Monthly Archives: May 2014

Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti

Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti

24 cookies

½ cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon shortening (Crisco)

3 eggs

1 cup fine granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer , beat together butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Add vanilla and cinnamon until well blended. Add the flour , baking powder and salt. Mix well until the dough is smooth. Using a spoon, mix in the cranberries and pecans. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into two. Shape each half of the dough into a log approximately 2 inch high x 12 inches long. Place the logs on to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack. Place on a cutting board and using a serrated knife slice each log on the diagonal into 12 pieces approximately 1 inch thick. Place the pieces back on to the baking sheet and bake 5-8 minutes, turn the slices to the other side and bake another 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store cookies in an air tight container.

Peanut Brittle

Everyone serves pie on Thanksgiving! I do too , but I like to go along with the abundance theme and serve several desserts and sweets. Here are two great recipes to add to your feast of desserts . The first recipe is for a cranberry and pecan biscotti ( this is also great to serve at breakfast too) and the other is for the perfect peanut brittle. I was never a fan of peanut brittle until the first time I tried it at Craft Bar in New York. I went from loathe to love! Fortunately, Tom Colicchio shared his recipe in “Craft of Cooking”. I’ve tweaked it a little but it’s sublime. Enjoy!

Come back on Wednesday for some great leftover ideas.

From by the bay wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving and fond food memories!
Maryann

Peanut Brittle

Adapted from “Craft of Cooking” by Tom Colicchio

Makes one 10 x 15 – inch pan

2 cups sugar

1/4 pound unsalted butter

6 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 pound shelled dry roasted salted peanuts

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

extra coarse sea salt to top – Maldon preferred

Directions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or non-stick baking pad. Take a large non-stick pot and add sugar, butter, corn syrup and 1 1/3 cups water. Place on high heat melting sugar until the caramel turns amber color, stir occasionally as this is cooking. This might take awhile, it will thicken as it boils before it finally turns amber. At this point add the baking soda and salt, then remove from heat and add the peanuts. Stirring well, then quickly pour onto the baking sheet and spread out evening with a spatula. Sprinkle with the coarse sea salt. Let the brittle cool and then break into pieces. If you can resist eating this , store in an air tight container.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

Maple Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

Serves 4

2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 red onion, sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes

3 cups baby arugula leaves

2 tablespoons gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Coarse sea salt to taste

Directions to roast sweet potatoes and red onion:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line with parchment a baking sheet add the sweet potato cubes, sliced red onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, red chili and salt. Mix well. Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes.

Directions for toasted pine nuts:

Use a small dry fry pan heat and add the pine nuts stirring until they are golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.

Directions to assemble salad:

To a bowl or serving platter add the arugula with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss. To the arugula add the roasted sweet potatoes and red onions. Top with crumbled gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts, black pepper and finish with coarse sea salt to taste. Serve warm.

Chardonnay Herb Gravy

When I first started making Thanksgiving for my family – one of my biggest challenges was getting that gravy perfect! My early apartments in Queens and Manhattan were all small. I struggled cooking in my typical long narrow galley kitchen. Anything I could prepare in advance helped. Over the years , as I continued to experiment with my gravy recipe, I came up with this foolproof recipe. It can be made in advance , which is always my goal so that I can enjoy the holiday along with my guests. This gravy is the perfect compliment to my Roasted Honey Herb Turkey.

From by the bay, wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving and fond food memories!

Maryann Check in for more Thanksgiving blogs on side dishes, desserts and leftovers! Chardonnay Herb Gravy

Gravy Base

6 cups chicken stock

Giblets and neck from turkey

1 bouquet garni

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 celery stick, chopped

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Gravy

1 1/3 cup chardonnay

6 tablespoons flour

6 cups gravy base

4 tablespoons butter

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoons fine grey sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup chop parsley

Directions for gravy base

Combine into a soup pot chicken stock, bouquet garni, onion, celery, peppercorns, giblets and neck from turkey. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Cool and strain broth and keep refrigerated until ready to make gravy. This can be done one day in advance.

