Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup

I ran across this recipe on Foodnetwork.com and I immediately thought “this is either going to be amazing or disgusting.” I love butternut squash so I was willing to give it a shot. Turns out that it was amazing: a raging party on my tongue! This soup is full of wonderful fall ingredients and bursting with great flavors that work really well together. It’s a great balance of sweet and savory.

Click here for the recipe. I didn’t want to buy apple cider just for this recipe so I added in an extra apple and used chicken broth instead at the step when the cider is added. For a delicious vegetarian version, skip the prosciutto and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock; it will still be delicious! The recipe doesn’t get too specific in its list of ingredients, but that is okay; just use whatever you can easily find or what your heart tells you!

If you’re not familiar with prepping butternut squash, it’s important to know that it is known to cause “contact dermatitis” for many people. This is a minor skin allergy caused from contact with the flesh of the squash. If you experience this, apply Cortisone cream and it should clear up within a day or so. If you have sensitive skin, you may just want to take the precaution of wearing latex gloves. Many places sell butternut squash already cut into small squares. You can also buy one whole, peel the skin off with a peeler, and chop into small chunks.

Sticky Buns

I’m usually not a big fan of sweets, but these sticky buns are amazing. And when fresh out of the oven, they are to die for! So when I had to choose something with a yeasted dough to make for my baking class final, I immediately thought of these.

Sticky buns are rolled pieces of rich, leavened dough that are compressed together into a baking loaf or pan which is lined with a sticky glaze. As it is baked, the glaze bubbles up and is absorbed into the buns, getting all in between the layers of dough. After cooling, the pan is turned upside-down so the glaze ends up on the top of the buns. It is believed that sticky buns have a Germanic origin and were originally known as “schnecken.”

You have to scale ingredients and there are many steps, but it is not hard. The final product will be well worth it!

Dough:

• 4 oz butter (you can substitute 1-2 oz of butter for shortening to make dough easier to handle)
• 4 oz sugar
• 0.4 oz salt
• 1 oz non-fat milk solids (dried milk)
• 3 oz eggs
• 8 oz water
• 0.525 oz dry instant yeast (fast acting or rapid rise)
• 1 lb bread flour
• 4 oz cake flour
• cinnamon-sugar

Glaze:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup toasted pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Start by making the dough. Using a paddle in an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and non fat milk solids. Then slowly add in the eggs, allowing them to incorporate before adding more. Next, add in the water. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast ad flours. Then add in the flour to form a dough. You can add a little more cake flour if dough is too loose. Switch to a dough hook and knead for 4 minutes.
2. The dough will need to ferment for 1.5 to 2 hours at 75F. Be sure to cover it so it doesn’t dry out. While the dough is fermenting, make the glaze. Cream together all ingredients using a paddle in an electric mixer. Spread the glaze onto the bottom of a pan with tall sides (and sprinkle with pecans if using), such as a roasting pan, and cover.
3. Once the dough is done fermenting, transfer it to a floured surface. Fold the dough 2-3 times. Then roll out into a rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll dough into log and cut into 8 even pieces. Place the rolls into the pan, resting on top of the glaze. Cover and let proof for 30-45 minutes.
4. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Glaze will be bubbly and buns will be browned.
5. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then turn pan over onto parchment paper.

The Results:

Fluffy cloud of ooey-gooey deliciousness is the best way to describe these! The dough itself is rich, soft, and moist. But the highlight of the sticky buns, is the glaze. Sweet carmelized sugar and slightly salty, it finds its way into all the crevices between layers of dough so every bite is like party that melts in your mouth. This is a sure way to impress so make these for on a special occasion or holiday for breakfast or dessert.

Schooner or Later, Long Beach

Saturday I took a day trip down to Long Beach to visit a good friend. Marla took us to one of her favorite restaurants, Schooner or Later, which is right on the harbor with a beautiful view. The place was packed and we waited for about an hour for a table. It was, however, well worth the wait. Schooner or Later was opened in 1985 under the name Little Ships Galley by Earl and Helen Schultz. The name was changed when brother and sister, Denny and Denise Lund, the current owners, purchased the restaurant. Their most famous dish is a local tradition known as “Schultzie’s Mess,” a tribute to the original owners. The mess is a blend of chopped ham, onion, bell pepper, hash browns, eggs, and cheddar cheese, and served with sourdough toast. No custom orders are allowed when it comes to “Schultzie’s Mess.”

