Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Rhubarb Jam & Challah French Toast

I made this delicious jam and preserved six jars using the boiling water method.  This was my first jam of the season and was a huge success for my second time making jam overall.  I just love the combination of strawberry and rhubarb this time of year, so I couldn't resist making some strawberry rhubarb jam.  Yum! My jam cam out perfectly using the Pomona's Universal Pectin recipe on their website and the instructions for preserving in Sherri Brooks Vinton's book Put Em up.  I took her class on preserving last year at the Brooklyn Kitchen. My jam had a little bit of fruit float, which isn't a big deal but a place to improve.  To correct for that, I should crush the fruit a little better next time, which may mean using a potato masher instead of my own hands!  At any rate, I have enjoyed using this delicious jam, both jazzing up some goat cheese on crackers as an appetizer and with challah french toast.  It's the best jam to start the canning season!  Please note, I multiplied the original recipe by 1.5 to make six conventional sized jam jars rather than four. Also, the recipe from Pomona's gives a sugar range, so what I used is below.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
3 cups rhubarb, cooked and crushed
3 cups crushed strawberries
1 1/3 cups of sugar
3 T lemon juice
3 tsp calcium water
3 1/4 tsp pectin

Combine the sugar and the pectin in a small bowl and set aside.  Heat the jars (minus the lids) in a large pot covered with two inches of water.  They just have to be hot, not reaching a boil.  You are not truing to sterilize at this point. Add some rhubarb (cut up) to a little water an cook until soft.  Then (after cooking!) measure three cups of rhubarb.  Mash two pints of strawberries using your hands or a potato masher and then measure three cups of the mashed strawberries.  Transfer the fruit to a large, reactive saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over low heat, stirring frequently.  Stir in the calcium water and lemon juice.  Then slowly add the sugar-pectin mixture.  Slowly return to a boil and heat to ensure the mixture is heated thoroughly.  Then turn off heat and allow to rest for five minutes.  Skim off any foam.

Using the boiling water method of preserving, ladle into half pint jars that have been prepared, leaving a quarter inch of headspace.  Release any trapped air and lightly place caps on jars.  Process for 10 minutes (once the water reaches a hard boil, set timer for 10 minutes).  Allow to stay in water for five minutes before removing.  Then allow to cool at room temperature.  Will stay good for one year!

To make the french toast, follow the recipe below.  This jam is amazing on the french toast.

Sasha's Challah French Toast
1 small-ish Challah
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
butter or canola oil for cooking

Whisk together the eggs, milk cinnamon and vanilla.  Slice the challah into thick slices.  Heat a large pan with either butter or canola oil.  Quickly dip the challah to soak up the batter, and then cook in the pan until nicely browned.  Serve immediately with strawberry rhubarb jam.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Rhubarb Jam & Challah French Toast

Sasha's Kitchen: Cod with Slaw, Salsa Verde and Plaintains

Palo Santo is one of Park's Slope's delicious restaurants that my husband and I always enjoy going to.  I adapted this delicious and healthy fish restaurant from the New Brooklyn Cookbook, where the recipe hails from Palo Santo.  I wasn't able to get bluefish, so I adapted the recipe for cod.  It was still delicious and I really loved the salsa verde, plantains and slaw with the fish.  This take a bit of time to make, but not as long as you would think.  The end result is a beautiful, colorful and healthy display - a perfect meal for cheering up on a gloomy day!

Cod with Slaw, Salsa Verde and Plantains
Slaw
1/2 head small red cabbage, cored and shredded
1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Salsa Verde
10 oz green tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/3 cup minced chives
1 cup minced cilantro (original recipe called for two but I used less)
juice of one lime
1 T extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Plantains
3 very ripe plantains (I used two)
1 T melted butter

Fish
two 8 oz cod fillets (original recipe called for 6 8oz bluefish fillets)
1/4 cup canola oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.  To make the slaw, combine the cabbage, pepper, garlic and vinegar and olive oil in a large mixing bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside to marinate.

To make the salsa, use a paring knife to make an X on the bottom of each tomatillo.  Blanch in boiling water for a few seconds until the skin starts to split and then plunge into an ice bath.  Peel, discard skins and seeds and chop the tomatillo.  Combine with the other ingredients above for the salsa verde and set aside.

Roast the plantains on a rimmed baking sheet at 425 for about 20 minutes until they begin to puff and burst.  Then cut them and coat with the melted butter.  Bake until golden brown, another 5-10 minutes.

