Stump De Noel !

I just baked in  the most detailed Nordic Cake Pan I have ever baked in. It released perfectly because I use a Pan Release Recipe that I got when I took a Wilton Cake Decorating Class in 1990. I have used it since then and it never fails.

Mix together equal parts of:
Vegetable oil
Crisco
Flour

Mix well and store in a jar in the refrigerator.

  

Christmas Popovers

Since our recent trip to London has inspired  our menu for Christmas dinner, I decided to make Christmas Popovers, this is my version of Yorkshire Pudding. Mine are made with butter and a bit of Vegetable Cooking spray to keep it Vegetarian. I don't use the typical drippings from the Beef or a bit of lard.
My wife is making a traditional English Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Root Vegetables. I'll make a Tofurky Roast for the Vegetarians.

If you don't have a traditional Popover Pan.... well you need to get one!
Not really, you can actually bake these in a regular muffin pan....
However, I would recommend that you eventually get one if you really like these.



Herbed Christmas Popovers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
These need to be baked in a hot oven and ..... no peeking!

2 C flour
1/4 C chopped fresh Rosemary
1 TBS salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 eggs
2 1/2 C whole milk
5 TBS butter, melted and will be divided

Melt the butter and set it aside
Sift the flour and whisk in the rosemary, salt, pepper and nutmeg

In a large bowle, whisk the eggs and milk together.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients followed
by the addition of 3 TBS of melted butter. Do not over mix at this stage.

Brush the cups of a 12 C popover pan with the remaining melted butter and
add some cooking spray too.
At this stage you can pop the pan in the oven just to heat up the butter. Not long!

Fill the cups 3/4 full
Bake in a hot preheated oven at 425 degrees

Try not to peek
Serve right from the oven, so bake these 30 minutes just before
sitting down to enjoy your Christmas dinner.

Serve with butter and Gravy!

Remember, don't peek, it's an important step in making successful Popovers.

I'll post a picture when I make them!


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Christmas in London!

I've been away from the blog for awhile while enjoying the sights, sounds and foods of Christmas in England!

A Pub in Windsor

Fortnum and Mason Christmas Window

A Pub in Windsor

Christmas in London

A Pub in Windsor

I'll blog about the food when I get a chance.

There was a great feeling of Christmas in the air, everywhere we went from Birmingham to London to Windsor.

Charming Pubs where I imagined Charles Dickens enjoyed Figgy Pudding at Christmas!
He certainly drank a Pint in them!
The decorations were simple and the food was amazing!

The photographs are from Birmingham, London and Windsor. They are a collection of foods we ate at restaurants in London and Windsor, foods we saw at the Christmas Market in Birmingham and food I photographed at the Borough Market in London.

A French Restaurant in London

Treacle Tart , this was amazing!

Borough Market, London

Christmas Market in Birmingham

The wonderful Food Stalls at Borough Market, London

Breakfast at Marias in Borough Market, London

Bubble & Squeak for Breakfast

More of the Food Stalls at Borough Market

Les Macarons ! British Style

Inside a Cheese Shop at Borough Market

Paella in Borough Market in London

Christmas Market in Birmingham

Dinner in Windsor

Fortnum and Mason Christmas Windows

Dinner in Windsor

The Entrance to the Market in London

Banana Pudding

Who would think that a recipe for Banana Pudding would be on a food blog!

I've had the fortunate opportunity to travel the world extensively and I've enjoyed trying new foods in every place I've visited. I've even visited a banana plantation on the island of St. Lucia.

In 1987, I had a friend that shared a family recipe for Banana Pudding.
It was the best Banana Pudding I had ever eaten in my life!

This is a Best of the Best recipe.

If you don't want to make the Pastry Cream on the stove, I've posted the link to my easy, delicious, carefree recipe at the end of the page.

I've never shared this one with anyone, until I started my blog, so I hope you try it.

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 8oz. package of cream cheese, softened.
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Custard:
3 eggs
3/4 C sugar
1 TBS flour
1 C whole milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 box of Vanilla Wafers
6 Bananas (sliced)

Beat cream cheese until creamy
Add condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla, continue beating until well combined.
Refrigerate this mixture

Beat eggs, sift dry ingredients and add milk and vanilla.
Place in a double boiler and cook until thick, whisking constantly. This may take as long as 45 minutes on medium high heat.

In a plain glass bowl or a fancy trifle dish:

Begin with a layer of sliced bananas
A layer of Vanilla Wafers
A layer of Custard
All of the cream cheese mixture
A layer of sliced bananas
A layer of Vanilla Wafers
A final layer of Custard
Refrigerate and serve chilled!


Pastry Cream
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

In 1996 a French friend of ours, Jean - Michel, had a restaurant in Dallas. It was called Tramontana.
We loved this soup that he served.
He gave me the recipe.


Merci Beaucoup Jean Michel. Tu nous manques!

1 medium onion
7 large carrots,peeled, diced
3 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled, diced
dice them the same size

Vegetable or Chicken stock, enough to cover all ingredients.

to taste:
brown sugar or honey
ground ginger
ground clove
ground cinnamon
( I recommend 1 1/2 tsp of each to start) adjust according to personal taste.
1 TBS butter
1 C half and half
Chopped fresh chive for garnish

Saute the onion in the butter until clear.
Add carrots and sweet potatoes.
Cover with stock and simmer until soft.
When all is cooked to perfection, puree in the liquid with an immersion blender or in a blender.
Be careful when blending hot liquids in a blender. Blend in small portions.
Remove from heat .
Add half and half and spices, blend well.

Serve garnished with fresh chive.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pumpkin Muffcakes!

Here's a vintage recipe for a cross between a Muffin and a Cupcake.
I call it a Muffcake!
It's a frosted Muffin...... anyway, you get the idea.

I consider this to be a Best of the Best recipe

1 C Pecans, roasted. ( preheat the oven to 350 degrees and roast the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
 Cool completely and roughly chop.

1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 15oz. can pure pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
2 C all purpose f;our
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C chopped dates ( I know, you say you don't like dates, but this is a necessary ingredient and once you taste these, you'll agree)

Icing:
1 3oz. package of cream cheese room temperature
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp of the orange juice
2 C powdered sugar


Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with a vegetable spray or grease with your preference. I use my pan release recipe posted earlier on the Blog.

In a Mixer with a paddle attachment:
Medium Speed
Cream the butter and  brown sugar until well combined, about a minute.
Add the egg and continue for 1 minute more.
Add pumpkin and Vanilla and beat until combined.
Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
By hand, stir in the dates and Pecans until well combined and the batter is moist.
The batter will be thick.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filled just to the top.
Bake 20 minutes
Cool them in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely( at least 30 minutes before frosting them)

Icing:
In a mixer on medium speed, with a paddle attachment
Beat cream cheese and orange juice about 30 seconds.
Gradually add powdered sugar 1/2 C at a time until incorporated well each time.
By hand, stir in the orange zest

Frost the muffins.
The icing will set after 45 minutes and you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap to store in the refrigerator, if you have any left!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Mustard / Homemade / Hot

We love mustard:

Dijon
German
American
Hot
Sweet
Brown
Deli
Creole
English
Chinese
Flavored.......

......... and this homemade mustard from the Mennonites in Kansas!
This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups.

4 TBS flour
8 TBS dry mustard
1 C boiling water
1 C sugar
1/2 C vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp or more.... mustard seed to taste  (some of the seeds can be crushed)

Mix flour and mustard
Stir in the boiling water
Add sugar,vinegar and salt
Add Mustard Seed

Mix well
Allow to cool completely and refrigerate before using.
Keep refrigerated in a jar!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!