potato leek soup

i've been holding off on making this soup for a while, but today is absolutely a soup day (as most fall days in oregon prove to be), and this soup is just right for starting soup season.

ingredients:

1/3 cup unsalted butter
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 medium to large potatoes (i used red skinned potatoes, but yukon gold ones would also work well), cut into rough chunks
3 leeks, roughly chopped and cleaned of dirt and sand
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups veggie broth
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

in a large stock pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high. once the butter has melted, add the potatoes and stir to coat all of the chunks. allow them to cook for 7-10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, leeks, and wine. stir once again to coat and allow to cook, covered for 15 minutes. uncover, add veggie broth and puree using an immersion blender (or allow to cool and transfer to a food processor). stir in the soy milk and parmesan and it's ready to go.

it doesn't even fall over when you tip it sideways (do not try at home)...

mom's favorite

for my birthday, i received a basket of ingredients for making tiramisu (thanks kayla : ), and even though i have loved tiramisu for years, i've never attempted making it. this first attempt was pretty successful, and i see many more tiramisus in my future (and yours too, mom).

ingredients:

3 egg yolks (save the whites for a scramble or frittata)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
8 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temp
1/2 tsp cocoa + more for garnish
dash of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup of very strong coffee (espresso is ideal, but strong coffee works well too), cooled
2-3 tablespoons sweet marsala, depending on how booze-y you want it (vin santo or dark rum could easily substitute the marsala)
ladyfingers (i used apx 30, or 2 store bought boxes worth)
semisweet of bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish (i used a chocolate with a 70% cocoa content)

directions:

in a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale (about 3-5 minutes, and it can be done by hand if you don't own a stand mixer or electric beaters, or if you just want to tone your arms). add the mascarpone, a tablespoon of coffee, 1/2 tsp of sifted cocoa, a dash of cinnamon, and the pinch of salt and beat until smooth.
combine the remaining coffee and the marsala in a shallow container. briefly dip the ladyfingers in the mixture and arrange the soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of baking dish (i used a roughly 5x9 sized loaf pan). avoid soaking the ladyfingers for longer than a few seconds because they are very delicate, and will begin to fall apart. it also best to dip and arrange them one by one.
once you have completely covered the bottom of the dish with ladyfingers, pour apx 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over them. repeat the process by creating another layer of soaked ladyfingers, followed by another layer of mascarpone until you have used all of the ladyfingers. if you have remaining mascarpone, add it to the topmost layer. dust the top with sifted cocoa and chocolate shavings, and allow to chill, covered, for at least 3 hours.

serve with coffee, sweet wine, whipped cream, or whatever your belly desires and enjoy!

plumble

about a month ago i moved to oregon, and since then i haven't had much time for cooking adventures. i can honestly say that i have never consumed more sandwiches/veggie burgers in a one month period. but when life gives you an abundance of tart wild plums, a plumble (or plum crumble, adapted from deliciously organic) is certainly in order.

plum part:

5 cups pitted plums, roughly chopped (tart regular plums, or even cherries could easily be substituted for the wild stuff)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon triple sec (or any complimentary booze)

ble part:

1/2 cup almond meal
3/4 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

preheat oven to 350 F.

in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook plums, sugar, and honey until the sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes). combine the cornstarch with a little bit of cold water to prevent clumps and stir into the plum mixture. allow to cook, stirring  for an additional 5 minutes until thick. remove from heat and stir in the triple sec. transfer the mixture to a baking dish, making sure to spread it evenly along the bottom.

for the top: combine the almond meal, flour, 3/4 of the oats, sugar, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. add the butter and pulse until the mixture comes together and resembles coarse crumbles. if the mixture is too dry, add water at teaspoon intervals. stir in the remaining oats. if the mixture has become warm, it may be a good idea to allow it cool for 5-10 minutes in your freezer. sprinkle over the plum mixture and allow to bake for 35-40 minutes.

serve warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla to compliment the tartness of the plums, and enjoy!

herbed biscuits

now that i'm in oregon, i have my sister's herb garden at my disposal, which means there will be several herbalicious recipes in the very near future, starting with these:

ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you could also do a 50/50 white and wheat combo)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

preheat oven to 375 F.  in a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. work the butter into the flour (i used my hands) until the mix has pea-sized crumbles, then place the bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes while mixing wet ingredients. in a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, and herbs. create a well at the center of the flour mix and stir in the buttermilk mixture until just blended. drop batter in cupcake or muffin tins and sprinkle with salt. bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the biscuits comes out clean.
serve warm and toasty.

note: you can switch up the herbs to anything you prefer. i've also made other version of these with lavender and lemon zest, for which i used 2 tablespoons of zest and 2 tablespoons of lavender buds in place of the herbs. those were less savory, but awesome with a bit of honey.

homemade cheese balls

despite what it may look like based on recent blog posts (or the lack there of), i have eaten this week. and quite well too, but i haven't had much time for experimenting in the kitchen. tomorrow i am moving to oregon and this week has been pretty hectic because of it. i did, however, manage to squeeze these little cheese ball appetizers in.

recipe (from a chow life*):

1/2 gallon whole milk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

herbs, spices, seeds for rolling

the procedure of making this cheese is not as complicated as it might seem, but it is somewhat time consuming. in a large, heavy pot, bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. this step will take apx 30 minutes, so it's a good idea to have a book or ipod handy. once the milk starts to boil, remove it from the heat and slowly stir in the lemon juice. the milk will begin to curdle and the whey should appear a clear yellowish-green color. if the whey remains milky, return the pot to the heat and continue to stir until it becomes clear. allow curds to settle beneath the way for 15 minutes.