To prepare the fish, season with salt and pepper.  Prepare an ovenproof saute pan and add the canola oil  and heat.  Cook 2-3 minutes, and then place fish in oven to finish cooking about five minutes until it is opaque in the center.

Sasha's Kitchen: Cod with Slaw, Salsa Verde and Plaintains

Sasha's Kitchen: Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I love strawberry rhubarb pie.  Its my favorite.  I just love the tang of the rhubarb combined with the sweet strawberries.  Yum!  But I decided to go a bit tangier this time and try out a Martha Stewart recipe for a rhubarb crumble pie.  And you know what - it was amazing too! A bit tangier than the combined pie but just plain delicious and a perfect wait to start pie season while waiting for fresh farmer's market strawberries.  I'm going to do the strawberry rhubarb version soon, but just rhubarb was just perfect too!  This weekend, I plan on making some strawberry rhubarb jam for my first canning of the season.

Rhubarb Crumble Pie (from Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts)
Bottom Crust
1 1/4 cup flour
1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
approximately 1/8 cup ice water

Filling
1 3/4 lbs rhubarb, ends trimmed and cut crosswise (about 6 cups)
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 T cornstarch

Crumble Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 T granulated sugar
pinch salt
6 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

To make the bottom crust dough, follow the instructions for my apple pie dough.  You can also make it in a stand mixer, but don't overknead.  I made it in my stand mixer this time.  Stop mixing just when the dough comes together.  Chill for about 45 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap.  You are making a half recipe of dough because you are not making a top crust.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough and fit into a 9 inch pie plate, leaving a one inch overhang.  Fold overhang and press gently to seal.  Crimp edges as desired and chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 and in a large bowl, toss rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Pour into the pie shell.

Mix the crumble topping with your fingers until combined and large clumps form.  Sprinkle on top of pie and bake the pie until the topping is browned and the crust is lightly browned, about an hour and a half.  You can cover with foil if it browns too fast.  Allow pie to cool before serving.

Sasha's Kitchen: Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Sasha's Kitchen: Bucatini with Cauliflower and Ramps

I'm really into making pasta dishes with spring vegetables right now.  I love using everyuthing that's seasonal.  I'm happy to say that I scored the first rhubarb of the season at Union Market in Park Slope and am making a rhubarb crumble pie this weekend (posting it soon!).  In the meantime, I've been enjoying making some vegetable pastas.  Ramps finally arrived at FreshDirect just before Passover so I made this delicious dish just before passover started.  Ramps, if you are not familiar with them, are wild onions, usually gathered by hand.  They are a bit of a cross between leeks and wild garlic.  I like using them in pasta dishes during their short season.  Some people also like to make pickled ramps, but I haven't tried that yet.  Next week, I'll be making swiss chard ravioli dough with ramps/ricotta/marscarpone cheese and a rose vodka sauce.  Here's the first garden fresh pasta of the spring.

Sasha's Bucatini with Cauliflower and Ramps
1 lb bucatini pasta
florets from one cauliflower head, diced into small pieces
1 bunch of ramps, diced
zest of half a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
1 pint halved yellow grape tomatoes
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

To make this dish, first saute the cauliflower in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, for about ten minutes, until soft.  Add the lemon zest and the ramp bulbs (separated from the green part of the ramps) and cook antoher two minutes.  Then add the diced green part of the ramps and the yellow tomatoes and saute another few minutes until the tomatoes are softened and shriveled.  In the meantime, cook the bucatini (hollow tubular pasta) according to the package instructions.  Toss the panko bread crumbs in with the vegables and mix in the pasta.  You can add a bit more olive oil if needed, and be sure to reserve a bit of the pasta water and add that in as well. This was delicious!

Sasha's Kitchen: Bucatini with Cauliflower and Ramps

Sasha's Kitchen: Passover Carrot Tzimmes Souffle

I made a delicious carrot tzimmes souffle tonight for Passover, after spending two great seders to start the holiday with my family in Philadelphia this weekend.  Passover, of course, is the holiday where you can't eat any bread or yeast for eight days.  I found this recipe in a Kosher cookbook at my parents' house the other day and decided to make it for Brad and I tonight for dinner upon our return to Brooklyn.  The mix of carrot and pineapple is just perfect.  You make the souffle with egg whites as usual, and matzo meal instead of flour, but the consistency is actually pretty similar to a typical savory souffle with the flavor of carrot tzimmes.  A real Passover treat!  This recipe is one I adapted from the cookbook Kosher By Design for the Holidays

