French Herb Bread

What do you think of the new look?  I'm pleased as punch with it!

I've had a Twitter account for a while now but didn't really understand how to use.  Now that I've (mostly) figured it out, I love it.  Such a fun way to share bits of information.  If you are a twitterer too, let's hook up.  (Probably too late to try and play this cool since I already outed myself as lame and out of touch.)  You can find me at @candygirlky.  

On to the food.  This recipe for French Herb Bread was included in King Arthur Flour's latest catalog.  My bread baking skills have improved to the point that I jump right in when I see a bread recipe I want to make.  I used my new kitchen scale for the first time here and am a convert.  I can't believe I waited so long to buy one.  So much easier.

By far one of the easiest and most delicious breads I've made.  Herbs de Provence are one of my favorite herb mixes to use and are perfect here to give the bread a lovely herbaceous flavor.    A perfectly crusty crust encases a light, yet hearty interior.  Dry milk and potato flakes are kind of oddball ingredients and by chance, I had them in my pantry.  If you don't have them, pick them up just for this recipe because you will want to make it again and again.

I made a full size loaf but plan on making mini loaves in the future to serve alongside bowls of steaming soup.  Or the next time we grill out to mimic the little loaves of bread popular at a lot of steakhouses.  Served with honey butter.  Or maybe with some Gruyere cheese sprinkled on top and baked into the crust.  Endless possibilities.

French Herb Bread
adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup potato flour or 1/2 cup dried potato flakes
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Combine all of the ingredients, and mix and knead - by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle - until smooth, adding additional water or flour as needed.  If using a mixer, about 6-8 minutes.

Cover the dough and let it rise for about 1 hour.  

Shape the dough into a log and place in a lightly greased 9" x 5" inch loaf pan.  

Cover and let rise until the dough has crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.  Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes.  An instant-read thermometer, inserted into the center of the loaf should register at least 190 degrees F.  Tent the bread lightly with foil if it appears to be browning too quickly.

Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pan, and cool on a rack.  

Banana-Cashew Ice Cream with Caramelized White Chocolate Freckles

It's no secret that I love to make ice cream.  I love to make ice cream because I love to eat it.  A lot.

Far too much time had passed since I had made any ice cream so I pulled out my current favorite ice cream cookbook, Jeni's Spendid Ice Creams at Home.  One of the things I love about this cookbook is that Jeni has divided the recipes into seasons:  winter, spring, summer, and fall.  Flipping through the pages, I was surprised to find that most of the recipes I have tried have been from the winter section.  Probably because chocolate is season-less.

I decided on banana ice cream because I had a couple of bananas on the counter getting black and I wanted to try one of Jeni's recipes using freckles.  There are a couple of recipes in the book for bombe, basically a magic shell type syrup that hardens once it makes contact with the cold ice cream and creates a shell that really is magical.  Jeni uses bombes both in and on her ice creams.  In the ice cream the liquid syrup separates into 'freckles', little specks of hardened chocolate.  Nothing better than that snap of chocolate followed by the soft creaminess of the ice cream.  Yum.

Jeni's technique for making ice cream is completely different than traditional recipes.  It seems complicated but really is quite simple and results in a super creamy ice cream that I love.  The banana flavor really stands out here as well as the caramelized white chocolate bits, or freckles.  I added some lightly salted cashews for crunch and they were the perfect nut for this flavor combination.

Whatever the season, you will go bananas for this banana ice cream!


Banana-Cashew Ice Cream with Caramelized White Chocolate Freckles
adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, Jeni Britton Bauer

Makes a little over 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas
1/2 recipe Caramelized White Chocolate Bombe Shell (recipe below)
1/2 cup lightly salted cashews

PREP  Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.  
  Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
  Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK  Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
  Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  
  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla.

