Christmas Latkes

Yup, you read that right, Christmas latkes. We decided this year, to make breakfast the focal point of our Christmas day dining. Latkes are some of our favorite breakfast foods, and while not especially difficult to make, they are time consuming. I usually make pseudo-latkes out of leftover mashed potatoes--delicious, but not the real thing.

I had made proper latkes before, but I was looking for the perfect potato pancake. The first stop in my quest, was what is the right kind of potato? I generally found 2 answers: Yukon Gold or Russet. I found this perplexing, as these potatoes have entirely different starch content. One recommendation I found was that if Russets are used, the latkes would be crispier. Usually my lakes are flavorful, but a bit soggy, so Russets were the way to go.

I used a recipe from My Fudo to nail down a technique, but the ingredients are based on what I've always used and include panko breadcrumbs rather than just flour. The technique they've developed is a winner--these are the most perfectly textured latkes I have ever eaten.

Latkes (serves 4-6)

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and placed in a bowl of cold water
• 1 onion, grated, with moisture squeezed out with paper towel/tea towel
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 C AP flour
• 1/2 C panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 C finely chopped parsley
• seasoned salt, to taste
• generous amount of black pepper, to taste
• canola oil, for frying

1. If not serving immediately--and by immediately from the fryer to a quick blot on paper towels and into someone's mouth--place a large baking sheet in your oven or warming drawer and preheat to 200 degrees. Prepare a second small baking sheet or plate and cover with paper towels, set next to your workspace. 
2.  Prepare a large bowl of cold water. Begin grating the potatoes to a medium shred and place the shredded potatoes into the cold water. Once all of the potatoes have been shredded, allow to sit for 5 mins. Place the potatoes in a colander and rinse with cold water. Squeeze any extra moisture out of the potatoes with paper towels or a clean tea towel, or put them through several spins in a salad spinner. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the grated potatoes, onion, beaten eggs, flour, panko, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well combined.
4. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, pour canola oil to a depth of about 1/2 in. Heat on medium-high heat. When a single shred of potato sizzles on contact with the oil, the oil is ready. 
5. Form the potato mixture into 2-inch pancakes with your hands. Carefully add a few to the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan. Check frequently, and flip when golden brown on the bottom, cook a few more mins until brown on both sides.
6. Carefully remove the latkes from the oil and allow to blot on the sheet/plate with the paper towels. Quickly remove the pancakes from the plate and allow to warm in the oven. Serve warm with sour cream.

Kitchen Notes: I added the step of extracting extra moisture from the potatoes and onions, because it has always been my understanding that the drier the item to be fried, the lighter and crispier the texture, and this seemed to work for me.

                                                      So much potatoey deliciousness!

Verdict? The texture of these latkes was incredible. They were perfectly crispy and light as a feather, I was incredibly impressed. They also soak up almost zero oil--I used the same single sheet of paper towel for the entire batch and it was not saturated at all. These are a lot of work, but well worth it!

                                                             Happy New Year Everyone!

A Trio of: Party Snacks. Brigadeiro (Brazilian Chocolate Caramels)

 ...A rather delightful, but ill-defined confection. Is it a caramel? Is it chocolate? Is it a truffle? Don't trifle yourself with these questions! Just make and enjoy. My camera does not do these little candies justice, they look like little jewels when the light hits them.

I'm also classifying this as an ingredient elimination recipe, with the feature ingredient, sweetened condensed milk. I had a small amount of condensed milk from my sweet potato pecan pie and was looking for something to do with it. I stumbled upon Brigadeiro, first on the blog Las Vegas Food Adventures, but I found the recipe duplicated verbatim many other places, so I don't know who gets credit for it! The original doesn't call for the cocoa to be sifted, nor does it include the salt or liquor. I was so happy with the outcome, that I made a full size batch, then another, and other for a Christmas party I was hosting.

Brigadeiro (makes about 20 candies)

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 shot liquor of choice (I used peppermint schnapps, vanilla rum, and Irish cream in different batches)
• pinch salt 
• butter
• red or green sugar, or chocolate sprinkles, for coating 
• mini-candy cups 

1. Combine the condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, liquor and salt in a heavy bottom saucepan using medium low heat. Initially, stir constantly and vigorously, incorporating the ingredients well.
2. Continue stirring frequently, for about 12 mins, making sure the chocolate doesn't stick or burn. At about the 12 min point, the chocolate should begin to thicken. 
3. Remove from heat, cool (I just put mine out on the porch, it was a cold day). Once cool and easily molded, it's ready to be formed into candies. 
4. Assemble several baking cups. Thoroughly butter your hands to prevent the candy from sticking. Roll into small balls (about 1/2 inch) and roll in the sugar, and place into cups. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 


Kitchen Notes: Getting these to the right consistency can be tricky. If after you've cooled the chocolate it still cannot form into balls, heat the mixture on the stove for a few more mins until you get the desired consistency. You'll want to use a good quality cocoa powder as there's not much else in this recipe.

