Pineapple Sauce

I bought a whole pineapple the other day but I also bought fresh strawberries. I’m the only one in the household so I have to eat EVERYTHING BY MYSELF. Hahaha. What a hardship!

Thus was born my version of pineapple sauce. Great on ice cream, pancakes, or as a filling for hand pies!

2 cups fresh pineapple chopped
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Pulse the pineapple in a food processor to a lumpy puree. You don’t want it absolutely juiced, you want to retain some chunks.

Stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan, then stir in the corn syrup. Finally, stir in the pureed pineapple.

Over a medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. It will take a couple minutes (because you’re using a medium heat, not a blast furnace). Stir it periodically to avoid scorching while it’s getting up to a boil, but once it begins to boil, don’t leave it alone, keep it gently moving, ensuring the bottom gets rotated up sufficiently to avoid scorching. Once you’ve got it at a good boil (“plop plop plop,” the boiling sauce says), keep stirring, continuing to cook the sauce for another two or three minutes while it thickens.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Allow the sauce to cool before filling your containers. The amount of sauce I got almost filled two Bonne Maman jars. Freeze whatever you’re not going to use within a week or so.

There are a couple experiments I’d like to conduct with this sauce. The first is to substitute honey for the corn syrup. I’m not sure it won’t complicate flavors but it could also turn out to make the sauce ever more delicious. The other experiment is to add chopped candied ginger. Pineapple and ginger are a glorious flavor combination, in my opinion. The question is, how much is too much and how much is enough?

Adapted from MustLoveHome’s pineapple sauce.

BLUEBERRY-ALMOND COFFEECAKE

This is truly one of the best blueberry cakes you’ll ever eat. It’s light, it’s moist, it’s everything a bit of cake should be. This is one of the most requested repeats by my cake-eating friends.

For the Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or both!)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries (15 oz)

For the Topping:

1/2 large egg white (1 egg white is just over 2 tablespoons before beating, so you’ll want about a tablespoon of egg white)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sliced almonds

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Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13 glass baking dish.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla and/or almond extract.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour), beating on low speed after each addition until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries.

Pour batter into buttered baking dish, spreading evenly.

Lightly beat egg white with a fork – just enough to loosen the egg white but not enough to make it stiff. Stir 3 tablespoons of sugar into the lightly beaten egg white. Add the almonds, stirring to coat. Spoon the topping over the batter as evenly as possible.

Bake in middle of 350°F oven, 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes and lightly cover with aluminum foil if the top is getting too dark.

Cool in the pan on a rack for at least an hour before cutting.

If the cake is around after the first day, stick it in the fridge.

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, 2000

AVGOLEMONO (GREEK EGG-LEMON-CHICKEN SOUP)

Years back I posted a really rough “recipe” here for avgolemono soup. I’ve now more or less formalized it.  This makes a very thick soup – thick enough to use pita in lieu of a spoon. Salt is a personal taste. Proceed with adding it as you see fit.

This recipe is easily scaled up – just double everything, except that you still only need 3/4 to 1 cup of hot broth to make the avgolemono.

Serves 1 or 2

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1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup Arborio rice*
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or bottled – what I use most often)
Lemon zest (optional)
1/2 of a chicken breast, cooked and shredded (optional)
salt/pepper, to taste
fresh parsley or dill, chopped for garnish (optional)

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Pour the chicken broth into a small pot, reserving 3/4 of a cup for the avgolemono.  Bring it to a boil, then add the rice, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes – stirring occasionally – or until the rice is tender.  Once the rice is tender, turn off the heat, and make your avgolemono.

To make the avgolemono:

Heat the reserved broth in the microwave (or stovetop – no difference, it just has to be HOT).  

You can use a blender or a stick blender here.  For this amount of ingredients, the blender is a bit of overkill – use it if you double the recipe.