CHILL  Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.
  Cut the bananas into chunks and puree in a food processor or mash with a fork until smooth.  Blend the bananas into the hot cream mixture.
  Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath.  Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE  Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of your ice cream maker and spin until thick and creamy.
  When the ice cream is almost ready, melt the white chocolate:  melt gently until it is warm, liquefied, and smooth.
  When the ice cream is ready, drizzle the warm white chocolate into the top of the canister and continue spinning until it is completely incorporated.  Add the cashews and spin just until they are incorporated.
  Pack the ice cream into a storage container with an airtight lid.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Caramelized White Chocolate Bombe Shell

12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup refined coconut oil

Combine the white chocolate and coconut oil in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth.  Then continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes a lovely deep amber, for 12 to 15 minutes.  Continue to stir constantly, or the chocolate will burn as the color deepens.  Remove from the heat if it seems the chocolate is caramelizing too rapidly.

Store covered in the refrigerator.  It will keep for up to one month.

To melt the white chocolate, scrape it into a bowl, set it in a larger bowl of hot tap water, and let stand, stirring occasionally, just until liquefied and smooth.

Can be used to add into ice creams or to cover ice cream, creating a shell.

FFWD - Broth-Braised Potatoes

These potatoes may look boring but they are anything but.  Broth-Braised Potatoes are one of my favorite recipes to date from Around My French Table to date.  

I've actually enjoyed recipes for side dishes from Dorie most of all.  Maybe because side dishes often feel like an after thought and don't receive the attention they deserve.  Sometimes it's hard to get the creative juices following with only broccoli as an inspiration.  But Garlic Crumb-Coated Broccoli proves that it can be gussied up with little effort.  Spiced Butter Glazed Carrots are crave worthy and have graced my dinner table numerous times.  And now these Broth-Braised Potatoes.

Why didn't I think of this?  Simply cooking small potatoes in an aromatic chicken broth full of herbs, garlic, and my favorite part, a strip of lemon peel, results in potatoes that are so full of flavor you will be hitting yourself on the head for not coming up with this one your own.  (If you are already cooking your potatoes in this manner, I bow to you and your genius.)

More technique, than recipe, these lovely little potatoes will be a regular around my dinner table.

Be sure to check out what the rest of our group thought of this recipe at French Fridays with Dorie.  Run to get the recipe,here.

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

When I was a kid, and by kid I mean twenty, one of my favorite meals was a frozen meatloaf or salisbury steak sharing an aluminum tray with mashed potatoes.  Those were leaner times and these little meals were about a buck each.  And yummy.  While I would be hard pressed to pick up a similar frozen meal today, I still love salisbury steak.

I came up with this recipe one evening when I found myself missing the can of condensed soup the salisbury steak recipe I had used for years called for.  Initially I began looking for something else to cook when I said to myself, "Seriously, you can't come up with a substitute?  Not only a substitute, but something better?"  Anyone else talk to themselves in their pantry?  This little pep talk was just what I needed.  I made salisbury steak that evening and it was leagues better than the recipe I had been using.

After tweaking this each time I make it, I think I've got it down.  The steaks get injected with all kinds of flavor including Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, and one of my favorite ingredients, umami paste.  Onions are cooked for a few minutes and then become a bed for the steaks.  This allows the onions to absorb beefy flavor before everything is covered in a ketchup based mixture.  Toss a lid over the skillet, stir every few minutes.  Place a steak over a puddle of mashed potatoes and generously ladle the lovely gravy all over.  

Homey, simple, and delicious.  Every time I make this I am reminded of my younger days and the many frozen meals I consumed.  Nice memories, but this is so much better.

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I prefer ground round)
1 14 ounce can low-sodium beef stock, divided
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (I use panko)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons umami paste, divided (optional)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly

In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, 1/3 cup beef stock, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of umami paste, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and steak seasoning until combined.  Shape mixture into 4 patties.  Set aside.

Mix remaining broth, 1 teaspoon umami paste, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, flour, and ketchup in medium bowl until combined.  Set aside.

Melt butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions have started to soften. Place steak patties over onions and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Pour off excess fat if needed.

Pour gravy mixture over meat.  Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until meat is cooked through. Stir frequently.

Bacon Cookie Showdown

Does anybody not love bacon?  How can you not love something that makes your mouth water and immediately adds ridiculous amounts of flavor?  It always satisfies.  How many things can you say that about?

