Baking · Breakfast · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Gold rush coffee cake

BelindaLeave a comment

Recipe from Ruth McKeaney’s lovely book, “Hungry for Home”

In Ruth’s words
“I make this coffee cake for every holiday and shower. It is adapted from Panera’s Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake recipe by Maris Callahan and is so good that my kids have asked for it in lieu of a birthday cake! So… what makes it such a standout?First off, it’s gorgeous. The streusel runs right through the middle. When you take a bite, you’ll think you’ve struck a vein of sweet, buttery, golden goodness. Secondly, it might be the most moist coffee cake I’ve ever had. This cake is not difficult on the baking scale and uses everyday ingredients you probably already have on hand. What’s more, it lasts on the counter for a few days (well… not in my house) and serves as a beautiful gift if you want to make something special for someone you love. Serve with strong coffee. And if you’re feeling extra decadent, dollop with thick homemade whipped cream.”

MIX YOUR STREUSEL

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup lt. brown sugar, lightly packed 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

PREPARE YOUR BATTER

12 (1 1⁄2 sticks) tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round bundt pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on high-speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light.
Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time. Then slowly add the vanilla and sour cream.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.
Mix with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread it out with a knife.
With your fingers, crumble half of the topping evenly over the batter.
Pour in the remainder of the batter and crumble the remaining half of the streusel topping on top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool completely before serving.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Nuts · Poultry · Salad

Asian chicken and cabbage salad

BelindaLeave a comment

This is a delicious and healthy salad and makes a mountain of it! It’s great for those outdoor summer entertaining and
you can prepare everything ahead of time, as long as you keep them separate until you’re ready to serve.

Serves 8 at least

Dressing
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)
½ cup avocado oil
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Salad and Assembly
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lb.)
1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
¾ cup raw almonds
½ small head of purple cabbage (about 10 oz) cored, thinly sliced
4 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 8-oz. cans water chestnuts, drained, quartered
1 7-oz. bag bean sprouts (about 2½ cups)

Dressing
Step 1
Whisk 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped, one 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp), ½ cup avocado oil, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ cup toasted sesame oil, ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper in a small bowl to combine.

Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Whisk before using.
Chicken can be marinated 12 hours ahead; cover and chill.
Chicken can be baked 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Vegetables can be sliced 1 day ahead; cover and chill.

Salad and Assembly.
Step 2
Pour ½ cup dressing into a medium bowl. Add 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lb.), sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast ¾ cup raw almonds on a large rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop; set aside.

Step 4
Line baking sheet with a piece of foil about twice its length. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip back into bowl, and arrange in a single layer on baking sheet; discard marinade. Fold foil up and over chicken and bring edges together to make a packet; crimp tightly to seal.

Step 5
Bake chicken until cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted through foil and into the thickest part of a breast should register 150°), 30–40 minutes. Let cool in foil, then tear open packet and shred chicken into large pieces.

Step 6
Place chicken in a large bowl. Add ½ small head of purple cabbage (about 10 oz.), cored, thinly sliced, 4 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise, 6 scallions, thinly sliced, two 8-oz. cans water chestnuts, drained, quartered, one 7-oz. bag mung bean sprouts (about 2½ cups), and remaining dressing; toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Step 7
Pile salad on a platter; top with reserved almonds.

Vegetable sides

Cauliflower and white bean puree

BelindaLeave a comment

This is a delicious, silky, low carb alternative to mashed potatoes. We love it!

2 medium or 1 large head of cauliflower – cut into large-ish florets
1/2 medium onion – chopped
6 cloves garlic – chopped fine
1 can (14.5-oz) chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 can (15-oz) cannellini beans – drained and rinsed
4 oz full fat cream cheese (1/2 package)
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
Salt and ground white pepper – to taste

Combine the cauliflower, onions, garlic, broth and cannellini beans in a Dutch oven or medium soup pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover slightly and cook 15 – 20 minutes or until cauliflower begins to soften.
Uncover and break up the cauliflower as much as you can with a wooden spoon or other utensil.
Continue simmering uncovered over low heat until much of the liquid has evaporated, being careful the liquid doesn’t completely boil out and the cauliflower beings to burn.
Add cream cheese, parmesan cheese and butter.
Puree with an immersion blender until smooth, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary
Serve immediately.