None of us ordered “Schultzie’s Mess,” but we did spy it on a table next to us and it did look pretty darn good. Guy Fieri also confirmed that it tastes as good as it looked. That’s right; you may have seen Schooner or Later on Guy Fieri’s show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. You can check out the clip from the show here. I’m a sucker for Chiliquiles and when I saw it on the menu, I could not resist. You get your choice of green or red sauce, pinto or refried beans, flour or corn tortillas, and 2 eggs cooked however you like. The green sauce was delicious and my eggs were cooked well. Except for the tortillas which I didn’t touch, I devoured everything on the plate.

My husband ordered their Crab Melt; crab, avocado, tomato, swiss, and cheddar cheese served on sourdough bread. It was also great. The onion rings were not that great though. The batter was dense and they lacked seasoning and flavor.

I was able to sneak a taste of my friend’s Fish and Chips. The fish was fresh and tasted great. It was, however, slightly dry from being overcooked. I like how the batter was not heavy and thick, and didn’t over take the fish.

Also pictured is the petit Caesar salad, sourdough toast (looks amazing and was told it tastes as good as it looks), and chicken pozole soup ( reported to be a little over-salted).

Also notable is the patio bar. I watched a group of people enjoying mimosas and generous bloody marys while waiting for their table. We really enjoyed Schooner or Later and I hope to enjoy it again one day!

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and mash conjures up memories of being in England and hiding out in pubs waiting for the rain to pass. It is simple and traditional English pub food consisting of sausages (bangers) and mashed potatoes (mash). When made a certain way, particularly as they were made during WWII under rationing, the sausages would often explode when cooked under high heat, and so became known as bangers.

I made my sausages because I just got a new sausage stuffer (thanks, Mom!), but feel free to buy sausage to make things a lot easier. Just make sure you get some nice quality ones.

Bangers:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper

Cooking your bangers:

• 1 white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bottle Guinness beer
• salt

1. Over medium-high heat, brown sausages on all sides.
2. Add onions and Guinness, and bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for about 50 minutes.
3. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Making your mash:

• 6 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Boil potatoes and onions until tender. Drain.
2. Add in all other ingredients. Stir and mash by hand, leaving potatoes slightly lumpy.

Serve sausages over bed of mashed potatoes and top with onion and Guinness reduction.

The Results:

It’s a bit of a gut-buster, but delicious! The sausages are very simple in flavor and the pork really shines with the Guinness giving it a boost of flavor. The mash is unlike regular mashed potatoes, with a slight hint of mustard and sharp cheddar. Lots of butter and heavy cream give the mash a velvety, rich texture. With all components on your fork, it’s like a party in your mouth!

Ernie’s Tijuana Torte

I love potlucks at work because my coworkers make some awesome food! One of the many stars at these potlucks is Ernie’s Tijuana Torte. It is a Mexican version of lasagna, layering tortillas with tomato meat sauce and cheese, and it is delicious! Ernie was kind enough to share his recipe with me which I made exactly as instructed (because you don’t mess with perfection!).

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1-1 lb can of whole tomatoes
• 1-8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1-4 oz can diced green chiles.
• 1 packet of taco seasoning, or make your own by combining cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika, etc.
• Flour tortillas
• 1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
• 1.5 cups sour cream

1. In large pan, saute onion in oil. Add ground beef and brown. Next, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles, and seasoning, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Spoon the mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish, creating a thin layer. Place a layer of tortillas over the mixture, tearing them if necessary. Spread more meat mixture over the tortillas and then a layer of cheese.
3. Continue to layer tortillas, meat mixture, and cheese. Before adding the last layer of tortillas, spread the sour cream over the mixture.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until bubbly.

