Winter Fruit Bread January 13, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Winter Fruit Bread 2015-01-13 11:16:03 Print Ingredients 1¼ cup chopped pitted Medjool dates ¾ cup chopped candied orange peel 1/3 cup chopped dried Mission figs 2 oz. Frangelico 1¾ cup all-purpose flour 2 t. baking powder 1 t. kosher salt ½ t. ground nutmeg ½ t. ground cloves ¼ t. ground cinnamon ½ cup whole-milk yogurt 2 T. olive oil ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature ¾ cup sugar 3 eggs 2 cups chopped walnuts ¾ cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8½ x 4½ x 2½ -inch metal loaf pans; dust with flour and set aside. Combine dates, candied orange, figs, and Frangelico in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder, coarse kosher salt, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon into another medium bowl. Whisk yogurt and oil in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with yogurt mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in walnuts, pistachios, and dried-fruit mixture. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops. Bake breads until tester inserted into centers comes out clean and breads begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 50 minutes. Cool in pans 30 minutes. Turn breads out onto racks. Notes *Any combination of dried fruit will work *Delicious made ahead - this just keeps getting better and better as it sits or if frozen *Serve with honey butter By Kelly Sears Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Dreaming of Summer by Maureen McHugh January 12, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment It happens every January; as the calendar flips to the New Year, my husband and I know that it is time for more green shakes and mindful eating. We drink green shakes year-round, but in the depths of winter, we reinvigorate our routine. Steve rises first and packs the Vitamix with his “special recipe” and I enjoy it as I make our morning cups of coffee. It’s a great way to start the day feeling more balanced and healthy. When the first cold snap hits, we start our annual routine of cooking hearty soups, stews and chilis. Yum! But after last week’s bone-chilling snap, I yearned for a taste from my garden. Thank goodness I had tucked away some of my late summer harvest in my freezer. Maureen’s Warm Winter Gazpacho I pulled out one of my favorite summer recipes from Leah Eskin, which I clipped from the pages of the Chicago Tribune a few summers ago: Roasted Gazpacho. Instead of serving cold, I warm it up and it reminds me of a summer dinner out on our porch. I use my Vitamix and give my Le Creuset a little vacation. The process is quick and the results are great; the soup is warm and is ready to serve straight from the blender. (The 750 model has a soup preset; your soup will be smooth without having to strain the seeds) I serve the soup with warm crusty crostini and a garnish of cilantro. This soup is sophisticated with flavors of fresh roasted tomatoes, red peppers and southwestern spices. We feel just as virtuous feasting on this warming soup as we do sipping our green shakes in the morning. Everyone at the table dreams of summer and makes ambitious plans for what to plant once the ground has thawed. Roasted Gazpacho for Summer or Winter 2015-01-12 10:15:52 Serves 6 Print Ingredients 2.5 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 scallions, coarsely chopped 1 red pepper, coarsely chopped ¼ cup olive oil 2 T. red wine vinegar 1 t. sugar ½ t. sweet smoked paprika ¼ t. ground red pepper 2 T. cilantro, chopped kosher salt freshly ground pepper Instructions Roast: Place tomatoes onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast in a 400-degree oven until tomatoes are splotched black in spots, about 15 -20 minutes. Set tomatoes aside to cool. Blend: Scrape tomatoes and juices into a blender. Add garlic, scallions, red pepper, oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika and ground red pepper. Blend until smooth. Strain: (Optional step depending on the power of your blender) Press through a medium–mesh sieve or food mill and into a bowl to press all the liquid through. Discard seeds. Chill: Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for about 1 hour (Winter Variation…Serve warm (not hot) to let all of the flavors shine) Serve: Pour into bowls. Notes Garnish with cilantro and crostini. By Maureen McHugh Adapted from Leah Eskin, The Chicago Tribune Adapted from Leah Eskin, The Chicago Tribune Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Overnight Oatmeal January 7, 2015 by Jill Foucre 1 Comment Overnight Oatmeal 2015-01-07 15:04:46 Print Ingredients 1 cup steel cut oats 1 cup dried cranberries 1 cup dried figs 4 cups water 1/2 cup half-and-half