Baking · Holiday Food

Treacle spiced traybake

Belinda

This is such a wonderful Mary Berry classic recipe, especially good at Christmas as it fills the house with the smell of Christmas spices.
Don’t be too worried if the traybake dips in the centre – it means you were a little generous with the treacle.

MAKES 15–20 SLICES

225g (8 oz) butter, softened
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
225g (8 oz) black treacle
300g (11 oz) self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
3 bulbs stem ginger from a jar, finely chopped

ICING
75g (3 oz) icing sugar, sifted
about 2 tbsp stem ginger syrup from the jar
2 bulbs stem ginger, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F/180ºC. Line a small roasting tin about 30 × 23cm (12 × 9 in) with foil and grease well.

Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes until well blended. Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little. Lift cake in foil case out of the tin to cool completely.

To make the icing, mix together the icing sugar and syrup. Pour over the cake while still warm, and sprinkle with the chopped stem ginger. If preferred, dust with sifted icing sugar.

PREPARING AHEAD – Make up to 2 days ahead, and ice on the day. If you want to freeze, leave whole, un-iced, wrap in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw for about 6 hours at room temperature, then ice and cut into 15–20 squares.

Vegetarian pasta

Spaghetti with zucchini, rosemary and mascarpone

Belinda

A lovely simple recipe from Rick Stein

Serves 4

4 tbsp olive oil
700g (1.5lbs) zucchini, grated
1 good-sized garlic clove, chopped
Zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1- 1.5 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
100gm (4oz) mascarpone
75g (3oz) Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
500g (1lb) spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the grated zucchini, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary and chilli flakes.
Cook gently over a medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes until the zucchini are very soft.
Stir in the mascarpone and two-thirds of the cheese, then taste and season with salt and plenty of pepper.
Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
Drain, add the pasta to the zucchini sauce and stir well to combine.
Serve topped with the remaining grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Vegetable sides

Sticky sprouts, orange and tarragon

Belinda

 

Thanksgiving is over, but Christmas is still to come!

Recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi
In this recipe (which I keep in metric) the sprouts are sticky, salty, nutty and delicious, and the whole dish can be cooked up to a day in advance – keep the sprouts and sauce separate, though, and reheat and combine just before serving.

Serves 4-6 as a side

750g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthways
90ml olive oil
Fine sea salt and black pepper
50g peeled pistachios, lightly crushed in a mortar
2 oranges, zest finely grated, to get 2 tsp, then juiced, to get 250ml
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
5g tarragon leaves

Heat the oven to its highest setting – at least 450F/240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Toss the halved sprouts with the oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then spread out on a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and roast for 10 minutes. Stir in the pistachios and roast for another 10 minutes, until the sprouts are nicely browned and the pistachios have toasted.

Meanwhile, put the orange zest and juice, soy sauce and maple syrup in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat, and leave to cook for five to eight minutes, until the sauce has reduced by three-quarters and has turned syrupy.

Once the sprouts are cooked, pour the syrup all over them, scatter over half the tarragon and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle over the remaining tarragon and serve.

Pasta

Melted fennel pasta

Belinda

This recipe from Bon Appetite magazine celebrates all that fennel has to offer in a weeknight pasta that comes together in less than an hour. Thinly sliced fennel is slowly cooked down with onion and garlic, yielding a caramelized, jammy mixture. Anchovies and Parmesan bring savory balance, while lemon zest and juice contribute brightness. Garnishing with the fronds lends fresh fennel flavor to every bite.

There are plenty of ways to customize this dish to your own palate. Don’t like anchovies? No worries—skip them. Want to take it to a meaty place? Cook Italian sausage in the skillet, set it aside, and cook the fennel in the sausage fat. Prefer a little more sweetness? Deglaze the skillet with white wine. And for even more fennel flavor, cook the stalks along with the pasta; just pluck them out before draining.

