| THIS WEEK'S FEATURES AND RECIPES:
> Article: Lighten Up That
Doorstop
> Wine Appreciation: Pine
Ridge Chenin Blanc - Viognier 2007
> Food Funnies: Signs You're
at a Lame Office Christmas Party
S
E L E C T E D R E C I P E S :
* Mrs. Fields Eggnog
Cookies
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12021.htm
* Dilled Pot Roast
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12022.htm
* Chicken in Peanut
Sauce
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12023.htm
* Pork and Squash Stew
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12024.htm
* Brisket in Sweet-and-Sour
Sauce
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12025.htm
* Italian Pepperoni-Cheese
Puffs
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12026.htm
* Fresh Vegetable Pasta
Salad
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12027.htm
* Bourbon Walnut Pie
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/12028.htm
> Healthy Eating:
Low Carb: Bleu Cheese
& Brandy Spread
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/1202lc.htm
Diabetic: Mexican Christmas
Salad
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/1202di.htm
Low Fat: Holiday Cherry
Shortcake
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/recipes1/1202lf.htm
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This Week's Cooking Tips
========================
Bread and Roll Tips:
Keep bread fresh longer by placing
a rib of celery in the bread bag.
For quick and easy garlic breadsticks,
split a hot dog bun down the
middle and cut each half lengthwise.
Butter each strip; sprinkle with
garlic salt or garlic powder. Place
on a cookie sheet and bake or
broil until toasted.
To butter many slices of bread quickly
and evenly, heat the butter
until soft, then "paint" it on with
a flat pastry brush.
To thaw frozen bread and rolls, place
in a brown paper bag and put
into a 325F oven for 5 minutes to
thaw completely.
Place aluminum foil under the napkin
in your roll basket and the
rolls will stay hot longer.
Yeast breads are more moist when
made with potato water (water in
which you have boiled potatoes)
than when made with other liquids.
The potato water keeps the bread
fresh longer and gives it a
slightly greater volume, but coarser
texture.
Have a cooking question? We'll get you an answer!
Mailto:webmaster@e-cookbooks.net
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This Week's Culinary Quiz (Answer
at the bottom of page)
What country
is the largest producer of olives?
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Quote of the Week:
"In my experience, clever food is
not appreciated at Christmas.
It makes the little ones
cry and the old ones nervous."
- Jane Grigson
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Subscribe to the
VJJE Recipe Weekly - It's fun and it's free!
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/sub1.htm
SHARING IS NICE!
Send this ezine to a friend by clicking
"Forward" and
filling in the "To" address, or get it from
your Address
Book. Show everyone you have GREAT TASTE!
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UPCOMING FOOD HOLIDAYS:
December 6 - National Gazpacho Day
December 7 - National Cotton Candy Day
December 8 - National Brownie Day
December 9 - National Pastry Day
December 10 - National Lager Day
December 11 - National Noodle-Ring Day
December 12 - National Ambrosia Day
December 13 - National Cocoa Day
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Lighten Up That Doorstop
by Mark Bittman
Pity the poor, maligned fruitcake.
Who hasn't heard of the same
fruitcake that gets passed around
every year and then sits on a shelf
until the next holiday season? The
poor things are often referred to
as bricks, paperweights or doorstops.
Most people either love it or
hate it. Don't blame the fruitcake,
blame the recipe! There are many
different styles and recipes to
choose from, so give fruitcake
another chance.
Fruitcakes have been making the
rounds for centuries. In general,
fruitcakes can include any and all
of the following: candied fruit,
dried fruit, fruit rind, nuts, spices
and some sort of liquor or
brandy. The ratio of fruit and nuts
to batter is fairly high, with
just enough cake batter to hold
it all together. This naturally
results in a very dense, moist,
heavy cake, no doubt giving rise to
the doorstop reference. There are
two basic types:
- Light Fruitcake:
This type is made with light-colored
ingredients such as granulated
sugar, light corn syrup, almonds,
golden raisins, pineapple, apricots
and the like.
- Dark Fruitcake:
Darker ingredients are used such
as molasses, brown sugar, and
darker-colored fruits like raisins,
prunes, dates, cherries, pecans
and walnuts.
