Cranberry Buttermilk Scones
Cranberry Buttermilk Scones
I love scones fresh out of the oven. Don’t get me wrong- I’ll eat them even after a couple of days but there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh baked scones. These scones are actually baked in cake pans so this recipe is easy and tasty. If you don’t have buttermilk just add a little lemon juice to regular milk. Perfect breakfast for this weekend.
Cranberry-Buttermilk Scones
3 c. flour
¼ c. plus 2 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) chilled butter, cubed
3/4 c. dried cranberries
½ c. buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 t. water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour with ¼ c. sugar, baking powder, and salt. Rub in butter with finger tips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cranberries. Combine milk with 2 of the eggs and beat together. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until dough begins to form into a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 10 stokes until dough holds together. Grease 2 nine inch cake pans. divide dough in half and place one piece in each cake pan. Press dough out evenly. Combine remaining egg with 2 teaspoons water and beat until well mixed. Score top of loaves with sharp knife into 8 wedges each. Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, turn onto plates and cool right side up. Cut along score marks. Serve warm. Makes 16.
Crumpets
Crumpets
If the only crumpets you ever tried are the ones sometimes sold in grocery stores you probably don’t like them. I love crumpets when I make them myself. They are a cross between a pancake and an English muffin. Crumpets should be moist, soft and light. We had them in a Tea Party class the other evening and paired them with raspberry jam and mock clotted cream. Several people in class said they had never liked them until they tasted these. You do need crumpet rings to cook them in but you can make your own. Many years ago my father made some for me from cans. We saved cans from things like canned tomatoes or corn. He cut off the lids on both sides and then cut the cans to about 1 1/2 inches in size. There is a rough edge so I am always very careful when handling them.
Crumpets
2 c. skim milk, scalded
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 package active dry yeast
¼ c. warm water
¼ c. butter, melted
Cool milk to lukewarm, then stir in flour and salt, beating until smooth. In small bowl place water and sprinkle over with the yeast. Let stand 5 minutes until bubbly. Stir in butter then add this to the flour mixture, beating well. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Grease 2 ½ inch muffin rings, or use 3 ½ oz. tuna fish cans and place in a hot, lightly greased skillet. Spoon 2 tablespoonfuls of batter into each ring, reduce heat to low and cook crumpets 12 minutes per side. Remove from rings and set aside to cool. Repeat procedure with remaining batter. Makes about 32 crumpets. Serve split and topped with jam or preserves and Devonshire clotted cream. You can make a mock version of clotted cream- recipe follows.
Mock Clotted Cream
1 c. whipping cream
¼ c. sour cream
Just beat together whipping cream and sour cream until soft peaks form.
Lemon Tea Cake
Lemon Tea Cake
This is one of my favorite cakes of all time. It is a simple cake enhanced with lemon zest. Once out of the oven you poke the hot cake with a large fork or a skewer and pour a lemon syrup over it. Moist, tangy and fragrant it is a great addition to afternoon tea. Great all on its own this cake is also wonderful served with fresh berries and whipped cream for a light dessert.
Lemon Tea Cake
2 lemons
3 T. sugar for topping
½ c. butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. flour
6 T. milk or half and half
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- inch loaf pan and line with wax or parchment paper. Grate the lemon rinds and set aside. Combine the juice of 1 of the lemons with the 3 tablespoons of sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
Cream together the butter with the rest of the sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time until well mixed. Stir in the flour and lemon peel and beat well. Add the milk and beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at least an hour. The cake should spring back when touched lightly. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven pierce it all over with a long tined fork or a skewer. Pour over the reserved lemon juice mixture. Cool cake in pan before serving. Cake will be moist and tangy.
A Trio of Hummus
Trio of Hummus
Hummus is always a favorite at parties around here. I’ve made basic hummus and have added roasted peppers and made some with black olives, too. For a recent dinner my friend, Amy, made hummus 3 ways. She made the basic hummus recipe I use. She also changed things up by making a green hummus using spinach and cilantro and a pretty pink hummus with beets. Here are the directions for making them.
Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, drained, or about 2 cups cooked garbanzos
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 cloves garlic
salt and hot pepper sauce to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings. Chill. Serve with pita bread, crackers or fresh vegetables. Also nice spread in a pita bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Freezes well.
Green Hummus
Make the original hummus recipe from above but add 2 c. fresh spinach and ½ c. chopped cilantro.
Pink Hummus
Make the original hummus recipe from above but add 2-3 small cooked beets.
Note: You might want a little more salt in either of these recipes or a bit more lemon juice.
Goldenrod
Goldenrod
If you have hard-cooked eggs and want a tasty way to serve them you might like Goldenrod. It’s a recipe my grandmother and mother used to make every year after Easter when we had a lot of of hard cooked eggs around. You make a white sauce and add the chopped up egg whites. Season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve pour the hot egg white mixture over toast and then put the egg yolks in a small strainer and press them through the strainer over the egg whites. The yolks turn into a powder and the end result looks quite pretty. I like it served over English muffins but you can serve it over toast, biscuits or bagels.
Goldenrod
4-6 hard cooked eggs
2 T. flour
2 T. butter
1-1 1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
2-4 slices bread, toasted
Peel eggs and separate whites from yolks. Chop egg whites and set aside. In saucepan cook flour and butter together until smooth. Stir in milk and cook until thickened and bubbly. Be careful not to burn the sauce. Season to taste and add reserved egg whites, heating through. Arrange toast on serving dishes and cover with the sauce. Place reserves egg yolks in a fine sieve and press through over sauce, dusting as evenly as possible. Serves 2-4.
Cherry-Vanilla Won Tons
Cherry Vanilla Won Tons
I had an open package of won tons and needed a quick dessert the other night so I made these cherry won tons. I started with a can of tart cherries I had gotten from King Orchards. They are just cherries so I sweetened them and added vanilla, thickened them a little a made what amounts to cherry pie filling. The nice thing about starting with plain cherries is that I was able to control the amount of sugar I added. I am not a fan of overly sweet desserts. I placed a small amount of filling in a wonton and moistened the edges of the wonton with water so it would seal. Some I rolled up like little egg rolls. I also made some more like ravioli, placing filling in the middle and pressing a second wonton on top of the first. I fried them in a minimum amount of oil in a small pan and dusted them with powdered sugar before serving. It was a great last minute dessert.
Cherry Vanilla Filling
1 can (15 oz.) plain tart cherries
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Allow to cool before using in wontons.
Cherry Vanilla Won Tons
Cherry Vanilla Won Tons
Won Ton Duck Soup
Won Ton Duck Soup
After duck dinner with friends a few days ago I was left with the wings, neck and a few bony pieces of back. I didn’t want to waste them so I used them for stock. The few pieces of duck I had only gave me about half a cup of meat. Then I got a call from a friend and suddenly had company coming for dinner. To make the duck meat go a little further I used the meat in won tons and made an Asian inspired soup. I had an onion, a small sweet potato, some canned straw mushrooms and green onions. Ended up with a very yummy dinner for two. Jonathan gave it two thumbs up. I was happy to get a nice meal out of just stuff I had on hand. I had also trimmed off some skin from the ducks before roasting them and had rendered the fat. I used it to brown the onions for the soup. Use oil if you don’t have duck fat.
Won Ton Duck Soup
4 c. duck stock- made from wings, neck, gizzard and back pieces, onions, carrots etc.
