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During the pantry/fridge clean out, I found myself with an extensive collection of jams. Between recipe development, splendid gifts and impulsive purchases, I had too much of a good thing.
Did I mention that I am the only person in my home that consumes jam?
Enter the jam bar, an easy, tasty treat that makes even a non-jam lover perk up. I tried a few different recipes and the preferred version was from Cooking with Amy.
In my jam bar tests, I discovered that jam bars are best prepared in a square baking pan (a round baking pan might also work). My attempts in a 9×13-inch baking pan were OK whereas the bars baked in a 8-inch baking pan were consistently superb.
Jam Bars are super easy and quite sturdy (ideal for those spring bake sales). You make a rich, shortbread-like dough. Most of it is pressed into the pan and the rest is sprinkled over the jam layer. I feel like making up another batch as I type. They are that good and that simple.
Pick any jam or preserves, store-bought or homemade. Eschew jelly, as it will not work; save the jelly for PB &J’s or for glazing fruit tarts.
Jam Bars from Cooking with Amy
Makes 16 squares
1 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 egg
1 cup fruit jam or preserves
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch or 8-inch baking pan.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg to form a crumbly dough. Press in 3/4 of the mixture onto the bottom of the pan.
Top with jam and evenly spread almost but not quite to the edges of the pan since the jam will spread as it bakes. Top with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes or until pale golden brown. Let cool and cut into 16 squares
April 29th, 2010
A few weeks back Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for Trinidadian Chicken. At the same time, I was on a bit of a curry kick and knew that the recipe would be made sooner than later. The meal was complete deliciousness, Marco and I gobbled it up with oohs and aahs and it made for perfect lunch leftovers.
I had never made a salsa-like marinade for meat and was curious to see what flavor results it would deliver. I was also intrigued by the curry slurry which was toasted in the pan. Trinidad Chicken Curry offered up tender chicken in a sauce with just the right balance of spice (curry, turmeric, jalapeno), aromatics (onion, garlic, cilantro) and richness from the coconut milk and potatoes. Seriously DELISH!
Now it is time for a confession: I have been a bit of an angry mom cook lately. Maybe it is spring making me want to change things up in the kitchen? Maybe I am tired of the same old, same old (teriyaki steak tips, broccoli and rice)? Meatless Monday has been very helpful in breaking up our supper routine.
I have also started to prepare one meal a week that is just for me. On "mommy’s night" we have two rules: Never yuck someone else’s yum and if the meal doesn’t suit your tastes, break out a bowl of cereal.
Am I being selfish? Maybe? But hey it is only one night a week and they will certainly survive. Heck, my fussy eaters might even discover they like curry. One can always hope.
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Trinadad Chicken Curry with Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman via The Ivory Hut.
2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 medium onion, quartered, divided
1 tomato, cored and quartered
8 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and quartered
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. canola oil
6 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups of potatoes)
Waxy potato = red bliss or new potatoes. Russets are not waxy.
1 (14-oz) can regular or light coconut milk.
Add the salt, black pepper, mustard, half of the onion, tomato, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped like a chunky, fresh salsa.
Place chicken in a large bowl, pour the vegetable mixture over the chicken. Stir or mix with hands until the chicken is coated with the vegetables. Refrigerate the chicken and vegetables for at least 2 hours or as long as 6 hours.
When ready to start cooking, make the curry slurry: Add the curry powder, turmeric and 3/4 cup warm water to a mixing bowl. Whisk until blended. Finely chop the remaining onion and set aside.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Pour in the curry slurry and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. As the water evaporates, the curry slurry will darken slightly.
When the curry slurry has become a thick paste, add the remaining onion. Allow the onion to soften slightly, then add in the chicken and all the vegetables. Stir to coat the chicken and cook for five minutes. Add the potatoes and coconut milk. Stir until evenly blended.
Add 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender and the chicken is cooked through, 25 - 30 minutes. Before serving, taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
April 14th, 2010
Depending on where you live it’s either still the dead of winter with just a hint of spring around the corner or full on spring but with a few new vegetables hitting the produce section and the farmer’s market. Here are two great sides, perfect for any tofu dish or even a simple peanut noodle dish.
The dressings can be made a day ahead and refrigerated but they are so simple and fast, you can easily prepare them while your vegetables are steaming. Let the dressing come to room temperature before serving time. For making peanut noodles all you need are cooked egg noodles and your favorite prepared peanut sauce. A favorite of mine is from Sisters Pantry.
Asian Broccoli Salad with Cashews (or Peanuts)
Dressing:
1Tbsp. Tamari sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 to 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup peanut oil
Whisk all ingredients together and pour over cooled broccoli and salad ingredients (see below). If you would like this to be spicy, add a tsp. of Siracha to the dressing.
Salad:
1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews, chopped
1 lb. broccoli florets and stems
1/2 cup freshly chopped scallions
1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes (optional)
Steam the broccoli: Peel the stems and chop into large chunks on the diagonal. They take a few minutes longer than the florets to steam so add them first and after 2 minutes add the florets. Steam until crisp tender then plunge them all into cold ice water to stop the cooking. Add the remaining vegetables and then toss with the dressing (see above).
