Dilly Sprouts

2 lbs small/medium Brussels sprouts, picked over and trimmed
1/4  t red pepper flakes per jar
1 clove fresh garlic per jar
1 head of fresh dill or 1 T dried dill weed per jar
3 T canning salt + more for blanching
2 1/2 c water
2 1/2 c cider vinegar

Prepare water bath canner.  Heat jars in canner.

Sort sprouts by size. Blanch in boiling salted water (1 T per gal) 2 minutes for small sprouts, 3 minutes for medium sprouts.  (Save larger sprouts for another use).  While blanching water comes to a boil, in a separate pot bring vinegar, water and salt to a boil.

Add garlic clove, dill and ped pepper flakes and pack sprouts into hot jars.  Pour brine over sprouts, releasing air bubbles and pressing gently to fit sprouts into jars.  Process in BWB for 15 minutes.  Allow to mellow for a month and enjoy.

Candied jalapenos

Ingredients

3 lbs jalapenos ( a mix of red & green fruit is beautiful)
2 c cider vinegar
6 c sugar
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t celery seed
1 T granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Pickle Crisp

Method

*Wear gloves.  I suffered recently for 24 hours from burning hands.  Trust me, it is no fun.

Prepare the jars and lids.  Add 1/16 t of Pickle Crisp to each half-pint jar.

Stem the peppers and slice the peppers into thin rounds.

Combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, then lower  the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the pepper slices and simmer for 4 minutes.

Transfer the peppers into the jars with a slotted spoon, leaving the syrup in the pot. Allow 1/4 inch of headspace.

Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.  Add syrup to jars to within the allowed headspace.

Add lids and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes for half-pint jars, 15 for pint jars.

Complete directions for safe processing can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia.

I found this recipe at Foodie with Family, and she deserves all the credit, as these babies are delicious!

Lemon parmesan vinaigrette

This dressing is terrific on a salad with lots of arugula, or tossed with arugula then put the arugula on a Sundried Tomato Pesto pizza straight from the oven –just allow the greens to wilt a bit, then devour.

1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
1 clove garlic, crushed with the salt
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolte Chips

1 1/4 c flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 c chunky natural peanut butter
3/4 c sugar + 3 T for rolling (could use a bit less sugar in dough)
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 T milk
1 t vanilla
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place the remaining sugar — in a small bowl. Scoop dough, form into a ball, and roll in the sugar.  Place  cookies on ungreased cookie sheets, and using a fork, gently flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes; remove from oven and cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

1/2 C olive oil
3 T white wine or white balsamic vinegar
1/2 anchovy fillet
1 garlic clove, crushed with the anchovy and a pinch of salt
1 C blue cheese, crumbled with a fork

Whisk together all but the blue cheese;  add at the end, stirring in gently.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

3 T butter
1 1/2 c sliced carrot
1 1/2 c sliced celery
2 sliced ripe bananas
1 large onion,diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
6-7 c water or stock
4+ c cooked pumpkin puree
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1 T yellow curry powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro

Melt butter.  Add onions, celery, bay leaves and cloves and cook until onions soften.  Stir in garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant and color begins to change. Add banana, stir briefly, then add water or stock to cover.  Cook until veggies are very tender.  Remove bay leaves and cloves.  Add pumpkin, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer for 20 minutes.  Add water or stock to thin to desired consistency, and blend until smooth.  Heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

If your pumpkin was not very sweet, you may want to add more sweetened condensed milk sparingly.

Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt if desired.  Yum!

Fish Taco Sauce

Up here in Maine we are lucky to have a wide assortment of restaurants serving excellent fried haddock, often in large portions.  We always bring the leftovers home to reheat in the toaster oven for some fish tacos.  I serve them with shredded cabbage and a spicy sauce.

Fish Taco Sauce

Juice of one lime
1/4 c-ish mayo
2-3 t syrup from Candied Jalapenos
2-3 dashes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce or to taste

Stir together, adjusting viscosity by adding mayo or syrup.  Drizzle over tacos and enjoy.

Brown Sugar Pavlova with Meyer Lemon Curd and Maine Wild Blueberries

before the blueberries

Glamorous, sweet, looks more difficult than it is.  In other words, the perfect dessert.

Pavlovas

Confectioners sugar for dusting
1 C granulated sugar (or superfine sugar if no food processor)
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1 1/2 pure vanilla extract
2 t raspberry vinegar (white vinegar will do)
6 egg whites (at room temperature at least 30 minutes)

Preheat oven to 275°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter 2 9” round cake pans, then dust sides of pans with confectioners sugar, knocking out excess. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or wax paper.

Pulse sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor until well combined, or if using superfine sugar, stir thoroughly together .

Stir together vanilla and raspberry vinegar in a small bowl.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add vinegar mixture, then beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Spoon meringue into pans (about 2 1/2 cups per pan) and smooth tops. Bake until meringues have a crisp crust and feel dry to the touch, about 1 hour (insides will still be marshmallow-like).

Turn oven off and prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Cool meringues in oven 1 hour; the meringues may crack slightly while cooling, it adds to the charm.

Run knife along sides of cake pans and carefully turn meringues out of pans. Carefully peel off parchment and turn right side up.

Meyer Lemon Curd

6 large egg yolks
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
12 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat. Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring with the spoon until consistency is smooth.

Cool and refrigerate. There will be extra (YUM!).

Blueberry Topping

2 c Maine Wild blueberries (frozen works but fresh would be amazing)
1 t Meyer Lemon juice
2 c heavy cream

Toss blueberries with lemon juice and allow to macerate

Beat cream just until stiff peaks form. Stir ¼ c cream into half of the lemon curd to lighten (about 1 ½ c). Spread half the mixture on one layer of the pavlova. Add the second layer, and spread the remaining lemon curd mixture. Top with blueberries and remaining whipped cream.

Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti

1 1/2 T whole black peppercorns, ground in pepper or spice grinder
4 c flour ( plus some for the board)
2 t baking powder
2 t salt
6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (1/4 c reserved)
3/4 c cold unsalted butter, cubed
4 large eggs
1 c whole milk

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir flour, baking powder, salt, cheese, and pepper in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat 3 eggs with milk, stir into flour mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured bread board and divide dough into 4 pieces. Flour hands and form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log about 3/4 inch high. Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets.

Beat remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

Yum.  Great with a white bean purée.

Almond Toffee

2 1/2 c whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 t sea salt
1 t vanilla
8 oz. Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips

Finely chop 1/2 cup of the almonds and reserve.

 

Lightly oil a 15” x 10” jelly roll pan (I used non-stick foil).

In a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan combine butter, corn syrup and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally as sugar dissolves. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thermometer registers 300°F, or until the mixture is the color of dark peanut butter. Quickly stir in almonds and immediately pour mixture into baking pan. With a spatula quickly spread toffee in an even layer.

Let mixture stand 1 minute (it will still be very hot) and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Let chips melt and with spatula spread chocolate evenly over toffee. Quickly sprinkle reserved finely chopped almonds evenly over chocolate. Allow to cool, then chill toffee until chocolate is firm, at least 2 hours, and up to 2 weeks, covering tightly after 2 hours. Break toffee into bite-size pieces and keep chilled to prevent chocolate from melting.

Alternately, allow toffee to cool. Melt chips, reserving a few to add once all the chocolate has melted (to help the chocolate re-firm). Stir in the reserved chips until melted, then spread on toffee with a spatula. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and allow to cool. Break into pieces and store out of the tempting line of sight!

Makes about 2 1/2 pounds