Directions for gravy

Place seasoned broth into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Melt butter in a bowl and then add flour , whisk until it is a smooth paste. Take one cup of hot broth and whisk into flour mixture until smooth. Pour this back into the broth and whisk to blend. Add bay leaves, honey, salt and pepper and whisk again. You can have this prepared as the turkey is roasting. Once the turkey is done and removed from the roasting pan pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon off fat and discard. Add remaining juices into broth in the saucepan. Place roasting pan back on heat and deglaze with the chardonnay. Scrap pan to get all brown bits, let reduce to half , about 2 minutes. Add to the gravy. Whisk together and let simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency. Remove bay leaves, mix in parsley adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.

Honey Herb Roasted Turkey

Thanksgiving has always been a very special holiday in my family. Our celebrations, always wonderful, still left my sisters and I yearning for the day we could go into Manhattan to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade. When my niece was just 4 years old, we decided this was the year to start going to the parade and that I should prepare the Thanksgiving meal in my city apartment. I was frightened at the thought of cooking this meal. So, I decided to buy a semi prepared meal from a great caterer. The turkey still needed to be cooked in the oven. Unfortunately, I didn’t really think the logistics through. The caterer was in midtown Manhattan and my apartment was in Queens. The caterer was not delivering , it was pick up only. I did not think about the boxes or how big they might be, or what if there was bad weather, or how much space I might need to actually need to cook or heat up the entire meal. So when Thanksgiving morning arrived, it was snowing- hard. In fact, I think it was the most snow I had ever seen for Thanksgiving. My family was coming into Queens from Long Island, we quickly ditched our plan to see the Thanksgiving Day parade. Now we just hoped that the roads would be clear later in the day to travel. I went to the caterer with a friend ( at least I had the presence of mind to not go to the caterer alone) to pick up the meal. It was three enormous cartons of food. We somehow got the boxes out onto the street slipping and sliding in the snow trying to hail a cab. If you are not from New York, let me share with you that cab drivers are not very happy with a fare to Queens, especially in the snow. Finally, I was able to plea with a driver to take me and the boxes to Queens. Naively, I thought the worse part of my day was over. It was just beginning. The directions to complete the meal were long and needed a much bigger kitchen than my little narrow gallery kitchen. I did, finally, manage to complete the meal but not all at the same time. The final vote from the family was the meal was ok, but I could make a much better one on my own. Lesson learned. I have been making the Thanksgiving meal ever since, whether it was in my Manhattan apartment or by the bay. Either way, I want to share my easy recipes for making a successful Thanksgiving meal – starting with my roasted honey herb turkey, always tender because it’s brined the night before! This turkey has big fresh and bright flavor from the lemons and herbs. It’s simple to prepare and delicious and moist. Give it a try!

From by the bay, wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving and fond food memories!

Maryann

Check in for more Thanksgiving blogs on gravy, side dishes, desserts and leftovers!

Honey Herb Roasted Turkey

1 16-18 lb. turkey, preferably organic
Brine
16 cups cold water , or more to cover turkey
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup fine sea salt
1 cup fine granulated sugar
3 lemons , quartered
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 springs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
1 cup honey
2 onions , peeled and quartered
3 sprigs sage leaves
To roast turkey
1 lemon, quartered
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
1 bunch fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fine grey sea salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
To baste
8 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ cup honey
Directions
Prepare brine by combining water, sea salt, honey, sugar, onions, rosemary, thyme, bouquet garni and peppercorns. Cut 2 lemons into wedges, squeezing juice of lemons into the brine along with the wedges and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Clean turkey with cold water removing any giblets and or neck. Keep giblets and neck in the refrigerator to use later for gravy base. Place turkey and brine into a resealable plastic bag or into a large non reactive bowl covered with plastic wrap. The turkey should be covered with the brine, if not add more water. Refrigerate over night. The next day remove turkey 40 minutes before planning to place into the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degress F. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Season the turkey cavity with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice into the cavity and add the quarters along with rosemary and sage. Tie turkey legs together and place into roasting pan. In a small sauce pan melt butter and honey together on a low heat. Use this to baste turkey once before placing into the oven. Roast the turkey at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes then lower the oven to 350 degrees F. For an 18 lb. turkey cooking time will be approximately 3 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check that the meat registers 175 degrees F at its thickest part of the thigh. Baste the turkey about every 30 minutes with the butter and honey mixture. If the turkey browns too quickly tent that part with aluminum foil. When ready, remove from the oven. Take turkey from the roasting pan and place on a cutting board to rest before carving, at least 20 minutes. If you are serving later then 20 minutes from removing from oven tent turkey with aluminum foil until ready to serve.