The Results:

My Tijuana Torte came out really saucy and the layers didn’t really hold up (I tend to have the same problem with traditional lasagna too). I think I put too much filling in between my layers so be sure to go light when you make this. Despite it’s sloppy appearance, it tasted delicious! The flavors are bold and the sour cream adds a great richness to the dish. I also love how the tortillas take on a fluffy noodle-like texture. Now that I know how easy this is, I don’t have to wait for a potluck next time I’m craving Ernie’s Tijuana Torte!

Monkey Bread

It seems that I’ve been baking more than cooking lately. Mostly I bake the same things over and over again because I know it’s not quite right and I have to perfect it. Baking is more challenging in that I can’t fix things as I go; once it’s done, it’s done. It also requires a lot of patience when dealing with yeast dough. Monkey bread is one of my husband’s favorite sweets and he introduced me to it while we were in college. This recipe for monkey bread is the first thing we made in baking class so it’s really basic and relatively easy. It’s also fun to make and something small kids can help with too.

Monkey bread is also known as African coffee cake, pull-apart bread, golden crown, pinch-me cake, bubble loaf, and various other names. It’s made of small balls of dough that are rolled in butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and baked together as a loaf. It is then eaten by pulling apart the segments. Monkey bread references and recipes first started appearing in the 1950′s and is still virtually unknown outside of the US. However, the idea of sweet bread with cinnamon and sugar has been around since the ancient Middle East, and the practice of baking little balls of dough together in one pan was very popular in the 19th century so the concept is really that new. It’s not clear where the name comes from, but most people think that it comes from monkey bread’s resemblance to the monkey puzzle tree or the act of several people pulling at the bread is reminiscent of monkey behavior.

• 625 g bread flour
• 12 g salt
• 60 g sugar
• 30 g nonfat dried milk
• 30 g shortening
• 30 g butter
• 7.7 g instant dry yeast
• 375 g water
• 1 stick butter, melted
• cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar mixture

1. Scaling ingredients: Yes, you must weigh the ingredients.
2. Mixing ingredients: Combine all flour, salt, sugar, dried milk, shortening, butter (not melted butter), and yeast in a stand up mixer with the paddle attachment. Slowly add in the water- you may need less or you may need more- until it creates a thick, but still sticky dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on second speed for 10-12 minutes. The dough should be about 80F.
3. Fermentation: Cover the dough and let it sit in a warm (80F) place for about 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Folding: On a floured surface and with floured hands, fold the dough a couple of times to even out the dough and remove excess gas.
5. Portioning: Divide the dough into 4 pieces.
6. Rounding: Form the pieces into rounded, smooth balls.
7. Benching: Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
8. Makeup and Panning: Roll the balls into long snake-like shape and cut into golf ball size pieces. Shape into balls, roll in butter, and then in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place in a bundt pan.
9. Proofing: Cover and place in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
10. Baking: Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes or until dark, golden brown on top.
11. Cooling: Let cool before turning over pan onto parchment paper.
12. Eating/Storing: Enjoy! Remember, this will not keep overnight.

The Results:

When I turned over the baked bread onto parchment paper, it fell apart. But that is okay, it still tasted amazing! Freshly baked goods are delicious! This dough was light and fluffy, light a warm cloud that melts in your mouth! The brown sugar and butter turned into a glaze, and by rolling the balls individually in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, each piece was perfectly glazed.

Baguettes

Baking bread used to be quite overwhelming: weighing ingredients, using yeast, fermenting, resting, so many steps, so complicated… Until I did it. There may be a lot of steps, but it’s really not hard and just takes some patience. Be ware though; you may never want to buy bread again after you learn to make your own. I’m going to walk you through all the steps and give you some tips which I learned in my baking class. This recipe is for basic baguettes and it makes 2 large baguettes or 4 smaller ones.

