Cake, Batter, and Bowl

French Toast with Pomegranate Cranberry Compote and Clementine Syrup

January 12, 2011

My good friend Renee got me a gorgeous cookbook for Christmas called Sarabeth’s Bakery. Have you heard of it? It’s filled with recipes for sophisticated bakery treats and I spent an entire evening drooling over all the lovely step by step photos. It was actually this book that inspired my resolution this year to become a master at whipping up fancy breads and pastries.

I was originally planning on baking the croissants first, but spontaneously decided to make the challah bread this weekend instead, mainly because I was in the mood for some French toast! I don’t have much bread baking experience (although our class at King Arthur Flour was really helpful!), but the recipe in the book was really detailed and easy to follow and my challah turned out perfectly! I was so proud. This is my favorite shot because it looks just like the one in the book – yay!

The next day I turned most of the loaf into classic French toast, but of course I couldn’t resist coming up with a fun winter twist. I topped it with a compote of pomegranate arils, dried cranberries, clementine juice, and a touch of brown sugar. I also made a lovely clementine syrup. I really think one of my favorite parts of winter is that clementines are in season. They are one of my very favorite snacks and I probably average at least three a day! I think people usually boil the juice down with sugar to make a fruit syrup, but I was feeling lazy and only had a few clementines left, so instead I just stuck a bit of zest in some maple syrup and let is seep for awhile. Then I strained it out – success, the perfect clementine syrup!

French Toast with Pomegranate Cranberry Compote and Clementine Syrup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Clementine Syrup:
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
Zest of 1 clementine (1 teaspoon)

Pomegranate Cranberry Compote:
1 1/2 cups fresh pomegranate arils (from 1 large pomegranate)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Juice of 2 clementines (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

French Toast:
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 slices challah bread (I used 14 ounces)
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
To make the syrup, mix syrup and clementine zest in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then strain the syrup to remove the zest.

To make the compote, mix pomegranate arils, cranberries, clementine juice, and brown sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is gone.

To make the French toast, whisk milk and eggs together in a shallow dish and dip the bread slices in the egg mixture, two to three pieces at a time. Allow to soak for a few minutes, then heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Place soaked bread in the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining bread and butter. Spoon compote over French toast and drizzle with clementine maple syrup. Makes 5 servings.

Nutrition: 478 calories, 11.2g fat, 3.0g fiber, 13.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.57 per serving

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Pecan and Coconut Crusted Tilapia over Tropical Rice

January 8, 2011

Before we left for Florida over the holidays, I tried to strategically plan our meals to use up every last bit of food of in the fridge. It’s always so sad having to throw out spoiled ingredients when you get back! We also scrubbed the fridge and rest of our apartment from top to bottom so we’d return to a nice clean house. In the process, I found a bunch of long lost treasures in the back of the freezer that I had forgotten about, including a few frozen tilapia fillets from Costco.

I decided to coat the fish with a mixture of ground pecans, coconut, and lime zest. The tilapia worked well, but any other white fish or even chicken would be lovely too. I served it over brown rice mixed with fresh pineapple, mango, cilantro and lime juice. I think pineapple must be in season now, because it was so sweet and juicy and only $2! I was also planning to make a sauce with coconut milk but I somehow missed we were out – oops. I may try this next time, although it was still really tasty without it. I know Apolinaras was a big fan of this too because he texted me the next day to claim the leftovers!

Pecan and Coconut Crusted Tilapia over Tropical Rice
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Tilapia:
1 cup whole pecans
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Zest of one lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tilapia fillets
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon canola oil

Rice:
4 cups cooked brown rice
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped pineapple
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Place pecans, coconut flakes, lime zest, and salt in a food processor and pulse until crumbs form; place in a shallow pan. Put the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge both sides of the tilapia in the flour. Place the beaten eggs in another shallow dish and dredge both sides of the flour coated tilapia in the egg mixture; place tilapia fillets in the pecan crumb mixture and coat well on all sides.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and sear two pecan coated tilapia fillets on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Repeat with remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and two tilapia fillets. Place seared tilapia fillets in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish and bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Mix rice, mango, pineapple, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl. Serve tilapia over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 677 calories, 35.0g fat, 7.7g fiber, 29.1g protein per serving
Cost: $3.79 per serving

