Homemade Oat Scones with Fig Filling

30 03 2010

The last place you’d expect to find a yummy scone recipe is in a backpacking cookbook. But lo and behold, there it was in my tattered copy of The NOLS Cookery. It’s been 20 years since I last cracked its spine, but I’m prepping for a spring break camping trip with my husband and kids and knew I had to dig it out.

First I looked at the chart for how much food to pack. The advice is 2 pounds per person per day for heavier workdays like snow camping — let’s hope that won’t be necessary. Then I ran through lists of suggested meals and snacks and finally searched for recipes I remember making on the trail, like cinnamon rolls and chapatis. I tell you, NOLS gets serious about good food, even in the backcountry.

Near the end of the book was a recipe for Oat Stones, a cross between a scone and a cookie that you can fill with fruit filling. It sounded so good I took the book straight to the kitchen, let my three-year-old climb up on the counter next to me, and made a batch. The results were so flaky and delicious, we ate them all within 24 hours. They were great with sliced oranges for an afternoon snack and even better with coffee the next day.

Oatmeal-Fig Scones
Adapted from a recipe in The NOLS Cookery

Two large handfuls of dried mission figs, stems removed
1/2 cup butter
2 cups oats (not steel cut)
1/4 cup honey plus more for filling
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350. Chop figs and put in a small saucepan with water to cover. Let boil then turn down the heat and let sit until figs are soft. Drain well, reserving poaching liquid. Put in a food processor and pulse until smooth, adding honey and a touch of salt to taste. Set aside.

Melt butter and pour it over oats in a large bowl. Stir well, then add 1/4 cup honey and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the oats. Gradually add the reserved poaching water until the dough holds together without being too sticky. Divide dough in half. Make 7-9 balls with one half and press with the palm of your hand to flatten. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Spread fig filling over each, leaving the edges free. Then form an equal number of balls with the remaining dough. Flatten and place over each cookie bottom, gently pressing edges together. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown.


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Categories : In Spring, Recipes, Uncategorized

New Rules for Organic Dairy

28 03 2010

Not long ago I was in the car listening to an interview on Colorado Matters, a broadcast of Colorado Public Radio. The author had just written a book about how paralysis comes from knowing too much. Too much information, he explained, can make our lives harder because it makes decisions more complicated. What led to his own admission of this problem? The day he spent 30 minutes in the grocery store trying to choose a box of cereal.

If you’re paying attention to what you eat, it does take time to shop. We know pastured is better, but where to buy it? We know certified humanely raised is better, but how to afford it all the time? We know organic is better, but where to draw the line when it comes to a budget? Do onions have to be organic? Does broccoli? What do terms mean like free-range, all-natural, etc?

This summer, new federal regulations will take effect that should eliminate some of the paralysis over milk. The rules stipulate that cows producing certified organic milk will have to get 120 days on pasture, a big difference from the “access to pasture” that is currently required.

For more information on this development, follow this link to the USDA’s website.


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Categories : Food News, In Spring

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

26 03 2010

Last week I wrote about my husband’s birthday dinner and included a picture of his cake. Several people have since asked for the recipe, including one lovely reader who wants to make it for her father-in-law’s birthday tomorrow! I’ve made it more times than I can count — baptisms, surprise parties, Mother’s Day, birthdays — and it always turns out great. Every once in a while I try a new recipe, but in the end all the fussing over double boilers and unsweetened chocolate squares leaves me wishing I’d stuck with this exquisitely simple, utterly delicious cake. Note that if you’re at altitude, as I am here in Denver, you should reduce the baking soda slightly.