As badly as I wanted to try the bacon/chocolate trend, I purposely avoided it because, while it sounded like it wouldn't work, I just knew it would.  A couple of weeks ago I foolishly made Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Big mistake.  Huge.  They were as good as I hoped they wouldn't be.  Crispy, sweet, smoky, chocolately.  Just all kinds of yumminess.  

After inhaling about half of the dough, I decided it best to take the cookies to work where they were a big hit.  People posting on Facebook, asking for recipes, and begging (one co-worker actually did beg a little) for me to make them again good.  A colleague from another office complimented them and told me about another bacon cookie that was too-good-to believe.

Enter Bacon Ginger Cookies.  They not only contain bacon, but bacon fat.  You read that right, bacon fat.  Now I live in the South were bacon is practically a food group of its own and I use bacon fat whenever and wherever I can, but it never would have occurred to me to add it to cookies.  

All I can say is, genius.  The ginger cookies were divine.  Ginger cookies with crispy bacon, rolled in sugar, and sprinkled with salt.  Spicy, chewy, smokey, salty and sweet.  What more could you ask for?

I decided to bake another batch of the Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip and see how they fared when they went head to head with Bacon Ginger Cookies.  Which one won?  I think it was a tie.  Some preferred the chocolate and others preferred the spiciness of the ginger cookie.  I don't know that I could pick a favorite.  Both are so, so, so, so good.

Now that I've discovered bacon in sweet stuff, there's no turning back...

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Noble Pig

8 strips bacon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Chop bacon into small pieces and cook until crisp.  Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars; about three minutes.  Add egg, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat until just blended.  Add the dry ingredients, beat until just incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips, pecans, and bacon.

Drop large tablespoons of cookie batter onto baking sheet spreading cookies about 2-3 inches apart.  The cookies will spread while baking so make sure to leave plenty of room between cookies.  I bake 8 cookies per sheet.  Baked for 10-12 minutes, until edges are brown.  Do not over bake as they will continue cooking after you pull them out of the oven and will burn easily.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Bacon Ginger Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies

8 slices bacon, sliced into 1/4 inch dice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup sorghum (or molasses)
1/2 cup raw sugar (turbinado)
sea salt for sprinkling

Cook bacon until crisp, drain and set aside.  Pour off fat and reserve (let fat cool slightly before pouring as it can break glass containers - I'm speaking from experience).  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Place flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl and whisk to combine.  

Place butter and sugars in bowl of electric mixer and beat until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.  Beat in reserved bacon fat (about 1/4 cup).  Add egg and mix until blended, scraping down bowl if necessary.  Add sorghum and mix until blended.  With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and mix until blended.  Stir in bacon.

Shape dough into one inch balls.  Roll each ball in raw sugar and space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Flatten balls slightly with the palm of your hand.  Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.  Bake until edges are set and tops are cracked, about 8 minutes.  

Let cookies cool on wire rack.  Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 days.  

Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup

With a package of ground chicken staring at me every time I opened the refrigerator, I set out to do something with it.  I've made a variety of burgers using ground chicken in the past but find they are always a little bland and dry.  It was a cold, rainy Saturday and soup seemed just the thing.  Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup.

Smitten Kitchen is responsible for introducing me to food blogs and therefore directly to credit (or blame) for my addiction to the genre and to starting my own blog.  Deb's photography and writing continue to inspire me so when I went looking for a chicken meatball recipe, hers was the one I used.  

These meatballs were delicious.  I rolled 'em up really small for the soup and made a few larger ones for tasting.  A panade is the secret to keeping them moist.  Panade is a fancy word for a completely unfancy mixture of bread and milk.  Ham adds a big hit of flavor here.  I would have preferred pancetta, but the Canadian bacon I had worked just fine.  One of the things I loved about this recipe was being able to use of bits and pieces of leftovers (hamburger buns, Canadian bacon from a Christmas gift basket, a couple of shallots).   Perfect to help me waste less food.  Don't skip over the tomato paste/olive oil topping.  It was my favorite part and added extra moisture and flavor.  