Carrot Tzimmes Souffle
2 cups grated carrots (about five large carrots)
3/4 cup matzo meal
2 T orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon (added by me to the recipe in the cookbook)
2/3 cup of granulated sugar (original recipe called for a cup, but I prefer to use a bit less)
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup canola oil
1 20 oz can pineapple, pureed in a food processor

To make the souffle, preheat the oven to 350.  Separate the eggs.  Combine the yolks with the matzo meal, carrots, oil, lemon juice, orange juice, cinnamon and pineapple.  Set aside.  Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment until they are fluffy and have stiff beaks, beating on the highest speed for about three minutes.  Then fold the mixture of carrots and everything else into the egg whites with a spatula, and fold until fully combined.  Pour into a large souffle dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Enjoy immediately!

Sasha's Kitchen: Passover Carrot Tzimmes Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Asparagus Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Passover started last week, which means no bread, grains, flour, corn etc. for me for eight days.  However, I made this recipe last week and haven't gotten around to posting it just yet (I scheduled posts in advance).  So, it was pre-Passover when I made this and when I posted it :)  At any rate, if you have been reading this blog for awhile, I love making my own ravioli and came up with this recipe for asparagus goat cheese ravioli, served in a sage brown butter sauce.  This was one of my husband's favorites, and mine too.  I made a second great pasta dish using ramps this past week, which I will be posting soon.  I love ramps in the springtime.  Once Passover ends, I plan to  make my famous ricotta-ramp ravioli. Another nice thing about spring is the emergence of fruit pies and canning.  I'll be starting my jamming in the next couple of weeks with a cantaloupe jam and a strawberry-rhubarb jam.  I'm counting the days until I can get strawberries and rhubarb at the farmer's market.  I can't wait to make a strawberry rhubarb pie as well!


Sasha's Asparagus Goat Cheese Ravioli
Pasta Dough (recipe from Mario Batali)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
five eggs
2 T tomato paste

Sasha's Ravioli Filling
bunch of asparagus, cooked lightly and pureed in a food processor
1 egg
10 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Sage Brown Butter Sauce
15-20 sage leaves
6 T butter

To make the pasta dough, place the eggs and a mixer with the tomato paste and blend for a minute or two.  Then add the flour all at once and beat until a dough just forms.  If you need to you can add a tablespoon of water.  A dough won't fully come together in the mixer, as you will need to pull it together into four balls with your hands.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes.

Roll the dough with your pasta maker to about a 6 or a 7 depending on your machine.  Press in ravioli press using your filling.  To make the filling, cook the asparagus in boiling water until it is just tender, and still a vibrant green in color.  Puree in a food processor and mix with an egg and 10 oz of goat cheese using a fork.  Season with salt and pepper, and add a little but of red pepper flakes if you prefer a little heat.  I left those out for this time.

Once you make the ravioli, allow to dry on a rack for about an hour.  Cook the ravioli in boiling water for about five minutes and remove using a strainer.  Place in the sauce directly.  I made a sage brown butter sauce.  Melt the butter over medium heat until it just browns, with the sage leaves.  The lovely crisp sage leaves lend delicious flavor to this simple sauce.

Sasha's Kitchen: Asparagus Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Sasha's Kitchen: Banana Cream Pie

I've been itching to make a strawberry rhubarb pie, just as soon as they both come into season at the local farmer's market, or at least a rhubarb tart and some strawberry-rhubarb jam too, using my canning supplies.  But neither is ready just yet (rhubarb will precede strawberries) so in the meantime, I made a non-seaosnal pie that works just as well any time of year, a banana cream pie.  This was really delicious, and light and fluffy.  I followed Martha Stewart's recipe from her pie book, and the result was quite enjoyable.


Crust (from Pies and Tarts by Martha Stewart)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 stick of butter, cold cut into pieces
1/8 plus 1 T ice cold water

Banana Cream Pie (from Pies and Tarts by Martha Stewart)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 T cold, unsalted butter
3 large bananas, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly crosswise
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
shaved chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder for topping

To make the crust, follow Martha's half recipe for pate brisee.  Pulse the flour, salt and sugar in a stand mixer.  Add the chunks of butter and pulse until mixture resembles a course meal.  Drizzle 1/8 cup of water over the mixture and pulse until it just holds together.  If needed you can add another T or two of water - I added one more tablespoon myself.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for about 45 minutes.

