Category Archives: Recipes

Orange Cake

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Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 8 oz. butter
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange zest

Orange icing:

  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. zest
  • 2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350, prepare pans by greasing them and dusting with flour.

For the cake, begin by creaming together the sugar and butter. Slowly add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients, mix until smooth. Add orange juice and zest, mix to combine. Place into prepared pans. If baking in 1 pan, bake for about 1 hour or until cake tests done. If baking in 2 pans, bake for about 30-35 minutes or until cakes test done.

Jambalaya

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Because andouille varies in spiciness, we suggest tasting a piece of the cooked sausage and then adjusting the amount of cayenne in the jambalaya to suit your taste. If you can’t find andouille, try tasso, chorizo, or linguiça; if using chorizo or linguiça, consider doubling the amount of cayenne. The onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic can be chopped by hand instead of in the food processor. The shrimp don’t need to be deveined, but you can do so if you prefer. If you’re serving only four people, you may choose to skip the shredding step and serve the chicken on the bone.


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RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, peeled, ends trimmed, and quartered lengthwise
1 medium rib of celery, cut crosswise into quarters
1 medium red bell pepper, stem removed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise
5 medium cloves of garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8 ounces andouille sausage , halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (10 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme , minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2-ounce), drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
1 cup clam juice
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound medium shrimp (31 to 35 shrimp per pound), or large shrimp, shelled
2 tablespoons fresh parsley , minced
RECIPE METHOD
In food processor, pulse onion, celery, red pepper, and garlic until chopped fine, about
six 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Do not overprocess; vegetables should not be pureed.
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about
5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about
3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add andouille; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel–lined plate and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium-low, add vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to pot; stir to combine. Remove and discard skin from chicken; place chicken, skinned-side down, on rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once, keeping chicken on top, skinned-side down. Replace cover and continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 10 minutes more; transfer chicken to clean plate and set aside. Scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about
5 minutes more.
While shrimp are cooking, shred chicken. When shrimp are cooked, discard bay leaves; off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately.

Recipe: Thai Spicy Noodles

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Ingredients:

  • 6 oz flat rice noodles softened
  • 1 c firm tofu in 1/4″x1/2″ julienne
  • 1 lb. med. shrimp – peeled and deveined, or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
  • 1/3 c Thai fish sauce (nam plaa)
  • 2 T. Fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 c hot water
  • 1 T Thai Red chili paste (add another 1-2 t for really hot)
  • 2 c fresh bean sprouts
  • 1 c scallions – chopped 1 inch
  • 1-1/2 T sugar
  • 1/3 c ketchup
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/2 c finely chopped peanuts
  • lime slices for garnish
  • 4-5 T peanut oil for cooking

Directions:

  1. Soften noodles in boiling water.  Drain and set aside. 
  2. Mix nam plaa, lime juice, chili paste, sugar, ketchup, water and whisk.  Set aside.
  3. In HOT wok with 1 T oil scramble eggs so the end product is in small “crumbles”.  Remove and set aside.
  4. Add 2 T oil, then stir fry julienned tofu about one minute. Remove set aside.  Leave remaining oil in wok.
  5. Stir-fry shrimp or chicken until almost done (just a couple of minutes.)  Add scallions, toss briefly.  Add sauce then noodles and all other ingredients except bean sprouts and peanuts. Toss well.
  6. Add the bean sprouts, toss, sprinkle with peanuts, and serve.  Garnish with lime slices.

Recipe: Espresso cake

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2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup raw cane sugar (Turbinado)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brewed coffee, cooled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with waxed paper; spray paper. Dust bottom and side of pan with cocoa powder, tapping out excess; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In another bowl, combine oil, eggs, vanilla and coffee. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Recipe: Olive Oil Brownies

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I’m not sure where this recipe came from– it arrived in my email today, and Googling doesn’t find a source– but it’s an interesting idea.

Yield: 16 small brownies

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate and whisk in the oil. Let cool.

Mix the flour and salt. Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. Fold in the vanilla and chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour and optional nuts. Pour into the prepared pan and distribute evenly.

Bake for 22-26 minutes The top will be dry and crackly, but a toothpick inserted in the center should still be a little wet. Cool completely.

