Moving Blog to New Platform!

 **Dear Fellow Cooks and Foodies - I am moving my blog to a new platform and eventually, all my recipe posts will be hosted on the new platform and this one will be shut down.  

     It will take some time to transfer all of my posts, so you will be able to find my recipes on this blog for the next few months, but if you are looking for a recipe and don't find it here, it may have been moved. 

    My new blog address is persnicketypanhandler.com   All my new recipe posts will be there so be sure to check for those as well. 

      I appreciate your continued support and hope you enjoy my beloved recipes - old and new!  I am always discovering and remembering recipes I love to share with you.  Life is a never-ending food exploration!  So much to cook - so little time!   Many thanks and keep cooking!  - Michele

Mousse Mound-tain with Coconut Cookies

 

       You must remember the first time you tasted chocolate mousse, your eyes widening as the exquisite richness dawned on your senses.  The velvet, creamy texture, and the intensity of the rich chocolate certainly caught my attention. And was it mouse or moose and if it was moose, did it have antlers?  I am just one of many who has mispelled it on a menu! For most of us, the taste was love at first bite.  (There are actually those that don't care for chocolate, imagine!)  To those "unfortunate of pallet", we will do what we can to win you over - this may be one of those desserts that will change your mind about chocolate!

      Leave it to the French to create this concoction of cream, eggs, sugar and chocolate (sometimes butter) that makes any dessert worth breaking a diet for, worth saving a bit of room for, worth the expense of the ingredients to make it.

      Inspired by the numberless appetizers, that consist of dips and spreads and something to be dipped into them, it didn't seem much of a jump to a dessert of the same fashion.  The following was the result. 

      And if you still can't convince those chocolate-haters among us, you could branch off into other mousse choices like caramel mousse, lemon mousse, white cholate mousse, pumpkin mousse with cookies that will complement your flavors (a shortbread cookie is universally appropriate).  Then everyone can enjoy dessert. Now for those that don't care for desserts, it might have to be back to the savory appetizer dips and dippers for them!

Thick Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup butter softened

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

7 ounces good-quality 70% good-quality chocolate or 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate and 1 oz. unsweetened

2/3 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

                                                          

     -Melt chocolate in small saucepan.  Stir in butter until melted.  Let cool 10 minutes.

     -Beat chocolate mixture and egg yolks in small bowl on high speed for 5 minutes.  Refrigerate, covered for 5-6 minutes.

    -In separate mixing bowl, beat 3 egg whites until soft peaks form.  Beat in 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until whites are stiff and glossy.

    -Fold egg white mixture carefully into chocolate mixture.  Allow mixture to set for 10 minutes in refrigerator.

    -Whip cream until soft peaks form and add vanilla. (you can use the same bowl as used for the egg whites - no need to rinse it out for the cream.)  Fold cream gently into chocolate mixture until mostly incorporated - a few streaks of cream is fine.  (For the mound-tain purposely leave streaks of white to create interest.)

Coconut Shortbread Cookies

3/4 cup butter softened  

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)                                                  

     -Beat butter at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating well.  Stir in vanilla.

     -Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt to butter mixture, mixing well.  Sit in coconut and nuts, if using.  If mixture is sticky, chill for about 30 minutes.

     -Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Press each cookie slightly with the bottom of a glass, dipped in flour to flatten dough a bit.

     -Bake cookies in 350 degree oven until they just begin to turn golden around the edges, 10 - 12 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack and let cool.

To Assemble Mound-tain:

     -Neatly scoop and pile chocolate mousse onto center of a round serving platter.  (Mousse will make a more attractive mound if immediately placed on the platter before chilling.)  Cover mound with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.

     -Place cookies around the edge of the mound and one on top so guests understand the cookies are to be dipped into the mousse.  Sprinkle with toasted coconut, a bit of powdered sugar and decorate with fresh flowers for a springy touch of color.

     -Serves 6-8

Gently fold cream into mousse,

 leaving a few streaks of white.

Coconut shortbread cookies

Dip cookies into chocolate mousse mound

Mound mousse on center of serving tray,

 place cookies around and garnish with powdered sugar and coconut.