Find a container that holds at least a pint of liquid – taller than wide is best when using a stick blender.  Add the eggs, lemon juice, and zest, if using, and blitz with the stick blender.  With the blender/stick blender going, slowly-slowly drizzle the hot broth into the egg-lemon.  Tada!  You now have avgolemono. 

Add the avgolemono to the rice, stirring as you pour. The soup will be somewhat foamy – it will subside as the soup rests.

Add chicken, if using.

The soup will thicken up as it sits. If you want it thicker (thanks, egg yolks!), just let it sit in the pot off the heat for a period of time.  To warm up the soup, set the pot on a very low heat, stirring occasionally. You don’t want it to boil.  Leftovers reheat nicely in the microwave.

I recommend enjoying this with pita bread.  If it’s as thick as I make it, you can use the pita in lieu of a spoon.  Making your own pita is not difficult or time consuming.  Given I’m cooking for one, I quarter my usual recipe** to make 3 or 4 moderate size pieces.  Accompany your soup with a salad of greens, tomatoes, feta, olives, with a dressing of olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, and fresh or dried oregano.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————-*You can use long grain rice if that’s all you have but with Arborio, the soup will be thicker.

**You don’t have to use bread flour.  All-purpose is fine.  You can also use half wheat flour but I don’t recommend using it exclusively.

 

CLAM SAUCE WITH LINGUINI

I am an East Coast/Atlantic Ocean kind of person, exiled to Arizona, much too far from any ocean, impossibly far from the Atlantic and the littleneck clams that I love so much. I’ve finally taken the plunge and made a sauce using canned clams, and it’s pretty good! It’s not the same as the pasta with littlenecks I made when I was in Massachusetts but in its way it’s a delicious dinner.

Serves two

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 medium onion or a large shallot
1 6.5 oz can chopped clams, drained, juices reserved (I used Snow’s)
1/4 cup dry white wine/vermouth
1/2 cup half and half (warmed briefly in microwave to take off the chill)
Enough linguine (or your preferred pasta) for two people
Fistful of chopped fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese

Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion/shallot in olive oil until they begin to soften.

Add wine/dry vermouth and simmer until reduced.

Put water for pasta on to boil.

Add reserved clam juice to the onion/garlic and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced.

Start cooking the pasta.  Set the timer for just short of al dente, because you’ll add the pasta to the sauce to finish cooking.

Add warmed half and half to the garlic/onion/clam juice, reducing the heat to avoid boiling.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced and thickened.

Stir in 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water.  Add pasta and toss to coat.

Add clams and parsley.  Cook for approximately one minute while tossing everything to coat with sauce, warm the clams, and finish cooking the pasta.

Serve with grated parmesan.

If you’re keeping the second serving for leftovers, reserve a small amount of pasta cooking water to stir into the second serving before you wrap it up to go in the fridge in order to avoid the sauce being too thick upon reheating.

Mangia!

Adapted from Allrecipe’s “Amazing White Clam Sauce.”

SPICED RUM RAISIN BANANA MUFFINS

I’ve been frustrated with banana bread recipes, so I’ve tested and written my own. Most recipes don’t specify how much banana – “two bananas” or “four bananas” – how big are these bananas? We don’t know! Consider the amount of banana I’ve indicated as a starting point. If you have bigger bananas or more bananas and want to use them, feel free, though the maximum amount I would use is four. Obviously, the more banana you add, the more batter you’ll have, and, thus, the more muffins you’ll have. Plan accordingly! My other problem with banana bread recipes is they’re sold as “healthy.” Excuse my French but fuck that noise. We’re making delicious muffins here, and they contain sugar in an unapologetic amount. They are moist and flavorful – perfect for a light breakfast or snack.

Ceramic/stoneware muffin tin, date unknown. Photo from Smithsonian Institution, ID number CE.392524

You’ll need two bowls – one that’s microwave safe and large enough to hold all the wet ingredients and one large bowl that can accommodate all the ingredients. (Well, three, if you count the bowl needed to soak the raisins.)

