Scones, Potato-Leek Soup and Duck Eggs

New Strawberry Scones

We had some guests stay at the cabana who were “in and out”; I think we got to spend ten minutes talking to them!  They arrived a bit late, and left early the next day; he had to be in place between 7-7:15 to take the MCAT – general Medical School entrance exam. I offered to make them a “take-away” breakfast so they would have a good start to the day, and Sally suggested scones. 

 I had strawberries and found a new recipe to try – these turned out great! Much simpler than the previous strawberry scone recipe I've used.

4 cups AP Flour

1/3 cup + 3 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/8 tsp Salt

6 Tbsp unsalted Butter

1 cup chopped Strawberries

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 cup Half & Half

Earlier in the day (4-6 hours) dice the strawberries and place them in a container with 3 Tbsp of sugar and 2/3 – 3/4 cup of cold water. Shake to dissolve the sugar, and refrigerate until ready to make the scones. This gives a chance for the strawberry syrup to develop, so the berries can be prepped even a day ahead. When ready to make the scones, separate the strawberries from the syrup; you should have a bit more than 2/3 cup of liquid reserved -- to give the batter extra flavor.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut the butter into the mixture to get a fine grain texture. Add the strawberries and toss them so they get coated with the flour/butter mixture.

Beat the egg into the half & half, and pour that over the flour/berry mixture, and begin folding the flour/berries into the liquid using a rubber spatula. As things start to combine, add the reserved berry syrup. Continue folding until the mixture comes together into a dough, adding a bit more flour or dairy as needed until you get a firm, not wet, dough.

Use a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the dough onto a parchment covered baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between dollops of dough. Pat the scones down into 5-6” disks about 3/4” thick; you should get six nice large, thick scones. 

 Brush the tops with a bit of milk and add a sprinkle of sugar to get nice crisp tops. Bake 20-30 minutes until GB&D.

Potato Leek Soup

We've had a “cold snap” for the past couple days, and Sally wanted this soup for our Sunday dinner, served with a crispy baguette. It went well for lunch on Monday too!

3 Tbsp Butter

2 Leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped

1-2 sticks Celery, sliced thin

3 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed

2 lbs Potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups (1 box) low sodium Chicken Broth

2 Bay leaves

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp White Pepper

1 cup Half & Half

Precook the potatoes until nearly soft enough to mash. Drain and reserve.

Melt butter in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Do not allow to burn/brown or the garlic will be harsh.

Add the potatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Fish out the bay leaves. Purée the soup with a food processor or immersion blender until smooth – or as smooth as you like it, return to the pot.

Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If too thick, add water or stock to thin it out. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

Duck, Duck, Egg

All these years and I've never had a duck egg! One of Sally's co-workers has Peking ducks which have started laying, and we were gifted with four beautiful eggs. 

The shells and inner membrane were definitely thicker and tougher, and the yolk a bit darker (not dark enough to show difference in a photo though). The eggs were slightly larger than our usual Large chicken eggs, too.

Saturday morning I made our one-egg mushroom omelet-wiches with duck eggs rather than the usual chicken eggs.

Taste-wise the resulting omelets were “richer”. I originally said “more eggy” but Sally didn't like that phrase. If you get the opportunity, get your hands on some duck eggs – you'll be glad you did!

Brussels Sprout & Shrimp Casserole?? Heck yes!!!

Brussels Sprout & Shrimp Casserole?? !!!

I was looking for “something different” for a Sunday casserole with plenty of leftovers for the week. We all love BSprouts, and bacon, and shrimp, so it was a win-win-win situation. 

 This isn't a complicated recipe as long as you take it one step at a time. I will say that, as written, the recipe is a bit bland – but you can fix that with a splash of pepper sauce, or adding some Cajun Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, or anything similar.

12 oz. extra wide Egg Noodles

12 oz thick cut Bacon

1 lb. shredded Brussels Sprouts

3 Tbsp. Butter

3 Tbsp. Flour

1 cup Milk

1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere, Jarlsberg or Emmenthaler cheese

1 lb peeled, chopped 16-20 Shrimp

1 cup Vegetable Oil

2 Shallots, thinly sliced

Shred the Brussels Sprouts - trim off stalk ends and discard; use the medium blade on a box grater to shred them all. Think “Brussels Slaw”. I used the #2?? cutter on our Salad Master.

Peel and slice the shallots very thin, and fry them crispy in the oil (about 10 minutes).

Cook noodles according to package directions and reserve.

Cook the shrimp in a splash of oil until they just start to change color, and reserve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While that's going on...

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, drain on paper towels; cool, chop and reserve.

Add the shredded Brussels sprouts to the bacon grease in the skillet, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl with the bacon. Add the cooked noodles and shrimp to the bowl. Toss everything together to get a good mixture.

