ETON MESS

In honor of the London Olympics, I am interrupting my stream of Istanbul posts to bring you the easiest, yummiest dessert from the UK--you will love!  Really, the easiest dessert on the planet.

Had this for the first time at the Carriage House, the restaurant at Chatsworth (more on that, soon). You can, of course, go ahead and make the meringues yourself, but it is so much easier to use pre-baked meringues and not heat up your kitchen in August.

Strawberries, cleaned, hulled and chopped
Sugar to taste
Meringue cookies from Trader Joe's
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Clean and chop strawberries, add sugar.  Let sit for at least an hour.

Beat cream until stiff, then add vanilla and powdered sugar.  Whip until blended.

Layer in individual cups: one broken meringue cookie, strawberries, whipped cream. Then layer again. The end.

APPLE SHARLOTKA - Smitten Kitchen

I had a bin with some Granny Smiths that needed eating up.  So, even though I have posted several apple cake recipes (and loved them all) this one caught my eye.  Not too many ingredients, not too many steps.  Score.  


It is pretty but plain, not too sweet.  But ice cream doesn't seem fitting.  A dollop of Greek yogurt (really, we seem to put it on a lot of various goodies) and maybe a drizzle of agave syrup over the yogurt.  Perfect. Probably great for breakfast, too. 

Apple Sharlotka - Smitten Kitchen

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. 

POST THANKSGIVING TREAT - Cranberry Sauce and Yogurt

Second shelf of fridge.  Half empty container of Fage Greek yogurt.  Half empty container of Trader Joe's Fresh Cranberry Sauce. Hmmm, wouldn't that be a good pairing?

Why, yes, it would be very good.  Sweet, tart, creamy, no fat, not too many calories (ok, yes, there is sugar in that sauce). Breakfast? Afternoon pick-me-up? Dessert? Yep.  It can be whatever you need it to be.

Head to Trader Joe's before the cranberry sauce is gone--it is seasonal.

PEACH CRISP WITH MAPLE CREAM SAUCE - Pioneer Woman Cooks

I've made so many fruit crisps, cobblers, etc. that were all delicious.  But what sets this recipe apart is the luscious maple cream sauce that is swirled around a scoop of this peach crisp. Any leftover sauce could be drizzled atop a hot bowl of oatmeal the next morning, but who would ever do that?  

Ingredients

• 5 whole To 6 Whole Fresh Peaches (best When Not Overly Ripe Or Soft)
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
• 1/2 whole Lemon
• 7 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup, Divided
• 1-1/2 cup Whipping Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed.

Peel peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well.

Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8” or 9” square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top. I broiled the top for about 2 minutes because our family loves the almost burned brown sugar that dots this yummy dish.

Maple Cream Sauce:

Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice (the ice will melt and turn into ice water). Stirring your mixture, it will cool and thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp. Serve warm.

PEACHES & GREEK YOGURT

Utah peaches, Greek yogurt, agave syrup.

Yes.

(A sprinkling of toasted almonds would be a lovely addition.)

VEGGIE BERRY SMOOTHIE

When my friend, Corinne, told me that she drank this concoction every morning I was intrigued.  Then she told me it took her about a week to get used to it.  Hmmm.  I'm not one to mix vegetables and fruit in a drink (see those flecks of green in the drink? spinach) and needing a week to adapt sounded not too tempting.

But downing all those veggies early in the day without the extra sodium found in typical vegetable drinks won me over.  Of course, it is full of anti-oxidants, etc. Oddly enough, I got used to it on day three and by day five I found it enjoyable.  But remember, Jamba Juice it ain't.

So, ready to toss the following ingredients into your blender?

handful of spinach
handful of baby carrots
one celery rib, snapped a few times
one tomato
one cup of frozen blueberries
a bit of water or splash of fruit juice (I added 1/4 cup of cranberry pomegranate juice plus water)
I also sprinkled a bit of Stevia for a little sweetness
Blend and drink up!

HALLOWEEN SUPPER - Chili, Cornbread, Apple Salad

Halloween is a super fun night in our neighborhood.  Lots of sweet (and not so sweet) Trick or Treaters, of course.  We relaxed and caught up with the friends that live next door or around the corner.  Twenty of our pals joined us for a Halloween supper that was just right to counteract all that sugar (thank you Jennifer, Jody, Sheli, and Christine). Although, I still had a sugar hangover the next morning.....

Menu:
Spicy Beef Chili and Cornbread; Wild Rice and Chicken Soup (see previous post); Mini Shredded Pork Sandwiches; and Apple Salad.

Texas Chili

Serves 6 to 8.   Published November 28, 2006.  

Chuck-eye roasts are notoriously fatty, so don’t be surprised if you trim off 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of fat. Avoid precut beef labeled “beef for stew”it could be beef round or boneless shoulder roast, which will turn out dry and tough. For a milder chili, use the lower amount of chipotle; for a spicy chili, use the upper amount of chipotle. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, minced onion, diced avocado, shredded cheddar or jack cheese, and sour cream.

Ingredients

2	tablespoons vegetable oil
3	medium onions , minced
8	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons)
1/4	cup chili powder
1/4	cup tomato paste
2	tablespoons ground cumin
	Salt
	1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
5	pound chuck-eye roast , trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2	(15.5 ounces each) cans pinto beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4	cup Minute Tapioca
2-4	tablespoons minced chipotle chile in adobo
3	tablespoons soy sauce
2	tablespoons dark brown sugar , plus more to taste
1	tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves , or 1 teaspoon dried
	Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1. Heat the oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until the onions are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, scraping up any browned bits.
2. 2. Transfer the onion and tomato mixture to the slow cooker insert, and stir in the beef, beans, broth, tapioca, chipotles, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and oregano until evenly combined. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender, 9 to 11 hours. (Alternatively, cover and cook on high for 5 to 7 hours.)
3. 3. Gently tilt the slow cooker insert and degrease as much fat as possible off the surface of the chili using a large, flat spoon. Season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste, and serve.

Jennifer’s Favorite Corn Bread

(Adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook ©1996)

1 cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

1 large egg

¼ c. unsweetened applesauce*

¼ c. light sour cream*

1 ¼ cups yellow, white or blue cornmeal (I use yellow)

1 c. all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar**

1 T. baking powder

1 t. baking soda*

½ t. salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9” round or 8” square pan.

In large bowl, beat egg until frothy. Mix in milk and butter, and then fold in applesauce and sour cream. In another bowl, add cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix with wire whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until four is moistened (batter will still be lumpy). Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. (I spread a little softened butter over the top immediately after removing from oven to keep it moist but still crunchy.)

NOTE: Items with a single asterisk are my adds; **I reduce the sugar by half from the original recipe. Also, when I double this for a 9x13 pan, I use three eggs (vs. two) and 2 ¼ cups cornmeal (vs. 2 ½).

Jody's Western Waldorf (adapted from Sunset Magazine recipe)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  unfiltered apple juice
• 1  teaspoon  roasted walnut or almond oil, or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  Pink Lady apples (or another sweet-tart variety such as Jonathan or Piñata)
• 1/2  cup  toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2  large tangerines, peeled and sections cut in half
• 1  cup  seedless red or green grapes, halved

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, whisk apple juice, oil, salt, cinnamon, and pepper until blended.

2. Core apples, cut into thin wedges, and cut wedges in half crosswise. In a salad bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over fruit and nuts and mix gently to coat.