Eggplant Parmesan September 30, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Eggplant Parmesan 2015-09-30 16:33:02 Print Eggplant Parmesan 2 medium eggplants, about 1 1/2 lbs. (675 g) cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices olive oil, about 3 T. kosher salt Red Pepper Tomato Sauce (recipe below, or whatever tomato sauce you love) Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated Breadcrumb Topping 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 T. olive oil 1/2 t. kosher salt pepper to taste Red Pepper – Tomato Sauce 2 red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded 2 beefsteak tomatoes (to yield about 2 cups chopped) water, about 1/2 cup kosher salt freshly cracked pepper fresh basil leaves, (1/4 to 1/2 cup loosely packed) 2 T. butter, room temperature 1-2 T. olive oil Eggplant Parmesan Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment then drizzle some oil over top and spread out with your hand. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer — use two baking sheets if necessary. Season generously with salt and pepper. Flip the slices, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle more olive oil over top. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven, flip slices, bake for 15 more minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, toss breadcrumbs with 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 T. oil, salt and pepper. Set aside. Into a circular gratin dish (about 9 inches in diameter) or a 9-by-9-inch or similar baking pan, spoon a small amount of sauce, then add a thin scattering of Parmigiano, then a single layer of eggplant. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a little sauce and a sprinkling of parmigiano. Top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake until eggplant mixture is bubbly and top is golden, 25 minutes or so depending on size of pan and thickness of layers. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Recipe can also be reheated. Red Pepper Tomato Sauce Dice the peppers. Depending on the size, you will have about 2 cups. Place in a medium-sized saucepan or pot. Dice the tomatoes. Again, depending on the size you should have about 2 cups. Add to the pot. Pour in 1/2 cup water and turn heat to high. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I have been using about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then turn heat down to medium high. Set a timer for 25 minutes. After about five minutes, the tomatoes and peppers will begin to release their juices, and the whole mixture should be bubbling. Adjust the heat if necessary so that the mixture stays at a constant bubble — medium to medium-high should do it. Stir every five minutes or so to make sure the tomatoes and peppers are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If they are, add water by the 1/4 cup. After about 25 minutes or more or less — when the peppers and tomatoes are tender and nearly all of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes and peppers are beginning to stick to pot — add the basil to the pot, give it a stir, then transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add as much butter and olive oil as you like. Blend again until smooth. Taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen / Jamie Oliver Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen / Jamie Oliver Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Batter Up! by Judy Fitzgerald September 30, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment batter /ˈbætə/ noun a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, used to make cakes, pancakes, etc, and to coat certain foods before frying Not to be confused with… Batter up! (baseball) (Used by an umpire to invite the next batter to the batter’s box, especially at the beginning of a half-inning.) The noun “batter” takes me back to my childhood days with my mother, Sally, teaching me and my two younger sisters, Diane and Susie, how to make batter for cakes, cookies and breads. Not to be mistaken with the baseball umpire terminology used by my dad Geno and brother Steve! To this day, I recall pulling out my Mom’s recipe box packed with all of her handwritten recipes. We had recipe books, but I thought the best ones, collected and saved for many years, came right out of the recipe box. I would go straight to the “Desserts and Baked Goods” divider in the box, thumbing through each and every individual recipe to decide which sweet treat would be chosen for the week. My two sisters would often join me in this ritual which generally began in the fall and continued through the cold winter months inside of our Madison, WI family home. Our kitchen was usually stocked with just the right ingredients for most of these recipes. We often baked a cake, bread, or pies but thousands of homemade cookies came out of our oven on Sunday afternoons in anticipation of packing lunches for the week ahead. We always included something sweet for our home packed lunches. With four kids in our