Farmer's Market Bag Class

This morning I taught a class at Great News called, "It's in the Farmer's Market Bag"  The premise of the class was that we would use what was in the Specialty Produce Farmer's Market Bag this week and create a menu of delicious food that the students could make when they took THEIR Farmer's Market Bag home with them.  This is a look at some of the produce and some extra recipes that I didn't teach in the class but work well with this week's produce.   

Plums from Fitzgerald farms, so how about a plum lemon pudding cake??  I LIKE IT!
Hot Lemon Pudding Cake with Plums


Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 cups peeled and pitted plums, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (about 3 plums)

4 large eggs, separated

grated zest of one lemon

1/3 cup lemon juice

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 2/3 cups milk

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups heavy cream, whipped stiffly with 1/4 cup sugar

OVEN METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Coat the inside of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Spread the plums over the bottom of the pan.

4. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and blend in the zest, juice, butter and milk.

5. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and salt and add to egg yolk mixture beating until smooth and fold into the reserved egg whites.

6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving warm, with sweetened whipped cream.

SLOW COOKER METHOD

1. Coat the insert of a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Spread the plums over the bottom of the slow cooker.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and blend in the zest, juice, butter and milk.

4. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and salt and add to egg yolk mixture beating until smooth and fold into the reserved egg whites.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 2 ½ hours.

6. Remove the top of the slow cooker, turn off the heat, and allow the pudding to rest for 15 minutes.

Baby Arugula and Blood Oranges

In class we made a delicious salad from arugula and the blood oranges, but I'd like to share my blood orange sorbet recipe here.  If you don't have blood oranges, then use navels, they will work in the recipe.

Blood Orange Sorbet
Serves 6

Makes about 6 servings

3 cups blood orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

1. In a small saucepan, heat the juice and sugar, until the sugar is dissolved. Chill the juice mixture thoroughly.

2. Add the juice to your ice cream maker, and process according to the manufacturers’ directions.

Note:  if you are low on oranges, add some navel orange juice to the blood orange juice. 

Heirloom Tomatoes!!!  We did a nice pasta salad with them, but they are delicious sliced with some olive oil, salt and pepper sprinkled over them. 

I will try and post a bit more later this weekend, but for now, enjoy your weekend, and remember to eat local and organic!

Seeing Red

For the past two years, I've been on a quest to find the perfect red velvet cake; a slew of twenty and thirty-something birthdays, and baby showers have had me looking for the perfect mix. Red Velvet cake is made red by adding copious amounts of red food coloring to a cake batter with just a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder. The results are either a day-glo red cake (definitely a color not found in nature) or something pink and both have no discernible flavor (kind of like "green" jello) So in my quest I have tried and used many different techniques, but never settled on the "best recipe".
When I found out my friend Eryn loved red velvet cake, I was up to the challenge. First I wanted more chocolate flavor so I went for the gusto with 1/2 cup of plain (not Dutch process) cocoa powder. Then I'd read a Martha Stewart recipe where she suggested using a red frosting gel tint rather than the traditional red food coloring; this gave me a lot of red with a little dab. (loved that) When I mixed the cocoa and the gel together I got a very nice, dark mahogany color, which gave me an idea I was on the right track. Next was whether to use butter, or oil, I opted for oil, since this was a trial run, most cakes made with oil are moist, although butter adds flavor. All the recipes call for buttermilk and white vinegar, which I found redundant, because if you add the white vinegar to whole milk, it sours the milk and you aren't left with a quart of buttermilk that you probably won't use, unless you are into serial cake or biscuit making. Next up, the flour, and I chose cake flour, since it's pretty forgiving, and doesn't seem to make the cake tough if you over mix. If you buy cake flour, store the remainder in an airtight container for up to a year. So I was on my way, to see if I could make an amazing red velvet that wouldn't make your insides glow in the dark, and I think I succeeded.

Batter looks good
Three of my favorite ingredients, Wilton frosting gel tint, Neilson-Massey Vanilla paste, and Scharffenberger cocoa powder

VOILA! The cupcakes are all even in color, and size. I used a large scoop for the batter.

Cream cheese frosting is the only thing to crown these with.

Happy Birthday Eryn!

Red Velvet Cupcakes/Cake

Makes 36 cupcakes or three 9-inch layers

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon red gel frosting tint

2 cups canola oil

2 1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons white vinegar

3 1/2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 36 cupcake molds with liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. (If you are making layers, coat the inside of three 9-inch round baking pans with non-stick cooking spray)
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and red coloring, until blended. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, on low speed, beat together the oil, and sugar, until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, stir in the vanilla and slowly add the cocoa mixture.
4. In a 2-cup measuring cup, stir together the milk and vinegar. Add the milk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing on low speed, until the batter is blended (about 3 minutes)
5. Stir in the baking soda, and pour the batter into the prepared layer pans, or scoop into the muffin tins, filling 3/4 of the way full.
6. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 23 minutes, bake the layers for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosts 36 cupcakes, or three 9-inch layers

One 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

milk to thin the frosting

1. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugar, and vanilla, and beat on high speed until the mixture is smooth. If the frosting is stiff, add a tablespoon of milk or water and blend again, adding more liquid as necessary to reach a spreadable consistency. The frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and beat with the mixer before frosting.

To Foie or Not to Foie

The Perigord is famous for foie gras, or duck liver. The ducks are fed a diet of corn, so that their livers will be larger than other ducks. There is a huge debate about foie gras, with many chefs, and whole cities banning it from menus rather than risk the wrath of animal cruelty organizations. My hero Anthony Bourdain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABeWlY0KFv8) decries this and after my week in the home of France's best foie gras I have to agree.

These are very happy ducks, in the shadow of a Chateaux; what could be finer?

Preparation of foie gras at La Combe en Perigord. The foie gras is flash sauteed, and then served with a fig and onion confit and Monbazillac a sweet wine from Bergerac---heaven on a plate!

This is the recipe for the fig and onion confit which is delicious dolloped on goat cheese, or served on the side with poultry or chicken.

Fig and Onion Confit
Makes about 3 cups

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
12 dried figs, coarsely chopped

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter, add the onions, and sauté until the onions begin to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, vinegar and figs, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the figs have dissolved into the confit, and the mixture is thickened like jam.
Cool completely before refrigerating for up to 1 week. Serve the confit with pork, or poultry.

Taking your breath away

Stunning scenery is another reason to travel; this chateaux appeared around a corner on a drive to St. Cyprien market; we looked up and there it was!

The vine outside my room at La Combe en Perigord
The view from the town of Domme across the Dordogne valley

The Dordogne River

Almost like being in Storybook land, this region is filled with breathtaking sights, as well as breathtaking foods. Far from tourist crowds, and noisy cities, the serenity here makes your inner clock slow down, giving you peace and relaxation, which is what vacations are all about!

Pretty Cheesy

France has so much delicious cheese to choose from, I'm enthralled in the markets. Always serve cheese at room temperature.

Don't forget the bread!


wrapped in walnut leaves

up close and personal

Stunning blue cheese tart made by one of my students at La Combe en Perigord. Puff pastry, a bit of egg custard, and plenty of blue cheese. Make sure to serve only 3 types of cheese on a cheese platter, and include something sweet, whether it's a honey, or fig jam, or sweet onion confit to counter the salty flavor of the cheeses.