The Recipe Queen: Year 1

Looking back on the blog it’s hard to imagine it’s been a year already, a year in which so much has already happened. True to my promise, here is the whole list of everything good we managed to make over the past year. It’s interesting to see how the blog gradually switched from restaurant reviews to cooking, paralleling my own journey towards sustainable food.

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It’s almost funny that Emmy’s only post (the blog has become my exclusive project) was the first time we posted a recipe. Below, find “Surprise: Eggless Pancakes”, a treat I made early one morning after coming off night shift.

~Eggless Pancakes~

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon sugar

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon

·         2 teaspoon baking powder

·         1 cup whole milk

·         1 tablespoon vegetable oil

·         1 tablespoon water

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         2 tablespoon butter

 

Then mix and griddle. For more detailed mixing instructions, feel free to follow the link to the original. This recipe makes about 8-10 pancakes.

 

~On-the-Spot-Pancake-Glaze~

 

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

·         1 tablespoon honey

·         1/5-1/4 cup brown sugar

 

Melt butter in microwave, then combine with honey and brown sugar. When Kim made it she used three tablespoons of butter, but in hindsight we both agree it would be better with only two.

 

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Here’s a yearly recipe, and one I just recently remade.

~Dad’s Apple Pie~

One double pie crust for a 10” pie top and bottom Preparation Time: 15 minutes, one hour overall

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS

Double Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS:

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Water (or skim milk)	5	Tablespoons
Butter (or lard, Crisco, margarine)	½	Cup
Salt	½	Teaspoon
Flour	1-1/2	Cups

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix flour and salt together.

2. Cut in the fat. There are several ways to do this. The easiest is to mix this in a food processor with the steel knives after you have sliced the butter into pats and distributed it throughout the flour salt mix. Alternatively you can use a pastry cutter. Or if you have neither of these you can use two sharp knives working against each other. At the end of the cutting in process the flour/fat mixture should have the consistency of corn meal. I do this with my hands.

3. Add the liquid to the flour/fat mixture. If mixing by hand make a well in the flour and add exactly the amount of liquid and mix well with a fork. If using a food processor switch to the mixing knives (usually a blunter plastic set) and add the liquid and then pulse just enough to combine. A fork works just as well.

4. Divide the amount of dough in half. Shape each half into a disk and then refrigerate the dough, covered in plastic wrap for one to two hours until chilled and firm. You can then:

a. Proceed to the appropriate recipe.

b. Freeze.

2-5 hours is best, that way you can get the dough literally paper-thin and it won’t tear. It may crack around the edges as it gets dry, though, so don’t leave it too long. I wrap them in plastic while I go out & run errands. The dough is good to nibble on, too.

SOURCE: My mother gave me this recipe in the mid-80’s as the base for apple pie or a quiche. I believe that this recipe came out of a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1950’s.

Easy, right? Of course, now on to the pie part! Tasting is encouraged!

One 10’ double crust Apple Pie Preparation Time: 30 minutes, 90 minutes overall

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS

~Apple Pie~

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

 

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Pie Crust (double)	1
Apples (Large) (Cored, peeled and sliced)	7 – 8
Salt	1	Dash
Flour	1	Tablespoon
Sugar	1	Cup
Cinnamon	1	Teaspoon
Nutmeg	¼	Teaspoon

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

5.      Rinse apples and then peel, slice and core them into a large mixing bowl. I traditionally use Cortland Apples for this recipe as they get soft but not totally mushy like Macintosh nor will they still be crunchy like a Granny Smith. Feel free to experiment. My theory on this is the tart-to-sweet ratio/content. The more tart the apple, the more likely its chemistry will keep it stiff and crunchy, the sweeter the apple, the more likely the chemistry in it will turn it to sugary mush. I experienced the ushiness this year with the Braeburn (I think) apples we chose. It looks like Cortland are a New England-centric variety, so I encourage you to ask your grocer/local apple-picking stand how to get the perfect consistency. Of course, picking them yourself is always best, and fun outing while the dough is setting in the fridge. J

 

2. Remove one pie dough package from the refrigerator. Using a well-floured board, roller and hands roll out the pie dough to cover the well of a 10” pie plate with approximately 1” hanging over on all sides. Set aside.

3. Mix dry ingredients together and then dump over the apples. Mix well with a large spoon. Place the apple mix into the pie plan gently so as not to tear the pie dough. Pile higher in the center. Set aside. Taste this. Give everyone you know a taste. DO IT.

