The Charmed Kitchen

Tiramisu

It’s a popular dessert at Italian restaurants and always a hit when made at home. It is so loved by a friend of mine I make it for her birthday every year. Luxurious and truly a spectacular dessert. Most of the work is just making the egg custard. The rest is just about assembly. If you never made your own tiramisu before maybe now is the time to try it.

Classic Tiramisu

5 egg yolks

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. Marsala wine (not cooking wine)

1 c. whipping cream

2 T. sugar

1 lb. mascarpone cheese- Italian cream cheese- available in most larger grocery stores

2 c. strong coffee, room temp.

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. brandy

1 T. vanilla

48 ladyfingers*

3 T. cocoa

Make zabaglione (egg custard). In double boiler, over simmering water, beat together egg yolks and sugar until lemon colored. Stir in Marsala and continue cooking, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and will mound on a spoon. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down. You can place in bowl in fridge 30 minutes or so. Beat together whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in mascarpone and chilled zabaglione. Chill 1 hour. Stir together coffee with remaining sugar, brandy and vanilla and set aside. Assemble tiramisu by placing 16 of the ladyfingers in the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Drizzle about 1/3 of the coffee mixture over the ladyfingers, about 1 tablespoon each. Top with 1/3 of the cream mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cocoa. Repeat this process 2 more times until all ingredients are used. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 12.

* There are 2 types of ladyfingers in stores- soft and crisp. Either will work but I prefer the crisp ones I find at a local Italian market. The crisp ones are also bigger.

The brand I use

Polish Mushroom Soup

This soup is a tradition in my family. My Busha would make it every Easter and my Mom for Christmas Eve. It is made with dried mushrooms. I use shitake but often add fresh mushrooms as well. You can use other dried mushrooms. If made with vegetable stock it can be a great meatless meal, too.  We had it in my cooking class last night with kluski noodles. I made it today with fresh spaetzle. Either way it is really yummy. The mushrooms can be found at specialty grocery stores, most larger grocery stores and at Asian markets.

Polish Mushroom Soup

4 qt. Chicken, beef or vegetable stock

5 c. dried mushrooms, about 4 0z. I use Shitake.

Water for soaking

½ c. flour

1 pint sour cream

¼ c. balsamic vinegar

2 T. sugar

1 Lb. Kluski-style noodles, cooked and drained

Soak mushrooms in water for 1-2 hours.  Lift mushrooms carefully out to leave any sand in the bowl of water. Rinse and drain. Set aside.  Bring stock to a boil and add the mushrooms. Simmer, covered for about 1½ hours, or until mushrooms reach desired tenderness. Mushrooms will retain some “chewiness”.  In medium bowl whisk sour cream into flour gradually until smooth. Stir in vinegar and sugar until smooth.  Add a small amount of the hot soup to the sour cream mixture, whisking until smooth.  Continue adding hot soup to the sour cream mixture until sour cream mixture is warm. Add the warm mixture to the pot of soup and stir to combine. Return to simmer and simmer 1 minute, stirring continuously.   Place desired amount of kluski into bowls and ladle over the hot soup. Serves12.

Note:  You can add a variety of fresh mushrooms to the soup to make it even more special. You might use portabellas; crimini, button or whatever mushrooms are at the store that day. Add in addition to the dry mushrooms; don’t reduce the amount of shitakes.

You can use other cooked pasta. Mom said you might want to try spaetzels or even gnocchi. You might also need more than one pound of kluski, depending on how much pasta your family likes in their soup.

Dried Shitake Mushrooms

Soaking the mushrooms

Hot Cross Buns

These are one of my favorite Easter time treats. They are rich and moist but not too sweet. The frosting on top gives just the right pop of sweetness. You can, of course, make them year round but I seem to make them for Easter every year and they are always well received.  One of those holiday traditions that never goes out of style. If you have never made them before perhaps this will be the year.