Make a Bechemel sauce with butter, flour, milk and the shredded cheese: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook it for a minute or two. Whisk in the milk and let things simmer for a couple minutes. Then remove the thinned roux from the heat and add the cheese and stir to combine. Pour the cheese sauce over everything stir again. Transfer the mixture to a prepared baking dish. Top with the crispy shallots and bake until bubbly and golden, 20-30 minutes.

Two Noodle Chicken Soup

Sally wanted a soup a week or so back, and this is what I came up with as a 'kitchen sink' recipe. I had chicken, buckwheat soba noodles, Pad Thai glass noodles and assorted vegetables

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 oz Soba Noodles

1-2 oz wide Glass Noodles

2 cups assorted vegetables – carrots, celery, cauliflower, bell pepper, mushroom, snow pea pods, etc.

4 cups Chicken Broth or water

Soy Sauce, Toasted Sesame oil, and Hoisin sauce for flavoring

Cook the chicken first until half done, then add the water/broth and bring to a boil. Add the veggies and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes until everything is yummy.

California Vegan Tacos, Sweet Potato Fritters and more

California Vegan Tacos (Cauliflower & Walnut)

My Louisiana chef friend Susanne DuPlantis went to a foodie event out in California recently, where one of the items available for tasting were these strange tacos from the California Walnut Board. She says it only took two martinis (or was it three? Four?) for her to get nerved up to taste these, but she found them delicious!

Well, the concept seemed sound, and I'm always looking for new vegetarian/vegan dishes to try;. but the original recipe called for you to make this complex and time consuming “Mexican” flavored sauce. It also called for 25-30 minutes of roasting the cauliflower.

You know me, I couldn't leave the recipe alone! Here's my version. Pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. And not nearly as time consuming or finicky as the original recipe.

Filling:

1/2 Head Cauliflower, small, chopped

1/2 cup Walnut pieces, chopped

4 Tbsp Olive oil, divided

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning mix*

1/2 cup diced Onion

*A can of Ro*Teltm or a cup of your favorite salsa could also be used to flavor the filling mix.

Fixings:

6 or 8 Corn or Flour Tortillas, warmed

Shredded Cabbage or Lettuce

Cotija cheese, crumbled (any mild white, meltable cheese will work)

Lime Wedges, for squeezing on tacos

Cilantro, black olives, diced Green Chiles or other things you like on your tacos

Disassemble the cauliflower, slicing into flat-ish pieces. Toss cauliflower with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and dust with Chili Powder. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 25 to 30 minutes or broil for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a food processor.

Toss the walnuts with oil and broil them separately for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add to the food processor. Pulse a couple times to give it the consistency and texture of cooked/crumbled ground beef.

Heat a couple of Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in the cauliflower mixture and the Taco Seasoning. Stir to combine, and cook to warm through.

Spoon the mixture into warmed tortillas, top with your favorite ingredients, and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fritters

Our friend Fiona Barnes, from England, pointed out this Bobby Flay recipe to me. His version made brunch sandwiches with ham and poached eggs. Not being fond of runny eggs in any form, I'm using these “fritters” as a dinner side dish; but I'll bet they would make a great breakfast hash drizzled with a bit of maple or cane syrup.

1 large Sweet Potato, peeled and coarsely grated
2 large Eggs, lightly beaten

1/8 cup finely grated Onion
1 Tbsp AP Flour
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
Unsalted Butter, for frying
Canola Oil, for frying
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine 4 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a large bowl and stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the sweet potato and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain, then dump onto a large piece of cheesecloth (or tea towel) and wring out as much water as possible.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together the eggs, onion and some pepper in a large bowl. Add the sweet potato and flour, and mix until combined. Fold in the green onions.

Heat 2 tablespoons each of butter and oil until shimmering in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a scant 1/4 cup per pancake, add the sweet potato mixture to the pan, leaving some space in between. Flatten slightly and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Transfer the fritters to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking.

Fritters as the side dish for Lemon Marmalade Mahi Mahi

I'd rate this recipe as Finicky – it's certainly tasty enough, but forming and frying all those fritters is a time consuming pain, and then there's the five minutes in an oven that takes 10 minutes to heat up! That's OK if you're Bobby Flay, I guess and can afford to heat up your kitchen. 

 Next time I make this dish, I'll treat it like a hash – fry the whole batch up on my big griddle!

Leftover Ragout

That's pronounced “rah-goo”, which is a fancy French word for a highly seasoned dish of finely chopped meats and/or vegetables; a “stew” if you will,  often served with a starchy side dish like bread or rolls.

Last week I had leftover California Taco filling, some Italian 'meat sauce' from making Spaghetti Squash, and some Pinto beans from an Anglo-American breakfast in the Cabana. To that I added some Chili Powder and a pinch of Hot Hungarian Paprika, and served it with crusty French bread.