Those who don't like fruitcake generally
point the finger at the
candied citron or fruits used in
the cake. Candied citron is made
from the thick peel of the citrus
fruit of the same name. Candied
fruit, most commonly pineapple,
cherry and citrus rind, is made by
dipping or boiling pieces of fruit
in a heavy syrup and then drying
them. They are often rolled in granulated
sugar after the drying
process. If you don't like candied
fruits or peels, try substituting
plain dried fruit pieces in your
fruitcake.
After being slowly baked, the finished
fruitcakes get their
preservative treatment. Cheesecloth
is soaked in brandy, bourbon,
whiskey, rum or other liquor and
then wrapped around the cooled
fruitcake. The whole shebang is
then wrapped in foil to ripen and
age.
Fruitcakes soaked in liquor can
literally last for years if you
periodically add more liquor. Some
fruitcake fans won't even touch a
fruitcake until it has aged at least
three years, although it's
generally recommended that soaked
fruitcakes be consumed within two
years. Fruitcake should be tightly
wrapped and stored in the
refrigerator. Unwrap every few months
and drizzle with liquor.
Re-wrap tightly. Interestingly enough,
although fruitcake can be
frozen, its life is shorter than
if refrigerated, only one year.
When serving liquor-soaked fruitcake,
remember a little goes a long
way. One fruitcake provides double
the amount of servings of a
standard cake or loaf of equal size.
Holiday Fruit Cake
==================
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cups currants
1 1/4 cups mixed candied
citrus peel
1/2 grated nutmeg pod
1 cup slivered almonds
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 1/4 cups flour
dry sherry for sprinkling
Generously grease and line with
parchment paper an 8-inch round pan,
or grease and flour a 5-cup ring
mold; set aside. Cream the butter
and gradually add the sugar, beating
until the mixture is light and
fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time,
beating well after each addition.
Add the milk. In a separate bowl,
combine the currants, candied peel,
nutmeg, almonds, and lemon zest
with 3/4 cup of flour. Add the
remaining cup of flour and lemon
juice to the egg batter; mix well.
Fold in the fruit and nut mixture.
Pour into a prepared pan and bake
in a 300F oven for 2 hours or until
a fine skewer inserted into the
cake comes out clean.
Loosen the edges of the cake from
the pan or mold with a knife and
allow to cool on a wire rack before
unmolding. Sprinkle the cake with
a little sherry, allow to cool completely.
Wrap well and refrigerate.
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THE E-COOKBOOKS LIBRARY
=======================
Find out why the
E-Cookbooks Library is one
of the greatest
values on the internet!
http://www.e-cookbooks.net/library/
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This Week's Wine Spotlight:
===========================
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc -
Viognier 2007 Price: $13
Floral and sweet on the nose, the
2007 Chenin Blanc-Viognier
exhibits fragrant aromas of pear,
lychee and melon, with a delicate
touch of grapefruit, lime and mixed
citrus. Bright, crisp flavors
of lively citrus and pear are offered
up along with a supple
texture. The slightly off-dry finish
is clean and crisp, marked
with notes of red grapefruit. Enjoy
now or cellar for two years.
Serve With:
Scallop and Bacon Chowder
=========================
1 cup (packed) fresh
Italian parsley
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bacon, coarsely
chopped
2 large leeks (white
and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
kernels
1 1/2 pounds russet
potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 (8 oz.) bottles clam
juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 pound bay scallops,
connective tissue removed
Blend parsley, oil, and salt in
blender until smooth. Pour into
small bowl.
Cook bacon in heavy large pot over
medium-high heat until crisp and
brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer
bacon to paper towels to drain.
Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings
from pot. Add leeks, garlic,
and thyme to pot and saute until
leeks begin to soften, about
3 minutes. Add corn and saute 2
minutes. Add potatoes, clam juice,
and cream; bring to boil. Reduce
heat and simmer until potatoes are
tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallops
and bacon and simmer until
scallops are just opaque in center,
about 5 minutes. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Ladle chowder
into bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon
parsley oil atop chowder in each
bowl and serve.
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FOOD FUNNIES: Signs You're at a
Lame Office Christmas Party
===========================================================
9. The "open bar" referred to on
the invitation is the one across
the street and down
the block.
8. Instead of platters of hors d'ouevres,
there are discount
prices at the lunchroom
vending machines.
7. Somebody's been copying or faxing
the fruitcake to the other
departments. The same
fruitcake they faxed you last year.
6. Instead of festive holiday napkins,
there's a pile of
miscellaneous napkins
from a wide variety of fast food
establishments that
are close to your workplace.