Verdict? A very easy, very delightful treat, with a lot of versatility. They have a rich chocolatey flavor and mild caramel flavor. They are smooth but chewy. These little candies are so beautifully festive looking, enjoy!

Quadruple Onion Holiday Dressing

Disclaimer: Leeks are not technically onions, but they are close relatives. Please allow me poetic license on this one. 

So, here's my last Thanksgiving post, more than a week after the holiday. Fashionably late I suppose. To recap, the Thanksgiving recipes that graced my table and were posted are:  shallot mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, port cranberry sauce, sweet potato & pecan pie, and chive scones.

I like my Thanksgiving dressing fairly basic. I don't really care much for fruit in my dressings. I've been making this one for a few years now, adapting it a bit each year. It's adapted from The Veggie Table, and they've adapted it from the cookbook The New Vegetarian Epicure. I love how recipes adapt over time.

What did I listen to? Thanksgiving is a bit of a blur, I forgot to document! Oops.

Vegetarian Bread Dressing (serves 8-10)

• 3/4 C butter
• 1 C onion, diced
• 2/3 C leeks, thinly sliced
• 1/3 C shallot, diced
• 1 C celery, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3 tsp sage
• 3tsp thyme
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 medium loaf sourdough, torn into cubes about 1/2 in
• 1/2 C parsley, minced
• 1 1/2 C walnuts, lightly toasted
• 2 C vegetable broth
• 1/2 C fried onions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Melt butter over medium high heat. Add the shallots and leeks and saute for about 5 mins. Add the onion, and saute til translucent, about 5-7 more mins. Add the celery, and saute 5 mins more. 
2. Add the salt & pepper to taste, the sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and vinegar. Stir well and remove from heat. 
3. In a large casserole dish or roasting pan, add the bread and walnuts and mix together. Pour over the onion mixture and mix well. Drizzle 1 C broth and mix in the parsley.
4. Cover and bake for 45 mins. Check on the dressing every 15 min, adding 1/4 broth each time if needed.
5. After 45 mins, remove cover and sprinkle on the fried onions. Bake for 5 more mins. 


Kitchen Notes: Use stale bread cubes if possible. When reheating, drizzle a bit of broth and to reconstitute a bit.


Verdict? Simple and tasty. Very herbal. Due to the sourdough, this dressing has a pleasant, chewy consistency. Not appropriate for folks who don't care for onions.

Chive Scones (Don't run away--Yes there's Tofu in these Scones)

Hello! A few weeks back, I made Hungry Couple's pumpkin scones. And then I made them again. Yummy. Here they are for you to see:

I thought that'd I'd like to make a savory scone, and I wanted to serve them for Thanksgiving. Since I was happy with the Hungry Couple's recipe with regards to its consistency, I wanted to use it as a base. I knew that removing the pumpkin from the scone would alter how it baked entirely, so I wanted to figure out something that was a similar texture. I settled on silken tofu, though I also considered sour cream and feta, and I will revisit those another time. Here they are:

Listened to: WTF Podcast. Not very Thanskgiving-y. 

Chive Scones (makes about 9 scones)

• 2 C AP flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp fine salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/2 C soft silken tofu
• 1/4 C milk, plus extra
• 1/3 C chopped chives
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp rosemary, partially crushed
• cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the tofu, milk, chives, egg, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir until well-mixed and smooth. Set aside.
3. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces. Add to the flour mixture, and using 2 butter knives, cut the butter into the mixture until it forms coarse crumbs.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Prepare a lightly oiled baking sheet or sheet with a silpat. With your hands, form the scones. If needed, add a bit more milk to the mixture, though it should be fairly dry.  Place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30-40 mins or until golden brown.

 Kitchen Notes: It's important to get the butter into small pieces, but not so small that the butter melts. If the butter melts, the scones will not have that lovely flaky consistency. If the butter pieces are too big, they won't incorporate into the baking scones but melt everywhere. These scones dry out fast, but are phenomenal the day you make them, and even better fresh out of the oven.