This is a dish that Susanne “MakeOverMyLeftover” Duplantis would be proud of!

Upside Down Syrup

Quit messing around with canned pineapple and wimpy yellow cake mix and make something that will really WOW your family and friends! Almost any soft fruit and cake combination can be turned into a beautiful and tasty Upside Down Cake.

We particularly like Mango and Starfruit upside down with Gingerbread or Spice cake mix, but the sky's the limit as they say. Think of Chocolate and Strawberries, Peaches and Gingerbread, Blackberries and Lemon cake, etc.  This would even work if you cooked a batch of Cinnamon Apple slices and paired it with Spice cake; or better yet an Apple Cake mix.

All you need is fruit, a cake mix, 1 cup of Brown Sugar and 1/4 cup of Butter.

Spray an appropriate cake pan with non-stick spray I like Baker's Choice tm.

In a microwave safe cup or small bowl, melt together the butter and sugar, stirring well. Make the cake mix to package instructions. Wash and slice enough fruit to cover the bottom of your cake pan.

Pour the sugar syrup into the pan; arrange the fruit on top of the syrup. Gently add the cake batter on top of the fruit and sugar mix. Bake according to package directions, until a probe come out clean. Cool the cake 10 minutes; then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a serving plate to reveal the hidden fruit. Don't wait too long, or the sugar syrup will harden and the cake will be impossible to invert!

Carambola, aka Starfruit pairs nicely with Gingerbread cake mix

Post-holiday Simple

I don't know about y'all, but last week was sort of a post-holiday slump for me in the cooking department. Everything was simple, tried and true, with only a little innovation.  Two dishes stood out from the rest.

Fried Parsnips and Lemon Glazed Salmon

I found a bag of parsnips in the veg drawer of the fridge – uncooked leftovers from Christmas Dinner. So I started looking for something to do with them other than just peeling and roasting That's when I discovered the idea of frying them like French fries! The Chinese might call these Twice-Cooked Parsnips, because first you boil them, then you fry them.

1 lb Parsnips

2-3 Tbsp Masa or AP Flour for dusting

1/2 cup Butter and 1/2 cup Oil for frying

Peel the parsnips and then slice them lengthwise into quarters and then small “sticks”; try to get all the sticks about the same thickness so they cook the same way. Bring a pot of water to a hard boil, and boil the parsnips for 10 minutes on medium-high. Drain and cool and pat dry.

In a bag toss together the parsnips, salt to taste, and the masa or flour, and then the parsnips.  Shake to coat the sticks.   In a large skillet of hot oil (400 F or more), fry the sticks until GB&D (golden, brown and delicious).  Drain, sprinkle with salt again and serve.

Lemon Marmalade Glazed Salmon

Make a batch of lemon marmalade: chop three lemons and put everything in a blender or food processor – meat, juice, skin, seeds, all of it. Take the fruit for a whirrr until it sort looks like marmalade – small bits of skin in the fruit puree.

Measure the fruit into a large microwave safe glass bowl, and add the same measure (cup for cup) of sugar (white, brown turbinado, whatever). Stir to combine; then taste. Too sweet, add another half lemon; too tart, add a quarter cup more sugar; until you get the taste you want. 

Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir and taste again, adjusting the flavor if necessary. Microwave another 5 minutes, then spoon into a screw top jar or two. Cool to room temp before refrigerating.

Brush a couple tablespoons of that lemon marmalade on each salmon filet before you bake them on a non-stick surface at 450 F for 12-15 minutes. Serve with fried parsnips or whatever you choose.

Mongetes and Sausage

Mongetes is a Catalonian-Spanish dish of fried white beans, usually served with the regional sausage called butifara.  Our area has bupkis for real Spanish sausage, so I substituted Bratwurt from my German heritage. Beans and flavorful sausage always go well together.

First you cook the beans al dente from dried, then drain and dry them thoroughly. Secondly, you fry them in a splash of EVOO with a couple tablespoons of Spanish Salsa Verde (which is more like a pesto than what American call 'salsa') for flavoring. 

2 cups cooked White Beans

2 Tbsp Spanish Salsa Verde

4 Bratwurst or similar flavorful and not high-fat sausages

For the Salsa Verde:

3/4 cup flat-leaf Parsley

2-3 Tbsp minced Garlic

1/3 cup EVOO

1/4 cup Panko or powdered croutons

Salt to taste - start with just a pinch

Combine the Salsa Verde ingredients in a blender or food processor, and whirrr until well combined. Reserve. Can be stored in the fridge for a week or more, covered.