5. Your supervisor lets everyone
know he can only stay briefly
because he's going
to the *real* Christmas party with upper
management.
4. The bartender keeps trying to
foist "non-alcoholic" vodka on
you, which you see
him pouring from the water fountain in the
hall.
3. The hors d'oeuvres look suspiciously
like chopped-up stale
donuts from Henson's
birthday last week.
2. The color of the festive pink
cupcakes matches the color of
the pay slips being
distributed.
... and the #1 Sign
You're at a Lame Office Christmas Party...
1. It's January 12th.
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Mrs. Fields Eggnog Cookies
==========================
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium
bowl combine flour, baking
powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. mix
well with a wire whisk and
set aside.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and
butter with an electric mixer
to form a grainy paste. Add eggnog,
vanilla and egg yolks and beat
at medium speed until smooth. Add
the dry ingredients and beat
at low speed just until combined.
Do not overmix.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased
baking sheets, 1" apart.
Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake
for 23-25 minutes or until
bottoms turn light brown. Transfer
to cool, flat surface
immediately with spatula.
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Dilled Pot Roast
================
1 (2 to 2 1/2-pound)
boneless beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons cooking
oil
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon snipped
fresh dillweed or 1 teaspoon dried dillweed
1 teaspoon coarse salt
(kosher) or 3/4 teaspoon regular salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
3 cups hot cooked noodles
In a large skillet brown roast in
hot oil. Place roast in a 3-1/2
to 4-quart electric crockery cooker,
cutting if necessary to fit.
Add the water to cooker. Sprinkle
roast with 2 teaspoons of the
fresh dillweed or 3/4 teaspoon of
the dried dillweed, salt, and
pepper. Cover and cook on high heat
setting for 5 to 6 hours or
on low heat setting for 10 to 12
hours, until meat is tender.
Remove roast from cooker, reserving
liquid; cover roast and keep
warm. Measure liquid from cooker;
skim fat. Reserve 1 cup of the
juices.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan stir
together yogurt and flour
until well combined. Stir in the
1 cup reserved cooking liquid and
remaining dillweed. Cook and stir
until thickened and bubbly. Cook
and stir 1 minute more. Serve meat
with sauce and noodles.
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Chicken in Peanut Sauce
=======================
1 tablespoon cooking
oil
1 pound skinless, boneless
chicken breast halves, cut into
bite-size
strips
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 fresh jalapeno pepper,
seeded and finely chopped
1 pound fresh green
beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
or 3 cups
frozen cut green beans
1 cup purchased light
coconut milk
3/4 cup chunky peanut
butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup snipped fresh
cilantro
3 cups hot cooked cellophane
noodles or rice
In a large skillet heat oil over
medium-high heat. In a medium
bowl, toss chicken with curry powder
and jalapeno. Add to skillet;
Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Carefully
add beans and 3/4 cup water.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover
and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl stir together coconut
milk, peanut butter, and
soy sauce. Add to the skillet. Return
to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes
more or until chicken is no
longer pink and beans are tender,
stirring occasionally. Stir in
2 tablespoons of the cilantro. Serve
chicken mixture over noodles
or rice and sprinkle with remaining
cilantro.
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Pork and Squash Stew
====================
1 1/2 pounds boneless
pork shoulder roast
2 tablespoons cooking
oil
1 1/2 pounds winter
squash, such as butternut, hubbard, or
acorn,
peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 tablespoons raisins
1/4 cup packaged instant
mashed potato flakes
1 tablespoon packed
brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin
pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can chicken
broth
1 tablespoon bottled
steak sauce
Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into
1-inch pieces. In a large
skillet brown pork, half at a time,
in hot oil about 5 minutes.
Drain off fat.
In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker
place squash, onion, apricots,
and raisins. Add pork. Sprinkle
with potato flakes, brown sugar,
pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Combine
chicken broth and steak sauce;
pour over meat. Cover; cook on low-heat
setting for 7 to 8 hours
or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2
to 4 hours. Stir gently before
serving.
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Brisket in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
===============================
1 medium onion,
peeled and quartered
1 two-inch piece
fresh ginger, peeled
6 large cloves
garlic
1/4 cup Dijon
mustard
1/2 cup dry red
wine
1 1/2 cups Coca-Cola
or ginger ale
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cider
vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive
oil
1/4 teaspoon
ground cloves
1 tablespoon
coarsely ground pepper or to taste
1 (6 to 7 pound)
first-cut brisket, rinsed and patted dry.