The soup was basic and the perfect backdrop for the meatballs.  A lovely, slightly different soup that we all enjoyed immensely.  

What was the first food blog that made you swoon?

Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup

Chicken Meatballs
Smitten Kitchen (originally adapted from Gourmet)

3 slices Italian bread, torn into small bits, 1 cup (I used leftover hamburger buns)
1/3 cup milk
3 ounces sliced pancetta or Canadian bacon, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (I used 2 shallots)
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
3 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven.  

Soak bread in milk until softened, about 4 minutes.

Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in one tablespoon oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper in a large skillet until onion is softened, about 6 minutes.  Cool slightly.

Squeeze bread to remove milk.  Discard milk.  Lightly beat egg in a large bowl and add chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, and parsley.  Mix together until all ingredients are well combined.  Form into meatballs and place on baking sheet.  Note:  If making meatballs for soup, make small balls, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter.  

Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon tomato paste.  Brush mixture over meatballs.  Bake until cooked through, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 thyme sprigs
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup egg noodles
salt and pepper
Chicken meatballs

Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent and softened, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until it become fragrant, about 30 seconds.  

Add thyme and chicken stock and cook over medium-low heat until carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes.  Add egg noodles and cook until they are done.  Remove thyme stems.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add meatballs (6-8 if you are using small meatballs) to bowl.  Ladle chicken noodle soup over and serve.

Maple Yogurt Pound Cake

One bite of Maple Yogurt Pound Cake and you will think you are eating a stack of pancakes.  Incredibly moist from the oil and yogurt, sweet from a generous half cup of maple syrup, this was completely and wonderfully different and delicious.

I love making pound cakes because they are so easy to throw together.  I also love that a slice of pound cake is equally at home eaten straight out of hand or served on the fanciest of dessert plates; plain or topped with all kinds of goodies from fresh berries and pillows of whipped cream to sticky syrups and ice cream.

This one was great straight from the oven and the next day.  While many pound cakes can dry up very quickly, this one kept it's lovely texture.  Simplicity at its finest.

Maple Yogurt Pound Cake
Rivka, The Food52 Cookbook


1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup
3/4 cup yogurt, preferably nonfat
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter a 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the wet ingredients and stir just to incorporate.  Add the oil and fold gently until the oil is absorbed into the batter.  Make sure not to overmix the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Place the pan on a baking sheet in the oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.  Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.  Cut around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake.  Turn the cake out onto the rack, then turn it upright on the rack and cool completely.

Baked Sunday Mornings - Pecan Tassies

"These are dangerous."  My husband's reaction after trying Pecan Tassies, this week's recipe from Baked Explorations.  

Dangerous, indeed.  Pecan Tassies are basically teeny pecan pies.  So teeny they can be eaten in one bite, or two if you are trying to mind your manners.  And unlike a whole slice of pecan pie, these are too easy to mindlessly pop into your mouth, one after the other.  

I really liked the cream cheese crust here.  Flakey and tender, it was the perfect vehicle to house the sticky mixture of eggs, brown sugar, and pecans.  Most pecan pies I have made in the past use a heavy helping of corn syrup to achieve the sticky, syrupy consistency of a traditional pecan pie filling but I didn't miss it here.  My favorite part is the shelf of sugar that capped each pie and broke in the most satisfying manner when you bite into it.  

And to think I almost didn't do this recipe because I had a 'been there, done that' attitude.  Another keeper from the Baked boys!

To view my fellow Baked Sunday Mornings' bakers goodies, visit our blog, here.

Pecan Tassies
Baked Explorations, Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 ounces cream cheese, softened, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until the mixture is lump free.  Add the sugar and beat again for 15 seconds.  Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.  Add the flour in four parts, at low speed, until the mixture is just combined and a dough forms.  Pinch off a walnut-size piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and set it aside.  Continue pinching and rolling until all the dough is gone.  You will end up with approximately 40 pieces.  Place each ball into an individual mini muffin pan, then use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of each pan.