 

4. Remove the other pie dough package from the refrigerator. Using a well-floured board, roller and hands roll out the pie dough to cover the pie plate and apples with approximately 1” hanging over on all sides. Working carefully drape the pie dough over the pie plate and apples.

 

5. Trim the pie dough even with the edge of the pie plate. Work around the edge of the pie plate pinching the edges together. Cut several vents in the center of the pie crust. Bake at 400 degree F for 50 minutes. To prevent the juices from over flowing onto the bottom of the oven place a baking pan underneath the pie plate. My pinching technique still sucks. But if you manage to get a very thin crust by leaving your dough in 2-5 hours or longer, DO NOT leave your pie in for the 50 minutes, the crust will be too thin and it will BURN. Make sure that after 30 minutes you are checking the pie frequently.

 

SOURCE: My mother gave me this recipe in the mid-80’s. It is a plain and delicious recipe that has always been praised. Using butter to make the crust gives it extra flavor.

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As I was searching for recipes I came across this gem:

So yesterday, as Emmy and I made our weekly pilgrimage, one of the Fromagination employees, Gabriel, a new kid who's taller than any basketball player I've met and has just as much enthusiasm (just in the cheese department) was dressed up for Halloween as cheese. This may not seem like an enormous leap, given his chosen profession, but he had a foam wedge hat on, a full body yellow biking suit on, and a sticker on his cheek that proclaimed him as "Marieke Gouda", a delicious young cheese with lots of bold flavor.

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The next recipe up is a particular favorite of mine, we only get it once every couple years, it’s that good.

~Vassar Chocolate Sauce~

Serves: 8-10 as a Sauce for Ice Cream Preparation Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Sugar	1	Cup
Water	1/4	Cup
Bitter Chocolate (unsweetned)	1	Oz or square
Karo Syrup	2	Tablespoons DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Measure and mix all ingredients into a medium (1 or 1-1/2 quart) saucepan.

2. On high heat bring to a full boil stirring occasionally as chocolate melts and then continuously thereafter.

3. Boil for 1 minute (use a timer to make sure) stirring constantly. Over boiling by more than 10 seconds will result in a sauce that hardens like rock on the ice cream. Under boil and you will have something too runny. Ours was too runny on the first go, so we re-heated it to boil another 10 seconds. Also can be safely refrigerated.

4. Cool by immersing the saucepan half way into a larger container of cold water (We just used our soup pot in the sink) that you have more cold water running into or by stages. The reason to cool is that if you put boiling sauce onto ice cream then it will melt it straight away. Serve the ice cream into bowls while you cool off the sauce.

5. Leftovers. Whatever is left over can be scrapped into a bowl and reheated later, preferably when everyone else is out of the house or asleep.

NOTES: This recipe comes down to you from your great grandmother Katharine Hawley who attended Vassar College before she left after her freshman year to marry your great grandfather. The story was that making this chocolate sauce was the one lasting thing she took away from that year in college. When I was in the Army I asked my mother to send me this recipe which she did but she left out the ¼ cup of water thereby ensuring that whenever we made it turned into lava. Dad was in Germany at the time, after his first year he returned in the summer to marry Mom and they lived together abroad for several years before coming back to the States.

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And, again, from my Father’s kitchen:

2 loaves or 3-4 dozen rolls Preparation Time: 1 hour labor, 6-8 hours overall

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS

~Mrs. Bullard’s Bread/Rolls~

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

 

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Water	2	Cups
Water	1/4	Cup
Olive Oil		To coat
Sugar	½	Cup
Butter	2	Tablespoons
Salt	1	Tablespoon
Eggs	2
Flour	8	Cups
Yeast	2	Packages

 

 

DIRECTIONS: Fun fact: Breads are made with yeast. Pastries are made with butter. Cakes are made with eggs. So, because this recipe involves yeast, butter, and eggs it's technically all three.

 

1. Place sugar, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl. Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil and add to the dry ingredients. Let cool to 105 to 115 F.

 

2. Warm ¼ cup of water to between 85 and 105 F. (I can do this by feel, now. I don't need a thermometer.) Add a small portion (1 teaspoon) of the sugar and flour and mix in yeast to proof. Let stand about 10 minutes until foamy.

 

3. Add the yeast mixture to the hot water mix. Add ½ the flour to the water mix and beat well. Beat the two eggs until fluffy and then add to the flour and water mix. Add the remaining flour, less ¾ of a cup, one cup at a time and mix well.

 

4. Roll out on a bread board that is well floured with the ¾ cup and knead 8-10 minutes. After kneading place in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down. At this point either:

 

a. Proceed to sticky bun recipe.