• 1000 g bread flour: Use bread flour. Bread flour has enough high-quality gluten to make it perfect for yeast breads. Also make sure your flour is unbleached. Freshly milled flour is not good for bread because the gluten is weak and inelastic. It is also yellowish, but becomes white from being oxidized over time. Aging flour is costly so millers may add chemicals to achieve the same results quickly.
• 20 g salt: Use regular table salt.
• 9 g instant dry yeast: Use instant dry yeast and note that it also may be called fast acting or rapid rise dry yeast. It is easy to use – just add it in as a dry ingredient. Fresh yeast is usually preferred by professional bakers, but it is perishable and not easy to find in a supermarket. Don’t use active dry yeast as 25% of the yeast cells are dead due to the harsh drying conditions and this will have a negative effect on the dough quality.
• 600 g water: Keep in mind that the dough should be about 80 degrees and mixing it will add some heat too. If the air is cold, you may want to use warmer water, but if the air is really hot, you should use iced water.

1. Scale the ingredients. Yes, you need to measure them with a scale. Why? There is a huge fluctuation in the quantity of flour in 1 cup depending on how tightly you pack the flour, but weight is very accurate.
2. Mix the ingredients. Using the mixing paddle in a standing mixer, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add in the water; you may use less or more water than the recipe calls for. Using a little too much water is better than not using enough and you want the dough to be sticky. Mix for a couple of minutes on the lowest speed. Then switch to the dough hook and mix for 10-15 minutes on the second speed. You know the dough is ready when it stretches well without breaking (basically, you have good gluten formation).
3. Ferment. Cover your dough with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out and put in a warm place. Dough ferments best around 80 degrees. If it’s a little cooler, it will take more time to ferment. Professional bakers use a special box that has controlled humidity and temperature, but I used a warm (around 80 degrees) oven at home and it worked great. Ferment for about an hour or until the dough is doubled in size.
4. Folding. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands just enough to make the dough not stick, but don’t use too much. Fold the dough in the same way you fold a letter into thirds to fit into an envelope. Then, turn 90 degrees and do it again. This evens out the dough and pushes out excess air.
5. Portion the dough. Using a dough cutter or a knife (never tear the dough) portion the dough into even pieces. Divide into 2 if you want large loaves or into 4 for smaller loaves.
6. Rounding. Shape the pieces of dough into smooth, round balls. This helps when you shape the dough into loaves later.
7. Benching. Let the dough rest for about 10-20 minutes. This lets the gluten relax.
8. Makeup/Panning. Shape the dough into loaves for baking. Proper way to make a baguette is to start by rolling the dough into a flat oval and then rolling it into a long loaf with rounded ends. Place seam-side down on pan dusted with cornmeal. Lastly, score the bread with a razor blade or sharp knife by slashing the bread diagonally with long strides (see below photo).
9. Proofing. This is also known as a second fermentation and because the temperature of the dough is higher than before, fermentation will be much quicker. Let proof until the dough is doubled in size.
10. Baking. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes with steam. Ideally, a deck oven should be used. You can simulate a deck oven by using a pizza stone or placing bricks on your oven racks (preheated with oven). You can also simulate steaming by spraying the dough with water in the beginning of baking. This cools down the crust allowing for it to expand more before hardening and will result in a thinner yet still crispy crust.
11. Cooling. Let the bread cool as the bread continues to go through physical changes during cooling.
12. Eating! Okay, this step is really called storing, but this kind of bread does not keep well. Never refrigerate bread as it will quickly dry out. It does freeze well though. Putting the bread in a plastic bag will soften the crispy crust, but I find that baking it to crisp it up again works just fine for me. Still, it’s best eaten right away!

The Results:

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Like I said before, you will never want to buy bread again! It may take a few hours to make, but once you get the process down and become comfortable with it, it is really easy. I find it truly amazing that such a delicious product is made from just flour, water, yeast and salt. The crust is thin and crispy and the crumb (the inside) is airy, light, and perfectly chewy. The flavor is good, but not amazing. Understand that it only fermented for 2 hours at most and the longer the fermentation, the better the flavor. Some bakeries have had a dough starters that are 10, 20, 50, even 100 years old! So for what it is, I think it’s amazing.