Once all the tassie shells have been formed, place the muffin pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs just until they break apart.  While whisking, gradually add the brown sugar until completely combined.  Add the vanilla and salt and whisk again.  Add 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans and stir until they are completely mixed in.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup pecans into the tassie shells.   Spoon in enough filling into the shells until they are about three-quarters full.

Bake for about 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the filling is set.

Allow the tassies to cool for at least 30 minutes.  Serve them warm or at room temperature.  Pecan tassies taste best the day they are made; however, you can wrap them in plastic and keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days.  

FFWD - M. Jaques Armagnac Chicken

M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken is the perfect dish to represent the the intent and beauty of Around My French Table; food that pairs the elegance and technique of French cooking with the comfort and warmth we enjoy sharing food with those that we love the most.

This is as simple as throwing a chicken into a pot with some vegetables and wine, slapping a lid on and then letting it cook for an hour.  In re-reading the last sentence, the visual I paint is of one rushed/possibly angry cook.  A self-portrait, perhaps?  Dorie would have written something like: A well-seasoned bird is lovingly nestled on a bed of vegetables that have been gently tossed in oil and kissed with herbs.  Cover the pot with a lid and place in a piping hot oven for an hour while the flavors marry and mingle.  Oh-so-carefully remove the lid and stare in wonder at the terra cotta color of the chicken as you breathe in the lovely aroma from the sauce that was magically created.

Please, please know that I'm not making fun of Dorie.  Nor do I think I could write as beautifully as she does.  Her incredible ability to write recipes that give the reader the feeling that she is standing there beside them is why she is my absolute favorite cookbook author.

The wine here is armagnac but I wasn't willing to shell out $$$ for a bottle of booze that I may never use again and used Dorie's option of brandy.  I don't particularly like prunes, but wanted to try using some here.  As luck would have it, earlier in the week a co-worker was walking around offering up individually wrapped prunes as a snack (so many jokes there but I'm going to leave it). I took four and used them here.  They didn't melt into the sauce as Dorie said they may, but they did impart some sweetness.

My chicken didn't brown up as well as I had expected but was tender and juicy.  I have a terrible time skimming fat (again, using incredible self control to leave the obvious jokes alone) and just left it in.  The vegetables and the sauce were the best parts of dish.  Perfectly cooked, the veggies were super flavorful, especially when scooted around in the sauce.

Easy, elegant, and French.  Like I said, the poster child for Around My French Table and Dorie herself.  You can find the recipe here.

To see the lovely creations prepared by rest of our group, visit French Fridays with Dorie.

Pretzel-Crusted Pork Chops with Orange-Mustard Sauce

This is a great little recipe to have in your arsenal.  Pretzel-Crusted Pork Chops with Orange-Mustard Sauce uses only a few ingredients, is relatively quick and easy, and packs a huge punch in flavor.  

I purchased some pretzel rods before the holidays with plans on turning them into oh-so-festive chocolate dipped treats.  Those plans fell by the wayside and I was left with a bag of pretzels that would probably go uneaten.  How could I get some use out of them?  Pretzels and pork seemed like a good match.  With a mustard sauce.  A quick Google search and I found this little jewel of a recipe.

The original recipe includes making a balsamic glaze to drizzle over the chops and making candied orange peel for the sauce.  As lovely as those elements sounded, I was looking for less, how shall I say it, work.  By ditching the balsamic and using orange marmalade, this dish was on the table in less than thirty minutes.

With the practical stuff out of the way, let's talk about the important stuff.  How did the chops taste?  Incredible.  Crunchy and slightly salty from the pretzels, each bite swiped in the pool of sauce was divine.  We loved them.

While perfect for a weeknight meal, these chops would be great to serve when you want your guests to be impressed and gush things like "you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble" and "I wish I could cook as well as you."  They never have to know how easy they were!

