Pesto Scones

All these snow storms lately are giving me spring fever, which often translates into a desire for fresh pesto. But the jarred stuff just isn't as good as homemade pesto using your own fresh basil.  SO, buy that crap anyway, and then bury it in some wintry carbs...

These work on the side with pasta dishes and Italian-ish soup, but they also make an amazing substitute for an English Muffin or brioche in eggs Benedict.  Substitute any cheese or any herb paste you like.

Pesto Scones

Makes about 12

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

5-6 sun dried tomatoes chopped

2 tablespoons prepared pesto

1/2-1 cup mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir together prepared pesto and lemon juice in a small bowl and add to the dry ingredients, along with the milk, butter, cheese, and tomatoes. 

Spoon dough onto prepared baking sheets (I try to make each blob about a 1/4 cup in size) and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.  

Donor request: it's a wine and cheese party!

This one is going out to Eric Kent and Tiffini Electra X, who recently made a generous donation to DFT and requested a post on wine and cheese pairings.  You, too, can request a blog post if you donate here.  Thanks a million, Eric and Tiffini!

Cheese + sauce + bread = happiness
     + booze = perfection
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Sharp cheeses (white cheddar, Irish cheddar) + spicy/sweet chutney (call me tacky, but I love cheap old Crosse and Blackwell's Major Grey's Chutney which is distributed by Smucker's in the States) + water crackers
     Best with: lagers, crisp white wines, gin cocktails

Nutty cheeses (sharp cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago) + tangy mustard (preferrably whole grain with some heat) + pumpernickel or rye toasts
     Best with: German beer!  Maybe some cut up flavorful sausage and little dill pickles, too!

Salty, milky cheeses (queso fresco thinly sliced) + tamarind paste (also thinly sliced) + [cracker optional]
     Best with: semi-sweet white wines, good rum or tequila on the rocks (This also works for dessert)

Stinky cheese (bleu, gorgonzola) + pear conserve  or marinated grapes + rye or fennel crackers
     Best with: Chardonnay, champagne

Creamy cheeses (brie, manchego, chevre) + balsamic fig spread + fluffy baguette slices
     Best with: a chilled glass of rose or a smoky Scotch on the rocks

Fresh mozarella + tomato slices + basil leaves + crusty bread (= deconstructed Caprese)
     Best with: Lambrusco or a fruity Merlot

I like to offer one of each--a sweet and a more pungent offering--and also put out a neutral nut like Tamari roasted almonds to act as a palate cleanser.  You can try to get away with offering one drink that works with both plates, but why be stingy?

Another leftover trick for mashed potatoes

Biscuits!  I love them!  They are not good for you in any way, but they are pillowy and delicious.  You can use whatever mashed potatoes you have laying around--white, red, sweet--or mash some from scratch just for this recipe. (Leftover mashed potatoes freeze just fine if you think you're going to want to make these biscuits past their refrigerated expiration date, by the way.) If you have leftovers that were already mashed with milk and butter, hold off on using more until you see how the dough comes together--it should be soft but smooth and should not stick to your hands.  If it does, add more flour.  If it doesn't come together easily into a tender ball of dough, add some milk.

Mashed Potato Biscuits

Makes about 12

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter 
2-4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes) 
1 cup mashed cooked potatoes 
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the potatoes and butter and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 2- or 3-inch thick rope and cut off 3/4-inch rounds. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. 

Guava Bread Pudding, because I miss Brazil

Brazil is home to many, many amazing fruits, and it shows in their recipes.  Many of these fruits are not available in the States (did you know that the cashew fruit makes an amazing juice when sugar is added?  Yeah, you're not going to find that in Colorado.), but we do what we can.  The typical fresh pineapple juice with muddled mint is an easy enough thing to replicate here at home, for instance, and guava paste can be found in many Latin/ Mexican sections of larger grocery stores now.  Thinly sliced guava paste and queso fresco stacked together makes a typically Brazilian snack or a great filling for dessert empanadas (use puff pastry to make it quicker).  I tried to combine guava paste with a sweet, spiced bread pudding (an homage to Brazil's obsession with white bread for breakfast), and here's what I got:

Guava Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding:

1 day old baguette cubed (~ 6 cups)