Heat oven to 350F. Place everything
but the brisket into a food
processor, and process with steel
blade until smooth. Place brisket,
fat side up, into a heavy baking
pan just large enough to hold it,
and pour sauce over it. Cover tightly
and bake for 2 hours. Turn
brisket over and bake uncovered
for one more hour or until fork
tender. Cool, cover brisket and
refrigerate overnight in cooking pan.
The next day, transfer brisket to
a cutting board, cut off fat and
cut with a sharp knife against grain,
to desired thickness. Remove
any congealed fat from sauce and
bring to a boil on top of stove.
Heat oven to 350. Taste sauce to
see if it needs reducing. If so,
boil it down for a few minutes or
as needed. Return meat to sauce
and warm in oven for 20 minutes.
Serve warm.
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Italian Pepperoni-Cheese Puffs
==============================
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose
flour
4 eggs
3/4 cup finely chopped
pepperoni (3 oz.)
3/4 cup finely shredded
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (3 oz.)
2 tablespoons snipped
fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon garlic
powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Grease 2 large baking sheets; set
aside. In a large saucepan
combine water and shortening. Bring
to boiling. Add flour all at
once, stirring vigorously. Cook
and stir until mixture forms a
ball. Remove from heat. Cool for
10 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a
time, beating well with a wooden
spoon after each addition. Stir
in pepperoni, cheese, parsley, garlic
powder, and pepper.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoons
2 inches apart onto prepared
baking sheets. Bake in a 450 degree
F oven for 15 to 17 minutes
or until golden. Transfer to a wire
rack. Serve warm.
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Fresh Vegetable Pasta Salad
===========================
1/4 cup loosely packed
fresh parsley sprigs
2 tablespoons salad
oil
2 tablespoons wine
vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 to 2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground
black pepper
4 ounces fresh linguine,
cut into 4-inch pieces, or 2 ounces dry
linguine,
broken
1 large carrot, cut
into julienne strips
1 small turnip, cut
into julienne strips
1 small zucchini, cut
into julienne strips
1/2 cup chopped red
sweet pepper
1/2 cup loose-pack
frozen peas, thawed
2 ounces part-skim
mozzarella, gruyere, or Swiss cheese, cubed
Salad greens (optional)
For dressing, in a blender container
or food processor bowl combine
parsley sprigs, salad oil, wine
vinegar, water, garlic cloves, dry
mustard, salt, and pepper. Cover
and blend or process until
combined. Set aside.
In a large saucepan cook fresh linguine,
carrot, and turnip in a
large amount of boiling water for
3 to 4 minutes or until pasta and
vegetables are tender. (Or, if using
dry linguine, cook pasta
according to package directions,
adding carrot and turnip the last
3 to 4 minutes of cooking.) Drain.
Rinse with cold water; drain
again.
In a large salad bowl combine cooked
pasta mixture, zucchini,
pepper, peas, and cheese. Add dressing.
Toss to coat. If desired,
line bowl with salad greens to serve.
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Bourbon Walnut Pie
==================
Crust:
2 cups all purpose
flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)
chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch
pieces
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
Filling:
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons (1/4
stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoons all
purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
(about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup walnut halves
(about 3 ounces)
For Crust: Blend flour, sugar and
salt in processor. Add butter
and process using on/off turns until
mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk egg and milk in small bowl
to blend, then add to processor.
Blend until moist clumps form. Gather
dough into ball and flatten
into disk. Wrap dough in plastic
and refrigerate 1 hour.
For Filling: Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk syrup, sugar, eggs,
butter, bourbon, flour, vanilla
and salt in large bowl to blend.
Mix in all walnuts.
Roll out dough on floured surface
to 14-inch round. Transfer to
9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.
Fold edge under; crimp decoratively.
Pour filling into prepared crust.
Bake until crust is golden and
filling is set in center when pie
is shaken slightly, about 55
minutes. Cool pie completely in
pan on rack.
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This Week's Culinary Quiz
Answer: Spain
Olive trees originated in Asia Minor,
and spread to the
Mediterranean, where the climate
is ideal for them. Olive trees
can be found in almost all of the
Mediterranean countries, but
Spain is the largest producer of
olives. Italy is also a very
important olive producer. Olives
have been introduced to several
countries outside the Mediterranean;
among them are Australia and
the U.S. state of California.
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