Southwest Eggrolls

     These unique crispy, savory appetizers first appeared in restaurants in the 80s.  I was introduced to them by one of my daughters who worked in one such restaurant.  An eggroll wrapper filled with almost anything works well, but with Mexican ingredients and flavors they are a marriage of brilliance! (Mexican food is one of my top five favorites for sure so I had to find a way to bring them into my own kitchen.)  and here they are!

     Beef, pork, chorizo, turkey would be just as happy to snuggle down into one of these wrappers in concert with the veggies and spices, so use your imaginations and let this recipe be a jumping-off point.  I have wrapped Arab-spiced fillings, turkey with a Thanksgiving inspiration and of course many Asian-inspired fillings which feel very much at home blanketed in their indigenous eggroll wrapper.  Interestingly enough, I have never filled them with eggs!  Hmmm - a new one to try!

    You can try the option of baking them, by brushing the filled wrappers generously with oil and baking at 400-425 degrees until golden, but they never achieve quite the same silky crunch they acquire from frying.  It depends on what you want to achieve.  As long as I'm making them, I go for the gold of the fried crunch!

    

Southwest Egg Rolls

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can chopped green chiles

1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn niblets, thawed

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

dash of dried red pepper flakes

juice of 1 lime

3/4 cup chopped green onions, with green ends

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

1 package 6 x 6 inch egg roll wrappers, or

     16 small flour tortillas, thin variety

oil for frying

     -In a large skillet, saute onions, red pepper and

      garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until very soft.  Add

      chiles, chicken, beans and corn and warm

      through.

     -Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture and stir until

      cornstarch is absorbed.  Pour in chicken stock and

      cook over medium-high heat until stock thickens.

      Add red-pepper flakes, green onions and squeeze

      lime juice over.  Mix about 2 minutes over 

      medium-high heat.  Season to taste with salt and

      pepper.

     -Remove from heat and allow to cool about 15 

      minutes.  Stir in cheese.  Set aside or chill until

      ready to use.

     -Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface, 2

      or 3 at a time, in front of you with the square

      wrapper turned so a point faces you (creating a

      diamond shape).  If using tortillas, it doesn't

      matter as they are round.

     -Place about 2 tablespoons of filling on bottom

      third of wrapper and spread out to about 3-4

      inches. Working from the bottom point, closest to

      you, wrap the bottom end up over the filling

      tucking it snugly against the filling. Turn in the

      two outer points, then roll completely to the top

      as snugly as you can.  Wet the top point with

      water and press against the wrapped filling to

      help hold that point in place.  (See pictures

      below.)

     -Heat about 1 inch of oil in skillet or wok to 350

      degrees on thermometer over medium-high heat. 

      Place eggrolls in the oil, seamside down and fry

      until golden brown on one side then turn with

      tongs and fry on the other side until golden. 

      Remove to paper-towel-lined plate and let cool

      about 10 minutes before serving.

     -Lay rolls on bed of shredded lettuce and garnish

      with slivered green onions and thinly sliced red

      pepper strips.  Serve with sour cream, salsa,

      guacamole and pico de gallo on the side.  Makes

      16-20 rolls.

Saute vegetables and add chicken,

stock and spices.

Lay wrapper in diamond shape. Place

filling on bottom 3rd of wrapper.

Fold bottom point over filling, 

tucking it in snugly.

Fold 2 side points inward, over filling.

Wet top point and continue to 

roll to top.

Serve eggrolls with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

    **Technically, these are not eggrolls unless you use eggroll wrappers,

        however, they are also good wrapped in thin flour tortillas and tend

        to be sturdier.  I am a fan of both - the eggroll wrapper has a flakier,

        crispy texture while the tortilla is more traditional for a Tex-Mex

        bready texture.  But the melding of two cuisines is part of what

        makes them unique.  Try them both ways and see what you prefer!

   **If your filling mixture becomes too wet, just drain it in a colander 

       for a few minutes before filling wrappers.  Wrappers will tend to

       break open if the mixture is too wet.  The tortillas don't mind as

       much.