1/2 c. duck meat
1 T. hoisen sauce
1/4 t. ginger
about 12 wonton wrappers
1 T. duck fat
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, sliced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
sesame oil
salt and hot sauce to taste
3 T. green onion, chopped fine
Make a stock from duck trimmings and aromatic vegetables. Strain and set aside. Remove what meat you can from the duck and mince fine. Combine cooled duck meat with hoisen sauce and ginger. Place a teaspoon on the duck mixture in a wonton wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper and fold like a small egg roll. Set aside. Continue with remaining meat until it is used up. You should get about 12. Meanwhile heat a little duck fat in soup pot and cook onions until tender. Add stock, vegetables and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add wontons and simmer until they are tender, about 4 minutes. Add a drizzle of sesame oil, season to taste and top with green onion right before serving. Serves 2-3.
Cherry Soda and Cherry Almond Milk
Cherry Soda
I have to admit that I mostly drink water. I know, pretty boring, huh? Sometimes I forget to have something else to offer when company is over. I can make lemonade or iced tea and of course, there is always coffee. I try not to keep sodas around because if they are here, I will drink them. A nice alternative is making a simple drink with concentrated juices and soda water. I have been on a cherry kick lately so this is what I used. Just pour some syrup into your glass and stir in soda water to taste. Add ice and there you are. Something that is better for you than soda and frankly, tastes better, too. 
- Cherry Almond Milk
I am also lactose intolerant so I don’t have milk around, but I do have almond milk. I tried adding some of the cherry juice to it the other day. Came out pretty good. Sort of tasted like a cherry milkshake.Think I’ll pop it in the freezer for a little while the next time or maybe freeze some of the almond milk and combine it with the cherry juice in the blender.
Duck with Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
Duck with Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
In a recent dinner with friends we cooked up a couple of ducks. Using ingredients I had on hand I made a glaze for one of them with a fresh mango, some fresh mandarin oranges and ginger. It had a great mix of flavors that complimented the duck quite well. Here is the recipe for the sauce.
Mango/Mandarin/Ginger Sauce
oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
5 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into segments
2/3 c. orange juice
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. hoisen sauce
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 t. sesame oil
salt to taste
In large skillet brown onion in oil. Add remaining ingredients, except sesame oil and salt, and cook until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add sesame oil and salt to taste. Use as a sauce on duck, poultry or pork.
The Duck
1 duck
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe mango/mandarin/ginger sauce
I cut off the extra fat and skin from the neck of the duck to save for rendering later. I also removed the wings and set aside for another use. I then cut the duck in half and placed it in a roasting pan on a rack. Season it with salt and pepper. Bake in a 425 degree oven for half an hour. Turn down heat to 350 and cook until duck is done. That will take about an hour- depending on the size of the duck. At this point I had to come up with a plan B. The oven I was using stopped working. To finish off the duck I heated up a large skillet and put the duck in the skillet, skin side up. I poured the mango sauce over the duck and cooked it with the lid on for 15 minutes. Then I took the lid off and turned the duck skin side down. On medium high heat I allowed the sauce to reduce. It also caramelized on the skin making a nice glaze. If the oven hadn’t stopped working I would have finished off the duck under the broiler.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples
I think cabbage is under rated. It is such a versatile vegetable. It’s good in both hot and cold dishes, it isn’t expensive and cabbage is good for you. I was looking for a side dish for a duck dinner with friends the other night and I decided on sweet and sour cabbage. Since I had a pretty good sized head of green cabbage and just a small piece of red cabbage I mixed the two together. I added cider vinegar, sugar and apples to round out the dish. It came out this pretty light pink color and had a flavor that went well with the duck. I’d also serve this as a side dish with ham, pork or even a lamb roast. It would go well with any of them. You could use any color cabbage for this dish- or combine colors, as I did.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Apples
2-3 T. oil
2-3 onions, sliced thin
8 c. chopped cabbage, any color
1 c. stock- chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. celery seeds
3 apples, peeled , cored and diced
salt and hot pepper sauce to taste
Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until tender and a little wilted. Add cabbage, stock, vinegar, sugar and celery seeds and cook until cabbage is tender. Most of the liquid will evaporate. Add the apples and cook until apples are just heated through. Season with salt and hot sauce and serve. Serves 5-6.