Serves 4

3 large fennel bulbs with fronds (about 3 lb. total)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 tsp. sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 oil-packed anchovy fillets
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
12 oz. gemelli, fusilli, or other medium pasta
1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Cut stalks from 3 large fennel bulbs with fronds and cut fronds from stalks; discard stalks. Coarsely chop fronds and set aside. Remove tough out layer from bulbs and discard. Halve bulbs lengthwise (through root ends) and remove cores; discard. Thinly slice bulbs crosswise.

Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add fennel bulbs, 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. sugar; stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and fennel is beginning to brown around the edges, 8–10 minutes. Uncover and add 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 3 oil-packed anchovy filets, and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching (stir in a splash of water if scorching does occur), until fennel and onion are deep golden brown and very soft and jammy, 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 12 oz. gemelli, fusilli, or other medium pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, and 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until sauce clings to pasta, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup reserved fennel fronds, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with more reserved fennel fronds.

Vegetarian pasta

Baked boursin cheese pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and spinach

Belinda

This has got to be one of the easiest and most delicious pasta dishes out there. A perfect one for Christmas Eve before the big cook!

Serves 6
1 (7-oz.) jar julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 good handful of fresh basil, leaves torn
2 (5.2-oz.) packages Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese
12 oz. uncooked short pasta of choice, I prefer Fusilli or Cavatappi (both corkscrew shapes)
2 cups spinach
Freshly grated Parmigano Reggiano cheese, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a 13×9-inch baking pan, stir together the sun-dried tomatoes in oil with the cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Push the tomatoes to the side and place both rounds of Boursin cheese in the center of the pan.
Bake until the cheese has softened and the tomatoes are roasted, about 20 minutes.
While the cheese is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
Remove the baking pan from the oven and immediately stir the cheese together with the tomatoes and the spinach. (The cheese must still be hot to wilt the spinach.)
Stir in the drained pasta until well-combined. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Holiday Food · Vegetarian pasta

The best macaroni and cheese to date

Belinda

Please be warned, this makes a ton-a mac-and-cheese, but it’s perfect for a Holiday meal and you will have enough to make smaller dishes to freeze. It is everything I love about mac n’cheese with the nutty rounded flavor of Gruyere and a good strong mature cheddar (I use grated blocks of Sharp New Zealand cheddar cheese from Trader Joes)

Serves 12

2 sticks butter, max
12 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp coarse salt, plus more for water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp Colmans mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 cups (about 20 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated Gruyère
1lb elbow macaroni (use Barilla preferably, as it holds it’s shape well as it has ridges, otherwise De Cecco is a good brand)

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 stick of butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread and toss lightly. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot but watch it, as it can boil over.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes or sometimes eve longer.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère and set the cheese sauce aside.

Cover a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes but your oven may vary. (we needed a bit more time to get it brown)
Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes and serve

Accompaniments · Baking · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

The best cornbread casserole out there

Belinda

I found this recipe while watching a YouTube video of Hillside Farm in Pennsylvania, home of Ruth McKeaney. Oh my, what an idyllic home and garden. Her recipes and laid back approach to entertaining are wonderful.
This recipe produces the lightest, most delicious and moist cornbread I have ever had. Also, I prepped this the day before and put it in the fridge overnight before baking it.

“I like it a little sweet and very moist. You’ll never have to eat dry, crumbly cornbread again after making this recipe. For added deliciousness, I melt half a stick of butter and drizzle it over the freshly baked bread. Serve with ribs, chili, or pulled pork. For my family and friends, a BBQ is not the same without it.”

4 cups Bisquick
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
2 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
2 sticks melted butter, plus another 3/4 stick melted butter for drizzling over top.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Thoroughly mix the Bisquick, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder together.
Add in the milk, eggs, and butter and stir to combine.
Pour into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.
Drizzle remaining melted butter over top.

PRO-TIP:
For added sweetness, mix honey into the drizzling butter.