Roll out the dough and line a circular 8 inch pie plate.  Trim the edges and crimp to form a nice pie shell.  Use pie weights on top of the crust to bake, since you are doing a "blind bake" without any fruit and don't want the shell to puff up.  Chill the pie for twenty minutes though before baking.  Preheat the oven to 425 and bake until the pie begins to turn gold, 15-18 minutes.  Then, reduce the heat to 350  and bake another twenty minutes.  Allow to cool completely, and remove the pie weights.

Make the filling.  Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan and whisk in the milk over medium high heat, stirring constantly until bubbling and thick, about seven minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, and add the milk mixture.  Whisk until combined.  return to saucepan and cook over medium heat for another two minutes until it returns to a boil, stirring constantly.  Pour through a sieve to strain.  Add butter and stir until melted.  Fold in bananas and pour into crust.  Then allow to chill for four hours.  In a chilled bowl, beat together the cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form, using the whisk attachment of your mixer.  Shape topping on top of pie using a spatula.  Top with chocolate shavings of powdered cocoa.

Sasha's Kitchen: Banana Cream Pie

Sasha's Kitchen: Chicken Parmesan

I made this classic Italian dish with my husband a couple weeks ago.  It's surprisingly the first time I made chicken parmesan, and it came out really well.  They key, I think, was breading it with a mixture of parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs.  The exterior was nice and crispy and cheesy too.  I used fresh mozzarella and put it under the broiler to finish off the chicken.  This was a pretty east dish to make, the most involved part being making your own pasta sauce.  It requires a little coordination, but the great result is totally worth it.

Sasha's Chicken Parmesan
Package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans organic whole tomatoes
1 T fresh oregano
1/2 T fresh thyme
1 onion, diced
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
four cloves of garlic, diced
pasta
sliced mozzarella cheese

Mix the panko and parmesan cheese.  Season the eggs with salt and pepper, and beat.  Coat the chicken in the egg and cover with the bread crumb mixture.  Pan fry on all sides until browned in about three tablespoons of canola oil.  Then bake in the oven to ensure that the chicken is cooked through.  Top with sliced mozzarella and place under the broiler for about two minutes.  Serve by placing the chicken on top of the pasta and sauce.

To make the sauce, saute the chopped onion for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic and saute another two minutes.  Blend the tomatoes until smooth in a blender and add the tomatoes.  Add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil, then simmer about twenty minutes until the sauce reaches the right consistency - smooth and flavorful, but not too runny.  Add the balsamic vinegar after cooking is complete.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chicken Parmesan

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Devil's Food Caramel Cupcakes

I made these delicious cupcakes straight out of the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and they were delicious.  The frosting is a light caramel frosting that gets its flavor from brown sugar, rather than from a complex caramelization process.  The Devil's Food chocolate batter results in a light and delicious cupcake.  The recipe in the cookbook makes two dozen, but I cut it in half and made just one which was plenty for our purposes.  I haven't been baking much the past couple weeks but these were a hit.  Tomorrow, I'll turn my focus back to pies, and I'll be making a banana cream pie.  I recently stocked up on my canning supplies and purchased a new Martha Stewart pie book at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, as spring nears - time for fun fruit canning and pies on the horizon.  I can't wait for the first rhubarb jam and strawberry rhubarb pie of the season.  I'm also itching for ramps to be in season already too!

Magnolia Bakery's Devil's Food Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting (from this cookbook)
recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes (I recommend halving)
2 cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs (I used two when I halved the other ingredients)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting (here's the half recipe, sufficient for 1 dozen)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 T dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Now to make the cupcakes, combine the dry ingredients for the cupcakes in a bowl.  Cream the butter with the two sugars in the mixer and add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine.  Slowly alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients and then add in the vanilla.  Beat until smooth and combined.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 25 minutes or so at 325 until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Beat together the butter and sugars for the frosting and slowly beat in the milk, corn syrup and vanilla.  It should take a good 3 or 4 minutes to get a creamy, smooth frosting when beating in your stand mixer at high speed. 

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Devil's Food Caramel Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Rigatoni with Broccoli and Turkey Sausage

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of weeks.  Life has been getting in the way of both cooking and writing, but I do have a backlog of some delicious meals and desserts to share.  I hope to be getting back into the swing of things a bit more.  I've made some good pasta dishes recently.  I'm looking forward to ramps coming back into season so I can make my ramp ricotta ravioli, but this Martha Stewart/Emeril dish I tried out with broccoli came out so good I made it twice.  I was tempted to leave out the anchovies/anchovy paste, but the recipe warned against doing that so I left it in, and it was the secret ingredient that made the dish delicious.

Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage (from Everyday Food)
coarse Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 lb rigatoni
2 head broccoli cut into florets (about four cups)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
4 anchovy filets, minced into a paste (I used 1 tsp anchovy paste)
1 lb sweet italian turkey sausage, casings removed
parmesan, grated for serving

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package instructions (about ten minutes, total).  In the last 2-3 minutes of cooking add the broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp-tender.  Reserve one cup of the pasta water and grain pasta and broccoli.

In a small bowl, whisk together the zest, lemon juice, oil, garlic, anchovy paste, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the sausage to pot and cook over medium high, breaking up meat, until browned and cooked though - about eight to ten minutes.  Return pasta and broccoli to the pot and add the oil mixture and toss to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats the pasta (I used about half a cup of the pasta water).  Serve with parmesan cheese.

Sasha's Kitchen: Rigatoni with Broccoli and Turkey Sausage

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Tacos with Charred Tomatillo Pepper Relish

I made this delicious recipe for tacos from star chef Sam Talbot's cookbook, The Sweet Life.  The flavoring for these beef tacos is excellent, and pairs well with the roasted tomatillo pepper relish, as I just love tomatillos.  I substituted pimentos for jalapenos so there would be just a slight bit of heat, rather than a fiery taco.  The end result was delicious.  Also, I doubled the recipe for the relish and recommend doing the same, so I wrote it up as I actually made it.

Tomatillo-Pepper Relish (adapted from Sam Talbot)
1 cup diced tomatillos
8 jarred pepperoncini peppers, drained and seeded, thinly sliced
4 pimentos, sliced
juice of two limes
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Beef (adapted from Sam Talbot)
2 T canola oil
1 small vidalia onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
6 garlic cloves, diced
1 T cumin
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 1/2 tsp old bay seasoning
1 1/2 tsp chile powder
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 lb lean ground beef
2 T crushed canned tomatoes
salt and pepper

Tacos
corn tortillas (6 inch)
shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup diced tomato
2 lime wedges
sour cream
jack or cheddar cheese, shredded

To make the salsa, roast the peppers for 30 minutes at 450 and combine with the other ingredients.  Prepare the meat by sautéing the onion and celery for about five minutes until soft in canola oil.  Add the spices, garlic and canned tomato and saute another minute.  Then add the ground beef and cook through. 

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Tacos with Charred Tomatillo Pepper Relish

Sasha's Kitchen: Lamb Meatballs

I came up with this delicious recipe for ancho chile flavored lamb meatballs the other night which was just perfect.  The little delicious meatballs are perfect as either a main course for two, or as an appetizer at a party.  I like serving them with some pomegranate seeds as a garnish in a martini glass for some extra pizzaz.  The sweet potato adds flavor, moisture and a bit of color to these delicious meatballs.  Remember to make them small - they are cuter that way!

Sasha's Lamb Meatballs
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ancho chile powder
3/4 of a small sweet potato, grated
1 lb ground lamb
3 scallions, minced
1 1/2 tsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp finely peeled ginger
1/4 tsp kosher salt
pomegranate seeds (as a garnish)

Combine all of the above ingredients and work them into the meat.  You can either pan cook the meatballs in a bit of oil, and then bake them through for about 15 minutes, or bake them for about 40 minutes at 350.  Serve with a garnish of pomegranate seeds.

Sasha's Kitchen: Lamb Meatballs

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones

I made these delicious breakfast and/or dessert scones a few weeks ago since I was able to score some delicious strawberries, even in the dead of winter.  The recipe comes from Alice's Tea Cup's cookbook, which is one of my favorite places in Manhattan to go for scones.  They are always a treat in any flavor!

Alice's Tea Cup's Strawberry-Chocolate Chop Scones
Makes about 12-14 scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  With clean hands work in the butter until thoroughly incorporated and has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.  Add the strawberries and chocolate and combine well.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk and vanilla.  Combine the mixture but do not knead.  Pat the dough to make a rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Cut the scones into 3/12 to 4 inch wedges.  Lay on a non-stick baking sheet and brush liberally with the cream, sprinkling some sugar on top.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones

From Amasea's Kitchen in Sun Valley: Mini Chicken Pot Pies for deep winter

My poor husband.
He's camping outdoors with students at his school for the next two nights, and we just had our first snow in weeks. And it wasn't even a light snow -- four-plus inches, with temps dropping tonight to 15, more snow expected tonight and tomorrow, and a low tomorrow night of 9. Yep, that's single digits.
All this chilly, we're-not-out-of-winter-yet weather calls for comfort food, and what's more comforting than chicken pot pie? But because it'll be just me for the next few days, I didn't want to make a whole pie. Instead, last night I found a new use for my ramekins.