4 eggs

1 cup almond milk

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup guava nectar

1/3 cup butter, plus a little extra to butter the ramekins

zest from one orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar, plus sugar for sprinkling

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup guava paste--cut up into chunks

Guava Sauce:

1 cup guava paste--cut into chunks

juice from 1 orange (I used a blood orange)

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup guava nectar

pinch salt

Directions:

Melt the Earth Balance and toss with the cubed bread. Set aside. Whisk eggs, almond milk, coconut milk, orange zest, guava nectar, sugars, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and cardamom. Toss in buttered, cubed bread. Stir to combine. Let the bread soak in the custard mixture for at least 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 4 large ramekins. Slice guava paste into 1/2 inch chunks. Heat 1 kettle of water until boiling. Turn down to medium low to keep warm.

Make the sauce: Heat all sauce ingredients in medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stir frequently until guava paste melts. Once guava paste is melted, cook additional 5 minutes. Keep warm on low heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of sauce to each ramekin. Split bread-custard mixture between the 4 prepared ramekins. Wedge guava paste into the custard mixture. Sprinkle the top of each ramekin lightly with sugar. Add each ramekin to a large baking dish. Fill the baking dish halfway with hot water to create a water bath. Bake in the center of the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the middle of bread pudding is set. Let the bread pudding cool slightly (~10-15 minutes) before serving. 

A Salvadorian Feast!

Why?  I don't know...I thought it would be a good excuse to fried up some bread with things stuffed into it.  Doesn't that sound delicious?  I did get some help from my new friends at http://www.pupusarecipe.com with the basic technique, and the traditional accompaniments, salsa rioja and curtido, are two new staples in my fridge.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Pupusas

Makes about 36

Filling:
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoon salt
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion

In a blender, blend beans; add water a little bit at a time if too thick.


In a large frying pan over medium heat,  heat the oil and saute onion, garlic, and salt until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Lower to medium low heat, add beans, and cook for about 1 hour, or until beans have thickened up. Let cool; beans should look like playdough. If beans are too runny, cook longer.

Dough:

6 cups of "Maseca" corn flour (used to make tortillas and tamale filling)
4 cups of water

Mix the flour and water in a large bowl, adding flour little by little mixing until the dough is plyable. Dough should be thick enough to make a smooth ball. If flour sticks to your hands, add more water.

Make Pupusas!


Preheat a flat pan on medim heat.  Pan is hot enough when drops of water bounce in pan.  Make a ball of dough the size of a plum and mold it to resemble a little "bowl".



Put 2 tablespoons of mixture in the center of the "bowl".  Close the dough carefully making sure all the mixture is covered.






Flatten with a tortilla press (can be purchased or improvise by using 2 plates). Make sure pupusa is no thicker than 1/2 cm.  Add a little canola oil to the  hot pan and cook for 4 minutes each side.

Salsa Rioja

Makes about 2 cups

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Serrano or jalapeño chile pepper, chopped 
2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chile and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.  Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.  Puree the tomato sauce in a blender until smooth, adding a little water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir in cilantro if using and serve.

Curtido (cabbage salad)

Serves 4

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
1 quart boiling water
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Combine the cabbage and carrot in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over the mixture. Allow the mixture to steep for 5 minutes; drain well. Return the cabbage and carrots to the bowl. Mix in the green onion, vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, and oregano. Toss until all ingredients are combined. Chill for 20 minutes before serving.

A bread recipe for the impatient

I love bread (all carbs, really), and I love beer.  I do not love sitting around near the kitchen for three hours while my bread dough rises, then gets knocked down, then rises again, then...hmpf.  I'm already bored talking about it.  Are you with me?  This stuff is delish and you'll be done in an hour.  





Quick Beer Bread

3 cups al-purpose flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning (optional)

12 ounces beer

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat oven to 375°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients thoroughly with a fork.  Create a well in the center and pour the beer slowly (it will foam considerably).  Add olive oil and combine with your hands.  When it all pulls together, you should have a somewhat sticky blob of dough.  Arrange into a ball and place in the center of the parchment paper.  Slit a deep X on the top of the loaf and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.  For best results, cool on a wire rack for one hour before cutting