Mother's Day Spider Plants

While this blog is about food, it's roots are in family recipes and family holiday traditions, mostly food but occasionally plants make it into the mix. Mother's Day is more about plants than food. The earliest Mother's Day plant I can remember is a tiny spider plant that Alexandra brought home from Mrs. (Lee) Brown's nursery school class. Three years later Christopher, then in Mrs. Brown's class, brough me a similar plant in a similar small paper cup. Somewhere in between came the Viburnum Tree (orchestrated by Ed) that we all planted together and still blooms in our yard each spring.

While these plants share the longevity prize, the spider plants are hands down winners of the profileration prize.  After having had many more, I'm down to three large spider plants in Lincoln and Chris has a similar number in Somerville by way of Brooklyn.  We still have one big spider plant in Colorado and there are a couple in New Hampshire.

This year I took  a tiny offshoot to Oregon. Henry, who I think is destined to be a gardner or at least a mulch spreader, had fun planting it as a Mother's Day gift for Alex.  We are now in the real second generation of spider plants!

Reviewed 9/21/2017

Freezing Mint/Mint Gremolata

In July 2012 I wrote about the abundance of Wild Mint I find near our home in Massachusetts.  Last October when we were in Colorado the garden was overflowing with mint which I knew the immenent frosts would kill.  Knowing we enjoy local lamb in the winter and mint would be a great accompaniment, I decided to try to freeze (in a controlled fashion) some of this mint.  I picked a huge bunch, removed the leaves from the stems, chopped the leaves, placed them in a container and then put the covered container in the freezer.  Actually, I froze several batches.

This mint has been delicious on lamb (gremolata recipe follows) and also in Fresh Green Pea Soup.  I'm really suprised how much I used this winter, and I haven't even tried this frozen mint in Wild Mint recipes.

GREMOLATA

Combine:

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Zest from 1 lemon
2 T frozen chopped mint (or fresh mint in season!)
2 t olive oil (1 t if  using fresh mint)

This is an excellent garnish for lamb.












Reviewed 6/20/2017

Pastuerized Eggs/Egg Whites/"Egg Product"

Going back to "old family recipes" is not without suprises. Several things I enjoyed growing up contained raw eggs.  Last week, in anticipation of making dinner for my Mom, I tried one of her favorite recipes, Snow Pudding. Warning, if an old family recipe does not have an accompanying photo, it may not be fully vetted.  I got as far as whipping the eggs when I realized something was wrong, was I  really going to feed my Mom raw eggs?  Granted while the chance of ingesting samonella from the raw eggs of conventional battery-caged chickens is quite high, the chance of ingesting samonella from the raw eggs of organic free range chickens is very low/negligible.  I really wasn't worried about the eggs I had just gotten from our neighbor. Even so, I decided to be ultra cautious especially since salmonella is particularly dangerous to the very young, very old and people with weakened immune systems.

Next question was do pastuerized egg whites whip well?  Harold McGee writes in On Food and Cooking, "Three safer alternatives to fresh eggs are eggs pasteurized in the shell, liquid eggs and dried egg whites, all of which are available in supermarkets.....For most uses, these products do an adequate job of replacing fresh eggs, though there is usually some loss in foaming or emulsifying power and in stability to further heating; and heating and drying do alter the mild egg flavor."*  Comments on the internet suggest these products usually do whip well but take longer to do so and sometimes require the addition of cream of tatar.  A stand mixer whipped the liquid egg whites I had purchased to stiff peaks in 3-4 minutes and the egg whites held firm as I beat in the additional ingredients required for Snow Pudding. I did add 1/4 t cream of tartar for 2/3 c of egg whites (the equivalent of 4 eggs), but I'm not sure this was entirely necessary given the brand of eggs and type of mixer I used.

"EGG PRODUCT"

In order to reduce the cholesterol content in many of my recipes, I use what I call "egg product" instead of eggs.  Previously, I had listed as an ingredient the brand I was using at the time.  My preeferred brand has changed over time as new products became available and in some cases others become no longer available. My current favorite is Abbotsford Farms "Cage Free Egg Product" This is made from real egg whites plus "natural flavor, color (includes beta carotene, spices, salt, onion powder, xanthan gum and guar gum". The onion and spices are subtle enough so that this product works well in cakes and other baked products  While some egg products have not worked well in Baked German Pancakes, this product works well in producing a very puffy pancake. The other alternatives are to use boxed egg whites (see above) or the whites of actual eggs.  I have done this when I have not had or been unable to find satisfactory "egg product"  See Egg White Puffed Pancake.

Using this product for custard results in a less delicate texture so I favor actual eggs in this recipe

* Page 83, 2004 edition.

Reviewed 5/10/2017

Henry Bear Bread

For Henry who is celebrating his First Birthday today!

In 1988 this was called Teddy Bear Bread and made at Christmas time by Alexandra, then nine, and Christopher, almost six, for themselves and for a few special friends. Since Henry loves bread and is used to only the best, this recipe may need some tweaking. I look forward to making the Henry Bear version, most likely using a whole wheat dough, with Henry during a future visit :-)

Meanwhile the original Teddy Bear Bread recipe:
(Makes two bears)

Over medium heat, heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan:

1/2 c milk

Then stir in:

3 T sugar
2 t salt
3 T butter

Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve

1 envelope active dry yeast in 1 1/2 c lukewarm water
(Check to be sure the water temperature is within the range given on the yeast package - too hot and the yeasties die, too cold and the bread won't rise).

Pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the milk mixture and

3 c flour.

Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Then stir in

3 1/2 to 4 c more flour, or enough to make a stiff dough.