   **I like to place my cooked rolls on a bit of a slant on the paper-

       towel-lined platter, so some of the oil can drain off.  You can place

       the handle of a wooden spoon on the platter to lay them against.

  **These can be made ahead and kept chilled for an hour or so before

      frying.  They may also be frozen for future use - freeze well-wrapped

      before cooking them.  Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 - 15

      minutes before frying.  To reheat cooked rolls, place the rolls on a

      tray and bake for 10 minutes at 325 degress to re-crisp them.

White Bean Chili

A lighter alternative to kidney bean and beef chili:

White Bean & Chicken Chili:

1 pound white navy, or cannellini beans

      (or 3 cans white navy or cannellini beans, drained)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 peeled, diced carrot

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 large tomato, diced

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoon chili powder

1 can chopped green chilis

1/2 - 1 cup Hatch Green Pepper Sauce

       (to taste - to make it hotter add the full cup)

dash of cayenne pepper or dried red pepper flakes

5 cups chicken broth or 5 cups water and 3 cubes

        chicken bouillon

8 - 10 strips bacon, fried until crisp and cumbled

1 tablespoon bacon drippings

dash of liquid smoke

2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken

salt and pepper to taste

     -If using the dry beans, soak beans in a large bowl

of cold water overnight or 2 -3 hours.  Drain and rinse.

     -In a large pot, heat oil then saute onion, carrot, green pepper and tomato until soft, over medium heat.  Stir in garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute more.  Add broth to vegetables along with cumin, chili powder, green chilis and Hatch green salsa.  

     -Add the drained beans along with the chicken broth, liquid smoke, bacon and bacon drippings.  Let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour over medium heat,

covered, stirring occasionally until beans are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

     -Stir in cooked chicken and continue to simmer another 10 minutes.  Chili will thicken as it cooks.

     -Serve with grated cheddar cheese and/or sour cream on top.  Minced green onion also adds a fresh taste to the beans and sliced, fried corn tortillas and fresh red pepper strips add a nice crunch.

     -(Can be stored in fridge 3 -4 days.  When reheating, add water if chili is too thick)

Serves 6 - 8

Saute vegetables until tender

Garnish chili with cheese, sour cream,

 tortilla strips, chives or fresh 

red pepper slices.

Risolles a la Dauphine

 

Rissoles a la Dauphine

(Hand-held meat pies from the region of France known as Dauphine)

1 recipe puff pastry or frozen puff pastry sheets (generally found in

                             the freezer section with dessert pastries)

Beef Filling:

     12 ounces ground beef

     2 large shallots, finely chopped

     2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

     1 tablespoon dried Herbs de Provence

     2 teaspoons lemon zest

     2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

     2 eggs, slightly beaten

     2 tablespoons olive oil

     2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley (1 tab. dried)

     8 ounces grated gruyere or parmesan cheese

     vegetable oil for frying

     -In a skillet, heat olive oil and add shallot and fry about      5 minutes until softened.  Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute.  Add the beef and brown, breaking the meat apart as it is cooking.  Add the Provencal herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper and taste for seasoning.  Cool mixture then mix in 1 egg and minced parsley to bind it together.  Set filling aside or chill until ready to use.

For pastry:

      -Remove pastry sheets from the wrappers and set them on the counter for about 5 minutes.  Unfold each pastry sheet and open to the shape of a tent and allow them to continue to thaw another 5 - 10 minutes.  

      -Lightly flour your work surface and roll one sheet at a time out into a rectangle, approximately 12 x 14 inches. Using a 4-        5 inch doughnut cutter or ring, cut out as many circles as you can.  This recipe should make about 18 Risolles.  Repeat with other puff pastry sheet as needed.

     -Brush edges of each circle with egg wash made of one beaten egg mixed with 2 tab. milk or water.  Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of        filling in the center of each pastry round.  Sprinkle each with        gruyere cheese.  

     -Fold circle in half, enclosing filling and pinch edges together tightly with your fingers.  Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpad, at least 1 inch apart, then crimp edges of Risolles together firmly with the tines of a fork.

     -Bake in preheated 375 degree oven until puffy and golden,    25 - 30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with the Persillade dip (below).  