 

b. Form into rolls or loaves and let rise until doubled in bulk. Bake 20 minutes in a 350 F oven.

SOURCE: My grandmother got this recipe from Mrs. Bullard who was a friend of hers in Geneva, NY in the 1930’s. Growing up we had this recipe at Thanksgiving and Christmas as the base for sticky buns and small rolls.

8-9 sticky buns Preparation Time: 2 hours labor, 4-5 hours overall

FROM THE KITCHEN OF ROGER SIMMONS

 

~Sticky Buns~

 

INGREDIENTS:

ITEM	QTY	MEASURE
Raw Bullard Dough	1/4	Bullard Roll Recipe
Filling
Butter (melted)	2	Tablespoons
Brown Sugar	½	Cup
Cinnamon	1/4	Teaspoon
Sauce
Butter	4	Tablespoons
Light Corn Syrup	½	Cup
Brown Sugar	¾	Cup

1. Prepare sauce. (Okay, I don't know why this recipe still includes "Light Corn Syrup". Corn syrup is gross and it's nearly-garunteed to come from GMO and pesticide-drenched corn. Poison in your sticky buns? Yuck! Of course, Dad never uses corn syrup when he makes it so when I did when I was experimenting in college I never understood why the sauce wasn't as sweet. He then told me you have to have a combination of maple syrup and honey. So I did that in 2010 for Thanksgiving. The sticky buns were so sweet they were nearly inedible. So, I said, "Daaaaaaad." To which he responded, "A few capfuls of molasses." And now they're perfect.) Mix ingredients together and bring to boil stirring frequently while heating and continuously while boiling. Full boil for up to 60 (This year Dad texted me to say 45 seconds maximum. I agree. Otherwise it'll end up as hard-tack.) seconds. Pour into a 10” pie pan or 9” X 9” glass Pyrex dish. Let cool.

2. Roll dough out in a rectangle on an unfloured board, about 12” by 6”. Pour melted butter onto dough and spread to within 1” of top and bottom. Sprinkle with brown sugar/cinnamon mix. Roll dough up the long way (like a hotdog). Slice evenly into 8-9 pieces and place on top of the sauce mix. Leave space between the slices for the rolls to rise.

3. Place rolls in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk. Bake 20 minutes in a 350 F oven. After removing from oven cover with tin foil and a large plate. Flip carefully. Serve.

NOTES: Since I usually do this recipe on the holidays for a midday meal I prepare the dough recipe the night before, allow one rise and then punch down and refrigerate. The next morning I pull the dough out several hours before I will start the recipe and let it warm up. As for the sauce I usually mix in some honey and a bit of maple syrup and decrease the corn syrup to make up the required volume. If you want nuts or raisins you would put them on top of the sauce before setting the rolls in.

 

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I’m so sorry that all the formatting sucks.

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~Carrot Walnut Bread~

2 cups grated carrots
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two medium loaf pans by greasing and dusting with flour or lining with parchment paper.

1. Grate and measure the carrots and set aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Whip the eggs together in a medium bowl. Stir the sugar in and then add the oil, extract, and milk.
4. Make a depression in the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture along with the carrots and nuts. Mix with a spatula until combined.
5. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the loaves test done when a toothpick is inserted in the middle of the loaves. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool on wire racks.

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“Fluffy Dinner Rolls” would have been here, but the website was experiencing some serious linkrot. So, that’s not happening. Onward and upward.

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~Potato Soup~

 

·         1 med onion, chopped

·         1 tbsp butter

·         Chicken broth/bullion cubes

·         Potatoes, approx. 6

·         1 stalk celery, chopped

·         1 peeled carrot, chopped

·         Salt to taste

·         Milk/half & half cream

 

Sautee 1 med onion in 1 tbsp butter until clear, not brown

Chop carrot and celery

Roughly chop potatoes and place in pot with celery and carrot

Add water to cover potatoes, one bullion cube per cup

Boil 20-25 mins or until potatoes are fork-soft

Mash with masher

If necessary, simmer until soup reaches desired consistency

Add salt to taste

Add milk/cream to taste (best with half& half)

This recipe, her Mom adds, can be doubled or halved according to need. Just add as many potatoes as you like, enough broth to cover and veggies to preference. Here, we substituted celeriac for celery because celery is not in season yet.