household, that meant A LOT of hand packed lunches everyday, every week, year after year. My dad and brother loved participating in “quality control.” One of my favorite things to bake for lunches or to give away were what we referred to in our household as “quick breads.” Some of these homemade favorites included Pumpkin, Banana, Zucchini and Rhubarb. We made several mini size loaves, which included frosting or a sprinkling of a sugar, butter and cinnamon topping. After just the right amount of time in the oven (always tested doneness of our baking with a toothpick), we allowed them to cool and then wrapped each one individually in foil and finished with a bow to give away as gifts for any holiday, birthday or whatever else we deemed was a reason to give a homemade sweet treat. So as we head into the Fall 2015 baking season, I flashback to the fall baking of my childhood days and have included a time-tested favorite recipe for Pumpkin Bread. It is shown here as originally written on my duplicate recipe card. My duplicate copy didn’t have step by step instructions. You see, after all those years, we had the steps memorized! Batter Up! and Enjoy Pumpkin Bread 2015-09-29 19:17:25 Print Pumpkin Bread 4 eggs 3 cups sugar 1 cup oil ¾ cup water 3 ½ cups flour 1 ½ t. salt 2 t. baking soda ½ t. baking powder 3 t. cinnamon 1 t. ground cloves 1 t. nutmeg 1 - 16 oz can pumpkin Frosting 2 T. melted butter 3 – 4 t. brewed coffee 1 cup powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla Instructions Preheat oven to 325. Mix all bread ingredients and pour into 3-4 small loaf pans. Bake for one hour. Mix together frosting ingredients and frost cake while still warm! By Judy Fitzgerald Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Broccoli Salad with Cumin and Lemon Juice September 22, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Broccoli Salad with Cumin and Lemon Juice 2015-09-22 17:14:12 Print Ingredients 3 cups chopped broccoli 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 T. finely chopped cilantro 1 t. ground cumin 3 T. extra virgin olive oil juice from 1 lemon salt & pepper to taste Instructions Wash and chop the broccoli to about 1/2" pieces. Place broccoli pieces in large non-reactive bowl. In small bowl whisk garlic, cilantro, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over broccoli and let sit at least 1 hour. Enjoy! By Diane Sibon Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Cheddar Cheese Puffs September 17, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Cheddar Cheese Puffs 2015-09-17 11:17:53 Yields 36 Print Ingredients 1 stick (8 T.) unsalted butter, cut into pieces ½ t. salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 large eggs, room temperature 1 ½ t. dry mustard ¼ t. cayenne pepper 1 ½ cups (about 6 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. In a medium-size heavy saucepan, combine 1 cup water, butter and salt, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough starts to pull away from sides of pan and form a lump. Set aside, without stirring, 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. With each addition, dough will look glossy and slick at first; let it come together before adding next egg. Mix in mustard, cayenne and cheese. Dough will be quite loose and sticky. Scoop up a heaping teaspoon of dough and use another spoon to scrape it onto lined pan; it should form a mound about an inch in diameter. Alternatively, use a pastry bag or thick plastic bag with one corner cut off, to pipe small mounds onto pan. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving 1/2 inch between puffs. Bake until puffy and golden, about 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove from oven and serve immediately, or turn oven off and open door slightly to keep puffs warm up to 1 hour. Notes Cheddar replaces the more traditional Gruyère, Roquefort or Parmigiano-Reggiano in this French recipe for gougères. The Cheddar performs admirably. By Judy Fitzgerald Adapted from Julia Moskin Adapted from Julia Moskin Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Stovetop Granola September 15, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Stovetop Granola 2015-09-15 19:12:39 Print Ingredients 1 T. olive oil 4 cups rolled oats, not instant 1/3 cup butter 2 T. honey 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped almonds 1/3 cup dried cranberries Instructions Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add oats, cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove oats and spread on rimmed cookie sheet to cool. Melt butter in same pan over medium heat. Stir in honey and brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Return oats to pan. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Pour onto cookie sheet and spread to cool. Once cool, add cranberries and nuts. Notes This is a great snack any time of day, but it also makes a yummy and healthy topping for fruit and yogurt for breakfast. By Carolyn Raber Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/