1 cup raisins
1/2 cup Captain Morgan spiced rum
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
250 g overripe bananas (two smallish bananas)
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Several hours in advance, combine raisins and Captain Morgan (or rum or other alcohol of your choice) in a shallow bowl to soak. Warming the alcohol in the microwave (10 or 15 seconds) can help speed things up. Stir the raisins occasionally to ensure they all get equally drunk. I let my raisins soak for about 36 hours because they were really old and very dry. It took them about 24 hours to start to resemble edible raisins. Whether you use your old raisins here or in some other recipe, soaking them for a day or two can transform raisins that are old and cranky.

Spread walnuts on a sheet pan and toast in the preheating 350 degree oven – about five minutes. Use a timer, and keep a close eye so they don’t get dark. Spread them on a paper towel or cutting board and let them cool before chopping.

Melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and stir well. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

Put papers into a 12-hole muffin tin* and butter/sugar two custard cups. If you don’t have papers, butter/sugar the muffin tin as well.

Forget your mixer – whether hand or stand – mix the batter by hand so you don’t overwork the flour – it’s not onerous.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. If your nuts are cool enough (they can still be slightly warm), chop them and add them to the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Now that butter/sugar is sufficiently cool, add in the eggs, and whisk it up. Then add the bananas, mashing to your desired consistency. Add the soaked raisins (minus any residual liquor), and whisk all of it until well blended.

If you haven’t previously chopped your nuts, it’s time! Add them to the dry ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring only until the flour disappears.

Spoon batter into tin/cups till they’re 3/4 full. If you like, sprinkle the top of the muffins with turbinado sugar. It’s not necessary but adds a nice sweet crunch to the muffin tops.

Bake in your 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and enjoy!

*If you prefer, you can use a loaf pan either lined with parchment or buttered and floured or sugared. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nana’s Brownies

If you do not like walnuts in your brownies, this is not the recipe for you. I’ve tried making this recipe without walnuts (tragically, I had no nuts in the house that day), and it was a complete fail. The brownies were very thin and sad. Some people use pecans in brownies. I consider this to be a criminal misuse of pecans. Pecans have a much stronger flavor than walnuts and end up arguing with the chocolate rather than enhancing one another.  Walnuts add a grace note to brownies, allowing the rich chocolate flavor to dominate, but adding a texture that lends interest and a delicate flavor to break up the sweet.

Preheat oven to 350F

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb)
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 3 cups chopped walnuts

Melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter, in the microwave or in a double-boiler – don’t scorch the chocolate!  Set aside to cool.  

Chop your walnuts and line a 9×13 metal pan with waxed paper while your chocolate/butter is cooling, 

In a large bowl, beat eggs together with the salt for several minutes, until the eggs are pale and thickened.  Incorporate the sugar, then the chocolate/butter mixture and vanilla. Sir in the flour, then the chopped walnuts until everything is incorporated.

Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. I like to check at about 25 minutes just in case the oven is running a little hot.

If a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean, they’re done. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 15 or 20 minutes, then lift out and cut into pieces.

They are excellent frozen. Try one or two under a scoop or two of ice cream with some chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Faux Shrimp Fra Diavolo

I saw this recipe for Italian Shrimp Pasta, and kept it floating in my tabs for quite some time before I finally decided I had to make it. Well, I didn’t have any Compari tomatoes on hand, or any fresh tomatoes at all, so I used Rasamalaysia’s recipe as a jumping off point.

Two servings, whether you share it with someone you like or prefer the gift of delicious leftovers!