I started by thawing two Marie Callendar's frozen pie crusts. I know how to make crust, but time was tight and I just wanted to get cracking on the filling. I'd also thawed two chicken breasts (from Costco -- they come in six separately packaged pairs, so you can easily thaw a few at a time), then cut them into about 1-inch cubes. In hindsight, I think I'd probably cut the chicken smaller, but that might be less of an issue if you're making a big pie instead of little ones.

I cut three medium-sized red carrots into smaller pieces, about 3/4-inch square, and put the carrots and chicken in boiling water until they were cooked through, about 15 minutes. These were drained and set aside, then I rinsed out the pot to reuse it for the next step. I lowered the heat to a little less than medium, melted a cube of butter, and added a diced onion, fresh-ground black pepper to taste, about a tablespoon of red pepper flakes (which was noticeable but not overwhelming in the finished product, so adjust to your taste) and about half a tablespoon of celery seed (mine is a little old, so if yours is fresh, use less). I cooked until the onion got soft and transparent. The butter ended up getting a little too bubbly and brown, so I probably should have turned the heat down a little more.

Into the same pot, I added about half a cup of flour, 2 cups of chicken broth, 1/3 cup half-and-half and 2/3 cup milk, a cup or so of frozen peas and a cup or so of canned corn. This mixture will thicken pretty quickly, so stir frequently and keep an eye on. I kept it warm until the peas were almost thawed. Then I tasted, and added a little salt, but you might not need to add any if your broth is saltier than mine.

The crust split as it thawed, so I mushed it back together at the splits, tore off pieces, and lined the ramekins -- it was quite the cut-and-paste job -- leaving whole pieces aside to be the tops of the pies. At the end, I didn't have enough unbroken pieces to top all the pies, so I balled together the bits left over and rolled them out with a rolling pin. Worked beautifully, though be careful not to overwork the dough, because it will lose its awesome flakiness.

A few tablespoons of the filling went into each mini pie, then I pressed the cover crust onto and over the edges, poking a few knife holes into each to vent. I baked these at 425 for about 45 minutes, or until the crust was golden, then let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I got a pretty good critique, too: My husband gave me two thumbs up, because he didn't want to stop eating long enough to actually comment! I hope the comfort stays with him through the next two cold, snow days...

From Amasea's Kitchen in Sun Valley: Mini Chicken Pot Pies for deep winter

Sasha's Kitchen: Twice Baked Cheese Souffle

I love a good souffle, whether its a savory one or a sweet dessert souffle.  I've made a cheese souffle in the past, and was eager to try this recipe for a twice-baked cheese souffle from acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse.  The end result was a delicious cheese souffle dish that made for an excellent main course.  This brings back a little taste of Paris for me.

Twice-Baked Cheese Souffle with Parmesan Cream (adapted from this recipe)
souffle
6 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1 cup milk
1/2 cup comte cheese, grated (similar to Gruyere)
salt and pepper
four large eggs, separated

parmesan cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated comte cheese
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 before you start.  It needs to be hot and ready when the souffle first goes in.  Butter an eight inch rectangular baking pan and dust with parmesan.  In a saucepan, melt the six tablespoons of butter and add the flour and garlic and cook for about two minutes to make a roux.  Addd the milk and whisk until thickened, about two minutes.  Discard the garlic clove.  Add the comte cheese and half a cup of parmesan and season with the salt and pepper.  Whisk or puree until smooth.  I didn't have a need to puree it at all.  Add the yolks and combine until smooth.

Place the whites in a stand mixer with a whisk attachments.  Beat at high speed until soft peaks form.  Thoroughly fold in the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Bake for thirty minutes until risen and golden.    Let souffle cool for ten minutes and then invert on baking sheet and broil for about thirty seconds to a minute until golden.

While the souffle is first cooking, prepare the parmesan cream.  Bring the cream and milk to a boil in a saucepan.  Add the cheeses and let stand for five minutes, then process until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and put on top of the souffle.

Sasha's Kitchen: Twice Baked Cheese Souffle

Sasha's Kitchen: Goat Cheese-Roasted Pepper Ravioli

I love making my own ravioli so here's my latest batch.  I made this for Valentine's Day so I made it the pasta dough a lovely shade of pink using tomato paste.  The newest, latest and greatest ravioli flavor I came up was goat cheese, roasted pepper ravioli which was just a lovely food combination.  As usual, I produced these en masse and made six dozen so plenty went into the freezer for no-cooking nights. This is a great romantic meal that is worth the effort that goes into it.  My husband absolutely loved these!

