The Charmed Kitchen

Chocolate Crepes with Strawberries

After making dessert crepes the other day I decided to make a batch of chocolate crepes, too. I still had strawberries so that is what I used to fill them, along with some whipped cream. Truth is, you can fill them with all sorts of stuff. I had fresh berries so that is what I used. I added some Kahlua to the batter for a little extra flavor and it worked out just great. Here is the recipe.

Chocolate Crepes

1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
¼ c. cocoa
3 T. sugar
¼ c. Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur or ¼ c. strong coffee
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled

Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 1 tablespoon of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.)
Crepes can be made day ahead or even frozen between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 18.

Strawberry filling: I just sliced a couple of pounds of berries and added a little sugar- about ½ cup- a tablespoon of vanilla and a healthy dash of cinnamon.
When filling the crepes I spooned some berries down the center of the crepe and added some whipped cream. Folded over, topped with a few berries and another bit of whipped cream.

Red Cabbage Overnight Slaw

When I was growing up I had a neighbor, Ruth Stevens, who was like a grandmother to me. I adored her. She loved gardening and animals, and had a gentle quality about her, that I will never forget. I spent many happy days in her garden and learned so much from her. She gave me a version of this recipe. I was about 12 at the time. I still have her recipe, written in her slightly shaky handwriting. When I look through old recipes and come across it, I always think of her, and miss her even to this day.

Great time of year to get fresh cabbage either from the garden or the local farm market. I got some beautiful red cabbage and decided to make a salad to go with a recent dinner with friends. It is meant to be made a day ahead- even a few days ahead. You can make the salad with red or green cabbage or a combination. After a few days in the fridge, if you make the combination of red and green the green cabbage will pick up the color from the red cabbage and the whole thing will look red. Because of the acidity of the cider vinegar in the dressing the red cabbage not only maintains its color, I think it gets a little brighter. With the vinegar dressing the slaw will keep for at least a week in the fridge- it just gets more “pickled” over time.

Red Cabbage Overnight Slaw

inspired by Ruth Stevens

8 cups shredded red cabbage- about 1 medium head

1 c. cider vinegar

1/2 c. sugar, or to taste

1 T. celery seed

2 t. dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

Place cabbage in large bowl. In jar with a tight fitting lid place the rest of the ingredients and shake well until sugar is dissolved. Pour over the cabbage and stir to coat. Cover bowl and place in fridge overnight to let the flavor blend and the cabbage soften. Salad will wilt down quite a bit. Keeps in fridge for a couple of weeks. Serves 6-8.

Homemade Bagels

In cooking camp yesterday, we made bagels. This was a real hit with the kids. None had ever made a bagel before, and none of them knew that bagels are boiled in water before being baked. As the class progressed, their bagels looked better and better. I had some really skilled little bakers. Here is the recipe, with plenty of variations, so you can make them, too.

Bagels

4 ½ -5 c. flour
3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
2 pkgs. Yeast
1 1/2 c. water
2 t. butter
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 egg white

Mix 1 ½ cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-tablespoon salt and yeast in a medium bowl. Heat 1½-cup water with butter and add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add ½ c. flour and beat 1 minute. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Set in greased bowl and turn to grease top. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place 1 hour. Punch dough down cover and let rest 15 minutes. Divide dough into 12 pieces and form into smooth balls. Cover with towel and let rest 10 minutes. In large skillet heat 1 inch of water to a simmer. Add remaining sugar and salt to water. With floured finger poke a hole in the center of three of the dough balls. Drop into simmering water cooking 3 minutes. Turn over and cook 2 minutes. Turn to first side and simmer 1 more minute. Remove to greased baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and brush tops of bagels. Sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake in a 375 –degree oven for 20 –25 minutes. Makes 12.

Variations:
Light Rye: Prepare as above except substitute 1¼ c. rye flour for 1¼ c. of the regular flour.

Whole Wheat: Substitute 1 ¼ c. whole wheat flour for 1 ¼ c. of the regular flour

Herb: Use ½ tablespoon dried marjoram or parsley or 1 teaspoon dried dill. You can also add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Add herbs to flour/ yeast mixture.

Parmesan: Add ¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese to flour/ yeast mixture.

Onion Bagels: Cook ½ cup finely chopped onion in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Brush onion mixture over the tops of the bagels after they have been baking for 15 minutes.

Sesame or Poppy Seed: Just before baking brush tops of bagels with beaten eggs and sprinkling with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Extra crusty: Place under boiler (4-5 inches away) for 3-4 minutes, turning once just before boiling. Bagels should not brown.
More Variations

Blueberry: Prepare dough as usual. When you first start to knead the dough add 1 cup of fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries and knead as usual. You will need a little more flour.

Cinnamon-Raisin: Add 1-2 T. cinnamon to flour/yeast mixture. Add ½ cup raisins when you start to knead dough.

Multigrain: To flour and yeast mixture add ¼ c. each wheat germ, oat bran and cracked wheat. You’ll need a little less flour.

Super seedy: To flour and yeast mixture add ¼ cup each pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Also add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon fennel or caraway seeds. You will need a little less flour.

Cocoa: Add ½ cup cocoa powder to flour and yeast mixture. You will need a little less flour. These are great with cream cheese and fruit preserves.

boiling the bagels

Beet Relish

Beets are in season around here and I thought I would share this recipe. I love this relish, and make several batches every year. It is like a sweet pickle relish, only made with beets.  You can add it to sandwiches or salads, and if you put some in your chicken or pasta salads, it turns them the nicest shade of pink. I like to serve beet relish with cheeses and crusty bread as an appetizer. If you have some extra beets laying around, you might want to try it.