Hot Cross Buns

 2/3 c. sugar

1 t. salt

2 packages active dry yeast

About 5 cups bread flour

1 ½ c. milk

½ c. butter

2 eggs

1 c. raisins

Icing

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 T. milk

In bowl combine sugar, salt, yeast and about 1 ½ c. flour. Heat together milk and butter until very warm. Beat milk mixture into to flour mixture and beat 2 minutes with electric mixer. Beat in 1 egg and 1 cup flour and beat 2 more minutes until batter thickens. Stir in raisins and enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Place dough on floured surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Cover with towel and lest rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile grease a 9×13 inch pan. Form dough into smooth balls and place in prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat remaining egg. Cut a cross in each bun and brush with the egg. Bake for 25 minutes or until buns are golden. Remove buns to wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Make frosting, place in decorating bag and pipe onto buns.* Makes 15.

* If you don’t have a decorating bag just put the icing in a plastic baggie and snip a corner off. Then you can pipe your frosting on the hot cross buns just like a pro.

Easy Bean Salad

With wintery weather this week it makes me feel better to forgo the soups for a day and make a salad for dinner. Celebrating warmer weather ahead. I love bean salads and they can make a quick dinner or side dish. For my salad I used a combination of baby carrots, green and wax beans and kidney beans but feel free to use what you have on hand. I also added some sweet onion and made a quick Italian dressing.

Easy Bean Salad

2 c. green beans

2 c. wax beans

2 c. baby carrots

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained- use whatever beans you have on hand

1 c. chopped sweet onion

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. cider vinegar

1 T. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Cook vegetables in boiling water until tender. Drain. Combine with remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Chill until ready to serve. You can eat it just the way it is or serve it over lettuce with toasted pita chips.

Thousand Island Dressing

With all the corned beef being eaten I thought it might be a good time to post the recipe for Thousand Island Dressing. There are variations. Some people like to add capers and if you have them, add them. I stick to the basic, classic recipe. So simple and so good. Equal parts ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish. Yup, that’s it. Just mix those three ingredients together and you can have fresh Thousand Island Dressing when ever you like.

Equal parts ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish

Stir to combine

My Spring Schedule of classes starts in Mentor next week. Here is the list and registration info.

Mentor classes are held at Wildwood Center at 7645 Little Mountain Road. Unless otherwise noted all Mentor classes are held on Tuesdays. You can register online at CityofMentor.com/play or by phone at 440 974 5720 from Cleveland call 440 942 8796.

Classes in Mentor sell out quickly. Please be sure to ask to go on the waiting list if the class you want to attend is full. We do get openings and if there are enough people on the waiting list we can always schedule an additional session. Cost to residents is $14, non-resident fee is $17. That does not include the food fee paid to me the night of the class.

Spring  2013

All Mentor classes are on Tuesdays.

March 19: Comfort Soups: Soups are foods that bring back memories of childhood and warming up on a chilly day. In class you’ll learn how to make soups for everyday and soups for special occasions. Recipes will include Mesclun Soup, Lentil Soup, Potato and Leek Soup, Polish Mushroom Soup and Sweet and Sour Duck Soup among others. There will be plenty to sample in class so come hungry. Food Fee $8.00.

March 26: My Mother’s Polish Kitchen: You don’t have to be Polish to love Polish food! This class will be a sharing of recipes and cooking tips from the instructor’s Polish Mother. You’ll get recipes for all the traditional favorites from Kielbasa to Pierogis as well as recipes for soups, salads, main dishes and desserts. There will be several dishes for tasting so come hungry. Food Fee: $8.00

April 2: Pasta: This dinner time staple is more popular than ever. In class you’ll learn how to make fabulous pasta from scratch. Among the pastas we’ll try are carrot, broccoli, and sesame. whole wheat, sour cream  and many more. There will be some hands-on pasta rolling and some recipes for using store bought pasta, too. There will also be recipes to take home. Food Fee $8.00

April 9: Pasta Sauces: If your family is like most American families you are probably eating more pasta than ever. There are also more types of pasta to choose from every day. Still, the most common pasta topping is still tomato sauce. In class you’ll get plenty of new recipes and ideas to make your pasta special every night. Recipes include Indonesian Peanut Sauce, Almost Alfredo (a reduced fat dish), Carrot sauce and more. There are plenty of samples in class and recipes to take home. Food Fee. $8.00

April 16: Cinco Di Mayo: Mexican and Tex-Mex foods are really hot! Popular and spicy these are foods that always make the party. If you don’t know your ancho from your poblano its time to take the toro by the horns. Class will include a glossary of ingredients as well as sources. There will be plenty of food for tasting in class and recipes for home. Ole! Food Fee $8.00.