 

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Then, this was really good:

~Pop-Overs~

 

~1 Tb melted unsalted butter

~3 eggs

~1 Cup whole milk

~1 Cup flour

~1/4 tsp salt

DO NOT preheat oven, it needs to be cold when you put the pop-overs in. Take a pop-over tin (deep) or a muffin tin and grease with oil/Pam/cold butter/etc. In a mixing bowl beat together wet ingredients until foamy. I suggest using an electric mixer here, but you don't have to. Beat in the dry ingredients until smooth, DO NOT overmix. Batter should be thin. Fill each tin 2/3rds of the way full with batter. Place pan on middle rack in a cold oven. Turn temperature to 375F or 190C. A deep tin will take about 35-45 minutes, while a muffin tin will take about 25 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door for the firs 30 minuts of cooking, or tops will not rise. When you remove gently pierce the top of each pop-over to allow steam to escape. Let cool. Fill with jam and enjoy!

 

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And a personal favorite:

~Ultimate Chicken Soup~

 

~3 carrots Not seasonal (Carol's larder ran out so no more until next year), replaced w/ 2 lbs frozen sweet corn.

~3 celery Also not seasonal, replaced w/ 2 small celeriac, chopped.

~2 small onions

~1 clove garlic, chopped

~enough potatoes to fill a small sauce pan, peeled & chopped

~enough water w/ bullion OR enough stock to cover final amount of veggies&chicken

~salt & pepper to taste

~meat off 1 chicken

~oil/butter for frying veggies

~white cooking wine

~rosemary & other Italian seasonings, added to taste

 

We got a whole, 3-4lb pasture-raised chicken & roasted it slowly at 375degreesF for 1/2hour per pound of chicken. Cleaned it, patted it dry, & rubbed it all over w/ a rub that contained:

salt

pepper

garlic powder

sumac powder

& some thyme.

Every half hour we took the chicken out of the oven, turned it, & basted across the skin w/ a stick of butter. Then the chicken was de-boned & the meat set aside for the soup.

Boil chopped potatoes until easily pierced w/ a knife, reserve WITHOUT draining. Sautee the rest of the veggies in a large soup pot until cooked down/sweated to personal taste. Just as onions are starting to brown, add a splash of white wine. This brings up anything that has cooked onto the bottom of the pan. Scrape w/ a wooden spoon to bring up the cooked-on bits. Add potatoes & chopped chicken meat. Add enough water w/ bullion OR stock to cover. Season to taste. Remove when done.

 

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In between these recipes I made The Mush Travesty of 2013. It was the mushiest thing to ever mush the Mush Train. Again, we persevered.

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~Cucumber Moons Sauteed w/ Fresh Dill~

 

Mmmmm. Little crunchy-shalloty snacks.

 

·         2 large or 3 medium cukes

·         3 Tb butter

·         3 med-large shallots, chopped/minced

·         2-3 pinches fresh/dried dill

·         salt & pepper to taste

 

Peel cukes, scoop out seeds w/ a spoon, chop like celery into "C" shapes. Chop shallots. Heat butter on med or med-high until completely melted. Sautee veggies until beginning to get crisp. Add seasonings to taste & cook (stirring constantly) several minutes longer until desired crisp-ness. Enjoy immediately.

 

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~Brown Rice Stuffing~

 

~Oil for cooking (we used local sunflower oil)

~2 cloves garlic, minced

~2 onions, chopped

~3 cups raw brown rice

~6 cups water, chicken or veggie stock, or tomato juice (we used chicken stock)

~1/2 tsp allspice

~1/2 cup almonds, chopped (I put them in a plastic baggie and beat it with a meat tenderizer)

~1 cup chopped tomatoes

~3/4 lb cheddar chez, grated (just get the stuff that comes already grated, 1 lb is 16oz, 1 C is 8oz)

~salt & pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet/saucepan; add & saute garlic & onions. Add rice & brown about 5 minutes. Add desired liquid and allspice. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 40 minutes. (It says toast the almonds here, but I didn't bother.) Stir in tomatoes, cheese, almonds, & salt & pepper to taste. You can stuff into peppers (9) & bake at 350 for 30 minutes or you can eat it plain, stuff a bird with it, what ever you want! It was great!

We're living out of boxes now in anticipation of the Great Migration, but it's not that bad. I'm super excited, are you?

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~Strawberry Muffins~

 

·         2 Cups flour

·         1/3rd Cup white sugar

·         5 tsp baking powder

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1 large egg, slightly beaten

·         1 Cup plain whole milk yogurt

·         1 lemon, zest of

·         4 Tb unsalted butter, melted

·         1.5 Cups chopped strawberries

 

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix until combined. Make a well in the center. Beat egg seperately and melt butter. Add to the dry mixture. Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Trust me on the yogurt. Add chopped up strawberries. Stir until combined, do not overmix.