Pink Tomato Ravioli Dough (from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano)
3 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs
2 T tomato paste

Sasha's Goat Cheese-Roasted Pepper Ravioli
11/4 cups roasted red, yellow and orange peppers, pureed in a food processor
10.5 oz goat cheese
15 oz part skim milk ricotta cheese
1/3 tsp red pepper flakes

To make the dough, put the eggs in your stand mixer and beat for a minute to scramble.  Then add all the flour and tomato paste at once and mix into a dough.  Divide into four balls and wrap in plastic wrap.  Allow to rest for an hour before using.

Roll the dough to 6 or 7 thinness using your pasta machine.  Using a ravioli press, press into ravioli.  This recipe should make about six dozen as each sheet makes 12 at once.  Allow to dry for about an hour on a drying rack before placing the drying rack in a freezer.  Once they are frozen you can put them in freezer bags.  To cook place in salted boiling water and cook about five minutes.

Sasha's Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
2 cans organic whole tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes
2 red, orange or yellow peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
four cloves of garlic, minced
fresh thyme to taste (I used about 5 branches)
fresh oregano to taste (I used about a tablespoon)
salt and pepper to taste
1 T balsamic vinegar

Dice the onions, pepper and add the herbs and garlic and saute in three tablespoons of olive oil for a few minutes.  Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer for a half an hour.  When the simmering has concluded, stir in the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Sasha's Kitchen: Goat Cheese-Roasted Pepper Ravioli

Sasha's Kitchen: Southern Pimento Deviled Eggs

I made these southern-style deviled eggs a couple weeks ago as an appetizer for some southern roasted peanut soup (which was amazing, I might add).  The pimento was a lovely touch.  I used this snazzy gadget that one of my co-workers got me a few months ago as part of a secret santa to determine when they eggs were hard boiled (it also tells you when they are soft boiled and medium boiled as well).  At any rate, I absolutely love peppadew (pimento) peppers and love using them in different recipes from these deviled eggs to mac and cheese.

Sasha's Pimento Deviled Eggs
6 large organic eggs, hard boiled
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 T chopped scallions
1/4 cup lowfat mayonnaise
8 sliced peppadew peppers

To make these deviled eggs, hard boil the eggs and allow to cool.  Peel the shells (which I always find tricky and not so much fun) and slice lengthwise.  Scoop out the yolks.  Combine the yolks with the mayonnaise, mustard, scallions and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper.  Using a fluted pastry tip (the same kind you would use to pipe cupcake icing) pipe the mixture back into the center of each egg white.  Top with sliced peppadew peppers.

Sasha's Kitchen: Southern Pimento Deviled Eggs

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Stout Brownies

Brownies are one of the best sweet comfort foods of all time.  As a member of ShopRite's blog panel, I had received a huge bag of delicious chocolate chips and other baking supplies that came in handy when making this delicious recipe that I found in the recent Bon Appetit magazine for chocolate stout brownies that I made for the Super Bowl party that we went to for the now Championship NY Giants (whoo-hoo).  The stout adds a nice, rich flavor to the brownies, similar to the way it did when I made my chocolate stout cupcakes awhile back. These are just pure chocolatey goodness!  I adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit a bit and eliminated the frosting, because quite frankly they don't need anything else.  These are fudgy, chewy, moist and amazing.

Chocolate Stout Brownies (adapted from this recipe)
1 cup chocolate stout (I used local Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout, but you could also use Guinness)
16 oz Shoprite chocolate chips
2 sticks uf unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

First, boil the stout, and reduce one cup to half a cup of stout.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a 9 x 9 metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang.  Bring the stout to a boil in a medium sauce pan and cook until reduced to half a cup, about twelve minutes.  Allow to cool.

Stir 12 oz of the chocolate chips and two sticks of butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (like a double boiler).  until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl to blend, and then gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture.  Add about 1/4 plus 2 T of the stout from the pan, then fold in the flour and the salt.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until the surface begins to crack and a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least twenty minutes before slicing.  No glaze needed!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Stout Brownies

Sasha's Kitchen: Turkey Paillards with Cranberry Piccata Sauce

This dish reminded me of an offbeat Thanksgiving dinner, but its really perfect anytime of year.  I bought thinly sliced turkey paillards from FreshDirect, so I really did not need to pound them.  The flavors for this recipe combined quite nicely together and it was a perfect weekend meal.  It's another recipe from my Sam Talbot cookbook that I have previously written about and have enjoyed.  His shirataki noodle recipes are really my favorite and I plan on trying another one of his shirataki recipes next week.  Even my pug Dakota wanted a taste of this one.  Just a note - I left out the capers from this one.  Feel free to add them in if you prefer.  There's a few foods I won't touch with a ten foot pole and capers are one of them.