Persillade Dip:

4 tablespoon olive oil

1 ounce fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 ounce fresh tarragon leaves finely chopped (or dried)

1/2 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 ounce fresh dill, finely chopped (or chives)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

    -Mix above ingredients and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in the fridge.  Serve as dip either cold or at room temperature.

1. 
   
   
   Roll puff pastry out to large 1/4 inch thick rectangle.

Cut pastry into rounds and brush

 edges with egg wash.

Place beef filling on each pastry round,

top with cheese and fold over into half circle.

Place on cookie sheet and seal edges by

 pressing firmly with fork tines.

Beautiful, golden, flaky pastry with

delicious beef and cheese filling!

PERSNICKETY NOTES: 

**Herbs de Provence originate from the southern region of France, Provence, and are combinations of the following dried herbs: rosemary, fennel seed, savory, thyme, basil, marjoram, lavender flowers, parsley, oregano, tarragon, bay powder.  Or you can buy this combination from Amazon or can sometimes find it in the spice aisle of your local store.  There are also recipes for it online, but I prefer buying it already mixed.  Cheaper and less work!

**Lemon Zest is simply the finely grated rind of a lemon.  You can use the finest holes on your grater or use a microplane grater to shave tiny bits of the rind off the lemon.

**Making your own puff pastry is so much fun and gratifying, but truth be told, I generally buy the frozen puff pastry to save time and effort.  If you want to master the art of making puff pastry, start with the short-cut version often called "rough puff" pastry.  There are several videos and different versions of how to make it on youtube.  This is a great one to try if you are interested:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XQY4KDIo24&t=25s    It's so delicious because there is so much butter in it!

**Re-using puff pastry scraps.  Do not ball scraps together like you would with sugar cookie dough.  This will destroy the layers of pastry you have worked so hard to achieve.  You can lay the scraps on top of each other, cover with plastic and chill for an hour, remove from fridge and then roll out again to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out more circles at this point or simply cut into rectangles, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for a delicate pastry cookie!

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Rainbow Jello Snacks

 

Jello Rainbow Fingers

1 - 3 oz. package Jello (with sugar) of the following colors:

     Strawberry

     Orange

     Lemon

     Lime

     Blue Raspberry

     Grape or Black Cherry

3 cups boiling water

3 cups plain yogurt (not Greek yogurt)

      -In a large 2 or 4 cup glass measuring cup, empty contents

       of Strawberry Jello mix.  Pour in 1 1/4 cup very hot water.

       Stir until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.  Pour 1/2 cup 

       of this water into a small mixing bowl and set aside.

      -In a deep rectangular baking dish 10 x 8 inch or 9 x 13 inch,

       pour the 3/4 cup jello mixture into the bottom.  Let chill in

       fridge for 1 hour until very well set.  Meantime, mix 1/4 cup

       plain yogurt with reserved 1/2 cup liquid jello mixture and

       beat with whisk until smooth and yogurt is completely 

       incorporated.  Pour over set jello in pan and rotate so that the

       mixture completely covers the bottom layer. Let chill for 30

       minutes until set.

      -Repeat process above with each of the flavors of Jello listed.  If

       you want to be precise with the order of colors in the 

       rainbow follow the order as listed above.  Remember, Roy G.

       Biv for the order of the colors.  (There is no indigo in this

       recipe - a difficult color to find and create.)  To help with the

       violet layer, add more blue food coloring to create a truer

       violet color.

      -In the end you should have created 12 layers - one clear layer

       of each color, followed by an opaque yogurt layer of each

       color.   Chill until very firm, several hours or overnight.

     -To slice into fingers that people can pick up and eat, cut into

       squares about 3 inches by 3 inches and remove from pan with

       a thin metal spatula.  Set on cutting board and cut into long

       finger or sticks shapes about an inch by an inch, or into any

       shapes desired.  The smaller the pan used to mold jello, the

       taller the fingers will be which will have a harder time

       standing up but can be served laying down. The rainbow effect

       is still so much fun.