Sesame Green Beans (or Asparagus)
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
(I like palm sugar or brown but white is fine)
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
sea salt to taste
1 lb asparagus or green beans, steamed and plunged into ice cold water.
Grind 6 Tbsp. of the sesame seeds in a spice grinder. Transfer to a food processor and add the soy sauce, sugar and ginger and puree for a smooth dressing. If you prefer a more rustic dressing, skip this step. When I made this the second time I didn’t use the food processor which is why you can see the sesame seeds in the photo above. It’s really up to you.
Steam the green beans or asparagus until just cooked through and then plunge them into cold ice water to stop the cooking. Toss with the dressing adding the chopped scallions and garnish with the remaining sesame seeds.
FMI on Meatless Monday, click here.
April 12th, 2010
Mother’s Day is about one month away. LuMu Toffee would be a perfect gift for any confectionary loving mom.
The owners of LuMu Candies are a married couple who started their relationship as a long distance couple. The would always sign off on e-mails with "Love You Miss You." When Joanne and Norman made the leap into marriage in 2004, they also made the leap into owning a business and LuMu (short for Love U Miss U) was born.
I have a lot of admiration for really good, buttery toffee with a bite that melts in your mouth because after many batches of burned, overly sticky toffee, I have yet to master toffee in my own kitchen. So I tip my hat to candy makers at LuMu for toffee well done!
LuMu toffee was also exceptionally good crushed and mixed into some high quality vanilla ice cream. Take that Heath Bar Crunch!
FMI info on LuMu Toffee or to order some for Mother’s Day, click here.
April 9th, 2010
Need I say more? Take two of the Mayone’s most beloved treats (caramel and chocolate) then mix them together into an ice cream sauce. Absolute Nirvana! This post from Under the High Chair couldn’t have come at a better time because I have been searching for something yummy to bring along for Easter gifts.
This recipe originally published in the Joy of Cooking. Sugar is caramelized. Butter and cream are added to create a tawny ambrosia. Chocolate is the finishing touch.
We liked the sauce best warm, although it was pretty darn good cold off of a spoon. The caramel base gives this dessert sauce a more complex flavor than traditional hot fudge. While I am swooning, I might add that this sauce is outstanding stirred into coffee for a little mocha, caramel latte treat.
The original recipe suggested bringing the caramel almost to smoke point before adding the butter, I tend to like underdone caramel so I have written the instructions accordingly.
Dark Chocolate Caramel Sauce via UTHC via Hippo Flambe
adapted slightly from The 1997 Joy of Cooking
Makes approximately 2 cups
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
5 Tbsp butter, cut into small squares
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
3 oz. high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
Place sugar in a small heavy saucepan and pour water over the top. Place the pan over medium high heat. Gently stir the water and sugar together. Once the the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring. Do not let the syrup come to a boil until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Let the syrup boil. Once the sugar is beginning to become a golden hue, reduce the heat to medium-low. Depending on your pan and your heat source, this will not take more than a few minutes. Gently stir a the caramel only a few times.
Gently mix the butter into the caramel with a heatproof spatula or whisk. Be careful as it will bubble up. Once the butter is fully incorporated stir in the heavy cream. Stir until smooth.
If the sauce becomes lumpy, heat over very low heat while stirring until it is smooth and promptly turning off the heat when it is smooth again. Add the chocolate and stir until it is melted and incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
March 31st, 2010
The moment that I read 101 Cookbooks’ post on Coconut Red Lentil Soup, I knew it would become a Meatless Monday dinner at our home.
Ohhh, this soup is so good! It is the kind of good soup where you find yourself sopping up any remnants in the bowl with bread or simply wishing you had a piece of bread so that no soup would be wasted.
Yellow split peas and red lentils are the back bone of this soup.
It is perfectly seasoned with toasted curry powder as well as scallions and fresh ginger sauteed in a bit of butter. Tomato paste and coconut milk give the soup its body and its richness.
Yellow raisins are the finishing touch that will send your taste buds into overload. You cannot see the raisins because they are the same color as the soup but every few spoonfuls, a raisin will be included and its unexpected burst of sweetness is just plain deliciousness.
The original recipe came from The Esalen Cookbook. The Esalen Institute, located in Big Sur California, is a retreat and workshop center focused on "human possibilities yet to be realized."
Be sure to add the full 2 tsp. of salt, without it the soup will not be balanced. If you would like to do a little palate training, set aside a few spoonfuls of soup before you add the salt. Then compare the salted and unsalted samples. It is a clear demonstration of the flavor power of just the right amount of salt.
Scallions and cilantro stirred in just before serving because Marco thinks that he doesn’t like cilantro. We served the soup over some cooked brown rice as suggested. It is not necessary but does offer a nice textural contrast.
Maybe you cannot book a retreat at Esalen but you can eat like you are there. Enjoy!
For the recipe posted on 101 Cookbooks, click here.
FMI on Meatless Monday, click here.
March 29th, 2010
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