April 23: Salad: Salads can be side dishes or main dishes and nothing quite matches a properly tossed salad. Still, salads can be so much more than lettuce. In class you’ll learn how to make salads of all types and you’ll learn how to make salad dressings, too. There will be plenty to taste in class and recipes to take home. Food Fee $8.00.

April 30:  Cool Summer Dining: Summer is a time of year when we like to entertain family and friends at picnics, parties and cookouts, but still want time to relax. You can do both. In class you’ll get plenty of recipes and tips for preparing meals requiring little or no cooking that still taste great. You might even have time for the beach. Food Fee $8.00.

May 7: Cheesecakes: America’s favorite dessert. At least by some accounts. In class you’ll learn how to make perfect cheesecake every time. There will sample to enjoy in class and plenty of recipes to take home including cheesecake from the Russian Tearoom, Frozen Mocha Cheesecake and even a reduced fat recipe. Food Fee$8.00

May 14: Easy Desserts: We all love to eat them but we don’t always have the time to make them. In this class you’ll get recipes for simple and tasty desserts. Bring your sweet tooth to class! There will goodies to sample in class and plenty of recipes to take home. Food Fee $8.00.

May 21:For Chocolate Lover’s Only: For many people consuming chocolate is one of life’s great joys. Cooking with chocolate can be enjoyable, too. From the basics of handling and working with chocolate to baked treats this class will give you plenty of ways to indulge. You will get a chance to taste plenty of chocolate treats and will have recipes to take home. Food Fee: $8.00

Cabbage and Noodles

Maybe its from childhood memories but cabbage and noodles always makes me think of Lent. I eat it year round but more this time of year. It’s normally a side dish to fish or pierogi but you can easily make it a vegetarian main dish, too. I added some kidney beans to boost the protein and make the dish more filling. My friend Sue and I enjoyed it for lunch. She thought she would not like the kidney beans- I’ll mention that she is a bit of a cabbage and noodles purist- but she was converted. She thought they added a nice flavor to the dish.

Cabbage and Noodles

1 onion, sliced

oil

6-8 cups sliced cabbage

1/2 c. cider vinegar

1/3 c. honey

water

1 T. caraway seeds

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained- or whatever beans you have on hand

8 oz. wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

hot pepper sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until wilted. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage starts to wilt. Add vinegar, honey and a little water to help cook down the cabbage- about 1/2 cup of water. Once cabbage starts to pick up some color add the caraway seeds and the kidney beans. Season to taste. Stir in the noodles and cook over medium heat, stirring often until heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Saute cabbage until wilted

Add caraway seeds

..and kidney beans

…and then add the noodles.

Jack-a-Doodles warm from the oven

Had a special request from my friend Judy. Seems her dear dog, Jack, has problems with gluten. They found kibble for him but dog treats are something Judy wanted to make for him herself. I wanted to give Judy a recipe for dog treats that Jack could eat, but most important of all, treats he would like. Judy sent me a list of some ingredients she had around that Jack could eat and I used that as inspiration.

Jack-a- Doodle Dog Treats

1 1/2 c. rolled oats- powdered ( 1 1/4 c. oat flour)*

1/2 c. mashed banana

1/4 c. peanut butter

2 T. nutritional yeast**

1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place oatmeal, uncooked, in blender or food processor and blend until oats are pretty powdered up. You should end up with  about 1 1/4 cups after you are done. Place the oats in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. If mixture is too sticky add a little more oats if too dry just a little more peanut butter.  Dough should easily form into a ball. roll dough out into a log , about 15 inches long. Cut into slices and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the biscuits are just turning brown. Turn over  and reduce oven temperature to 250. Bake 20 minutes longer or until both sides of the Jack-a-Doodles are golden brown. Cool on baking sheet. They will firm up as they cool but remain just a little soft in the center. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks- longer than that store in the freezer.

* Some stores sell oat flour. This is what is left after the bran has been removed and is no better than white flour. Just make your own oat flour by placing rolled oats in a processor and running until they are powdered up.

** Nutritional yeast is available in health food stores and some specialty markets. You can use Brewer’s yeast instead or even just yeast used for baking bread.

Making oat flour

Slice the dough to make the biscuits.

Ready for the oven