derby pie

Kentucky Derby Pie

Adapted from http://cupcakesandkalechips.com/kentucky-derby-pie/.

Ingredients

½ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sorghum flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1 pie crust

Directions

Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well

Add salt and flour, and mix well

Fold in pecans and chips

Pour mixture into pie crust and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Let cool for 1-2 hours before slicing.

Chai Masala

Chai Masala

This recipe comes from my dear friend Stephanie O'Hearn, with whom I've shared many a cup 'o tea at her wonderful Sunshine Canyon home outside of Boulder

Ingredients
4 cups water
12 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1/2 stick vanilla (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
4 teaspoons black tea
4 teaspoons honey
4 cups milk (I like almond)
ginger slices, for garnish (optional)

Instructions
In a saucepan, combine water, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, ginger, and vanilla. Bring liquid to boil. Reduce heat & simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add tea and simmer for a minute. Add milk and honey. Bring back to simmer and cook for another minute. Strain into cups.  If desired, garnish with ginger slices.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies do not meet any of the specifications of this blog, but they are amazing. I have lifted the recipe straight from pages 776-777 of The New Best Recipe by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated (2003, America's Test Kitchens), with the addition of sea salt.

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yoke
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 semisweet chocolate chips (or m&ms)
sprinkle of sea salt, for tops (optional)

Instructions
1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Following the illustrations on page 776, hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at the base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spaying them 2 1/2 inches apart (note: this spacing is important!)

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, the outer edges start to harden, and the centers are still soft and puffy, 13 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. If desired, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each cookie. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

Steamed mussels

Steamed Mussels

I found a version of this recipe on-line. One mid-November evening on the coast of Maine, I prepared them alongside slow cooker black beans and the pairing, along with a glass of white wine and a roaring fire, was nothing short of sublime. 

Ingredients:

3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

2 tablespoons butter

1/2-1 teaspoon celery salt (or a bit of garlic, shallots,  or onions)

3/4 cup white wine

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium soup pot. Add celery salt or other flavoring. Add white wine and mussels. Steam for about 5 minutes. Pour into bowl with the juice.

Lentils du Puy, cassoulet style

Lentils du Puy, cassoulet style

This comes from my sister Sarah and was delightful on a foggy fall afternoon in Maine. I found it nice with an accompaniment of plain yogurt.

Ingredients:
1 pounds Lentils du puy
sauteed onions or celery
sauteed garlic (optional)
prosciutto, ham, sausage, or chicken
chicken or turkey broth
chopped tomatoes
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
bay leaves


Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Blanch lentils for 15-30 minutes, till slightly tender but firm. Drain them. Put them in a casserole dish and add sautéed onions, celery, garlic, and/or tomatoes for flavoring.  Add enough broth to moisten up to two thirds of the height of the lentils, maybe 2-3 cups. Tuck the meat into the lentils. Bake, covered, for 20-25 minutes, then uncovered for 15-20 minutes more.

quinoa

Slow cooker black beans

This one is super healthy and super yummy. Tonight we served it with roasted potatoes, raw bell peppers, chopped heirloom tomatoes fresh from the garden, cilantro and salsa. Maudemarie loved the beans and devoured them con gusto!  The recipe is easily doubled for a huge slow cooker.

Ingredients
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken broth
a goodly bunch of cilantro, chopped with stems
2 cups black beans (I like to soak them overnight first)
1-2 chopped peppers, such as jalapeño, poblano, etc. (optional)

Instructions
Cook in slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours, or until beans are soft.

Variation:
Substitute one can of pumpkin puree for 2 cups of the chicken broth. I made this version, along with two jalapeños, at Martini Mist (my Aunt Linda and Uncle Bruce's place in Winter Harbor, Maine). It made an amazing accompaniment to freshly harvested steamed mussels!

gluten free macaroni and cheese

Gluten Free "Macaroni" and Cheese

This recipe adds the wisdom of Karina Albright's gluten-free macaroni and cheese with the ole fashioned recipe in the Fanny Farmer cookbook given to me by my Mother years ago. I've enriched it a bit with double whipping cream, inspired by my sojourn in England. It does not meet my low fat criteria because of the cheese and cream, but it's such great comfort food on a fall or winter afternoon, especially with a healthy counterpoint of steamed broccoli and a glass of white wine. I think the recipe would be great with a cup or two of lightly steamed kale tossed in, but my family won't let me go there...

Ingredients:
12-16 oz. gluten-free pasta (rotini and butterflies are popular with Maudemarie, though I've been unable to find the butterflies in a gluten-free iteration).
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
1 cup skim milk
1 cup double whipping cream (in the UK) or heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 generous tablespoons white wine
1 cup grated parmesan (for the topping)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook the pasta until al dente, drain in colander and rinse under cold awarer.
3. Whisk together and slowly heat the milk, cream, and yogurt in a medium saucepan. Make sure it doesn't steam, just get it warm!
4. While the milk mixture is heating, heat the butter in a saucepan on medium heat and slowly whisk in the flour. Cook and stir for a minute or so. Slowly adding in the milk, beating all the while, to form a roux. Bring the mixture to a bubble, allowing it to thicken, then reduce to low heat. Add the cheddar cheese, salt, mustard, nutmeg and white wine. Continue stirring until cheese melts, maybe 3-5 minutes. With any luck, the sauce will be nice and thick.
5. Pour into a into a 9X13 or 8X12 inch baking pan (8X8 works as well), thoroughly coating the pasta with sauce.
6. Sprinkle the top with the grated parmesan.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbling and lightly browned on top.