Verdict? Why didn't I try to make savory scones long ago? They are flavorful & biscuity, and will satisfy even the most tofu-phobic friends. The tofu bakes into the scones perfectly and undetected. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Pecan Pie

As I post my Thanksgiving recipes, I figure I should recap what we had this year.
To Drink:
Marinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider

...And Vin Glogg

 To eat:  Port Wine Cranberry Sauce

Quorn roast (for me the veggie), lobster tails (for my husband and a friend of ours, not veggie), Quadruple onion dressing (recipe to be posted soon), shallot mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, green bean casserole, roasted butternut squash, chive scones (recipe to be posted soon), and sweet potato pecan pie for dessert. Here's the pie:

Unlike all other Thanksgiving food, I don't have a particular nostalgia for any specific desserts. I was thumbing through my Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cookbook, and decided I wanted to make a sweet potato & pecan pie. This also makes the occasion of my first from scratch pie crust but I won't detail that here. I was a bit anxious about it; I'd only have sweet potato pie once before, about 10 years ago, but I was really happy with the results. I followed the recipe verbatim, Dinosaur gets the full credit here, with recipe put in my own words.

Sweet Potato & Pecan Pie (Makes 1 9-in pie)

• 1 frozen, pastry pie crust 

For the sweet potato filling:

• 2 C cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 14 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 C sweetened condensed milk

For the pecan topping:

• 1 C coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 dark corn syrup
• 1/3 tsp salt
• pinch ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Get out the crust and pie pan from the freezer. Mix together all the ingredients for the sweet potato filling in a large bowl and combine til smooth, working to get any lumps out of the potatoes. Set aside
2. In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the pecan topping and stir until well mixed. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie crust shell and smooth out the top. Pour on the pecan topping and smooth out the top. 
3. Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours until the crust is golden and the filling firm. Serve at room temperature.

Kitchen Notes: This makes a very full pie, mine spilled over the top. The cookbook recommends a slightly larger than usual pie crust and a slightly deeper pie pan--use them if you have them! The only modification I made to the recipe was to add a bit more salt to the pecan mixture, which is captured in my printing of the recipe above. I thought a mild salty taste would complement the pecans well.

Verdict? This hybrid pie is a keeper! The smooth potato filling is an ideal match for the crunchy pecans. I will definitely make a few modifications for my next attempt though. I like more spice in my pie, so I'll add more cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I'd also prefer for the pecans to be more of an additional layer, rather than a topping, so I will decrease the ratio of potato and increase the ratio of pecans.

Port Cranberry Sauce

So I am the sorry blogger who posts her Thanksgiving recipes post-Thanksgiving. However, since most of these recipes I only make once a year, I like to give them an additional test run before I upload them.

                     As you can see, I lack fancy bowls. Thus, the sugar bowl springs into action

As much as I get joy from experimenting with new recipes, at heart, I am a traditionalist with Thanksgiving, usually making the same things again and again. I mixed it up a bit this year, including my port cranberry sauce. I found the recipe on Food & Wine's website. I followed it almost exactly, and have printed here in my own words. I did reduce the sugar to suit my preference and reduced the recipe to a 1/3 of its original (we had a cozy 3 person Thanksgiving), so for the original measurements, please check out the original.

I realize it's hard to be excited about cranberry sauce, but I'm a bit of a cranberry snob. My parents are friends with some (former) cranberry farmers, and when I was a kid, one of my favorite places was Ocean Spray's now defunct Cranberry World, mainly because of the free samples.

By the way, this was made while listening to Amy Winehouse

Port Cranberry Sauce (makes about 1 1/2 C)

• 1/3 C port
• 2 C cranberries, picked over and rinsed
• 1/3 C sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• pinch salt

1. Bring the port to a boil in a skillet. Add cranberries, and stir frequently, until the berries begin to burst, being careful not to burn yourself.
2. Add sugar, zest, and salt, and stir until dissolved, about 5 mins.
3. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature.


Kitchen Notes: I used Quinta do Chrasto 2005 port which is relatively neutral tasting. The berries burn easily, so be cautious.

Verdict? This is one of the most flavorful cranberry sauces I have had. The port flavor enhances that of the cranberries, and the orange complements without overwhelming. The flavor is highly concentrated. I was concerned about it being too dry, but it was great. I did overcook the berries a bit, making them slightly chewy, but this was my own error and not due to the original recipe.
 

Mash-up: Pumpkin Cannoli Pie with Gingersnap Crust

 Happy Almost Thanksgiving, all! What are your favorite Thanksgiving desserts? Mine is not pumpkin pie. I want to love pumpkin pie, really I do, but I'm underwhelmed by it. In previous years, we've made pumpkin spice creme brulee, and pumpkin cannoli. I got it in my head that a gingersnap crust would harmonize with a pumpkin pie, so I thought I'd give it a go, and sought out a recipe. I also remembered how yummy the pumpkin cannoli were, so I thought I'd incorporate those too.

The "mash-up" in this recipe comes from the combination of two recipes. The gingersnap crust recipe comes from Martha Stewart, the pie recipe comes from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham, and the cannoli portion is from me.