Linking to:  Ingredient Spotlight - Oranges & Orange Juice

Pretzel-Crusted Pork Chops with Orange-Mustard Sauce
adapted from Bon Appetit, September, 2006

1 cup whipping cream
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon orange marmalade

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup crushed pretzel sticks
4 1-inch-thick center cut pork chops

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Mix cream, mustard, and orange marmalade in heavy small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced in half, about 12 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

Place flour in shallow bowl.  Whisk egg in second shallow bowl.  Spread crushed pretzels on rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Working with 1 pork chop at a time, press 1 side of pork chop into flour, dip floured side only in egg, then press into pretzels, coating 1 side only.  Transfer to baking sheet, prepared side up.  Repeat with remaining pork chops.  

Melt butter in large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork chops to skillet, coated side down, and cook until brown, about 2 minutes.  Turn chops over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until pork is cooked through and thermometer inserted horizontally into chop registers 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let chops stand for 5 minutes.

Serve chops with sauce served beneath or over the top. 

Almond-Cranberry Quinoa Cookies

Quinoa in a cookie?  I was intrigued when I spied this recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit.

Another attempt at trying to make little changes to my diet in hopes of big changes to my waistline.  Almonds, love.  Dried cranberries, love.  Quinoa, love.  But quinoa in a cookie, I wasn't sure about.

These are a cinch to throw together.  Just make sure you cook the quinoa a little before you are ready to make the cookies so that it has time to cook and cool.  I also found that they browned very quickly.  Flattening the tops slightly before baking helped get them fully cooked before they got too brown.

Looking like a 'healthy' cookie, I was still skeptical as I pulled out the first tray of cookies.  Upon taking the first bite my reaction was kinda of mmehh.  But, the second bite won me over.  I took one to my husband to get his reaction.  Loved them.  

My husband often shares my baked goodies with a friend that owns a small business where the guys that work there will eat just about anything.  (I'm not sure if this is a compliment.)  When he went to grab the bag of these cookies to take, I told him to leave them and that there is no way that group of guys would like these.  Sneaking behind my back, the man took them anyway and reported that everyone loved them.  Including the mailman and a few customers that came into the shop that day.  

So these are a winner.  Just don't tell people there is quinoa in them.  What they don't know won't hurt them and may help them be just a tiny bit healthier.

Almond-Cranberry Quinoa Cookies
Bon Appetit, December 2011

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered, unsalted almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs and extracts; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, and almonds.  Spoon dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto prepared sheets, spacing 1" apart.

Bake cookies until golden, 12-15 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.  

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

The winner of my first giveaway goes to comment number 69!  Congratulations Sara Serna!  


Thanks to everyone that participated,  It was a lot of fun and I hope this won't be the last giveaway here on Candy Girl!

FFWD - Bubble-Top Brioches

I can honestly say that I never thought I would make brioche rolls.  But pushing myself to try new things is one of the reasons I joined French Fridays with Dorie and this seemed like just the recipe to do that.

Recipes requiring yeast and I have a complicated history full of fights, breakups, breakdowns, and the occasionally glimmer of hope that this relationship may work out after all.  This recipe didn't bring about a full reconciliation, but certainly got us talking again.

Honestly, I have had more success with yeast recipes recently and do much better with instant yeast than the type that requires proofing.  I recently attended a workshop where a rep from King Arthur Flour discussed bread baking and by following her tips, I have seen a lot of improvement in the limited bread baking I do. 

This recipe has a lot of steps and takes time and patience.  Two things I don't have a lot of at any time and certainly not in the middle of the week.  I felt okay about things after mixing the dough, but I don't think I got the initial rise that I was supposed to (out of the dough, not me.)  And I was too busy sleeping to 'slap' the dough down as Dorie instructed.  Lastly, I had a kid that needed to be taken someplace and the last rise was far puffier than it should have been.

After all of my missteps with this recipe I was expecting it to be a failure.  They smelled great, but I was convinced that I would end up with dense hockey puffs and not a light and airy interior.  To my surprise, I pulled out rolls that certainly didn't have bubble tops, but were beautifully golden with a soft, spongey interior and a crisp exterior. 

I know the French traditionally eat brioche for breakfast, but I think these would be perfect along side a steak dinner.  If you are feeling brave enough to tackle this one, the recipe can be found here.  To see how the rest of our group did with this one, visit French Fridays with Dorie.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I don't really like oatmeal. I'm more of a cream of wheat girl, but the idea of a blueberry oatmeal muffin just sounded good.