Beet Relish

1 qt. chopped cooked beets, about 12 medium

1 quart chopped cabbage, about 1 small head

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped red sweet pepper

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 T. prepared horseradish

1 T. canning salt ( non-iodized)

3 c. vinegar, white or cider- I prefer cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Bring mixture to a boil. Pack hot relish into hot jars leaving 1/4 -inch head space. Seal jars and process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes. Yield about 10 half-pint jars.

Source: Ball Blue Book

Snickerdoodles

In cooking camp yesterday we made cookies, including Snickerdoodles. This is a recipe that has been around a long time and is still a favorite. The kids really enjoyed rolling the dough in cinnamon sugar, before baking. The old version I had, called for shortening, but I use butter instead,  and chill the dough. I prefer the taste of butter in cookies. These are a great light dessert for summer and they travel well, too. A nice treat to bring to your next cookout, picnic or road trip.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Mix butter, sugar and eggs. Combine next 4 ingredients and add to egg mixture. Chill dough at least a couple of hours. Combine sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowls. Roll dough in 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 –degree oven for 9-11 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

Easy Blueberry Blintzes

Blueberries seem to be very abundant this year. Even getting a nice harvest from my fairly new plants. I had some flour tortillas and decided to use them for a quick blueberry dessert. These can be made with pretty much any fruit pie filling or fresh fruit. I had a lot of blueberries so I made a homemade blueberry pie filling. I canned most of it but had enough left over to make some blintzes. While blintzes are traditionally made with crepes, these use the tortillas instead.

To make them just soak some flour tortillas in milk to soften. I normally allow at least 10 minutes for this. Place a tortilla on your work surface and spoon some pie filling in the middle. Fold in the sides until they just touch. Starting on the side nearest you gently fold the blintz up. It should like like a flatter version of an egg roll. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Heat some butter up in a skillet and place a few blintzes in at a time. Turn when they get golden on one side and cook until light golden brown on both sides. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or with ice cream, if you prefer. Super easy.

If you want to use fresh berries instead just toss them with some sugar before using.  If you want to make a pie filling for this recipe, just cook together fresh berries with a little water and sugar. Once the berries have softened, mix a small amount of water with cornstarch and pour into the blueberry mixture, cooking until it thickens. Add the cornstarch mixture slowly so the mixture doesn’t get too thick.

Cold Blueberry Soup

If you want something a little different to do with blueberries consider making a cold soup. It is a fun first course and very refreshing on a hot day.  I garnished mine with a little blueberry syrup and a couple of fresh berries. Sometimes I garnish with a little mint, too.  Simple and fun.

Cold Blueberry Soup

1 pint blueberries

1 1/2 c. water

2 T. honey, or to taste

1 (3-inch) strip lemon peel

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

1 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt

In saucepan combine all ingredients, except for the sour cream or yogurt and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes then remove peel and cinnamon. Puree mixture and chill for at least 4 hours. Combine with sour cream before serving. Serves 4-6.

I was looking for a salad to go along with a taco bar, for a party. I had some nice sweet corn and used it to make this salad. After cooking the corn and cutting it off the cob I added roasted red peppers and garbanzo beans. Cilantro, sweet onions and a simple dressing and I was done. One of the party guests ask for the recipe, so here it is.

Fresh Corn Salad with Garbanzo Beans

6 ears of corn

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 red peppers, roasted, skinned and seeded, chopped*

1 medium sweet pepper, diced

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. cider vinegar

2 T. sugar- or 1 T. honey

1 T. hot sauce

2 t. cumin

1 t. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Cook corn, cool and cut off the cob. Place corn kernels in a bowl and combine with the remaining veggies and cilantro. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over the corn mixture. Stir to combine well and chill before serving. Serves 6-8.

*Here is the information on how to roast peppers. I used  medium hot red peppers for this recipe, but sweet peppers would be fine, too. I just placed the peppers on the open flame on my gas stove, turning them until blackened all over. Once the peppers are charred, remove the peppers from the flame and wrap in paper towels or place in a small paper bag to cool. When cooled the skins will slip off easily. Then just remove the seeds and chop. If you don’t have a gas stove you can also roast peppers on a grill or under the broiler.

Roasting Peppers

Blueberry Liqueur

Blueberries are abundant this year. I have made jam and pie filling with some, frozen quite a few, and of course, eaten plenty. I also decided to preserves some for later in the form of a blueberry liqueur. I make two different ones, actually. One is unsweetened- just blueberries, vodka, lemon zest and a clove. It is sometimes called an eau de vie- French for water of life, or just blueberry vodka. The other is sweetened a little with a sugar syrup- but you could use honey. That is called blueberry liqueur or blueberry cordial. Both are wonderful. The color is so pretty and they can be sipped, as is, or used in cocktails. I make a lot for gift giving at the holidays. You can use blackberries, too, if you prefer.

Blackberry or Blueberry Liqueur

4-c. fresh berries
Sliced and scraped peel of one lemon, optional
1 clove, optional
3-c. vodka or 2 c. vodka and 1 c. brandy
1 c. sugar syrup, optional, recipe follows

Lightly crush berries with a fork. Combine with peels and clove and vodka and steep 3 months. Strain and filter and add sugar syrup. Mature 4-6 weeks.

Sugar Syrup

Simple syrup is made from 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cool. You will have 1 cup of syrup. Some recipes call for plain sugar and others for honey. Watch when you substitute honey for sugar, as it is sweeter and stronger flavored. Better to use orange or clover honey.