Rum Cake

Rum Cake

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 3.5oz. pkg instant vanilla pudding

4 whole eggs

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup rum

1 cup chopped pecans

Brown sugar optional

Glaze

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup rum

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. If desired, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.

Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even. Bake for 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black. Do not overbake!

Glaze:

While cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.

Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork (gently, please.) Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure the glaze has soaked in.

Tanja's Quiche Lorraine

The recipe today comes from Germany and is sent by Tanja Michael. Tanja was on a tour bus sitting on the opposite side of the bus from where I sat during a recent trip to Las Vegas. We struck up conversation and when I learned that she was from Germany, my German heritage stirred. We shared a little about ourselves and before we departed Tanja offered to share her Quiche Lorraine recipe.

I will post the measurements from grams to cups and etc. A BIG thank you Tanja for sharing her recipe!

Tanja’s Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients: 1 pack of puff pastry

250g smoked ham (black forest type), finely diced

250g Emmentaler (swiss cheese), grated

4 eggs

1 tub of crème fraiche

1/2 mug whipped cream

1-2 bunch of parsley

LOTS OF paprika spice (hot and noble sweet), salt, pepper, Maggi

Preparation: Swill a little water round a springform baking tin and line with puff pastry. Stir the eggs, crème fraiche, whipped cream and spices with a hand mixer. Taste it ;-)) mmmmh, delicious! Then fold in the ham, cheese and parsley. Pour the egg mixture into the baking tin and place in the oven. Cook on 190° c for approx 40 minutes

Enjoy your meal !

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Mexican Hot Chocolate

• Ingrdients:
• 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 20 drops vanilla creme stevia
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• dash cayenne pepper
• dash celtic sea salt
• ***
• Directions:

1. Place coconut milk, water, cacao powder and agave in a Vitamix
2. Puree on high speed until smooth
3. Blend in stevia, vanilla, cinnamon, chili, cayenne and salt
4. Heat mixture in a saucepan until warm
5. Top with Whipped Cream (optional)
6. Reblend and Serve

Note: Stevia is a sugar substitute. Adjust the cinnamon to your taste.

Serves 4

Roasted Butternut Squash Polenta with Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

1. One 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and sliced 1 inch thick
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
3. 1/3 cup pine nuts
4. 1 large onion, finely chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 6 cups water
8. 2 cups coarse polentaUnsalted butter
9. 4 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded (1 cup)
10. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
11. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange the squash on a large oiled baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until tender. Transfer the squash to a bowl and mash coarsely. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.) Spread the pine nuts on a pie plate and toast in the oven for 4 minutes, until golden. Coarsely chop the nuts. *
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sage and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, 25 minutes; add a few tablespoons of water if the onion looks dry. *
3. In a saucepan, bring the 6 cups of water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook over very low heat, stirring frequently, until tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter along with the mashed squash, pine nuts, onion, Gouda and half of the grated Parmigiano cheese. Pour the hot polenta into a buttered large cast-iron skillet. Flatten the top of the polenta slightly without spreading it to the edges; refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
4. Rub the surface of the polenta with softened butter and sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmigiano cheese. Bake in a 375° oven for 1 hour, until the top and side are lightly browned and crisp. Let stand for 20 minutes before cutting it into wedges.
5. SERVE WITH Sautéed mushrooms, braised greens or tomato sauce.

Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette

Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette

Good-quality balsamic vinegar and walnut oil make all the difference in this dressing. If you can find a roasted walnut oil, its intensely nutty flavor will not be overpowered by the rich balsamic vinegar. This vinaigrette is also delicious with delicate baby spinach, mâche, or baby greens.

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

*

Combine the vinegar, mustard, and both oils in a glass jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar vigorously to combine. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste. (The vinaigrette can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 month. Let it return to room temperature and shake vigorously before using.) Makes 1/2 cup

Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette

Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette

Good-quality balsamic vinegar and walnut oil make all the difference in this dressing. If you can find a roasted walnut oil, its intensely nutty flavor will not be overpowered by the rich balsamic vinegar. This vinaigrette is also delicious with delicate baby spinach, mâche, or baby greens.