Cocktails by the Bay – Forever Blue

Article first published as Cocktails By the Bay – Forever Blue on Technorati.

My parents were of the Mad Men generation, where cocktails were the standard and they always had a name. My parents had an interesting library of books, among them were exercising with Jack Lalanne , Betty Crocker Cookbooks and Better Homes and Gardens – the Garden Book. Tucked in the corner there sat two tiny pink books called A Guide to Pink Elephants. I loved to flip through these little books looking at pictures of cocktails, not really understanding a thing about them. As an adult I rejected the idea of mixed drinks with names as corny and old fashioned,that is, until I arrived to Hong Kong for the first time. There I was sitting at the hotel bar with sweeping views of the Hong Kong Harbor and a menu just filled with cocktails that had names. It changed my whole perspective. It appears that mixed drinks are making a resurgence, so how could I resist coming up with a few cocktails for summer here by the bay? Of course, they needed to have blue curacoa as an ingredient. What could be better than sipping on a cool drink that looks as cool as the water you are sitting next too. Move over Don Drapper.

From by the bay wishing you the bluest of food memories!

Maryann

Forever Blue Bay Cocktail

Take one champagne flute, add 2 teaspoons blue curacoa, 1 squeeze of orange juice and top off with champagne. Give a quick stir and enjoy!

Cool Blue Bay

Take a glass and add 1 tablespoon blue curacoa, 4 tablespoons vodka, 1/2 cup limeade and 1/2 cup club soda. Add a slice of lime. Make sure all ingredients are cold , stir and drink!

Dad’s Wild and Crazy Marinade

My dad was the great griller in our family! It was something he enjoyed and I think , he took this role pretty seriously. He always had his hat , apron and tongs at the ready! I smile at the thought of dad coming in and saying what should we grill for dinner today? When it was to be special, it was a flank steak! My dad would marinate the steak for hours. We actually are not quite sure what dad had in his marinade. I actually think he changed it every time he made it. I would try to peek , but it was his secret marinade. We would just call it John’ wild and crazy marinade. It tasted like it had a little bit of everything. I’m sure it even included a splash of scotch from the glass in his hand! All I know is that those were the best steaks and memories I ever had. That’s the beauty of marinades, it’s the time you could let your freak flag fly a bit with creativity. I , of course ,have tried to recreate dad’s marinade over the years and this is what I’ll share with you in honor of dad and father’s day. I suggest you use this as a jumping off point and play around with your own version of this to create fond food memories for your family and friends this summer.

Happy Father’s Day to my dad and all those cooking dads ( or moms) out there!

From by the bay wishing you wild and crazy food memories,

Maryann

Dad’s Wild and Crazy Marinade

2 pound flank steak

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons scotch

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Directions

Place all ingredients into a resealable plastic bag, mix well and refrigerator over night. Prepare on grill as you like.