P.S. Kid’s in the Kitchen Tip — Because this cake doesn’t have eggs, you can let your kids lick the beaters or the bowl without fear of salmonella.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

1 2/3 cups white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (not kosher)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (Ghiradelli’s is especially good)
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup olive oil (you can use vegetable oil, too, but olive is healthier)
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Take two 8-inch cake pans and trace them on aluminum foil. Cut out the circles and put them in each pan shiny side up, then grease and flour like normal. This makes the cakes very easy to remove. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together, then add the cocoa and sugar and mix well. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat well. The batter will be very thick. Spread in pans and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then put on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

* If I remember correctly, the reader who wanted this recipe has a dairy-free family member. I don’t know if buttermilk will be an issue. I do know, though, that if you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own sour milk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit on the counter for 15 minutes. The acid is necessary to activate the baking soda.

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
This frosting uses a different technique than most frosting recipes. It may look strange, but trust me, it works! The fluffing is very fluffy and much less sweet than frostings made with powdered sugar.

1 cup milk or cream
1/3 cup white flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat until mixture is very thick. You may need to whisk hard to remove the lumps. Remove from heat and let cool. Cream sugar and butter for several minutes, then add milk-flour mixture in spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. When frosting is very fluffy, add vanilla. There will be enough to fill and frost a two-layer 8-inch cake. I like to dot it with chocolate chips, as you can see in the picture. (This frosting can sit out the day it’s made, but any leftovers should be refrigerated. Doing so will change the texture of the frosting, however. It’s never as fluffy as the day it’s made.)


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Categories : In Spring, Kids in the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized

Tarragon Chicken with Biscuits

22 03 2010

I was at a retreat this weekend and someone brought along a pack of mini cereals (Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, etc.). The sight of those little rectangular boxes triggered memories for LOTS of folks. As I listened to them laugh about how they only got those cereals on vacation, I started thinking about my own food memories.

One of my earliest is of chicken pot pie, the kind that came in a little box. Never mind that the crust was as tough as the box surrounding it. I loved the creamy white sauce and the way the steam poured out when I first poked my fork through. I was probably seven, too young to notice the rubbery carrots or the extreme saltiness.

Now I make my own chicken pot pie with homemade stock, a whole wheat crust and freshly cooked organic vegetables. But when I have less time, I make Tarragon Chicken with Biscuits. The filling is the same, but instead of baking it in a pie crust I spoon it over a biscuit. By skipping the crust, I cut out at least 45 minutes of crust-making and baking time. Leftover biscuits can be used for dessert, drizzled with honey.

Chicken with Biscuits can be made quickly with canned broth and rotisserie chicken, but it tastes much better — and is much better for you — if you plan ahead. Buy a whole chicken or a mixture of bone-in chicken breasts, drumsticks and thighs and make your own stock. (If you need a recipe, click here and follow the first half.) Shred the chicken and save it until you’re ready to make dinner. If you don’t need it that day or the next, you can also wrap the chicken tightly in plastic bags and freeze it for up to a few months.

And who knows, if you let your kids help peel the carrots, smell the tarragon and knead the biscuits, you might even be creating a food memory they’ll recall fondly years from now.

Tarragon Chicken with Biscuits
Like many recipes on my blog, this recipe isn’t as precise as what you’d find in a cookbook. That’s to encourage you to use what you like and what you have on hand, and also to let you follow your own palate.

10-12 ounces of vegetables, such as 2 carrots, a potato, and a handful of broccoli florets, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup white flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, or more
Pepper to taste
1 3/4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2/3 cup whole milk (pour it short and add a few tablespoons of heavy cream for extra deliciousness)
2-3 cups shredded chicken
6-8 biscuits*

Boil a pot of water and add vegetables in order of cooking time, potatoes first, carrots soon after, and broccoli with just a few minutes to go. When done, drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large saute pan and add flour, onion, salt and pepper. Stir rapidly until the sauce bubbles, and don’t worry about the lumps. Turn off the heat and add the chicken stock and milk, whisking well until lumps disappear. Turn the heat back on and cook, stirring, until sauce comes to a boil. When bubbles first appear, set the timer for one minute and cook, stirring constantly. The sauce should now be thick.