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the vinegar, mustard, and both oils in a glass jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar vigorously to combine. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste. (The vinaigrette can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 month. Let it return to room temperature and shake vigorously before using.) Makes 1 1/2 cup

Citrus Salts

Citrus Salts

At a recent cooking class I attended, the instructor spoke of the variety of salts available today and prices. I purchased a box of Maldon Salt which is imported from England. It is a flaked salt and great sprinkled on salads and vegetables. I was happy to find this article on Heidi Swanson's blog, "101 Cookbooks". I have an abundance of citrus fruits available in CA and plan to duplicate some of these salts.

This is a copied article from the blog "101 Cookbooks" written by Heidi Swanson.

*

"I used Maldon sea flakes here, but you can certainly experiment with other kinds of salts (this looks beutiful). Also try to buy good, organic, citrus. And avoid waxed citrus. If that is what you have on hand thought, just be sure to give it a good scrub with warm water. Also dry completely before zesting."

For each type of salt you will need:

1/2 cup flaky sea salt

1 tablespoon citrus salt

***

"Preheat your oven to 225 F / 105 C. Combine the salt and citrus in a medium bowl and mix well. Really work the zest into the salt, making sure there aren't any clumps of zest. Spread across a parchment lined baking sheet. If you are making mare than one flavoe of salt, repeat this as many times as necessary. For example this time I made 6 salts, and I arranged them across two baking sheets (see photos)."

*

"Bake for 70 minutes, or until the citrus is completely dried out. Flecks os zest should crumble when pinched beteen your fingers. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. At this point you can pulse each salt a few times in a food processor if you like, which is what I do. Or, you can enjoy it as it is. Salts keep in an air tight jar for a couple of months."

"Prep time 5 minutes, Bake time 70 minutes."

Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

We do not have much cold weather in San Diego. I must capitalize on it when I can and make the comfort food for cold days. Incidentally, cold in San Diego is somewhere in the 60's.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

3 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup red lentils

5 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup whipping cream *optional

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Garnish:

1 tablespoon vegetable oi

1/4 cup sage leaves

***

Directions:

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add carrots and sweet potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

*

Add ginger, chili flakes, and cinnamon and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add lentils and stir to coat with oil.

*

Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are very soft and lentils have exploded.

*

Puree soup in food blender or with hand blender. Return to pot, stir in whipping cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup. Reheat when needed.

*

For Garnish: heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat and fry sage leaves for 30 seconds or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Place on soup.

*

Serves 6

Aspargus Risotto with Pancetta and Truffle Oil ....... Post 1100

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO WITH PANCETTA AND TRUFFLe Oil

A beautiful risotto studded with green asparagus and flecked with pancetta. This tastes even better with the truffle oil giving it that final flourish.

1 lb (500 g) thin asparagus stalks, woody ends removed

2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil

4 slices pancetta, diced

1 cup (250 mL) chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1½ cups (375 mL) arborio rice

5½ cups (1.375 L) hot chicken stock

2 tbsp (25 mL) butter

½ cup (125 mL) Parmesan cheese

1 tsp (5 mL) truffle oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

***

1. Dice asparagus stalks into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths, reserving tips.

*

2. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and fry for 2 minutes or until fat has rendered. Add onion, garlic and asparagus stalks and sauté for 3 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in rice and cook until rice is coated with onion and oil, about 1 minute.

*

3. Pour in about 2 cups (500 mL) stock and cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another 2 cups (500 mL) stock and stir again and cook until liquid is absorbed. Add last cup (250 mL) of stock and asparagus tips. Cook until stock is absorbed. The rice should be al dente. If not, add up to ½ cup (125 mL) more stock. This whole process should take between 20 and 25 minutes.