Turkey Paillards with Cranberry Piccata Sauce (from Sam Talbot)
Cranberry piccata sauce
1 medium bulb pennel cored and sliced with stalks discarded
3 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 bunch of celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp pennel seeds
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup fresh cranberries (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup hand-torn flat leaf parsley
1 to 2 T stevia extract or agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pink peppercorns
2 T unsalted butter

Turkey paillards
1/2 cup soy milk (I used soy milk rather than whole milk as the recipe called for)
2 organic eggs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 oz slices turkey breasts (I used about a pound and a half)

To make the sauce, preheat the oven to 450.  Spread the fennel on a baking sheet and drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil.  Bake about six minutes until browned on all sides.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions, celery and fennel seeds and cook until the onions and celery are translucent, about two minutes.  Add the white wine and cook for two minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This deglazes the pan.  Add the toasted fennel, cranberries sweetener, (I used agave nectar) pink pepper and butter and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan and heat and set aside.

To cook the paillards, in a large bowl, whisk together the soy moil and eggs to make a wash.  In a second bowl, combine the almond flour, panko and cheese.  Dip the turkey in the egg mixture and then into the breading mixture.  In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium high heat.  Add the turkey and pan fry until golden brown about two to three minutes on each side.  Then place in the oven at 350 and cook for a bit longer to make sure the turkey is cooked through.

Serve the turkey paillards topped with the cranberry piccata sauce.

Sasha's Kitchen: Turkey Paillards with Cranberry Piccata Sauce

Sasha's Kitchen: Asian Style Sesame Chicken Wings

I found this recipe online and it made for a delicious batch of chicken wings.  I actually made it a second time over the weekend and used chicken drumsticks and breasts (bone in) and it was equally delicious.  It's a perfect combination of sweet, garlicky, sesame oil and chile for just a bit of smoky heat, for a yummy asian inspired chicken wings. This is also a quite easy meal to make with chicken as well - and perfect for game day!  Happy Valentines's Day to all my readers here on A Kitchen In Brooklyn

Asian Style Chicken Wings (from this recipe)
4 pounds chicken wings
1 T toasted sesame oil
2 T smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
4-6 turns freshly ground black pepper
cilantro for garnish (optional)
2 T toasted sesame seeds
2 lime wedges for garnish (optional)
3 T peanut oil (I used canola oil instead)
4 fresh cloves garlic, diced
2 T sriracha hot sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 400. Place the wings under cold water and pat dry.  Drizzle the wings with toasted sesame oil and toss so coated evenly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and paprika and roast for 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and the meat is tender.

While the wings are cooking, place a small sauce pan over medium heat and add the canola oil and garlic.  Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sriracha sauce, honey and soy sauce.  Bring to a simmer an cook 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.  Turn off the heat.

Once the wings are done, place in a large mixing bowl and pour the glaze over them.  Toss to coat well.  Place on a large platter and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds as a garnish.  You can also garnish with lime and/or cilantro.

Sasha's Kitchen: Asian Style Sesame Chicken Wings

Sasha's Kitchen: Pink Lingerie Cupcakes

I was feeling inspired the night before the Super Bowl last weekend to make some new cupcakes.  As a big Giants fan, one would assume it would be to make Giants cupcakes to cheer on my team.  But alas, it was not.  I've wanted for some time to make pink lingerie cupcakes, a nice girly theme for some cute cupcakes. So along with some chocolate stout brownies, this was my dessert for the Super Bowl party that we went to last weekend. I used gum paste, which is similar to fondant to make the decorations - corsets (or bustiers) and pink string bikinis.  I dyed the gum paste bright pink and rolled it out using a rolling pin.  Then I cut out the shapes for the corsets and bikinis and added that to the frosted cupcakes.  I made a small batch of black icing and piped on the detail using a thin tip.  This would of course be perfect for a girl's night out, or a bridal shower, or just some plain old cupcake creativity on a Saturday night!  See the fun pictures below. If you are looking to make the chocolate cupcakes, the recipe can be found on my blog here or here on the Shoprite blog.

Sasha's Kitchen: Pink Lingerie Cupcakes