While whipping up this pie, I listened to: Death Cab for Cutie

Pumpkin Cannoli Pie with Gingersnap Crust (makes 1 9-in pie)
For the crust:

• 1 3/4 C gingersnap crumbs (use a food processor)
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs, sugar, flour and salt and mix well. Add butter and continue to mix until well combined.
2. Press crumb mixture, evenly, into a 9 inch pie plate, covering the bottom and sides. Place in freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Bake until crust is set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely before completing pie.

For the filling:

• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cloves, ground
• 15 oz can pumpkin
• 1 1/2 C evaporated milk
• 1/2 C milk
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 300. Combine all above ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until very smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for about 1 hour or until filling is firm.  Allow to cool before adding cannoli topping.

For the cannoli topping:

• 1/2 C canned pumpkin
• 1/2 C fresh ricotta
• 1/4 C confectioner's sugar, sifted 

1. Do not prepare until just ready to serve the pie. Combine the pumpkin, ricotta, and sifted confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth, roughly the consistency of heavy whipped cream. Spread over the pie with a rubber spatula.  

Kitchen Notes: Combining 2 baking recipes can be challenging, especially for me, a not very proficient baker. The crust is very thick, there's no concern for the bottom falling out. The original pie recipe calls for an unbaked crust, which requires initially cooking the pie at 425 then dropping the temp down to 300. Cooking consistently at 300 for a longer period of time did not negatively affect the pie. The pie filling recipe makes too much filling, so I filled two little ramekins with the excess and garnished them with gingersnaps:

This crust is only going to be as good as the gingersnaps used. I used Trader Joe's triple ginger, and they were awesome. Also, as I believe I mention in my previous cannoli posts, key lime cannoli and cannoli with blueberry sauce, don't beat the ricotta with a whisk. a fork works great, and just think of all the extra pie you can eat with the calories burned from whipping the mixture with a fork.

Verdict? The flavor of the crust with the pumpkin filling is awesome, and the pumpkin cannoli cream is, dare I say it? A welcomed alternative to whipped-cream. This pie was super yummy, but it needs to be tweaked a bit. I'll work on the spices some, and the crust needs to be crispier, but I'll definitely give this one another go.

Shallot Smashed Potatoes with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

So it's not too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving. It's easy to feel sorry for a vegetarian on Thanksgiving (or think we're a bit mad), when you think about a Thanksgiving without gravy. This mushroom gravy makes a pleasant alternative. My omnivore husband requests this gravy, and I've been asked to bring it to holiday parties.

Both these recipes come from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. I've modified the mashed potato recipe a bit, because it's what I had on hand, but truthfully, the original is better. (Note: I've labeled this recipe as vegan. The gravy is, the potatoes are absolutely not)

While making this I was listening to: Decemberists, Picaresque

Shallot Smashed Potatoes (serves 6)

• 4 C Yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks, skins on
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 C minced shallots
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Place the potatoes, 1 tsp of salt, and enough water to just cover the potatoes, in a heavy pot. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with fork. 
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the shallots, and saute on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until soft. 
3. Once the shallots are soft, add the salt, pepper and cream to the shallots and keep warm on low heat. 
4. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and return to the pot. Gradually add the shallot-cream mixture and mash, leaving some chunks into the potatoes. Add additional cream, salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately. 

Mushroom Gravy (makes 3-4 C)

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 C diced onions
• 4 C sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 C dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 3/4 C vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 C cold water
• salt 

1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Saute the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until they've begun to soften, stirring often. 
2. Add the mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Increase heat, and deglaze pan with the sherry. In a separate saucepan, add soy sauce and stock, and add the contents from the mushroom pan. Cover the saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pepper, and dissolved cornstarch and stir constantly until thickened and evenly blended. Remove from heat and serve immediately. 


Kitchen Notes: For the potatoes: The original recipe calls for twice as much shallots as I've used, and I recommend using the additional shallots. The original also calls for milk, and more butter. I reduced the amount of butter and substituted heavy cream for the milk, since I didn't have any milk. This substitution was indistinguishable from the original. I'd also like to try substituting leeks for the shallots. For the mushrooms: Feel free to experiment with the seasonings. I've used several different kinds of mushrooms, none better than the other, just different. This time I used oyster. I just wouldn't use plain old white mushrooms. Don't be concerned about the amount of soy sauce in here, it doesn't overwhelm.

Verdict? So, I went 10+ Thanksgivings with dry potatoes. No gravy, just potatoes. With that in mind, I'm very biased with regards to how much I love this gravy. These potatoes are some of the best mashed potatoes I've had, the shallot butter makes them blissful.