*

4. Beat in butter, Parmesan and truffle oil and season with salt and pepper.

*

Serves 4

Lamb Shanks Braised With Cinnamon and Honey Post 1100

Lamb Shanks

The only possible accompaniment for this rustic dish of tender lamb shanks is mashed potato but, in a pinch, hunks of crusty baguette will mop up the flavourful juices nicely too. Since frozen lamb shanks often come in packages of three, feel free to braise all of them; the meat from the leftover one would be perfect added to a shepherd’s pie or tucked into a wrap with crisp salad greens and tzatziki. Tzatziki is a Greek sauce made of yogurt, garlic and cucumbers.

***

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks, about 10 oz (300 g) each

¾ tsp (4 mL) kosher salt

¾ tsp (4 mL) freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon

1 cup (250 mL) low-sodium beef or chicken stock

¼ cup (60 mL) liquid honey

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce

4 bay leaves

Finely chopped parsley for garnish

*

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

*

2 Pat lamb shanks dry with paper towels, then sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook lamb shanks for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Remove lamb shanks to a large plate.

*

3 Reduce heat to medium and add onion to fat remaining in pot. Cook, stirring often, for 4 to 6 minutes, until onion is golden brown. Add cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

*

4 Stir in stock, honey, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up any brown bits from bottom of pot.

*

5 Return lamb shanks to pot, cover tightly and transfer to oven. Cook for about 1½ hours or until lamb is very tender, turning lamb shanks over halfway through cooking time.

*

6 Remove lamb shanks to a warm plate, cover and keep warm. With a slotted spoon, remove garlic and set aside. Discard bay leaves. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic from skins and mash smoothly. Whisk garlic into cooking juices and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices have reduced and thickened slightly. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

*

7 Place lamb shanks on 2 warm plates. Spoon cooking juices over shanks and sprinkle with parsley.

***

Serves 2 From my favorite site: LCBO

Happy Birthday Elvis

Happy Birthday Elvis

To all who grew up in the 50's and 60's listening to his music, the icon of Rock 'n Roll will live forever. Today would have marked his 77th birthday.

A Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich

If you were a subscriber to Gourmet Magazine the name Ruth reichl is probably familiar to you. She was editor in chief until the magazine ceased publication.

How to Make a Better Grilled Cheese

Ruth Reichl shares her favorite cooking secrets in a new weekly series

by Ruth Reichl

We spend a lot of time sitting around this office, talking about what we cooked, what we’re going to cook, and what we wished we had cooked. Lately it’s occurred to us that you might want to be part of this conversation.

Starting today, I’ll be writing a weekly column called How to Make a Better... These aren’t recipes, really, just simple ideas that will help you turn good food into great food.

These are little tricks I’ve come up with over many years, and I mostly keep them to myself. But our goal at Gilt Taste is to help everyone become a better cook, and I’m excited to share them with you. I wish you a year of wonderful eating.

(Photos by Whitney Chen)

How to Make a Better Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A great grilled cheese sandwich is a seriously seductive creature. Warm, tangy and gooey, it should be absolutely irresistible. But here’s the problem: Even ordinary grilled cheese sandwiches, the kind made with white bread and Velveeta, are pretty appealing. Which means that too many people are willing to settle for good enough.

That’s a shame: Making it better is remarkably easy. Here are a few tips, beyond the obvious ones of using good bread (something with character like sourdough) and good cheese (any good Cheddar will do, although I prefer Montgomery).

1. Do not use margarine - ever. Butter the inside and the outside of the bread. Or try spreading a thin film of mayonnaise onto the outside of the bread instead of butter; it will not only add a persuasive tang, but is also much more scorch-proof on the griddle.
2. Grate the cheese rather than slicing it for quicker, more even melting.
3. Mix the grated cheese with a scattering of finely chopped members of the allium family - whatever you happen to have on hand. I like to mix in about a tablespoon of onions, scallions, shallots and a little bit of garlic per sandwich.
4. Add a gentle swipe of mustard (or horseradish) to the inside of the bread. It adds a nice layer of flavor, an extra tang.
5. Pat some of the grated cheese onto the outside of the bread, where it will create a wonderfully crisp and shaggy crust, giving your sandwich an entirely new dimension.
6. Don’t take your eyes off the griddle; the easiest way to make your grilled cheese better is to make sure these babies don’t burn!