3 big fat cloves of garlic, finely diced
Several tablespoons of olive oil
Approximately 1 pound of shrimp (whatever quantity you think is sufficient for two meals)
1 14.5-ounce can of tomatoes (whole, diced or sauce – your choice)
2 ounces of vodka
5 or 6 basil leaves, cut finely (approximately two tablespoons once cut)
1-1/2 to 2 cups of dry pasta
1 cup reserved pasta water (taken from the pot just before you drain the pasta)

Put your pasta water on to boil. When it comes to a boil, add a handful of kosher salt to make that water nice and salty – like the sea! As you’re making the sauce, get the pasta into the boiling salted water, so the pasta is just barely al dente by the time the shrimp are mostly but not wholly cooked.

In a saute pan large enough to hold everything (a medium size pan will do), with the burner at a medium heat, saute the garlic briefly in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the entire can of tomatoes and their juices. If using diced, you’re good to go. If using whole tomatoes, squish them with your hands to break them up into small pieces. Add a pinch of salt. Shake in some red pepper flakes to your desired degree of heat. This is “faux Fra Diavolo,” after all, so you want at least a little bit of spiciness. Pour in the two ounces of vodka. Bring to a simmer. If your sauce is reducing faster than the pasta is cooking, you can scoop out the cup of pasta water before the pasta is cooked to use to thin the sauce so it doesn’t get too thick.

When the pasta is nearly ready, toss your shrimp into the simmering tomato sauce. Watch the shrimp closely, tossing them around in the sauce, so you get them cooking evenly. If shrimp are cooked too long, they get tough, so keep a close eye on them. When the shrimp are still slightly underdone, showing just a little bit of translucence, hopefully your pasta is ready.

When the pasta is just on the underside of al dente, scoop out the cup of pasta water (if you haven’t already), then drain the pasta, tossing it into the pan with the sauce and shrimp. Toss everything together to coat the pasta and finish the cooking of the shrimp. While you’re tossing everything, add as much of the reserved pasta water that you think you need to thin the sauce to your liking. Once the shrimp are just cooked – no longer translucent – take the pan off the heat, add a swirl of olive oil (a tablespoon or two) and the finely chopped fresh basil. Give it a last good toss, then serve.

I’m a cheese fiend, so with the first serving of this I applied a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, but it really doesn’t need it (and this is coming from a person who INSISTS CHEESE IS NECESSARY ON PASTA), because it is so incredibly flavorful. I had the second serving for dinner the following night. I’m lazy as can be, and not wanting to dirty yet another dish, because I had put the leftovers in a dish that couldn’t go in the microwave (plus not wanting to reheat the shrimp which would make them tough), I had the leftovers cold from the fridge. Let me tell you – IT WAS FANTASTIC! In fact, I would seriously consider making this specifically to be eaten cold the following day (or made in the morning and refrigerated till dinner time).

The flavor of the basil, which was put in at the end, after the pan was taken off the heat, was much more pronounced – that luscious flavor lightly reminiscent of licorice. The garlic (both on round 1, when eaten hot, and on round 2, when eaten cold) was perfect – not so pronounced that you would say, “Wow, garlic!” but adding a very pleasant note to the overall flavor.

I give this recipe 12 thumbs up.

Dressings/Sauces

Mayonnaise – if you haven’t made it, you haven’t enjoyed mayonnaise. It is quite a bit thinner than store-bought but James Peterson, a “sauce expert,” suggests “[adding] a small amount of bottled mayonnaise to the egg yolk at the beginning [of the recipe] to act as an emulsifier.” Sounds like something to try. But even so, there really are few things nicer than home-made mayo.

DIY MAYONNAISE

Yields a bit over a cup of mayonnaise.

1 whole egg
1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon style mustard
1 clove of garlic, chopped small (optional but ARE YOU CRAZY?)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (use white if you object to speckles of black pepper)
1 cup vegetable or olive oil

I have a one-pint jar that has a screw-on lid that makes measuring, making and storing super easy. If you don’t have such a thing, use a close approximation. You want to use a container that is narrow and deep so that there is not a lot of space around the immersion blender.

Toss everything into the jar.

Stick the immersion blender to the bottom of the jar, turn it on, and verrrrrry slowly pull it up. Voila! You have mayonnaise!