here, but I guess that even knowing what you don’t know is a good start.  So, here we go – a lot of things to write about and a lot more to learn about.  Welcome to Dana’s blog, dear reader; yet another food blogger you might say, but who cares?

I’ve been thinking of starting a food blog for six months now.  You know how they say that if you want to start a blog you should do it today, not tomorrow, not next week.  Well, six months later, I finally decided to take a shot at it.  And here’s, in a nutshell, what I want to do.  Writing this blog is my opportunity to share with you my favorite recipes from my favorite famous celebrity chefs, cookbooks and food magazines, as well as my grandmother’s specialties, which filled my childhood with amazing flavors and fun memories in good old Transylvania. 

But this is not all I’m going to share with you.  Both my husband, Adrian, and I are foodies and we love to travel.  Although we love our beloved Steel City, we also love exploring different places, restaurants and cuisines in the US, Canada, Europe and anywhere else our curiosity takes us.  Last year, we went on 14 different adventures.  This year, we are on track with 7 new ones.  At the end of the day, I hope that with the help of my blog you’ll get some good ideas on what to make or where to go for dinner tonight.

So, this is it.  I hope you’ll stop by and enjoy the ride!  I know I will!