I found a recipe from Elie Krieger's new book, Comfort Food Fix and used that as my starting point. I did something I rarely do. I made a recipe twice, in two days.

I made a batch of muffins, noted my modifications, then tossed them out. I didn't know there was such a thing as too moist when it comes to baked goods. Turns out, there is. After analyzing my test batch (great flavor, too moist, needs more salt, less applesauce, etc.), I picked up more blueberries and started over.

The second batch was much better all around. And maybe it's not fair to compare my muffin recipe to the original one from the book since I made several modifications, but I think my changes may have made them not only tastier, but dare I say, healthier? I added oats for texture (and fiber), a bit more salt for flavor, subbed buttermilk for regular milk to add more tang, and subbed some white sugar for brown sugar to give the muffins more complexity. I'm pretty happy with the end result.

I usually don't do a lot of low-fat baking (or cooking, for that matter) or play around with healthier substitutions. But something has got to give, other than the seams on my pants. So, I'm playing around with healthier options. And I have to say, I'm pretty optimistic that 2012 is starting off a little lighter around our house.

What lower fat/heathier substitutions do you regularly make?

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

adapted from Comfort Food Fix, Elie Krieger

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (4 1/2 ounces)
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (4 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs
3/4 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup standard muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soada.

In a large bowl, beat together both sugars, oil and eggs until the mixture is pale and slightly frothy. Whisk in the applesauce, yogurt, buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add in flour mixture, mixing only until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in oats and blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them to the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and then unmold. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to the 3 months.

Linking to:
Ingredient Spotlight - Oats

Tastetastic Thursday

Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Ever think of a fantastic idea for a recipe? Then, just as your arm is aching from patting yourself on the back for being so creative and clever, you come across the same idea in a cookbook, a magazine, or even worse, you google the idea only to find you aren't so creative. Or clever.

This happens to me all the time.

I jotted down the idea for a Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta a couple of months ago on my phone. I was thinking about one my favorite burgers: juicy ground chuck covered in steak seasoning, grilled and then topped with barbecue sauce, crisp bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese, and thought the ingredients would make an awesome baked pasta. Oh boy, was I right. This was delicious. Tasted just like my favorite burger. I even served it with some hamburger buns turned garlic bread.

I love the Neely's barbecue sauce and decided it would be perfect here. Making your own barbecue sauce is so easy and this recipe is perfect for us. It's on the sweeter side, but if you prefer it to be less sweet, decrease the sugar. If you want it spicer, add some cayenne and/or hot sauce. Smokier, add liquid smoke or paprika. Whatever you want to do to make it yours.

The rest of the recipe is just boiling pasta, frying bacon, browning ground beef, and then assembly. Easy. And as good as it sounds. I haven't looked to see if this has been done before. If it has, please don't tell me. Everyone deserves to feel clever every now and then. Right?

Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

8 slices bacon
8 ounces dried pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
1 pound ground chuck
1 teaspoon steak seasoning
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Fry bacon until crisp. Drain. Crumble and set aside.

Pour out most of grease from pan. Return to stove and add ground chuck. Season with steak seasoning. Cook until browned. Drain.

Meanwhile, put water on to boil for pasta. Once boiling, add salt and pasta. Cook following package directions (until al dente.) Drain pasta.

Add pasta to large bowl. Add browned ground chuck, crumbled bacon, barbecue sauce, and 1 cup of cheese. Toss together until well combined and pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let sit for a few minutes and then serve.

Neely's BBQ Sauce
Down Home with the Neelys

2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

In a medium saucepan, Combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cook's Notes: The recipe says the yield is 3 1/2 cups, but I generally only get about 1 1/2 cups of sauce. My sauce is always a little lumpy, so I pour it through a fine mesh drainer and it smooths right out.
Linking to:
Mouthwatering Monday
Your Recipe, My Kitchen
Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight - Bacon Fest

Tastetastic Thursday