Knead the dough on a floured board for 8-10 minutes. Then place the dough in bowl greased with butter. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise for one hour. Punch down.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Set two pieces aside, these will form the bodies of the bears. Divide the third piece in half, these will form their heads. Shape the fourth piece into a long roll and cut into fourteen pieces, these will form the 8 paws, 4 ears and 2 noses of the two bears. Shape all of the pieces of dough into balls. Place the large balls on buttered baking sheets.  Place the medium balls above the large balls for the bear heads. Flatten these four balls slightly. Attach balls for paws, noses and ears.

Cover with a dishtowel and let rise for about one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make indentations for eyes, noses and belly buttons with the end of toothpick or a small skewer. Place raisins in these indentations.  Use a small spoon to make indentations in the ears.

Make an egg glaze by lightly beating:

1 egg
1 T cold water

Brush the egg glaze on the bears.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool on racks.

Tie red yarn or ribbion in a bow around each bear's neck :-)

Happy Birthday Henry!

Reviewed 5/7/17

Revised  1/28/15 title chaanged'

Revised 1/7/25 photo added

Fresh Pea Soup with Coconut and Basil

How did this happen, in the middle of winter, I decide to make Fresh Pea Soup? And, after a recent dinner of Green Curry left me with an ample supply of Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves, I decided to give this soup a coconut base and add some of the Thai goodies. I really liked the result, Ed voted for the less complex Fresh Pea. This soup would also be good cold...  But now as the snow is approaching two feet and still falling, I have decided it's time to make a big pot of old fashion Pea Soup.  Will definately return to this recipe come warm weather!

Sautee in a large pot until onion is translucent:

1 T olive oil, heat first
1/2 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 T ginger, peeled and chopped

Add and bring to a boil:

3 c water
14 oz (1 can) coconut milk (I use reduced fat)
1 c chopped Thai basil, coarsley chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

Add to boiling mixture

24 oz (2 bags) frozen shelled peas
2 T lime juice

Return to a boil and then trun off heat immediately.  Let sit a few minutes and then puree using an immersion blender (my choice) or a food processor.

Garnish with thinly sliced Thai basil and

Hot pepper, finely chopped (to taste, optional).

Reviewed 7/9/2017

Good Day for Soup!

Kale Soup
Mushroom Barley Soup
Pea Soup
Onion Cider Soup
Corn and Green Chili Chowder








Reviewed 7/9/2017

Rugelach

We had a full house this past Christmas, and Chris, assumed the role of pastry chef,a much appreciated treat for me. In addition to making Cranberry Linzertorte and Perfect Apple Pie (recipe follows soon, I hope) for Christmas Eve, he brought us many loaves of fresh French bread from his bread machine and box after box of cookies. The cookies included a couple of batches of Chris's Brownies, Awesome Oatmeal Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies and Rugelach. Traditional rugelach are formed by rolling crescent dough around a filling, this sliced roll alternative is adapted by Chris from Smitten Kitchen.

Since Chris tells me to write about my failures so others won't make the same mistake, I'm sure he would want me to note that his first batch of rugelach was a disaster (his call not mine, I did not see or taste a cookie).  On first read, the recipe sounded like cookie dough rather than pastry dough, he explained.  The result was a tough crust.  For the next batch he used cold butter and cold cream cheese and found the dough much more satisfactory.   Everyone really enjoyed this second (and third) batch!

Make the Dough

Using a food processor with steel blade, blend until light and fluffy:

8 ounces  cold (straight out of refrigerator!) cream cheese
1 c (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Add and beat until combined:

1/4 c granulated sugar

Scrape sides and bottom of bowl well to consolidate ingredients, then add and mix just until just combined:

2 c sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 t coarse salt

Divide dough equally into two pieces, form into balls, flatten into thick rectangles,  wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  If you have two paper towel rolls, slit them in the long direction and save for later.

Make the Filling

Toss together in a medium sized bowl:

1/4 c plus 2 T sugar
1/4 c light-brown sugar, packed
1/2 t ground cinnamon
3/4 c raisins, finely chopped
1c toasted (optional), then finely chopped walnuts

Assemble the Rolls

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough. Rectangle should be about 12" wide by 1/8" thick.

Spread evenly over the dough:

~1/4 c raspberry preserves, heated and slightly cooled

and sprinkle with half the filling mixture. Beginning with one of the long sides, roll the dough into a tight log. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped roll in the previous prepared paper towel roll (optional)   and give it a little roll to firm the shape of the pastry roll.

Place the completed roll on a baking sheet and repeat the process using an additional

~1/4 c raspberry preserves, heated and cooled slightly

Place the second pastry roll on the baking sheet along side the first, place baking sheet in the refrigerator and let chill for one hour or longer.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the Topping

Mix together:


1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

Slice the chilled pastry rolls in discs about 1/4" thick. Using your fingers, dip each disc in the topping mixture then shake off any excess topping. At this phase if you didn't roll and cut them perfectly, there's a bit of squishing them together.  Place cookies about an inch apart on the prepared sheets

Bake 15 - 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven and  using a fork or fingers (careful, don't burn!) tuck in any ends of dough that might have pulled away.  Let the cookes rest on the baking sheet for two minutes to set. Meanwhile spray or wipe a cooling rack with olive or canola oil.  This will help keep the preserves from sticking. Transfer cookies to rack(s) and let cool completely.

Once cool, cookies can be stored in an airtight container.  If making more than one level of cookies, separate each level with a layer of wax paper.

Variations:

Instead of raisins use another dried fruit of your choice, finely chopped.

Instead of walnuts, use another nut of your choice, finely chopped.

Instead of raspberry preserves, use apricot preserves or use raspberry preserves on one roll and apricot  preserves on the other.



All photos this post:
© 2014 Christopher Kern


Reviewed 5/14/17