Sliced Almonds (optional) Instructions In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and set to low heat. Cover and cook for 8 hours. Stir and remove to serving bowls. Start right before bed and your oatmeal will be finished when you wake up. Notes Wonderful garnished with sliced almonds! By Jill Foucre Adapted from Alton Brown Adapted from Alton Brown Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Shaping Your Culinary Style by Kelly Sears January 6, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Every year, shortly after Santa returns to the North Pole to retire the sleigh, my husband, two dogs, and I make our pilgrimage to the north woods. We escape to where the air is crisper, the sky is clearer and the stars brighter. The dog walks are long, the fires warming; we read, watch movies, and do our best to unplug as we recharge, regroup, and recommit. The hourglass flips, positioning full back on top, and as the first grains of sand slip through the narrow passage, I think it’s only human nature to revisit your personal T-bar, reevaluating the positive and negative in hopes of restoring balance. Somewhere between the first self-imposed question and the last is usually, “Am I happy doing what I do?” I teach to empower others, to help you find your culinary style. My job is to ensure you have the tools, the knowledge, and the confidence to put yourself out on that plate. The litany of phrases I use in a class, “a recipe is only a guideline, taste and adjust, stir like you mean it, find the balance;” hints and tricks meant to rub two sticks together and start a spark; to help you build your plate that uses your culinary words. Without knowing it, we tell a story through the food we create. It’s personal, it’s impassioned, and it has meaning. The food I cook reflects who I am, speaking to my entire life’s experiences. Cooking as a whole evolves slowly, influenced by every brush with a new ingredient, new experience, new cuisine, new technique. When you set a finished plate in front of someone, you’re speaking through your culinary voice. Kelly’s Winter Pork & Chorizo Stew My voice developed from Sundays. My mom would start early, pull out the Dutch oven, and over the rustling of the Sunday paper, the air heavy with brewed coffee and eggs fried in butter, to the soundtrack of the NFL, magic would happen in that pot. Dinner would be ladled, not plated; the vessel a big bowl, not a plate, the utensil a spoon, not a fork; the first words in the making of my culinary voice. This year, on your positive side of the T-bar, find time to develop your culinary voice. Lift the lid on your favorite pot, add some salt from a sea-side summer vacation, a bit of sweetness from the juicy bite of a July picked peach, a bit of acid from that surprise reaction you had the first time you tried a really good wine, a splash of your past, a pinch of your present, and a dash of all things in between. My job is to help you learn to tell your story and yes, the answer is I love doing what I do. Let yourself be influenced by that new ingredient, that new cuisine, that new technique. Along the way, your voice may shout too loud, or whisper too soft; taste and adjust, find the balance. When you set your finished plate in front of someone, speak through your culinary voice. Tell your story. Be personal, be impassioned, give it meaning. Your culinary voice is as tasty as you make it, take big bites. Winter Pork & Chorizo Stew 2015-01-06 09:50:24 Print Ingredients 3 T. butter 1 pound pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 (4-oz) chorizo sausages cut into 1/2-inch slices 1 large onion, diced 1⁄2 celery root (celeriac), diced 3 parsnips, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 t. ground cumin 1 t. cocoa powder 1 t. dried oregano 1⁄2 t. salt 1 t. cinnamon 3 T. flour 3 cups chicken stock or chicken broth 1 cup dark beer or tequila 1 (14 1/2-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15-oz) can white pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 (10-oz) package frozen corn Instructions Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat; add pork, and sear just until browned – not completely cooked through. Remove from pan. Add chorizo and onion and cook until sausage is browned, stirring often. Add garlic, cumin, cocoa, oregano, salt, & cinnamon. Add flour to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes to cook the “flour out.” Add stock, beer, and diced tomatoes collecting all brown bits from meat. Add pork back to the pan and add remaining beans and corn. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer until all flavors have melded and pork is cooked through, about 20 – 30 minutes. By Kelly Sears Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/