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Thai Shrimp Green Curry

January 4, 2011

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s already 2011? I smile every time I think about 2010 because we made it a great year. The highlight was our big vacation when Apolinaras and I visited his home country of Lithuania over our anniversary. On the career front, Apolinaras joined Pixability, a company he really loves, and I finally figured out that I’d like to be a professor and have begun taking steps to do just that after my postdoc. I also finally got back into working out regularly and did my first, second, and third 5Ks, and first half marathon and sprint triathlon. I’ve grown to love racing! Oh yeah, and I was on the Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown! I still can’t believe my recipes are on the Food Network site. I’m already excited to see what adventures lay ahead in 2011.

Has anyone made any foodie resolutions? I managed to accomplish three of my original five culinary resolutions last year, which isn’t too bad. I whipped up a lot of Indian dishes, including saag paneer, co-hosted Thanksgiving, and tried at least one new recipe a week from the blogosphere or my cookbooks. But, I only made pasta once and I still haven’t learned how to cook all the different cuts of meat, so I need to keep working on those two. And of course, I have a few new ones I’d like to add to the list! I want to improve my Asian recipe repertoire and become a master of whipping up fancy breads and pastries (croissants are first on my list!).

I started the New Year off right by visiting HMart, an incredible Asian grocery store, for the first time. Apolinaras and I spent 2 hours wandering all the rows and having lunch at their yummy food court. About 20 minutes were spent just trying to figure out which dumplings to try – I felt like a kid in a candy store! I also ended up picking up a bunch of ingredients for a lighter Thai green curry. I decided to use both chicken broth and coconut milk in the curry (but if you want a richer curry use two cans of coconut milk instead!) and packed it with Asian veggies and shrimp. I used Chinese eggplant, red pepper, and broccoli rabe, so it was really colorful. I actually hadn’t cooked broccoli rabe before, but thanks to Martha, learned that it’s best to boil it for a minute first to reduce the bitterness and then saute it, so, I did just that and it turned out perfectly. I’ll definitely be making this again, especially if it means I can go back to HMart!

Thai Shrimp Green Curry
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli rabe, ends trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 medium Chinese eggplants, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons green curry paste (or to taste)
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (I used regular full fat)
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 3-inch pieces lemongrass
1 cup sliced bamboo shoots, drained from a 20-ounce can
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
Prepare the vegetables. Place broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling water and stir well. Boil one minute, drain in a colander, and rinse gently with cold water. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Sauté eggplant and red pepper for 6 to 8 minutes or until veggies begin to soften; add broccoli rabe and sauté 3 additional minutes or until all veggies are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare curry by heating one remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large stock pan over medium high heat. Add red onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and ginger and sauté one additional minute; add curry paste and sauté one more minute, or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, chicken broth, and lemongrass to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lemongrass and add bamboo shoots, shrimp, and salt, and cook 3 to 4 to minutes, stirring frequently, or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in cooked veggies. Serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 697 calories, 33.0g fat, 9.7g fiber, 32.7g protein per serving
Cost: $4.60 per serving

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Caribbean Sweet Potato and Plantain Soup

December 31, 2010

Well hello, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas celebration! We unplugged for the week and met my parents and brother in Palm Beach, Florida. A relaxing break with warm weather was just what we needed to recharge and it was so nice to spend time with my family. We went to the beach or pool every day, watched a bunch of movies, visited the Norton Art Museum, did a Palm Beach Segway Tour, and my Mom and I even snuck in a bit of shopping while the boys went deep sea fishing.

