French Fridays with Dorie- Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

 Today was a lovely, rainy day. A day that was perfect for this soup I've been looking forward to all week. Soup that was Dorie's pick for week three of French Fridays with Dorie. Soup that was probably the best soup I have ever made in my entire life. No kidding!

 

 Dorie describes this spicy soup as a mix-up of two traditional Vietnamese soups- pho ga, a clear chicken broth with noodles, and la sa ga, a curried coconut milk soup. I should probably say that it's a mix up of three different soups, as I added my own twist to the recipe and added shrimp and mushrooms. (My favorite additions to spicy noodle soup!)

 The spices were perfectly balanced and made each spoonful of soup a delight. The mint and basil leaves sprinkled on top- surprising little bursts of flavor- added just the right finishing touch!  I have to admit that I added a bit too much chili oil to my first bowl which caused a bit of momentary distress. That was short-lived though and I was much more prudent with my next one.

The recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan's latest book, Around My French Table.  I've made three recipes from the book so far, and have loved them all! If you'd like to see what others have done with this recipe, follow this link and enjoy!

Candy Corn Cookie Crunch

 Need a festive snack for Halloween? This sweet and salty one is cute, quick and easy. Just mix together some pretzels, chopped up Oreos, peanuts and candy. Bind the mixture together with some melted white chocolate, break into chunks and enjoy!

  This yummy treat would be cute in little bags for your goblin visitors later this month. I found the original recipe on Your Home Based Mom- she has a version for every holiday, I think! Could this snack be the reason for the jack-o-lantern's toothless grin?

Candy Corn Cookie Crunch

adapted slightly from Your Home Based Mom. She has detailed instructions here.

Ingredients

1 lb. almond bark candy coating or white chocolate

14 Oreos, broken into pieces- I used the Halloween ones with orange filling

1 and 1/2 cups pretzels, broken- I used the thin straight ones

1 cup candy corn

1/2 cup peanuts

1/4 cup Reeses Pieces

1/2 cup Peanut M&Ms (fall colors)

Halloween sprinkles

Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper or foil. Spread the broken pretzels, broken cookies, peanuts, and about 3/4 of the candy corn on the prepared cookie sheet. Melt the white chocolate or candy coating until smooth, according to package directions. 

Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the pretzel mixture, spreading with a spatula if needed. Before it sets, sprinkle on the remaining candy corn, M&Ms, Reeses Pieces, and sprinkles. Place the tray into the refrigerator until set. Break into pieces and enjoy! 

This post is linked to Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum.

Uncle Will's Molasses Cookies

 Uncle Will's Molasses Cookies

  Who doesn't love the scent of spicy molasses cookies wafting from the kitchen? They are definitely my favorites, especially at this time of year. There's nothing like a molasses cookie warm from the oven to make you feel all happy and content inside! There are several different versions (here and here) that I like to make, but I'm always open for trying a new recipe. I found these cookies on The Cooking Photographer's blog, and the story she wrote about their background was so compelling they went right to the top of my "must make" list!

 In a nutshell, these cookies are from a recipe passed down through family members from a 1930's baker (Uncle Will) in the Rosebush, Michigan area. The recipe has been modified slightly to adjust for modern ingredients, but otherwise is pretty close to the original. I loved this cookie for not only its warm subtle spices, but for its soft, chewy texture. It's a perfect, old fashioned "cookie jar" cookie that tempts you to reach in for one every time you pass by. Thankfully, some things never go out of style!

 

Uncle Will's Molasses Cookies

Recipe slightly adapted from The Cooking Photographer

Ingredients

1 lb. seedless raisins (about 3 cups) * (see note)

3 cups granulated sugar

1 and 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), softened (original recipe called for lard)

1/2 cup molasses

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon allspice

1 Tablespoon ground cloves

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking soda

6 cups all purpose flour

Directions

• Finely chop, puree or grind raisins to a paste.* Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar.
• Add raisin puree and molasses. Mix well.
• Add eggs, mixing after each addition.
• Stir in cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt and baking soda. Mix well.
• Add half of flour. Mix well
• Add rest of flour. Mix just until everything is combined.
• Divide the dough into 4 or 5 portions. Flatten each and refrigerate at least a couple of hours, but preferably overnight for flavors to develop.

When you're ready to bake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Generously flour the surface you are using.
• Roll one portion of dough out to about 1/4 inch. (The dough tends to be sticky, so make sure you flour your surface, the surface of the dough, and your rolling pin.)
• Cut with round cookie cutter, place rounds about an inch apart on parchment covered baking sheets, and bake for about 12 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes; remove to rack to cool completely.
• This recipe makes LOTS. Once baked, the cookies freeze well in an airtight bag. You can also place the well-wrapped portions of unbaked dough in your freezer. ( Let these sit out and thaw a bit before rolling out.)

Alternately: Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough onto parchment covered baking sheet. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake as directed above.

*The original recipe instructs you to soak your raisins in boiling water before pureeing them. My mom told me that when she was a girl back in the 30's, raisins were much harder (drier) and seedier than they are now, and soaking was necessary when using them in recipes such as this one. Since my raisins were fairly fresh, I skipped the soak that was called for in the original recipe.

 This post has been added to the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

French Fridays with Dorie: Gérard's Mustard Tart

 Here I am, coming in just under the wire with Gérard's Mustard Tart, this week's offering for French Fridays with Dorie. Truthfuly, these lovely tarts almost didn't get made. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about the recipe because of the predominantly featured mustard. The original recipe also called for leeks and carrots, neither of which I was in the mood for preparing tonight. But then I caught sight of a small basket of tiny grape tomatoes- some of the last of the season- that I picked up at my brother's last week end. Tomatoes that were just the right size for the little tart pans in my cupboard.

