Madeleines

4 ounces sweet butter
1 C sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2/3 C sugar
Grated zest from 1/2 lemon
2 eggs separated
2 tsp orange flower water

Soften butter but don’t melt
Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in bowl.  
Add lemon, stir in egg yolks and orange flower water, then incorporate butter. 
Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. 
Brush madeleine molds with butter and fill each shell half full.  
Bake in 400 oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until risen and golden brown. 
Let rest a few minutes before turning them out onto a cake rack.

Makes 24 madeleines

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Shortbread

1 1/2 cups softened butter

1 cup confectioners sugar

3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 300°.  In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butteer and sugar until fluffy.   Add flour and mix well until combined.  Press into a 13″ x 9″ baking pan.  Prick with fork.  Score 1/8″ deep, into 4″ x 1″ bars.  Bake 40 – 45 mins or until barely golden.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Cut along scored lines.  26 bars.

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Grandma’s Pot Roast

Buy a small pot roast – either chuck roast or bottom round roast, top round will do but is usually more expensive.   Grandma always uses top round

Dredge in s&p and flour
Brown on all sides in 3 Tbsp of oil
remove from pot

add 1 cup chopped onion and 1 1/2 cloves of garlic minced, cook until soft

Put meat back into pot and add 1 1/2 cups of HOT water
1 bay leaf
1/4 c vinegar
2Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 c ketchup
1/2 tsp salt

cook over LOW heat for 3 hours
turn meat every half hour

Remove meat and thicken gravy with small amt of cornstarch dissolved in a Tbsp or 2 of water

Serve with carrots and wide egg noodles.

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Spicy Orange Catfish

1/2 c  Orange juice
1 tb Hoisin sauce
2 tb Soy sauce
1/4 c  Sherry
1 ts Grated fresh ginger
2    Green onions, chopped
1 lb Catfish filets
 
   In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the orange juice, hoisin
   sauce, soy sauce, sherry and ginger. Mix well. Add the onions. Spray
   a large, non-stick skillet with vegetable oil spray. Heat over high
   heat until hot. Add the fish fillets and cook for 1 minute on each
   side. Add sauce and boil 1 minute.  Turn fillets and boil 2 minutes
   longer. Remove fish to a serving platter.  Boil sauce 1 minute
   longer, until it is reduced and slightly thickened.  Pour over fish.

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Waffles from Scratch

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
3 egg yolks – beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites – stiffly beaten

Measure and mix dry ingredients
Combine yolks and milk – stir into dry ingredients
Add oil
Carefully fold into egg whites

Cook according to directions on waffle maker

Serves 6

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Onion Raisin Cranberry Confit

2 versions here…1 using pearl onions in a jar, the other using fresh pearl onions

Jarred onion Version

2/3 cup gold raisins
2/3 cup dark raisins
3 jars of cooked pearl onions
3/4 stick of butter unsalted
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of vinegar (apple cider or white)
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
1 2/3 cups fresh cranberries

Soak raisins in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes SAVE THE LIQUID
Cook onions in butter until coated, add sugar and 1 Tbsp of vinegar until caramelized
Add remaining vinegar and wine. Boil for 2 mins

Add the raisins with SOME OF the soaking liquid(enough to cover), the garlic, the thyme, the salt, and 1 cup water, or enough to just cover the solids, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the onions covered, for 15 minutes, or until they are tender.

Add the cranberries and boil the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 30 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and the confit is thickened. Season the confit with salt, transfer it to a bowl, and let it cool. The confit may be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the confit in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until the butter is just melted. Serve the confit at room temperature. Makes about 4 cups.

Fresh Onion Version

2/3 c Golden raisins
2/3 c Dark raisins
2 lb Small white onions, blanched
6 tb Unsalted butter
1/2 c Sugar
3/4 c White wine vinegar
1 1/2 c Dry white wine
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 ts Dried thyme, crumbled
1 ts Salt, or to taste
1 2/3 c Frozen cranberries

Soak raisins in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes SAVE THE LIQUID

In a large heavy saucepan cook the onions in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until they are coated well with the butter, add the sugar and 1 Tablespoon of the vinegar, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and turns a golden caramel.

Add the remaining 11 Tablespoons vinegar and the wine and boil the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the raisins with enough of the soaking liquid to cover, the garlic, the thyme, the salt, and 1 cup water, or enough to just cover the solids, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the onions covered, for 1 hour, or until they are tender.

Add the cranberries and boil the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 30 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and the confit is thickened. Season the confit with salt, transfer it to a bowl, and let it cool. The confit may be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the confit in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until the butter is just melted. Serve the confit at room temperature. Makes about 4 cups.

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Chicken and Grape Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cooked chicken cubed
1 cup seedless grapes
1 cup sliced celery
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients.
Add chicken, grapes and celery.

Toss to coat well
Chill at least 2 hours

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Cookie-Press Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks, almond extract and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Fill a cookie press with dough and shoot cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If you like, decorate with sugar or sprinkles at this time.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven.

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Roasted Fresh Ham w/ Maple-Mustard Seed Glaze

14 – 16 servings

3 cups unsweetened apple cider
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 cups Apple Jack or Calvados
1 tsp dried thyme
Fresh Ham 10 pounds
– rind and excess fat removed
8 cloves of slivered garlic
1 Tbsp coarse salt
1 tsp pepper

Simmer apple cider in small saucepan over low heat untiil reduced to 2 cups (12 mins)
Remove from heat, add onion and let cool
Combine cooled mixture with Apple Jack and thyme in large stainless or ceramic bowl
Cut slits in ham at 3 inch intervals – – insert garlic in slits
Marinate overnight in fridge – turn several times
Remove from fridge 2 hours before roasting
Heat oven to 400
Remove ham and pat dry with paper towel
Strain marinade into small bowl discard solids (3.5 cups)

Rub ham with s/p
Place fat side up in large shallow roasting pan
bake in center of over 40 minutes — reduce to 325 and contine to bake – basting with marinade every 30 minutes – for about 3 more hours
Ham should be 3/4ths cooked

Make maple mustard seed glaze – keep warm

Maple Mustard Seed Glaze

1/4 cup veg oil
3 Tbsp grated onion
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp dijon mustard
4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 ground pepper

Heat oil until rippling – add onion and saute for 1 minute
Add remaining ingredients – increase heat to med-high
Boil uncovered stir occasionally – reduce to 1 cup – 18 mins
Keep warm until ready to use.

Remove ham from oven – leave heat at 325
Transfer to platter
Heat drippings to boiling, scrape brown bits from bottom of pan
Strain into heatproof bowl and refrigerate covered
Return ham to roasting pan and baste with glaze
Continue to roast – baste with glaze every 20 minutes
Cook until thermometer reaches 165 about 1 – 1.5 hours
Transfer to warmed large platter. Cool 10 minutes
Remove drippings from fridge, discard fat
Heat drippings until boiling
Pour into warm gravy boat
Slice ham to serve – accompany with sauce

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Spinach Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp chopped roseemary
1 package of frozen spinach – thawed
1 can chick peas – drained
2 cups canned beef broth
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes *optional
4 cups water
1 cup small pasta
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan

  1. Saute onion in oil 10 mins
  2. Stir in garlic, marjoram and rosemary, saute 2 mins longer
  3. Add spinach and cover and cook 5 mins til tender
  4. Add chick peas, broth and water, simmer over med heat
  5. Add pasta and cook uncovered 10 mins more
  6. Stir in S&P
  7. Serve with parmesan

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