Oh, and of course, we enjoyed a bunch of good eats! We had a little kitchen in our suite, so I was able to cook on Christmas (spinach stuffed chicken breasts, pasta primavera, moussaka, and Greek salad) and Apolinaras and my brother fired up the grill by the pool one night and grilled jerk chicken and plantains – yum! Other highlights included sushi at Yu-Mi and Mexican at Rocco’s Tacos.

We had Cuban food in Miami as well, but the restaurant was a tad disappointing. We did enjoy the sweet plantains, which as you probably know, are one of my favorite ingredients. In fact, in anticipation of our trip a few weeks ago, I decided to make a sweet potato and plantain soup. It’s the perfect way to enjoy some Caribbean flavor in the winter. I added some traditional spices found in jerk seasoning at the end, so the soup wouldn’t be too sweet, and really liked the crunch of the plantain chips on top. There were also a few flavor combos I was inspired by during our trip and I’m already looking forward to developing some new recipes!

Caribbean Sweet Potato and Plantain Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 yellow medium plantains with dark spots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks (mine were 32 ounces unpeeled)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped plantain chips

Directions:
Heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add ginger and garlic and sauté one additional minute. Add chicken broth, water, plantains, and sweet potatoes, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer with the pot covered for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Stir in lime juice, thyme, cayenne pepper, allspice, and salt. Ladle into bowls and garnish with plantain chips. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 337 calories, 7.4g fat, 7.9g fiber, 5.0g protein per serving
Cost: $2.25 per serving

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Peppermint Brownie Torte

December 22, 2010

I’m proud to report that I finally squeezed in some holiday baking! I whipped up these gingerbread cookies and Emily’s soft buttery sugar cookies on Monday night and they were both a big hit at work. Two thumbs up for both recipes!

Of course, I also couldn’t let the holiday season pass without making a peppermint and chocolate treat because I’m in love with the flavor combo. I always order mint Oreo blizzards at Dairy Queen and have often thought they would be even better with some brownie chunks in the mix. This torte is a twist on that idea.

I baked my favorite brownies in a cheesecake pan (I left out the baking powder this time so they’d be more fudgy and less cakey), and then spread festive peppermint ice cream on top and topped the torte with some chopped Oreos. I really wanted to top it with the candy cane Trader Joe Joe sandwich cookies, but they somehow all disappeared before I thought to set any aside…they’re just so addicting! This torte is really easy to make and you can change the ice cream flavor to suite your mood. The only downside is that you have to work a bit to cut through the brownie layer since the ice cream needs to set in the freezer, but I think it’s worth the little extra elbow grease. Time to clean and pack before we head out for the holidays! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Peppermint Brownie Torte
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

Torte Assembly:
1 quart (4 cups) peppermint ice cream, softened (I let mine sit out on the counter for 20 minutes)
6 coarsely chopped Oreos

Directions:
To make the brownie layer, heat oven to 350˚F. Microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir until combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and then add in the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in flour and salt; mix in chocolate chunks. Spread the brownie mixture evenly into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 minutes or until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

To assemble the torte, spread softened ice cream evenly on top of the cooked brownie layer. Sprinkle Oreos evenly on top. Freeze overnight or until ice cream is set again. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 364 calories, 19.1g fat, 1.6g fiber, 4.1g protein per serving
Cost: $0.63 per serving

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Pumpkin Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookie Bars

December 18, 2010

Is everyone ready for the holidays? We finished our Christmas shopping today and our cards are all ready to be sent out tomorrow. Christmas has definitely snuck up on us this year though and I haven’t had the chance to do any holiday baking yet. I hope I can squeeze some in soon because there’s not much time left!

I do want to share some treats that I made with the hazelnut flour and mini cinnamon chips I scored from King Arthur Flour a few months ago. I originally made these bars for my lab right before Thanksgiving, but the night I was mixing them up, Apolinaras told me that he needed to bring something to a TDay potluck at work…so his coworkers ended up enjoying them instead. He’s such a lucky guy that I already happened to be baking something!