Great American side dishes

Article first published as Great American Side Dishes on Technorati

OK, why side dishes? When I’m planning the menu for an all american barbecue that menu will include one of these classic side dishes: macaroni salad , potato salad or coleslaw. I think it’s essential to have favorite versions of each at the ready to prepare. They need to be delicious, yet simple. My first 4^th of July on the Bay was such a meal. Coleslaw was not a problem, I fortuantely had my grandmother’s coleslaw recipe, which I have enhanced along the way with additional herbs and lemon juice. I developed a great potato salad recipe one day, really by accident when I had leftover roasted baby yukon potatoes. I have been serving it ever since with raves from all my family and friends. For me, macaroni salad was the side that I didn’t have my go to recipe. I spent hours looking for the perfect macaroni salad recipe. It sounds silly but so many had too many extra ingredients : ham, relish , eggs etc. So many versions but none really appealed to me, so I needed to come up with my own. This recipe is light on the mayonnaise and refreshing with the lemon juice, celery and dill. Hope you will make these your great american side dishes too!

From by the bay wishing you great american food memories! Maryann

Lemon Cilantro Coleslaw

Serves 6-8

1 head cabbage finely shredded

1 carrot finely shredded 1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fine sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro and Italian parsley , finely chopped

2 large scallions finely chopped

Directions

In a large bowl place all ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours. This can be served cold or at room temperature.

Variation:

Summer Dill Coleslaw

1 head cabbage finely shredded

1 carrot finely shredded

½ cup white vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl place all ingredients and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours. This can be served cold or at room temperature.

Hint: Use a mandolin when shredding your cabbage, the thinner the cabbage is the better the coleslaw will taste.

Roasted Potato Salad with Mixed Herbs

Serves 4

2 pounds baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 sour cream

1/2 chop mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, cilantro)

3 scallions chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Additional salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss potatoes in bowl with salt , pepper and olive oil. Arrange potatoes into single layer in an ovenproof baking dish. Roast approximately 1 hour, until golden brown on outside and tender when pierced by a knife. Cool completely. Sliced potatoes ½ inch thick and place into bowl. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, herbs, scallions, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerator until ready to serve.

Variation: Roasted Dill Potato Salad

The mixed chop herbs should be parsley and dill about half of each. Remove from the above recipe mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. In it’s place make a dressing with ½ cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon grainy mustard. Whisk together and pour over the potatoes and herbs. Garnish with crumbled bacon from three cooked slices.

Dill Macaroni Salad

Serves 6

1 pound cooked elbow macaroni

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 celery ribs, chopped finely

1/2 onion ,chopped finely

3 tablespoons dill, chopped

2 tablespoon fine sugar

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional: 3-4 tablespoons water

Directions

In a large bowl add all ingredients. Combine well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready for use. Before serving from the refrigerator add 3-4 tablespoons of water to add a little moisture. Garnish with additional paprika and dill leaves.

Star Spangled Desserts

Article first published as Star-Spangled Desserts on Technorati.

I love holidays! The 4th of July is no exception. I enjoy creating wonderful memories with my friends and family gathered together by the bay for a special celebration! We gather in early evening , sitting out of doors sharing a meal focused on food made on the grill. When dusk arrives, we have dessert and watch fireworks from the deck over the bay, as each town adds some spectacular colors to the sky. The desserts need to be as special as the firework displays in the sky. Here are a few of my favorite star spangled desserts to try for your own celebration.

From by the bay wishing you the happiest 4th of July food memories!

Maryann

Red and Blue Berry Firework Crisp

Serves 4 to 6

Topping

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup crushed store bought oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling

4 cups mixed berries – raspberries and blueberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon raspberry liquor

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place all ingredients for topping in a bowl and mix well. In a a shallow baking dish add the berries , cornstarch, sugar and liquor. Mix well. Cover the berries with topping. Place dish on a baking

sheet in to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Serve at room temperature as is or serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafers
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Filling
20 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons melted chocolate
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take a 9 inch spring form pan and line with aluminum foil wrapping the outside twice. It’s important to keep water out when cooking with bain marie. To make crust use food processor to finely grind the wafers, then add sugar and melted butter and process until moist. Take out and place in bottom of spring form pan. Press down with fingertips to cover the bottom of pan. Bake the crust until set about 12 minutes. Cool crust.