Remove from heat and taste, adding more tarragon, salt or pepper as necessary. Stir in most of the vegetables and 2 cups of chicken, then see if you want more vegetables or more chicken and adjust accordingly. Tip for Moms: Make the filling up to this point during naptime or when your kids are at school, then reheat it and make the biscuits at dinner.

*Speaking of biscuits, you can make your own with this recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits. If you don’t have buttermilk or want a faster version, use Bisquick.


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Mostly Seasonal Birthday Dinner

19 03 2010

Today we’re celebrating a big birthday in our house. Let’s call it 29. We traditionally have dinner at home, and given the 5-12 inches of snow that’s forecast for Denver, tonight we’re definitely staying in.

On the menu: strip steak; buttermilk chive mashed potatoes; organic herb salad; beets with goat cheese and oranges; and chocolate buttermilk cake with fluffy white frosting. This is a “greatest hits” menu, a compilation of the birthday boy’s favorite dishes (other than the beets — those are for me). The only surprise is the chimichurri, a classic Argentinean steak sauce made with parsley, garlic, salt, oil, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. I saw it at a restaurant this week and didn’t order it; since then, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.

With one hour to go before dinner, the oranges are sectioned, the potatoes and beets are roasting, the cake is made, and soon the steak will be taken out of the refrigerator and seasoned with a healthy sprinkle of kosher salt and cracked pepper. Now all that’s left is to wash the greens, mash the potatoes, and decide how to fit the — ahem — 29 candles on his cake.

Chimichurri

Large bunch of parsley
2-4 garlic cloves
Kosher salt
2 or more tablespoons red wine vinegar
Olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, if desired

Cut the thick stems off a large bunch of organic parsley and discard. Wash thin stems and leaves and dry well. Add parsley to a food processor along with two cloves of garlic (more if they’re small), a sprinkle of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Puree, then taste. Add more salt, vinegar, and oil as necessary, then process again. If you like, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.


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Categories : In Winter, Recipes

Leprechaun Tricks

17 03 2010

With little ones in the house, St. Patrick’s Day is a BIG day. Last year at school they made leprechaun traps out of boxes and other recyclables and lined them with fool’s gold (i.e. yellow circles cut from construction paper) to lure him in. Unfortunately, the crafty little creature ran into their classroom while they were on the playground, made lots of mischief, then escaped. This year, my kids were determined to try again. We spent several days building the trap and left it out last night with hopes that the leprechaun soon would be here.

Early this morning, I awoke to my middle child throwing open the doors to his sisters’ rooms, shouting, “Come look! He CAME! He CAME!” Sure enough, there were signs of mischief all over the house: green milk in the fridge, chairs turned backwards at the table, drawers pulled open. But — thankfully — no leprechaun in the trap. (Talk about a big sigh of relief for my three-year-old, who is secretly scared of this whole game.)

Funny stuff. But even funnier was the email I received today from a friend. Her question: “Does the leprechaun at your house work his magic with food coloring or pureed asparagus?” I had to admit it’s the former, but at least we’re having green soup (zucchini basil) for dinner…


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Butternut Squash Gratin

15 03 2010

If you’re trying to eat seasonally, you might think you can only look at this month’s food magazines for inspiration. But guess what? The root vegetables that were in season last November are still in season, so you can pull ideas from old issues, too.

One recipe I just made — a Butternut Squash Gratin with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts — originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of Bon Appetit. It features roasted butternut squash (which seems to be the squash that even non-squash-lovers will eat), plus caramelized leeks and cheese, all layered in a shallow gratin dish and covered with cream.

We were having company the night I made it, and one of our guests was pregnant. Since she can’t eat soft cheeses right now, I pulled some out and made a separate dish with parmesan instead of goat cheese. Much to my surprise, I liked her version even more than original one. When heated, goat cheese has a way of becoming so rich and creamy that it can overpower everything else. Not so with parmesan, which allows the other flavors to come through.