Cook the beans according to package directions until just tender. Don't bother with any of that nonsense about soaking beans overnight or even short term. It has been proven any number of times that soaking does not shorten the cooking time or alter the flavor of any bean in any way. Drain and dry thoroughly.

Hint: a tablespoon of ground Thyme in the cooking water does add to the flavor of any bean in a very favorable way.

You'll need to multi-task and cook the beans and sausage at the same time. Start by laying down a little EVOO in each skillet, and get the heat to medium-high.

Cook the sausages, turning regularly until they are as done as you like (some folks like lots of crispy-black, the rest of us don't).

Meanwhile fry the beans in a single layer, turning gently to coat them with oil. When they begin to brown, scatter a couple tablespoons of the salsa verde over the pan and stir it into the mix. 

Continue cooking the beans a few minutes more until they are infused with the flavor of the salsa.

Biryani, Stir Fried Prime Rib, and Scones

Biryani

You could think of this as Indian lasagna. It's a simple dish with a simple mild curry layered between strata of flavored rice.

Biryani is most often served as a side dish, but you can make it a main course by using multiple layers, perhaps a layer of curried meat like a mild Butter Chicken, and another layer of curried vegetables separated by layers of rice. This version makes a vegetarian side dish for a potluck, or dinner for 3-4.

2 cups long grain Rice

1 tsp powdered Cumin

1 tsp ground Cardamon (black or green)

&&&&&

2 cups Broccoli florets

2 cups Cauliflower florets

1 cup sliced Mushrooms

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

1/2 diced White Onion

1/2 cup sliced Carrots

1 cup plain Yogurt

1 lozenge S&B Golden Currytm Mild spice paste

Paprika for dusting

Cook the rice and spices and reserve.

In a large skillet saute the vegetables until they are starting to soften. Add the yogurt and the spice lozenge (cut into small pieces). Stir to combine and make the gravy; add a 1/4 cup of water if necessary. Cook until the gravy is thickened.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put a layer of rice in the bottom of an oven safe bowl. Top with the vegetable curry, and then lay the remaining rice on top. Dust the top with paprika – I used a combination of Hot Hungarian and mild Smoked Paprikas. 

Bake for 30 minutes before serving.

Rib Roast Stir Fry

After our Boxing Day feast, I had a pound or so of roast left, so the next day I turned it into stir fry! 

 Yep Stir fried Prime Rib. Assorted Asian vegetables and a stir fry sauce concocted from Soy sauce, toasted Sesame Oil, rice wine, rice wine vinegar, and a dollop of Hoisin sauce. Yum-my!

Strawberry Scones

Holly asked for lesson on making scones, as her friend and roommate Kari is strongly enamored of them, and Holly's tired of buying. This was her first lesson and they came out darn near perfect!

2-1/2 cups AP Flour

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, cut into chunks

1 cup chopped fresh Strawberries

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Whole Milk (a "scant" half cup, so the dough isn't too moist)

Sugar for dusting

Flour for the bench

Preheat oven to 400F.

A few hours before making the scones, chop the strawberries and put them in a bowl with some sugar and a splash of water to make a syrup. This helps give the dough a bit of flavor, rather than just having bits of berry stuck in.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut-in the butter (pastry cutter or fingers) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently toss in the strawberries. Make a well in center of the mixture; set aside.

In another bowl beat together eggs and milk until well combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture a bit at a time, gently stirring with a spatula until the flour mix is just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead 5 or 6 times by folding and pressing until the dough comes together. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat or lightly roll the dough into a 3/4” thick disk. Slice disk into wedges and pull apart slightly. If dough is too soft, bake for 15 minutes, then cut the disk into 8 wedges.

Brush wedges with milk and sprinkle with sugar if you want to make the scones extra special. Bake about 30 minutes until golden.

Welsh Currant Scones

I also taught Holly how to make these stove-top scones, which can be ready to eat in 20 minutes! Stove top rather than baked recipes are much desired in hot/humid South Florida especially in summer time or this massively hot holiday season!

2 cups AP Flour

½ cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp ground Nutmeg

1 stick Butter

1 cup fresh Blueberries, or Currants or Raisins, etc.

1 large Egg

1/3 cup Milk

If using dried fruit, soak it in water (or wine) for half an hour or more, until the fruits plump up.

Start heating large skillet or griddle to medium low heat or 350 F if you have an electric skillet. NO OIL!

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Stir to mix. Cut in the butter until the result looks like fine crumbs. Add the fruit.

Beat together the egg and milk Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until you get a soft dough.

Turn out on a floured surface and knead 10-12 times. Roll or pat dough into 3/4” disk. Cut disk into wedges and place on the hot skillet/griddle. Cook 3-5 minutes per side, turning once, until medium brown. Alternatively you can form the dough and use a 3” or 4” cookie cutter to punch out the scones. Serve hot or not.