blue artichoke

I went to run a few errands this morning and, SEVEN HOURS LATER, I got home. It snowed while I was out, which was nice, but not enough to kindle the Christmas spirit. I'm done shopping. Not finished, no; but done. Anything else I need to buy in December will come from the grocery store, CVS, or the Internet. So, for those of you who are expecting a Christmas gift from me, I hope you like mixed nuts and drugstore perfume baskets.

I think all I really want for Christmas this year are knee-high socks and legwarmers. I bought myself a pair of sparkly blue legwarmers at Target several weeks ago and have worn them more times that I care to admit. They fall down a lot, though, which is why knee socks might be a better solution. I just haven't found any knee socks as thick and warm as my legwarmers, so I'm faced with two inadequate solutions to my cold calves problem.

One upside of my grueling shopping marathon is that I now have dining room chairs that match the dining room table I bought last week. Yay!

Getting to Know All About You: What's on your Christmas wish list?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You tell me your nuts is mighty fine,
But I bet your nuts isn't hot as mine.
Sellin' nuts, hot nuts, you buy 'em from the peanut man.
That, of course, is from the song Hot Nuts, by Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts.

Finally, the much-anticipated (by the Kosher Gentile) recipe for the Hot Nuts (or Chile-Roasted Almonds):

Chile-Roasted Almonds
Rich and crunchy, these almonds are prepared like Spain's Marcona variety: cooked in oil and generously salted.

· 3 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
· 1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
· 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1 pound whole natural almonds with skin (about 3 cups)
· Coarse kosher salt

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper and black pepper and stir to distribute evenly in skillet. Add almonds and stir to coat with oil-pepper mixture. Cook until almonds begin to darken slightly and mixture is fragrant, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Cool completely.

DO AHEAD: Chile-roasted nuts can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 3 cups.

Recipe from Bon Appetit, December 2008

And, just because I'm feeling nutty (oh, stop!), here's a recipe for my favorite homemade nuts:

Rosemary Almonds

It’s easy enough to pop open a can of nuts when entertaining, but those canned nuts often taste stale, as if they’ve sat on the shelf too long. Freshly toasted nuts have a much better, fresher flavor. But nuts can be delicate and will burn easily if improperly cooked. How do you toast almonds?

· Toast raw, skin-on almonds in a skillet with a little oil or butter, salt, and pepper. Stir frequently to ensure even toasting and prevent spotty burning.
· Keep the heat gentle to prevent the nuts from burning. Medium-low should suffice.
· Toast dried rosemary along with the nuts. The oil or butter provides a tacky surface onto which the herb can cling.

1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter (I use oil)
2 cups skin-on raw almonds
1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (I grind the rosemary in a coffee/spice grinder because I don't like biting into dried rosemary needles)

Heat olive oil or unsalted butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add almonds, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Toast the almonds over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they are fragrant and the color deepens slightly, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and allow to cool before serving. The almonds can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week.

Makes about 2 cups

Recipe from Cook’s Country, 2/2005.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I asked my classmates what desserts they had over Thanksgiving. Pumpkin cheesecake (homemade). Pumpkin pie (purchased). Pecan pie (homemade). Maybe I like Thanksgiving so much because it is a pie holiday. Still suffering from the Pumpkin Cheesecake Snackdown Overdose of 2005, we no longer have pumpkin cheesecake. That's OK, though, because Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake is just about the best pumpkin dessert I've every had. So, of course, I made one. I still have a bit of the cooking school snobbery, I guess, because I find it difficult to consider worthwhile any recipe that starts with a package cake mix. Luckily, I tasted first and looked at the recipe after I was already hooked.