 I cut the recipe down just a bit to make four small tarts. I already had pastry in my freezer that I had previously made, so I went with that rather than Dorie's. (I was tired tonight, okay?) The combination of Dijon and stone ground mustard really added a lovely flavor- I was surprised that I liked it so much! I will definitely try these again, maybe even with the carrots and leeks next time. (This would be fabulous made in mini muffin tins for appetizers.) I had one of these warm from the oven and another one cold for a snack. They were fabulous both ways! If you'd like the recipe, it can be found in Dorie's newest book, Around My French Table. To see what others did with the recipe, look here and drool!

 I'll be back soon with a recipe for some lovely molasses cookies I just made. Can you smell the cloves and ginger? I can, and I can't wait for the last batch to cool!

French Fridays with Dorie- Gougères

Gougères for French Fridays With Dorie

Today was the first rainy day we've had in a while, and tonight when I got home from work heavenly smells were coming from the kitchen- hubby was putting together some beef and barley soup for supper. And what's better than a steaming bowl of soup on a chilly rainy evening? I can answer that... It's a steaming bowl of soup accompanied by these cheesy little puffs, gougères. 

I've been in a culinary rut recently, and when I got the chance to join a group that's baking through Dorie Greenspan's newest book, Around My French Table, I decided to take the plunge and venture a little bit out of my comfort zone.  I love Dorie's books- reading one of her recipes is like having a best friend in the kitchen with me. She shares the background of each recipe and also ways that she might change it up in her own kitchen- the photographs alone keep me poring over the pages.

Dorie recommends serving these with champagne, but tonight was was more of a "soup and hot tea" night here. They were great with hubby's soup, but I'm thinking that the possibilities for these savory little puffs are endless. Dorie (sounds like we're on a first name basis here, doesn't it?) says that these freeze well unbaked, so I scooped some of them onto cookie sheets and froze them for later. They'll be great quick appetizers either by themselves or stuffed with chicken salad or even a little bit of herbed cheese.

We've been asked to not share Dorie's recipes, but I found this one for the gougères that Dorie shared herself on NPR a couple of years ago. Enjoy!

Cushaw Squash Pie

Looks like pumpkin pie, smells like pumpkin pie, but it's NOT your average, run of the mill pumpkin pie. What is it?

It's a Cushaw Squash Pie! The Cushaw (or Kershaw) Squash, sometimes called a Tennessee Sweet Potato, is an heirloom winter squash grown mostly in the southern United States. It's hardy, heat tolerant and resistant to squash borers, which makes it easier to grow without pesticides. If you're careful about where you grow it, the seeds can be saved from one year to the next, ensuring a steady supply of this versatile squash that can be used for both sweet and savory dishes.

Many southern cooks prefer the sweet yellow flesh of the Cushaw for making pumpkin pies. After tasting this pie that I made from a recipe found  on Chickens in the Road  I'm not surprised. The squash pie had  the same warm spices as pumpkin pie, but had a milder taste and silky texture. Actually, you can use Cushaw squash in any recipe that calls for pumpkin. Next up for me? Probably Cushaw Butter, which I've heard is a family tradition in parts of Tennessee. 

I really hope you're able to find one of these heirloom treasures at your local farmer's market. I'm saving the seeds from mine so I'll be sure to have more next year!

Prepare the Squash:

Preparing the squash is easy. Wash it, cut it in half, remove the seeds and stringy part, and bake it cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. (350 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork) After scooping out the baked flesh, mash it well or put through a Foley food mill. Proceed as you would with any other pumpkin recipe.  (The seeds can be roasted like you would roast pumpkin seeds.)

Spiced Cushaw Pie

recipe adapted from Chickens in the Road

You'll need:

Your favorite pastry for a nine inch pie 

2 cups prepared squash (or pumpkin)

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 Tablespoon melted butter

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together beaten eggs, evaporated milk and vanilla. In a large bowl, combine squash, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Add milk mixture to squash mixture and mix until well combined. Pour into pie pan (9 inch) lined with an uncooked pastry shell . (Use your favorite pie crust recipe.) Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (lower half of oven) for an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine took a bit longer.) Chill and serve. Keep refrigerated.

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Cushaw Squash

Fresh Apple Cake

 I've been a bad blogger. AWOL. These last two weeks have been a bit crazy and something had to go. So blogging got shoved to the back burner until I got all of my school stuff under control. And all the other "stuff" too. Well maybe not all of it, but enough of it to be able to sit down and maybe think  about what's been going on in my kitchen. And to dust off my poor neglected camera.

 Thanks to my brother, I've been blessed with several baskets of "just a little bit less than perfect" honey crisp apples. With this wonderful bounty, I've been making applesauce, apple butter and this lovely little apple cake. This is another recipe from my mom, that she got many years ago from someone at church. (There are some really good cooks at our little church. Homecomings with dinner on the grounds are always an occasion to eat way too much good food!)  This cake has just the right combination of spices and will fill your kitchen with scents of apple and cinnamon goodness. The apples (and raisins if you choose to add them) make the cake incredibly moist. You could add a caramel glaze if you like, but I found that it didn't really need another thing. And if by chance you have any of this lovely cake left over, it's even better the next day.


Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups apples, peeled cored and chopped (I chopped mine pretty small)
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup oil (I used canola)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

• Grease and flour tube or bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. 
• Add sugars and vanilla and mix well.
• Sift together flour, salt, spices and baking powder. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture. 
• Stir in apples, nuts and raisins. 
• Put apple mixture into prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. 
• Cool for 5 minutes in pan and then invert onto wire rack to finish cooling.