prepare a colander by lining it with cheese cloth and placing it in a sink. pour the curds into the lined colander and briefly  rinse with lukewarm water. gather the cheesecloth around the curds and gently twist the to remove excess liquid. transfer the bundle, which will still be dripping at this point, to a plate and top with apx 2 1/2 pounds of weight (i used a jar of pasta sauce). 

allow to drain for 45 minutes, then unwrap the curds and transfer to a bowl (if you have a stand mixer, you'll want to use a dough hook to knead the cheese, but if not, it's best to knead by hand). add the salt and beat/knead for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese no longer has a grainy texture.

roll the cheese into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. refrigerate for 1 hour until firm. meanwhile, prepare the different crusts for the balls (or mini logs if you prefer). i used 3 varieties: zaatar (a blend of roasted thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds), a blend of roasted sunflower seeds with paprika, and a paprika chili flake blend. this part of the process is all about personal preference, a blend of fresh herbs would also be lovely.

once the cheese is cold and firm, you can form your balls or logs and roll them in the assorted crusts. serve with crackers or pieces of rustic bread and enjoy!

*a chow life has great step by step photos of the process that you should check out.

red thai curry

after making the ice cream and mini pies, i knew i needed something vegan to balance myself out. and because i had extra coconut milk from the pies, a thai curry seemed like the perfect meal. 

ingredients:

2 large carrots, sliced/shaved/diced (however you prefer)
2 bell peppers, sliced into skinny strips (i used a red and an orange, but any color combo would be fine)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 inch nub of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1-2 tablespoons, use more if you like ginger, and less if you don't)
1 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons oil (i used extra virgin olive oil, but any oil will suffice)
1 can baby corn (the store i went to was out, so i skipped this ingredient, but i definitely would have used it if it were available.
apx 1 lb firm tofu*
1 4 oz can of red curry paste (i found a vegan version)
1.5 cups coconut milk (this amount will yield a pretty spicy curry, use more milk for a milder flavor, or some veggie broth instead for a lighter alternative)
apx 3 cups cooked rice (i used brown, but any kind will be fine)
bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, toasted coconut (optional), sesame seeds (optional) for garnish

in a large pot set over medium-high, heat the oil. saute the ginger and garlic for apx 2 minutes, then add the carrots and tamari. cook for 5-10 minutes, until carrots are slightly tender, then add the peppers. cook for an additional 5 minutes, then add the tofu, baby corn (if using), coconut milk, and curry paste, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
serve over rice with with bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, a lime wedge, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut and/or sesame seeds.

*to prepare the tofu, slice it into 1/2 inch thick strips. place strips on a baking sheet making sure to face the sides with greater surface area up, and lightly salt. broil for 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned and crisp. flip the strips, lightly salt them, and broil and additional 10-15 minutes on the opposite side. remove strips from the oven, cut into rough cubes, and add to the vegetables.

lime curd and coconut no-bake mini pies

in chicago, it's hot. and humid. oh so humid, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to make treats and i told a friend i would make a treat for a bridal shower this weekend, because i couldn't pass up the opportunity. despite my love affair with baked goods, there was no way i was turning on the oven this weekend. so i began searching for no-bake pie recipes instead, but most of them had crusts that required baking. what's that about? a pie with a baked crust just isn't a no-bake pie...
because i was taking this treat to a party (one with a florida theme), i made individual pies, each the size of a cup cake. the pies are frozen and made with a raw crust, a layer of lime curd, a layer of whipped cream (a coconut and dairy blend), and topped off with a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and lime zest.

crust from wholefamilyfare (i doubled this recipe to use as a crust bottom for 48 cup cake sized pies, so it should suffice for 24):

1 1/2 cups raw coconut flakes
3/4 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup deglet noor dates, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

combine the coconut and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. once it resembles a coarse meal, add the dates and salt and continue to process until it sticks together when pressed between two fingers. take the mixture and press it into foil cupcake liners or tart tins. i pressed the mix onto just the bottom of the liners, but if you want the pie to have more of a crust, you could press the mix directly into your tin and skip the liner altogether. i cannot, however, attest to how easy it is to remove them.

lime curd:

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

combine the egg yolks, sugar, and lime zest in a medium sized saucepan, and whisk until smooth. add the lime juice and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes, making sure to avoid boiling the mixture. pour the hot lime curd through a strainer into a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a crusty layer from forming. refrigerate the curd until it's cold and thick, for at least 3 hours, but up to 3 days.
when the curd is cold, you may distribute it evenly amongst the tarts or liners. for liners, this is about 2 tablespoons each. place the crusts with curd in the freezer to harden, about 2 hours.

whipped creams:

1 can coconut milk with high fat content (apx 22%), unshaken and refrigerated over night
1 cups heavy cream, cold
1 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

 open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the cream that has situated itself above the milk. mix the coconut cream with the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a large bowl. using a handheld mixer, blend the creams. blend in the confectioner's sugar in 2 batches while mixing. i was not able to get my creams to hold soft peaks, but the mixture did thicken, and because i froze the pies, this wasn't really a setback. once you've gotten the mixture as stiff as you think it will get, or when it holds peaks, spoon it over the frozen lime curd layer. i used a little under 1/4 cup of the cream for each liner. when all of the coconut milk is distributed, return the pies to the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 3 hours.

note: you want to make the whipped creams once the lime curd layer is frozen, so that when it is poured upon the curd, it remains a separate layer.