I also made a chocolate pecan pie. Not a fan of straight-up pecan pie (too sugary/syrupy), I thought maybe some chocolate would make it more appealing. I was right. This was a good pie, warm, room temperature, and straight-from-the-fridge cold. It was really easy to make, and can be plain (as I made it), or fancy (with whipped cream mounds and chocolate decorations). Again, shortcut Redi-Whip from a can works just fine, and is much easier on the chef.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 c. light corn syrup
3 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
¼ c. butter, melted
½ t. salt
1 (6 oz.) pkg semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 c. coarsely chopped pecans
1 (9”) unbaked pie shell
¼ c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 small zipper closure food storage bag
Whipped Cream Mounds*
Chocolate Decorations*

Heat oven to 375. In large mixing bowl, combine syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and salt; beat until blended. Gradually beat in melted chocolate; stir in pecans. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake on lowest oven rack until filling is completely puffed across top and crusted over (55-60m). Cool.

Pour ¼ c. chocolate chips into food storage bags, seal. Submerge bag in very hot water until chips are melted. Snip off corner of bag, making a tiny hole; drizzle melted chocolate evenly over pie and up onto edge of crust. Refrigerate at least 4h.

To serve: Garnish each pie slice with Whipped Cream Mound and Chocolate Decorations.

Serves 8-10.

Tip: To prevent excessive browning on top of pie, cut piece of foil 10” long; fold into quarters. Round off outer edge; cut curve in center 3” from outer edge. Unfold foil ring and center over edge of piecrust before baking. Remove foil 10-15m before end of baking.

*Whipped Cream Mounds: In small chilled bowl, whip 1 c. whipping cream until soft peaks form; bet in 1 t. vanilla and 2 t. butter brickle schnapps. Gradually beat in ¼ c. powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spoon into small zipper closure food storage bag; seal. Snip off corner of bag; pipe into mounds on waked paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze. Remove mounds; place in freezer storage bag or container. Freeze until needed. Remove from freezer 10m before serving.

*Chocolate Decorations: In small zipper closure freezer storage bag, melt 1 oz. semisweet chocolate and 1 t. shortening. Trace desired design on white paper; place under waxed paper. Snip a tiny hole in corner of bag; trace design with melted chocolate making 1/8” wide lines. Refrigerate until firm (~30m). Carefully peel waxed paper off design; arrange on dessert.

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 05:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Or, more Thanksgiving leftovers.

With the leftover turkey and French fried onions (from the green bean casserole, of course), I made Kentucky Hot Brown Cornbread Skillet. I've never had Kentucky Hot Brown before, but I thought of it as an open-faced turkey sandwich smothered in gravy. In other words, delicious. I was surprised by just how delicious it was. Cornbread is a much better base than just plain ol' white sandwich bread. I might have had a heavy hand with the cayenne, which is unlike me, but the gravy had a nice heat to it. All-in-all, leftovers never tasted so good. I'm inclined to roast another turkey, just to have a heap of leftovers so I can make this dish again.

Kentucky Hot Brown Cornbread Skillet

1 (6-oz.) package MARTHA WHITE Cotton Country or Buttermilk Cornbread Mix (I used an 8.5-oz box of Jiffy cornbread mix, 'cause where I come from, that's the only acceptable alternative to homemade)
½ cup canned French fried onions
½ cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ up butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground (cayenne) red pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 cup bacon pieces, divided**
1 large tomato, sliced*
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Generously grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; heat in a 425° oven 5 minutes.
2. Stir together cornbread mix and next 3 ingredients, and spoon evenly into hot skillet.
3. Bake at 425° for 8 to 10 minutes or just until light golden brown and set.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 2 cups milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth and thickened. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, next 3 ingredients, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese until blended. Remove from heat, and keep warm.
5. Spoon turkey evenly over cooked cornbread mixture in skillet, and top with warm Parmesan sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup bacon pieces.
6. Bake at 425° for 8 to 12 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with tomato slices and remaining 1/2 cup bacon pieces. Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.

*2 cups quartered grape tomatoes may be substituted, which I did. If refrigerated, pull them out when you start cooking so they're room temperature when you add them.
*I cooked and drained 10 slices of bacon, ate two slices, and crumbled the rest for mixing in, and sprinkling on top.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Southern Living, JANUARY 2007

Getting to Know All About You: What desserts did you have at your Thanksgiving meal? (My dessert recipes tomorrow...)

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)