If you make it, don’t worry about running out for hazelnuts. I usually have some in my pantry but discovered at the 11th hour that I’d run out. I used chopped toasted walnuts instead, and the combination worked beautifully. I also used a sprinkling of dried thyme instead of fresh sage, but that’s a matter of convenience and personal preference. (Remember to use a third or less of what’s called for if making this dried-for-fresh substitution.) My last tip is to check the gratin early, as mine was done far sooner than the 30 minutes specified in the directions.

The end result is a dish worthy of the Thanksgiving table it was originally written for, but easy enough to make on a weeknight. While it’s richer than I normally cook for my family, the cream adds a sumptuousness that makes guests feel special. Just pair it with something light, like grilled pork chops or steak, and a crisp green vegetable or salad.

Click here for the recipe for Butternut Squash Gratin with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts.


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Welcome to SeedtoSpoon

13 03 2010

A big hello to readers who saw my flyer at the Just Between Friends (JBF) sale this weekend. I picked up some summer stuff for my kiddos yesterday, and I swear my three-year-old woke up extra early this morning to put on one of her new outfits! The JBF sale is definitely a great resource for parents.

I hope that SeedtoSpoon will be another great resource for you. As I said on the flyer, my goal is helping moms cook healthy. Many of us take extra care while we’re pregnant to eat really well, but it’s all too easy to slip into bad habits over time.

As a working mom myself, I know the challenges of putting food on the table. But no matter how little time you have to put a meal together, no matter how cranky your kids seem to be at that 5 o’clock “witching hour,” no matter how picky their palates…you can still put together healthy food. I’m here to help, with kid-friendly tips and seasonal recipes.

A word about my background. I’m a professional food writer, published in The New York Times, The Denver Post and city magazines, and I went to cooking school in New York. This blog is a passion for me, born out of experiences feeding my own three kids (ages 8, 5 and 3). Unlike many other blogs, which are snarky and self-absorbed in their quest to be entertaining, this blog is about you. I’m trying to share what I’m doing in my own kitchen to help and inspire you in yours.

As part of a regular column I wrote for a city magazine here in Denver, it was my job to work with chefs and test their recipes to make sure they worked in a home kitchen. That’s one thing that distinguishes the recipes you’ll find on my blog with so many others. Everything on my blog is something I’ve made and fed to my own family, so you’ll benefit from my tinkerings to get the recipe just right.

Let me know if you have any questions, and please consider subscribing. To do so, just enter your email address on the lower right-hand corner of the blog where it says “Subscribe”. It’s free, and you’ll get recipes delivered to your inbox. Thanks for reading, and welcome!


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Beet and Goat Cheese Gratin

10 03 2010

Everyday my son notices what he calls “signs of spring.” We’re out for a walk and he hears birds chirping, a sign they’re back from their winter home. Here’s the shoot of a crocus, over there is a glimmer of red peeking out from under the leaves.

Unfortunately, we won’t have signs of spring in the kitchen for a while. At least not here in Colorado, where farmers are busy planting but not yet harvesting. True, there are hoop houses and the like to supply restaurants with herbs and greens, but as I think about fresh, local produce at farmers markets or in bins at Whole Foods, I know my wait isn’t over.

So while my heart (and my son’s) may be in the spring, my head remains in winter. I’m still finding new ways to use the local root vegetables that have been arriving from my farm share every two weeks since last fall. One recent success is a beet gratin. Don’t worry, not all gratins are full of cream and cheese, though I’ve made several of those lately too and will share recipes later (butternut squash and leeks, yum). This recipe is lighter, with just enough cheese on top to cut the beets’ earthy sweetness.

Speaking of which, I have friends who object to these bright red roots because they’re too sweet. But serve them with goat cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and they become a luxurious side dish, especially when paired with steak.

Since beets aren’t much fun to handle, I suggest making twice as many as you need for one night, then freezing the rest. That’s what I did, and when I wanted to make this dish I just pulled the bag out of the freezer, let them thaw, and then jumped into the instructions one step ahead of the game.