Recipe: Jambalaya

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Serves 8 as a main-dish meal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 large or 2 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
  • 1 large (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (add another cup more if you like your jambalaya soupy)
  • 1 pound cooked shrimp
  • 3 cups UNcooked long grain rice
  • 1 cup shrimp stock or clam juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot (a Dutch oven is good) brown the andouille until cooked. Remove from pot and set aside. Drain all but a little fat.  (Leave maybe 1 tablespoon.)

Brown the chicken thighs in the reserved fat. Remove from pot and set aside with the andouille.  If there is more than tablespoon of fat, drain all but 1 tablespoon.

Put the onion and green pepper in the pot with a little salt. Sweat until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook one minute more.

Add rice and stir until coated.

Add tomatoes and all liquid ingredients. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken.  Reduce heat to barely simmering and cover.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Resist the urge to look in the first 30 minutes!  If it smells like it is burning, reduce heat a little more.

Check seasonings and adjust as needed. Add andouille and shrimp and set aside for a few minutes. Residual heat will warm the shrimp.

Serve in bowls with hot sauce if desired.

Recipe: Cinnamon Buns

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Makes 9 or 12 rolls

Dough:

  • 16 oz by weight all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/8 c (10 oz) milk, heated
  • 2 t instant yeast
  • 1/8 c (2 T) butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 t salt

Filling:

  • 1/4 c butter, slightly melted
  • 1 c raisins
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 c nuts, chopped (optional)

Glaze (optional)

  • 1 c powdered sugar
  • 1 T cold milk

Combining all of the ingredients and knead until smooth. Dough should be moist but not sticky. Allow to rise until doubled.

Plump the raisins by soaking in boiling water for a few minutes.  Drain thoroughly and pat dry.

When the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface, as close to a 18 x 24 ” rectangle as possible.  Spread the butter on the rolled-out  dough.  Sprinkle with the rest of the filling ingredients.  Don’t forget the raisins!  Roll into a cylinder.  For a dozen smaller buns, roll the long side up.  For nine larger buns, roll the short side.  Cut into 9 or 12 equal pieces.  Put into greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  (If you want a particularly sticky bun, you can put some additional filling in the bottom of the pan.)

Allow to rise until doubled in bulk and the sides press against each other.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. 

Cool for five minutes.  If you went with the sticky variety, invert the pan over doubled aluminum foil.  Beware of the hot filling.  Cooks call that stuff “napalm” for good reason.

Let the rolls cool, then glaze.

Adapted from a recipe posted on The Fresh Loaf.

Recipe: Cranberry-Apple Chutney

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Ingredients

    1 (10 to 16-ounce) bag fresh or frozen whole cranberries
    2 crisp sweet red apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1-inch thick
    2-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
    1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1 cup water

Preparation

Add ingredients to a large pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. The mixture will soften, reduce and thicken. Cool completely before serving. Keep in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 cups of chutney.

Recipe: Brownie Bars

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Brownie Bars

A layer of icing underneath a layer of ganache make these completely decadent.

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened, almost melted
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ teaspoon coffee liqueur
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup unsifted all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Icing Layer

  • 2 cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
  • ½ cup custard powder
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons skim milk (or more if needed)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla (or any flavour you want)

Chocolate Layer

  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Brownie Layer

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper. Butter pan.
  2. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and coffee liqueur until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
  3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to egg mixture and mix well.
  4. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Allow to cool completely.

Icing Layer

  1. Whip confectioner’s sugar and custard powder with butter, milk and vanilla. Add more milk if necessary to mix but do not make the icing thin. Icing for brownie bars should be stiff so the ganache layer won’t leak through.
  2. Spread icing on top of brownies in an even layer with an offset spatula. Keep in fridge while you make the ganache layer.

Ganache Layer

  1. Melt chocolate and butter in pan over medium-low heat. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
  2. Pour over icing layer and smooth with an off-set spatula. Put brownie bars into fridge until ganache solidifies. Serve cold from fridge.

Recipe: Cocoa Syrup

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Recipe from Alton Brown’s Food Network Show, “Good Eats: Art of Darkness II, Cocoa”

1 1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

In a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil and whisk in cocoa, vanilla, salt, and corn syrup. Whisk until all of the solids have dissolved. Reduce sauce until slightly thickened. Strain and cool to room temperature. Pour into squeeze bottles. Squeeze into cold milk and stir for delicious chocolate milk or serve on your favorite ice cream. And, hey, it’s fat free!