Put batter evenly into muffin tin, bake 20-30 minutes, or until crowns have browned and feel firm when you tap them. Enjoy!

 

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~Summer Strawberry Soup~

 

·         1 pint/2 cups strawberries, chopped

·         1/3 Cup honey

·         2.5 Tb fruit vinegar

·         3 Cups whole milk plain yogurt

·         2 tsp sweet wine

·         1/4 tsp orange juice

·         1/4 tsp lemon juice

 

Combine all ingredients & mix well. Store in the fridge and serve cold. Lasts forever, quite easy to double or triple the recipe without any trouble. Really, you can add as many strawberries as you want, although the recipe doesn't translate to blueberries very well, I've found. Can be used as a cold soup or your daily yogurt. I ate this every day for three months running a couple years ago.

 

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~CORNELL CHICKEN~

 

Cornell Chicken - Nana Simmons’ recipe from Ithaca NY (chicken BBQ at Grad school at Cornell University)

You Need:
1 Egg	Instructions:
½ cup corn oil or canola oil
1 cup Cider Vinegar	Chicken pieces; rinsed and dried; can use breasts with bone in, or thighs and drumsticks.
2 Tablespoons salt	Using a whisk, or an electric beater.
1 ½ teaspoon Poultry Seasoning	Beat egg until frothy, slowly add oil while beating. Until frothy.
(a pinch) ¼ teaspoon white pepper or substitute ground black pepper.	Add rest of ingredients and beat thoroughly. This is the sauce to marinate the chicken in overnight.
	Pour into freezer weight food baggy (or multiple baggies). Close securely.
If you don’t have time to make overnight, you can get these marinating in the fridge in the morning, turn them during the day and cook them up for supper.	Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels, add to the baggy and re- seal. Place in refrigerator, turning the bag over every 2 hours, to keep the sauce moving to baste the chicken pieces.
	Next day, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chicken from refrigerator, you can pre-warm in microwave (at 50% power). Put the chicken on a baking tray (usually on a baking rack on a baking tray, lined with tin foil) in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes to pre-cook. Check for doneness with a knife, the juices should be clear, not pink. If smaller pieces are done, remove these and cook larger pieces a little longer.
	Finish on the grill or under the broiler oven setting, turning frequently to crisp/ or grill the outside.

 

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~Southern Tomato Pie~

~1 sheet pie crust

~6 plum tomatoes, cut 1/4 inch thick

~Coarse salt (optional)

~2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

~olive oil

~1/3 Cup minced fresh basil

~ground pepper to taste

Using a 9-10in pie plate, put crust in. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. DO NOT prick crust (pie weights help here). Partially bake 9-11 minutes, remove and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F. Chop tomatoes, sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired & let drain for a couple minutes. Sprinkle cheese evenly in pastry shell. Arrange tomatoes over cheese in an overlapping circular pattern, covering surface. Brush tomatoes w/ olive oil. Sprinkle w/ basil & pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes. Makes 8 servings. Good the next day!

 

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~Sauteed Chicken Breasts w/ Peaches~

 

~4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat

~salt & pepper

~all-purpose flour

~2 Tb unsalted butter

~1/4 C thinly sliced shallots

~1/4 C balsamic vinegar

~1/4 C chicken broth

~1/4 C heavy/whipping cream

~2 large ripe, but firm peaches (or 1 lb)

~2 Tb shredded fresh basil (trust me, you want it fresh)

1. Use a meat pounder, flatten each breast so that it is roughly the same thickness throughout.

2. Season the breasts with salt and pepper (use more salt that you think you'll need, trust me!), then dredge through the flour, shaking off the excess.

3. Melt 1 Tb of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute until cooked through. Cut into the thickest part and make sure that it is cooked all the way through, white, but NO PINK. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with plastic wrap while you make the sauce.

4. Add the remaining 1 Tb butter (I also used a little wine to bring the burnt chicken bits up off the bottom of the pan, a wooden spoon is good for this). When the butter is melted, add the shallots and saute until tender. Add the vinegar and cook until reduced by half, forming a thick glaze. Add the broth and the cream, along with any juices that may have collected on the chicken plate. Cook again until reduced by half and lightly coats the back of a spoon. Add the peaches and toss until just warmed through. Removed from the heat and stir in the basil. Adjust salt & pepper as desired.

5. Take your chicken and spoon some sauce over it.

6. Wow.

 

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And that’s all. It’s strange, we cooked so much over the last year and yet these were the recipes that stood out, that I personally recommend. Happy eating everyone, I’m looking forward to this coming year.

Xoxoxo,

Love always,

Kim & Emmy