My other advice is to scrub beets, leaving on their tails and an inch of their tops, and wrap them individually in foil. Roast them at 400 for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on size, and let them cool in the foil until ready to use. The skins will slip off easily and the mess is nowhere near as great as when beets are boiled or, even worse, grated raw.

Beet and Goat Cheese Gratin
Like many SeedtoSpoon recipes, this is more technique than recipe, designed to get you thinking about your own ingredients and how you like things to taste. Feel free to use more or less cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, etc. And use as many beets as you think you or your guests will eat. I used four for 2 adults and 3 kids.

Take 4 large beets, cut off all but an inch of their tops, and scrub well. Wrap individually in foil and roast at 400 until tender, about 40-60 minutes. Meanwhile, take 1 tablespoon butter and let it melt over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add fine white bread crumbs and stir until the mixture looks like wet sand (if it’s too dry, add more butter; too wet, add more crumbs). Cook, stirring occasionally, until bread crumbs are toasted. Remove from heat.

When beets are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off with a knife, slice off the tails and cut into wedges. Season with kosher salt and pepper, toss with chopped parsley, and put into a small buttered gratin dish. Top with dollops of goat cheese. Put under the broiler just until the cheese melts and gets a tiny bit golden around the edges. Sprinkle with homemade bread crumbs and serve immediately.


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A Lesson in Hospitality

4 03 2010

Apologies to readers outside the Denver metro area for tempting you with this picture! But the story just isn’t as good without the visual…

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to meet Michael Bortz, owner of Denver’s City Bakery. Not just me, but my three kids, too. They were out of school and we were looking for an adventure. We all love bread, and I know City Bakery makes some of the best in town, so I called him on a lark and asked if we could come up to buy a baguette. The answer was likely to be no, I thought, since his is mostly a wholesale operation.

But later that morning, he called back and invited us up for a visit. When we arrived, he literally threw open the door, letting my eight-, five- and three-year-olds smell sourdough starter, showing them the ovens, opening the walk-in cooler where bread was proofing, and — the piece de resistance — letting them pipe frosting onto oversized cupcakes (and not minding when piles of red sprinkles ended up on the counter).

He sent them home with their own boxes of cookies and cupcakes, and filled a paper sack with ciabatta, baguettes, sourdough and rolls for me. He even helped us carry everything out to the car. This from a man who’d been up long before the sun, who didn’t know me or my food background, who had plenty more to do than lead a tour for children. And yet he did, going out of his way and then some.

I’ve been thinking of Michael lately, and not just because his goodies keep popping up at all the places I’ve been stopping for coffee, like Ink, Hutch and Spoon, and Perk Hill. No, he’s been coming to mind because he’s so good at hospitality, and some chefs in town could stand to learn a lesson or two.

On Friday, Denver will wrap up a two-week extravaganza known as Restaurant Week, where two people can eat a three-course meal at hundreds of restaurants for $52.80. The price is an inside joke. 5280 is Denver’s altitude, hence the term “mile-high city.”

You would think that restaurateurs would recognize the possibilities and woo diners with an extraordinary meal. After all, many people view the week as a way to preview expensive restaurants so they know which ones are worth full price and merit another trip — and which aren’t. Yet my experience at Restaurant Week is that some chefs get it, and others don’t. Some restaurants design their special prix-fixe menus with just a few options, so diners don’t get a feeling for the breadth of the kitchen. What’s worse, sometimes those options are tilted toward higher-margin fare like salads, pasta and chicken. I know I’m not the only person who’s had such a poor dining experience during Restaurant Week (at one of the city’s finest restaurants, to boot) that I’ll never go back. Bravo to all the chefs and owners who shun this approach, realizing that short-term profits aren’t what it’s all about.

Which brings me back to City Bakery. During our impromptu tour, I was reminded of a book by famed New York restaurateur Danny Meyer called Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. I don’t know if Bortz has read it; for him, hospitality might be intuitive. My hope is that more chefs give it a look before Restaurant Week 2011 rolls around.

P.S. Does your city have something like Restaurant Week? What’s your experience been?


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