Guinness and Irish Cheddar Soup

A couple of days ago I was chatting with someone about soup (mostly where the best and worst chicken tortilla soup is) and then the conversation turned to beer bread, when suddenly a wave of inspiration came over me. Beer soup. Cheese beer soup! Guinness and Irish Cheddar!! 9 out of 10 people I told about my wonderful idea looked at me like I’m crazy, but I didn’t care.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bottle of Guinness
• 1/2 lb Irish Cheddar, grated
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne powder
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

1. Saute onion, garlic, and thyme in olive oil.
2. Add flour and stir, cooking for about 3 minutes.
3. Whisk in chicken broth and then beer. Continue to cook until soup thickens. Turn up heat to increase thickness or add some water to thin.
4. Add cheese and stir until dissolved.
5. Season with cayenne powder, salt and pepper.

The Results:

I’ll admit that this was a difficult dish to make right. My first attempt was great at first, but after serving a bowl of it, realized it was too rich and sharp to really eat a bowl of it. The second try with half as much cheese was much better though! Still rich, but edible, the above recipe is my “perfected” version. The Guinness cut the sharp cheese really well. The cayenne pepper was unidentifiable but greatly enhances the savory flavors of the onion and garlic somehow. Serve with chopped raw veggies and some french bread for a great Monday Night Football dinner!

Cilantro and Chicken Soup

Nothing captures my heart like the flavors of Mexico. I set off with the idea of making a chicken tortilla soup which is pretty vague and left a lot of room for creativity. In the end, I was left with a fresh, spicy green soup that, besides for the tortilla chips, doesn’t resemble any chicken tortilla soup that I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of chicken tortilla soup.

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 jalapenos, chopped (take out some or all of the seeds to lessen the heat)
• 6-8 cloves garlic
• about 30 oz chicken stock
• about 2 cups water
• 2 cups cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 can black beans
• salt

1. In large pot saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add chicken broth and water and bring to low simmer.
3. Add cilantro and blend with immersion blender.
4. Add chicken and black beans, and salt to taste.
5. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

The Results:

Quick, healthy, and delicious I think I found a new favorite dish! The broth is bright green and is very simple, but delicious in flavor. Super fresh from the cilantro and perfectly spicy, it just made me want to eat more… and drink a lime margarita.

Hungarian Chicken Paprikash

A few years ago I thought that paprika was good for nothing but sprinkling over deviled eggs. Thankfully, I came to realize that this smoky and peppery red spice has a lot to offer.

Paprika is made from fried and ground chile peppers, capsicum annum, which originated in Mexico.  Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing the chile to Europe where the plant was used as a decorative plant by the aristocracy before its culinary value was recognized.  The peppers soon migrated to Hungary which is renowned for its paprika. According to an old Hungarian saying, good paprika burns twice; I’m sure you understand what I mean.

One of my best friends in Hungarian and tonight she showed me her family recipe for chicken paprikash. She described chicken paprikash as a common, once-a-week meal for Hungarian families. Usually, it’s served over a pasta, but she serves it over potatoes, with a Hungarian cucumber salad.

Start by making the cucumber salad as it should chill in the fridge while you prepare the chicken paprikash.

• 2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar

1. Soak the cucumbers in 1 cup of salted water for 30 minutes. This draws the water out of the cucumber.
2. Rinse and squeeze the excess water out of the cucumbers and put in new bowl.
3. Mix together 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and sugar. Add more sugar to taste.
4. Pour over cucumbers, cover, and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Chicken Paprikash:

• 2 sweet onions, chopped
• olive oil
• a lot (1/3 cup?) Hungarian paprika, half sweet and half spicy is a good mix!
• 6 chicken drumsticks, excess fat removed
• water
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 8 white mushrooms, sliced
• salt to taste
• 6 yukon gold potatoes, peeled, chopped, and boiled

1. In large pot, saute the onion in olive oil. Add about 1/4 cup of paprika and stir for a few minutes.
2. Add chicken to pot and add water to almost cover the chicken. The water should be a deep brick-red color. Add more paprika if necessary.
3. Bring to low simmer and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and mushrooms, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Salt to taste.
5. Serve over boiled potatoes.

The Results:

The paprika gives this dish a smoky, slightly spicy, and super savory flavor, and the chicken is as tender as butter! It goes great with the cucumber salad which is tangy, sweet, refreshing, and cuts through the spice of the chicken paprikash. My husband, who never eats cucumbers no matter how I try to sneak them into his food, at all of his!