Recipes
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This Fall roasted cauliflower soup will certainly grace our table more than once this season. It fills the need for belly-warming comfort without being too heavy, reminding us that Summer is just barely over and will thankfully come again. The soup was on the table in under an hour, with little active time. It would make a perfect soup-shot to begin a Thanksgiving or holiday feast, and is easily adaptable to other seasonal vegetables and seasonings.
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Alison's Cranberry Chutney
This cranberry chutney is a cheerful and tasty delight. For anyone who remembers fondly the childhood thrill of a colorful canned fruit cocktail, get ready to re-live it. The chutney is easy to make and comes together in a snap with popping cranberries, crunchy celery and almonds with a topping of lemon zest. A melange of flavor and texture, this chutney does justice to the intensity of the cranberries by mixing it in good company. Serve it alongside your holiday meal and make extra! It is great on turkey sandwiches and freezes well.
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Fin & Feather Turkey
Hands up if you've made a barbecue turkey? I've been cooking our holiday bird on the grill for years now and its finally time to share it! The routine varies a little from year to year, but the spice is always Fin & Feather BBQ Rub, it is always cooked outside, and it is always delicious. That's the way traditions are made, and this one is worth keeping.Fin & Feather is a delightful BBQ blend formulated for fish and poultry. It is bright and flavorful, with onion, marjoram and sage topping off the standard pepper, mild chiles and paprika. It makes the perfect centerpiece for a Thanksgiving feast, so bring on the sides.......The first step in this preparation is brining the bird, and be sure to allow yourself plenty of time and space for that. Then once the bird is ready to cook, just fire up the grill. You can cook on a gas grill or over charcoal, but either way your oven is now free for all the other wonderful Thanksgiving fare without a traffic jam. Make an extra pie!
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Umami Apple Pie
An essential cookbook on our shelves is The Flavour Principle: Enticing Your Senses With Food And Drink. This cookbook, containing recipes from around the world, focuses on the fundamentals of flavor and suggests pairings to complement the unique tastes of each dish. One of our favorite recipes is this exceptional umami apple pie, which uses white cheddar in the crust for another delicious sweet & savory pairing.From the Author: "One issue I have with apple pies is that the apples are not soft and juicy enough. To avoid that, I use several different kinds of apples, some hard and some soft, and precook them for a few minutes to just soften."
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Mayan Cocoa Pumpkin Bark
It's no secret that nuts and chocolate are a delicious pairing, and we never tire of finding new ways to combine them. In this pumpkin bark, toasted pumpkin seeds take center stage with dark chocolate, Mayan Cocoa and Cinnamon Toast Spice. The hints of allspice and chile are delightful alongside three varieties of cinnamon and the toasty crunch of the nuts. We chose to top the bark with sea salt, too. This treat comes together quickly and travels well, so make a round for afternoon snacks or your next gathering.
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Black Cardamom Pastries
Eastern European cuisine doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should Enter Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, by Olia Hercules! We always love to see an under-appreciated or rarely used spice get some time in the spotlight, as is the case in this recipe for Ukranian Verhuny fried pastries with Black Cardamom. This unique spice has the sharp camphor of green cardamom along side a musty, earthy flavor that complements these pastries exquisitely. A fantastic recipe! From the Author: "These are Ukrainian “angel wing” pastry crisps. Originally, they used to be fried in lard (think of Portuguese pastel de nata lard pastry). I add some ground black cardamom seeds to the sugar, but feel free to use vanilla sugar instead. "
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Baked Quince
We do love some good quince. It's an underused fruit, and the firm flesh lends itself quite well to baking or poaching. In Olia Hercules' Ukranian cookbook, Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, this recipe piqued our interest. You don't often see juniper used in desserts, and this was absolutely delicious!From the Author: "My uncle had a quince tree in his garden and I have always had an overwhelming love for this fruit. We even used to eat it raw (yes, crazy, I know!) or chop it and turn it into jam. I do love it roasted or poached whole, though. Add some sea salt flakes and black pepper, remove the vanilla, and halve the quantity of sugar to make a delicious addition to roast duck."
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Pumpkin Rolls with Kashmiri Garam Masala
Take your cinnamon rolls from simple to sensational with the addition of pumpkin and Kashmiri Garam Masala. When I started looking for a pumpkin dessert, because it is that time of year, the thought of pies, cookies and loaves just seemed...boring. Enter the pumpkin rolls. I was SOLD as soon as I saw this post on Smitten Kitchen, and in making them found the recipe spot on! I barely adapted it, just a little spice make-over with one of our secret ingredients, Kashmiri Garam Masala, and some maple in the frosting. The results should be illegal. I know I say that about all the desserts, but this one is seriously irresistible.We opted for maple syrup and buttermilk in the glaze to round out the flavor profile. Next time I think trying coconut oil in place of some of the butter could be tasty, and orange in the frosting. Stay tuned! This one will definitely be back.While the glaze does put them over-the-top, these beauties are so delicious they could stand alone...or with butter...or with maple syrup.
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Tostadas de Higado de Pollo
What's that? Chicken Liver Toasts with Caramelized Onions, Mango and Watercress! This is one of the delicious bites included in Cocina Tropical: The Classic & Contemporary Flavors of Puerto Rico by Jose Santaella. We were excited about this recipe because it looked delicious, and used annatto seed — a spice with which many people are unfamiliar. Annatto is frequently used in Latin American and Caribbean countries to impart a natural color and mild, earthy flavor to foods. If you think you've never had it, it's also what makes some butters yellow and cheddar cheese orange.From the authors: Chopped chicken liver is one of those delicious recipes that is a bit of a throwback to the days of elegant cocktail hours and dinner parties with passed hors d'oeuvres. Pate and terrine are back in fashion, and this dish falls right into step with them. The richness of the velvety liver and the sweetness of the caramelized onions get a tangy tropical hit from the mango with a bit of peppery bite from the watercress garnish. Serve as is for a small plate appetizer or spread the liver on smaller crostini for a perfect party bite.
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