New Potatoes with Sour Cream and Caviar

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Susan

A couple of days ago, the weather was really wonderful.  The air was crisp and clean and spring just seemed to be in the air.  I went “off list” at the grocery store and bought a great-looking tomato plant for my vegetable garden, a perfect white Kalanchoe to put by the front door, and I then I found a bag of perfect looking new potatoes that brought this favorite recipe to mind.

I remember this item being very popular back in the eighties.  Just about every cocktail party had this one on the menu, lots of restaurants offered it as a starter, and a version appeared in almost all regional cookbooks that I’ve acquired from way back then.  The recipe I’ve adapted is from one of my very favorite cookbooks, the Silver Palate.  But I should note that my way has some substantial differences—I don’t use rock salt, I use kosher salt…I don’t deep fry the potatoes, I sauté them in much less oil…and my budget doesn’t permit real caviar, my splurge is the black lumpfish that you can buy at the grocery store.  If you can afford the real stuff, go for it—and please invite me over…

New Potatoes with Sour Cream and Caviar

Makes 24

Ingredients:

12 new potatoes
1 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
½ cup sour cream
Small jar of black lumpfish caviar

Preparation:


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Pour the kosher salt into a baking pan and shake it to distribute it evenly.  Scrub the potatoes clean, dry them well, and put them in the baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until they are soft.

Cool the potatoes for a few minutes until you can handle them.  Cut them in half.  Using a melon ball spoon or another small spoon, remove a scoop of the pulp from each half, leaving a nice edge.  Put the pulp in a bowl and mash it with a fork.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the pulp and mash to combine.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet.  Place the potato halves skin side down in the oil and gently sauté until they are nicely browned.  Flip them over to warm the bottoms and then remove and drain on a paper towel.

Put a small scoop of the pulp in each potato half, followed by a small dollop of sour cream, and an even smaller dollop of caviar.

Posted in Appetizer | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Irish Soda Bread

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Susan

Yesterday, we started thinking about our St. Patrick’s Day menu, and decided we had a craving for some rich, dense Irish Soda Bread, slathered with good salted butter and a dollop of blackberry preserves.

I was pressed for time so I turned to my also busy husband and asked if he would like to make today’s recipe.  I argued that bread making is very close to pasta making and since he makes first-rate, world-class homemade pasta without batting an eye or using a recipe—this would be a walk in the park and he could do it much faster than I could.  He agreed and this is what he made.  Still warm, we sampled our first piece as imagined.  Delicious.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!

Irish Soda Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups whole-wheat flour
¼ cup brown sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with spray or butter.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the flours, sugar, baking soda salt and the oats.  Add the shortening or butter in small pieces and cut in until the butter is reduced to very small pieces.  Add the buttermilk and stir until the mixture comes together in a thick dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it comes together.  Shape the dough into a round, and cut an X into the top with a knife.

Bake the bread for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking until the loaf is brown and firm, about 40 more minutes.  Transfer to rack and cool.

Posted in Bread, Breakfast | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Clam Dip

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Susan

At the grocery store yesterday, I was picking up a can of tuna, and way up on the top shelf, I noticed cans of minced clams.  I brought one home, remembering that this was a dip in the “rotation” of party snacks my mother would serve from time to time way back when.  And right there in her old recipe box (which I continue to treasure and mine for goodies) was the recipe she used.  It couldn’t be easier to make—it took me about five minutes to stir it together–and it’s good, so I’ll share it today in case someone else out there wants to take trip down memory lane…

Clam Dip

Makes 1 Cup

Ingredients:

1 6 ½ ounce can chopped clams
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion salt
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
Dash of hot sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Drain the clams and reserve the liquid.

Place the cream cheese in a bowl, add the clams, the Worcestershire, lemon juice, garlic powder and onion salt.  Blend well.  Gradually add the clam juice, a tablespoon or so at a time until the dip has a nice consistency.  Stir in the parsley.

Serve with potato chips.

Posted in Appetizer | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Blueberry Buckle

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Susan

Here is a wonderful little something that is delicious to eat as part of a Sunday brunch, or as a dessert anytime that you have nice sweet blueberries in your market.  The tartness of the blueberries combines well with the sweetness of the batter and topping in this easy, three-layer dish.  If you’re making it for breakfast, you can make the batter and the crumble topping in advance and keep them in the refrigerator overnight—and wash the berries and put it all together quickly in the morning.