Scones (Fried Bread)

 

       Until well into my teens, I had no idea that the British had laid claim centuries before I was born, to the "scone", a dry biscuit pastry that had to be served with tea just to wash it down.  How could this be, I wondered and assumed the English, from whom I am descended, were unfortunately mistaken but then when I considered that an entire British nation was confused, I confess, I had to question my assumptions about food origins.

      In my search for the truth, I looked inwardly to examine my own culinary heritage, a tradition that included pioneers crossing the North American plains in covered wagons with yeast and flour preciously stored in cushioned barrels.  My mother carried on the pioneer tradition and called these fried, golden yeast squares, "scones".  As her mother had done before her, she taught me how to stretch the dough a bit just before cooking, to ensure the scones rose with a pillowy puff in their middles as they cooked.  

     In my imaginings, I could make it work; the pioneers' encounters with Native Americans were for the most part friendly....perhaps even included exchanges of culinary techniques and recipes?  Regardless, stubbornly I continue to defend my heritage and proclaim scones to be thinly rolled yeast enriched dough, cut into squares or triangles and deep-fried until golden.  Versatility allows them to be served with butter or if in the mood for a sweet version with honey, jam, or powdered sugar.

     Often, my children's Sunday family dinners were scones and soup, the only variable being the kind of soup served (I confess to being a bit of a softy - preparing 2 - 3 different soups to satisfy 6 diverse clamoring appetites.)  Scones partner equally well with chili, stews, bisques, as a side bread and alone as dessert with ice cream and toppings heaped on top.

    And as to the British scone, we now have an amicable relationship and I have known a Brit or two to enjoy my scone version as well.  I just call theirs "tea biscuits" and they can call mine "Indian Fry Bread", but only to themselves.

Scones:

2 tablespoons dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons soft butter

1 tablespoon salt

2 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour, approximately

3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying

    -Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup water in small bowl.

      Set aside for 5 minutes.  In large mixing bowl,

     combine 2 cups water, sugar, shortening, 

     butter and salt. Mix with wire whip until smooth.

     Stir in dissolved yeast and eggs.  Mix well.  Add

      flour a cup at a time until dough pulls away from

     the sides of the mixer or comes together in a ball if

     mixing by hand. If mixture is too sticky add a bit

     more flour 1/4 cup at a time, until you can handle

     the dough. Knead for 5 minutes by hand or with

     electric mixer with the dough hook.

   -Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with

     plastic wrap.  Let sit in warm place or in the oven

     on "bread proofing" setting for about 1 1/2 hours,

     or dough may be refrigerated 8 hours or 

     overnight.  (This longer process allows dough to

     rise slowly.)  If you refrigerate your dough, let it

     sit out about an hour before rolling out to cut out

     the scones.

    -When ready to use, punch the dough down & roll

     dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. 

     Let dough rest 10 minutes then cut into 3-4 inch

     squares or rectangles.  Let dough rest another 30

     minutes.

    -Heat vegetable oil to about 375 degrees in deep

      fryer or large, deep skillet or dutch oven.  Place

     dough squares carefully onto hot oil, pulling and

     stretching dough slightly just before adding to the

     oil.  Scones should float while cooking and not rest

     on the bottom of the pan.

    -Cook until golden brown on first side and

     scones puff up in the middle.  (Sometimes the

     squares do not puff....they are still delicious, so

     serve them anyway.)  Turn squares with tongs to

     the other side and continue to cook until golden

     (about 3-4 minutes total cooking time).  Place on

     paper towels. Serve warm or at room

     temperature    Makes about 3 dozen scones.

Shape dough into disc and roll on

well-floured surface

Cut dough into 3 -4 inch squares or

rectangles and let rest 30 minutes.

Place each square into hot oil and

fry until golden and puffy.

Serve warm scones with butter, honey, 

and jam or as an accompaniment to

soups and stews.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

**When rolling out the dough, be patient.  It has a tendency to shrink 

    back to its previous shape.  Roll it then walk way for a few minutes to

    let it rest, then roll again and give it another rest.  You will eventually

    coax it out to the thickness you want it to be.

**This scone is also similar to the Mexican sopapilla and can be served

    with Mexican food, dipped in salsa or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar

    as a dessert.