The oatmeal cookie base contains browned butter, pumpkin butter, and hazelnut flour, and the pumpkin layer on top is lovely faux mousse made with pumpkin puree and instant pudding. I topped the bars with chopped toasted hazelnuts and the cinnamon chips. Hopefully I’ll have time to make and share another treat before Christmas too!

Pumpkin Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup pumpkin butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted hazelnut flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups instant oats

Pumpkin Layer:
1 (3.4-oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons mini cinnamon chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Place butter in a small nonstick skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat or until browned. Place browned butter, pumpkin butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Stir in all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix in oats. Press cookie dough evenly in the bottom of a greased 8×8-inch square pan. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cookie base is golden brown. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare pumpkin layer. In a large bowl mix instant pudding, milk, condensed milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until set. Spread pumpkin filling evenly over cooled cookie dough crust. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts and cinnamon chips evenly on top. Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition: 182 calories, 9.1g fat, 2.7g fiber, 3.3g protein per serving
Cost: $0.46 per serving

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Mini Meatball Mexican Soup

December 14, 2010

Remember when I mentioned I was testing a few soup recipes last week? Work has been super busy, but I finally got around to making this one last night and had to post it right away because it’s so addicting! I had a huge bowl for dinner and went back for seconds, and I wish there was more left because I wouldn’t mind a little snack right about now…

It’s really all about the mini meatballs. I love them in soup because they just make it so much more hearty and tasty. Instead of making a traditional Italian wedding soup though, I decided it would be fun to try a Mexican inspired version. I mixed Ancho chile powder, cumin, and oregano spiced mini meatballs in a red and poblano pepper tomato broth and garnished the soup with avocado and feta. Next time I’m going to make a double batch so the leftovers last longer!

Mini Meatball Mexican Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt

Soup:
1 large red pepper
2 poblano peppers
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
To make the meatballs, heat oven to 375˚F. Place ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, chile powder, cumin, oregano, and salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape into 50 mini meatballs and place on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 375˚F for 13-15 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To make the soup, heat oven broiler. Place peppers on a greased cookie sheet and broil for 15 to 20 minutes or until outsides are black and charred, turning once. Cool to room temperature, remove blackened skins and seeds, and roughly chop roasted peppers.

Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Add chicken broth, water, tomatoes, and roasted peppers, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth or place batches in a blender and process until smooth. Stir in lime juice, cumin, and salt. Mix in cooked meatballs. Scoop into four bowls and garnish with avocado and feta. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 418 calories, 18.9g fat, 6.1g fiber, 44.8g protein per serving
Cost: $2.72 per serving

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Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms

December 10, 2010

The holiday party season is here! I tend to be more of a grazer in general (it’s actually sometimes a little embarrassing how often I reach for the goodies in our snack drawer at work!), so I love it when a plentiful appetizer spread at parties lets me try new bites throughout the evening. I always first pounce on the stuffed mushrooms though. They are one of my very favorite apps and in fact, of the 16 appetizer recipes currently on my blog, 3 are for stuffed mushrooms, which is about 20%!

I always sauté my mushrooms on the stove first to get the moisture out and then just warm them through in the oven after filling them up, if needed. For this version I stuffed them with mashed potatoes with feta and topped them with caramelized onions. I stirred in feta because I happened to have it on hand, but I think goat cheese would also be lovely. You can, of course, also use leftover mashed potatoes to make these!

Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, cut into thin strips
24 ounces baby bella mushrooms, stems removed
2 Yukon gold potatoes (mine were 13 ounces), scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter over medium low heat in a large nonstick pan and cook onions for 45 to 55 minutes, or until caramelized, stirring occasionally.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat and sauté mushrooms for 7 to 10 minutes, or until tender, working in batches. Remove from heat and drain well.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl (yield should be about 1 1/2 cups). Mix mashed potatoes with buttermilk and salt until smooth; mix in crumbled feta.

Spoon potato mixture into mushroom cavities and top evenly with caramelized onions. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 105 calories, 4.7g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.2g protein per serving
Cost: $0.73 per serving

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