To make the filling : Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar. Make sure to scrape down the mixture with a spatula from the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and continue to beat. Next add the vanilla until all is well blended. Take a bow and add 1/3 of the batter. To the batter add the melted chocolate and food coloring.

Pour the chocolate cheese mixture onto the cooled crust in the spring form pan. Next pour on top the remaining batter. Place the pan into a roasting pan add hot water to the roasting pan until it’s half the height of the spring form pan. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes. In themeantime, make sour cream topping by combining the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. After the cheesecake has baked for 50 minutes remove from oven and spread the sour cream topping evenly across the top. Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes,. At this point the cheesecake should be set. Take out of the oven. Remove carefully from the bath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night to set.

Guacamole Days

It’s been a long winter here in the northeast which has moved into a pretty cold spring, but never the less summer is heading our way. Each year I select a weekend in May, usually two weeks before memorial day, which is designated the kickoff of the summer season, regardless of temperature. The deck furniture and accessories are out, the pool is just open and it’s time to dine out of doors. As I invite my guests the first question after accepting the invitation is : what are you making ? The second question is : are you making guacamole? I don’t know what it is about summer and guacamole but it’s the perfect starter for sitting on the deck watching the boats go by and sipping a lovely cocktail.

From by the bay wishing you great food memories!

Maryann

Here are a few quick tips for making the perfect guacamole:

1. Make it Ripe! Always use ripe avocados, I prefer Haas. When selecting your avocado it is important that they are ripe, so that you can mash them easily. When you select your avocado test it for ripeness by squeezing the bulbous end of the avocado to make sure it yields to the touch. When you cut the avocado, do so length wise. The pit will be on one side, Take the point of the knife and place into the pit carefully. The pit should pull out of a ripe avocado easily. Once you discard the pit, scoop out the flesh with with a spoon into a bowl.

2. Make it Green! As soon as you put the avocado into the bowl, squeeze lime juice onto the avocado flesh, it will prevent the avocado from turning brown.

3. Make it Chunky! I prefer guacamole with some texture so when mashing your avocado along with your ingredients don’t over do it. I like to use a fork for mashing.

4. Make it Last Minute! Make you’re guacamole close to when you are planning to serve. I am a big fan of making things in advance so that I can enjoy my guests but in this case you’ll forfeit the freshness and great color by preparing before guests arrive. Many times to make it quick and efficient , I have a bowl of all the ingredients prepared in advance except the avocado. When it’s time to eat , I just cut the avocado, scoop into the bowl, mix and serve.

A word about the ingredients:

I have a quick rule of thumb , 1 avocado per every 2 people and 1 lime per avocado

I start with a basic recipe. This recipe is cool and refreshing and works well for children and adults who don’t like the heat of the jalapeno pepper. I use this recipe also as a base to create different variations. My basic recipe is for 6 and makes about 3 cups :

3 Haas avocados, ripe

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

In a medium bowl add the lime juice and sea salt , let the salt dissolve. Cut and remove flesh from avocado and place into bowl with lime juice /salt along with scallions and mash with fork. Add ingredients listed below depending on the version you are making and mix well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Make it Classic:

To the base recipe add 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped.

Make it Red:

To the base recipe add 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped and 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomato

Make it Greek:

Make the base recipe but replace the cilantro with chopped mint and add 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.

Make it Blue:

Make the base recipe but instead of cilantro add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese.

Hope you enjoy your guacamole days!

entertaining by the bay

casual cooking and living

Monthly Archives: May 2014

Peanut Brittle

Maple Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

Chardonnay Herb Gravy

Honey Herb Roasted Turkey

Cocktails by the Bay – Forever Blue

Dad’s Wild and Crazy Marinade

Great American side dishes

Star Spangled Desserts

Guacamole Days