Although delicious just as it is, at breakfast time, you could top this with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt or a splash of cream.  As a dessert, this pairs nicely with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Blueberry Buckle
Adapted from a recipe by Chefs Melissa Kelly and Price Kushner

Serves 8

Ingredients for the batter:

4 tablespoons butter, softened
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup buttermilk

To prepare the batter:

Beat the butter with the sugar until well combined.  Add the egg and continue to beat.  Stir the flour and the baking soda together.  Add the flour mixture to the butter, sugar and egg mixture and beat until well combined.  Add the buttermilk and beat just to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredients for the filling:

4 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

To prepare the filling:

Stir together the blueberries, lemon juice, flour and sugar—coating the blueberries well.

Ingredients for the crumble topping:

¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces

To prepare the crumble topping:

Put all of the ingredients in a small bowl and work them together with fingers until it is well blended and “crumbly”.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

To put it all together:

Grease eight 6-ounce ramekins or one 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan.  Add ¼ cup of batter to each ramekin, smoothing the mixture with a spoon or spatula.  Spoon ½ cup of the blueberry mixture over the batter.  Top the blueberries with ¼ cup crumble each.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the crumble topping is nicely browned and the blueberries are bubbling at the edges.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Shepherd’s Pie

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Susan

Shepherd’s pie is a dish I associate with the English or Irish countryside, although lots of countries seem to have a version of this home cooking staple.    It is a comforting preparation of beef or lamb, covered and baked with a mashed potato topping.  I have seen it referred to also as Cottage pie (maybe referring to the humble dwellings of its earliest cooks), Potato Top Pie (in New Zealand), Cowboy pie (in Texas—here in the U.S.) and by other names I can’t spell in France, and Canada and in Russia.
It is perfect for a family dinner, dinner for two when you want to have leftovers, as a potluck contribution, or even for entertaining on a cold winter’s night.  It is easy to make and fun to experiment with.  The meat can be beef or lamb, the vegetables can vary based on what you have in the refrigerator, the topping can be enhanced by adding a handful of cheddar cheese or a sprinkling of your favorite herb.  It’s a meal in one, needing only a simple green salad on the side.

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6

Preparation Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  30 minutes
Total Time:  1 hour

Ingredients for the filling:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation of the filling:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up while it browns.  Add the carrots and onion and continue to cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots have softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the peas and continue to cook for 1 minute.

Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and cook, stirring, until the flour is fully incorporated.  Add the beef stock, the Worcestershire sauce and the thyme and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency.  Taste and salt and pepper to your liking.


Ingredients for the potato topping:

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika

Preparation of the potato topping:

Place the diced potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are very tender.  Remove from the heat and drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the hot pan.  Add the sour cream, the cream cheese and the butter and whip the potatoes until they are smooth—using a hand mixer.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish:

Place the meat filling in a buttered, 9” x 13” rectangular or oval baking dish.  Top the meat filling with the potato topping, covering the meat completely to the edges of the dish.  Sprinkle paprika over the top and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until hot and lightly browned on the top.

Posted in Beef, Casseroles, Main Course | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Susan

This cookie is absolutely delicious—my new favorite cookie.  I adapted it from a Bon Appetit recipe I found in an old clip file of recipes I’ve been wanting to try, and today was the day.  The original recipe calls for the addition of walnuts, but my kids aren’t crazy about nutty cookies yet.  They are great looking, rich and totally comforting with a cup of tea or a glass of milk.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Makes 18 Large Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 lb semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¾ cps golden brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 8 ounce bag Heath English Toffee bits (or if you can’t find these, just chop up Heath or any other English toffee bar

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and stir together.  In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and the butter together and stir until smooth.  Remove the mixture from the heat and cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs for about 5 minutes, until thick and smooth.  Add the chocolate and butter mixture, the vanilla extract and beat to blend.  Stir in the flour mixture and then the toffee bits.  Chill the batter until it firms up—about 45 minutes and up to a day.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  To avoid sticky pans, it’s best to line your baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a ¼ cup scoop, drop scoops of the batter on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops look dry and cracked, but the insides are still soft to the touch and moist.  Remove from the oven, cool for 2 minutes in the pan and then transfer them to racks to finish cooling.

Optional addition:  1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

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Posted in Cookies, Dessert | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments