Mandarin Orange Sorbet
This is one of those dishes that is so simple, but so tasty. In the end, its just frozen mandarin oranges, blended up in a food processor until creamy. You can add some sugar, if you like, and a little vanilla. then finish off with a pinch of salt.
I served this sorbet to a friend after dinner the other night and she loved it. The color is beautiful and the flavor is refreshing. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it would taste like an elevated version of a creamsicle. I could see adding a scoop to a cold drink on a hot summer day. But it is good enough to serve all on its own.
I make a lot of fruit-based sorbets. An abundance of mandarins were my inspiration for this one. I needed to use them in something!! I will certainly play around with adding other flavors or perhaps adding some zest next time. I already have frozen more mandarins to use later.
For now, I am very pleased with this simple and flavorful dessert. Here is how I made it.
Mandarin Orange Sorbet
10-12 mandarin oranges
1-2 T. sugar, optional or to taste
1 t. vanilla, optional
Pinch of salt
Peel and freeze the mandarins. Once frozen, place them in a food processor and process until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Taste and see if you want to add a little sugar. Sweeten to taste and add the vanilla, also optional, and just a pinch of salt. Combine well then return to the freezer until you are ready to serve it. Makes about 1 pint.
Vegan Banana Muffins
I first made these for my vegan niece and her boyfriend. Bananas are often listed as an egg substitute in recipes. I figured they should work well in these muffins, providing both flavor and moistness. The muffins came out great and you would never miss the eggs. I’ve been experimenting with vegan baking. It’s fun working with alternative ingredients.
The recipe makes a lot of muffins, but you can easily cut it in half, or just plan on freezing some.
Vegan Banana Muffins
3 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c. mashed bananas
1 c. oil
1 c. almond milk – could use other non- dairy “milks”
2 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin pans with paper liners, or grease lightly. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. In medium bowl combine bananas with oil, milk and vanilla until smooth. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in banana mixture. Stir until smooth, but don’t over mix. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling just over half full. Bake 28-30 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool a little before serving. Makes 24. Freeze well.
Violet Liqueur
I have received requests for directions on how to make violet liqueur. Violet liqueur is, in its most basic sense, a combination of violets and vodka, steeped together for several weeks, then strained and filtered. Once strained, the mixture is sweetened to taste with simple syrup. You can use other alcohols, if you like. Brandy perhaps.
Violet liqueur can just be sipped and enjoyed as is, but it is often used as an ingredient in cocktails.
I have made violet liqueur with the violets that grow in my yard. They are mostly white, with a small amount of purple color. The liqueur tastes great, but doesn’t have a lot of color. It comes out a light golden color. That is fine with me.
For this batch, I am using purple violets I got from a friend’s garden. The color will end up a light purple color. To make the color of your liqueur more purple, you can add a few raspberries or blackberries to the mix.
We need to talk about sweetening, too. A simple syrup is added to suit your taste. The recipe for simple syrup is at the end of this post. How sweet you make your liqueur determines whether it is a liqueur, or creme de violette. Lightly sweetened and it is violet liqueur. Double the amount of simple syrup and it is creme de violette. Strictly your choice and preference.
If you prefer to leave your violet mixture unsweetened, it is a violet eau du vie, which translates to violet water of life.
I use 1/2 cup of simple syrup for each cup of liqueur. Equal amounts of liqueur and syrup creates the creme de violette.
Violet Liqueur
1- 1 1/2 c. violet flowers, rinsed and drained
1 c. vodka
1″ piece vanilla bean, optional
a few fresh raspberries or blackberries, optional
1/2 c. simple syrup recipe follows
Combine violet flowers and vodka in a jar with vanilla bean and berries, if using. Screw on the lid and place the jar in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks for the flavors to combine. You can add more violets as you harvest them, if you don’t have enough at first. After a few weeks, strain out the flowers and other ingredients and discard them. Filter vodka mixture through coffee filters or several layers of cheesecloth to get it really clear. Sweeten to taste. Return to jar, seal and allow flavors to mellow another week. Enjoy!!
Simple 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. You can sweeten with honey, if you prefer. Watch when you substitute honey for sugar, as it is sweeter and stronger flavored. Add a small amount, let it sit for a day or so- and give it a taste. You can always add more sweetener later.
100 Flower Dandelion Muffins
The curious name for this recipe comes from my own curiosity. I wondered just how many blossoms I would need to get about a cup and a half of petals. I decided to make muffins with some of the dandelions blooming in my yard. I have a lot of dandelions, and I wanted to use a really decent amount in my muffins. I started counting as I trimmed them and stopped when I had a cup and a half. It turned out to be 100 flowers. So now, if you want to make this recipe, you will know when you can stop picking!!!
If you can’t beat them, eat them. I actually am a big fan of dandelions. I have organized dandelion cook-offs and edited a dandelion cookbook. I eat the leaves, and a tea made from the roasted roots. The flowers are a wonderful ingredient in cooking, too. They are used to make dandelion wine and I enjoy adding them to fritters, pancakes and other baked goods. So here is my recipe for dandelion muffins. They are pretty tasty, tender, light and not too sweet.
100 Flower Dandelion Muffins
2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 egg, beaten
1½ c. half and half
1/3 c. honey
¼ c. melted butter
1 t. vanilla
1 t. orange zest
1 ½ c. dandelion petals*
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease them, set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour with baking powder and salt and set aside. In another bowl, combine egg with half and half, honey, butter, vanilla and orange zest. Beat by hand until well mixed. Stir in dandelion blossoms, then stir in flour mixture. Do not over mix. Stir just until flour is mixed in. Spoon batter into prepared pans, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Great served warm with butter and honey. Makes 12.
* To prepare the dandelion blossoms you want to trim of the tough base and just use the petals in the recipe. Some of the green sepals will get mixed in, and that is OK. Measure the petals after trimming. I picked 100 flowers and ended up with about 1½ cups of petals.
Dining on Dandelions
It’s funny when you think about it. People spend tons of money to eradicate dandelions from their lawns, but will go to an upscale restaurant and pay good money for a salad with mixed greens including dandelions. Dandelions were not always considered a weed. In fact, immigrants brought the seeds to America as a vegetable.
While the greens can be bitter, they can also be tamed when paired with certain ingredients. Combining dandelions with tomatoes, vinegar, cheese or other dairy products, and bread or cereal products will make them less bitter when eaten.
Dandelions are packed with nutrients, and if you don’t spray your yard with herbicides, you can likely find them under your own feet. Free, tasty and nutritious. Sounds like a win all around.
The plant is pretty much edible from top to bottom. The leaves for salads, soups and other dishes. The flowers are used for wine, jelly and the “burger” recipe at the bottom of this page. I recently baked dandelion flowers into muffins. The roots are roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. If you haven’t eaten dandelions before my only question is, what are you waiting for?
A classic dish using dandelions is dandelion gravy. Some versions use bacon, others not. This one uses bacon, sour cream and is served with boiled potatoes.
Dandelion Gravy
4 strips bacon
3 T. flour
1 c. water
1 lb. dandelion greens, washed and chopped
½ c. sour cream
1 T. sugar
1 T. vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot boiled or baked potatoes
Fresh chopped parsley, optional
Chop bacon and cook in skillet until crisp. Leave bacon in the pan. Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat and stir in the flour until smooth. Add water and dandelion greens and cook over medium heat until greens are tender- about 5- 10 minutes. Add more water if mixture is too thick. Turn off heat. Combine sour cream with sugar and vinegar and stir into dandelion mixture. Adjust seasonings. Spoon gravy over potatoes.
Serves 4.
Note: If you want leave out the bacon instead add 3 tablespoons of oil to skillet along with the flour.
The next 2 recipes come from Dr. Peter Gail, my mentor and dearly loved friend. I will always remember Peter when I cook with dandelions.
Dandelion Pita Pizza
Pita bread, toasted English muffin, or toasted bread
Spaghetti or pizza sauce
Fresh dandelion greens of any age, chopped fine
Grated cheese (any kind)
Cover bread with sauce, add chopped greens, top with cheese, and toast in oven until cheese
melts. For a more sophisticated treat, chopped dandelion greens may be sauteed in olive oil with
onions, mushrooms and several cloves of crushed garlic, and then spread on the pizza and topped
with cheese.
Dandy Fritters
1 cup dandelion flowers, green removed
½ cup flour, any kind
1/4 cup onions, chopped fine
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp pepper
enough milk to make thick batter.
Peel dandelion flowers and put in 4 quart mixing bowl. Add onions and mix together. Blend
flour and seasonings together, add to the flowers and onions, and blend thoroughly. Add milk
slowly, blending it in until you have a thick batter.
Heat olive oil in frying pan to cover bottom. Form batter into golf-ball-sized balls. Place in
oil, and squash down flat to make a 2″ diameter patty. Fry till brown on both sides. Remove and
serve on small rolls as you would hamburger sliders.
This post is dedicated in loving memory of Dr. Peter Gail
Dandelion Jelly
Dandelion jelly is one of those nice surprises in life. When people ask me what it tastes like, I tell them honey. It doesn’t have the thick texture of honey. It is jelly, but the flavor is similar to honey. A pleasant flavor that goes well with everything. Dandelion jelly is not hard to make, either. You make a “tea” out of the flowers and use the tea to flavor the jelly. The better you are at removing any green the sweeter your jelly will be. I get the vast majority of green parts out by cutting off the green base of the flowers.
To be safe, be sure to only harvest blossoms where you know that weed killers have not been used. I harvested these in my own yard.
Dandelion Jelly
3 cups dandelion blossoms, yellow only, green base removed
4 c. water
3 T. lemon juice
1 box (1.75 oz.) powdered pectin
4 c. sugar
After gathering the dandelion flowers, trim off stems and as much green as you can. You will need 3 cups of cleaned blossoms. You are going to start by making a sort of tea from the dandelion blossoms. Boil the water and pour over the cleaned blossoms. Allow to steep until it has cooled down. Strain out the petals and squeeze as much water out of them as you can. I then strained the liquid through a coffee filter to get it clearer. You can make the jelly right away or put the dandelion infused liquid in the fridge overnight. When ready to make the jelly, get a water bath canner ready. Add enough water to cover the jars and start to heat the water up to a simmer. Wash 5-6 jelly jars and lids. In a pot, add the dandelion liquid- if it is less than 4 cups add enough water to get to 4 cups. In the same pot add the lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil hard 1 minute. Add the sugar and bring back to the boil. Once the jelly is boiling, boil 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Ladle hot jelly into jars within ¼ inch of the top. Wipe rim and attach lid. Place jars in water bath and bring water to the boil. Process 10 minutes once the water starts to boil. Turn off heat. Let jars sit in the water bath 5-10 minutes before removing to a towel or cooling rack. Allow jelly to cool down. Check seals the next day. I got 5½ (8 oz) jars.
Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies
The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is a classic. This cookie brings those two flavors together perfectly. The cookie itself has a wonderful outer crunch, but is also tender and melts in your mouth. The addition of a dollop of chocolate finishes the cookie just right.
Of course, you could also use a spoonful of jam or jelly to fill in the cookies. Peanut butter and jelly are also a classic combo. No matter what filling you use, these thumbprint cookies are going to be a big hit.
Peanut Butter Thumbprints
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 c. peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 3/4 c. finely chopped unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
Melted chocolate, about 2 cups
In mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and peanut butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour with dry ingredients and mix into butter mixture. Stir in peanuts. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are just set. Press thumb gently into the middle of each cookie and cool on rack. Spoon about a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each cookie. Makes about 8 dozen.
Posted in Cooking | Tagged cookies, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter recipes, peanut butter thumbprint cookies, peanut butter thumbprints, thumbprint cookies, thumbprintcookies
Canning Chickpeas and Other Dry Beans
I always get a lot of questions when I tell people I can dry beans. They ask if it is worth the effort. I find I like the flavor better than canned beans. Plus, I don’t have to cook from dry every time I want some. So for me, it is worth the effort.
It isn’t hard to do, but there are rules.
Because beans are a low acid food, they must be pressure canned. They also are precooked a little before they are canned. They don’t overcook when you do that. It just helps them to cook evenly and to get proper heat penetration.
Salt is optional, so you can leave it out, if you like.
Make sure you pick over the beans and toss any that are discolored.
They expand a lot when cooking. I started out with 2 pounds of dry garbanzo beans and ended up with 8 pints!!! Always use a bigger pot than you think you will need.
So here are the directions.
Canning Dry Beans- Chickpeas, kidney, black beans etc.
Rinse beans and place in a large pot. Cover with plenty of cold water and bring to a boil. Boil two minutes. Let stand 1 hour. Drain beans and return to pot. Cover with cold water- at least two inches over the beans. Bring to a simmer and simmer 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash jars and get the pressure canner ready. Follow your manufacturer’s recommendations for how much water to place in your canner. Some say 2 or 3 inches of water. Mine says to add three quarts of water. I also add a little vinegar to my water to reduce mineral build up inside my canner. Not a safety issue, more cosmetic. A few tablespoons is plenty.
Ladle beans and water into canning jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Add non-iodized salt, if you like. 1/2 teaspoon per pint and 1 teaspoon per quart. Beans will still expand, so make sure the water covers them. Tighten lids to fingertip tight. Place jars in canner, on a rack, where water should just be simmering. Secure lid and turn up the heat. Once a steady stream of heat comes out of the vent, start timing it. Steam must vent for ten minutes. Place weighted or dial gauge over the vent and watch while canner comes up to pressure. Once canner reaches 10 pounds pressure, start timing. You will gradually be able to turn the heat down, but do it slowly, so you don’t go below 10 pounds pressure. Pints are processed for 75 minutes, quarts for 90 minutes.
Once the time is up- turn off the heat and allow the canner to go down to zero pounds pressure. Don’t rush this step by trying to cool the canner. The cooling down time is part of the process. Remove the gauge carefully at this point. Wait another 10 minutes before removing the lid of the canner. Remove lid, facing away from you- there is still plenty of hot steam in the canner. Remove jars to a counter covered with a towel or cooling rack. Allow jars to cool before checking seals.
Sources NCHFP, Ball
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is easy to make and so tasty. It is also fun to watch the bread puff up as it bakes. We made some in bread class this week.
One of my favorite memories from a cooking camp involves pita bread. We were making it in camp that day. Two little boys sat in front of the oven, watching the bread puff up. They were so excited. This is a fun bread to make with kids.
Although the recipe calls for placing the rolled out dough directly on the oven rack, I sometimes place the dough on baking sheets in the oven. Just a little easier and neater. I put the pans in the oven to heat up before using.
If the pita doesn’t puff up, it will still taste wonderful. For better success, make nice smooth balls of dough. The more careful you are when rolling out the dough- the better your odds of a good puff. Roll pretty thin, use enough flour on the board, and try not to tear the dough when rolling out.
You can add some whole wheat flour, if you like. The dough pictured is a mix. I added about 2 cups of whole wheat flour to the dough, in place of some of the white flour. I also made a batch with just white flour.
Pita Bread
4 ½- 4 ¾ c. flour, you can use some whole wheat flour
1 pkt. Active dry yeast
1 ½ t. sugar
1 ½ t. salt
1 ¾ c. water
2 T. oil
In large bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with other dry ingredients. Heat water and oil to 120-130 degrees (warm) and add to flour mixture in bowl beating until smooth. Beat three minutes then begin stirring in enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel and let rest on board 20 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball and place on board, allowing space in between. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Roll dough balls into circles. Place 3 circles at a time directly on oven rack. They will puff up and brown in about three minutes. Remove to rack to cool and repeat with remaining dough. Makes 12.
Pickled Beets
I love beets in all sorts of dishes. The bright color and earthy flavor appeal to me. They are so versatile. Beets are great in soups, salads and even desserts. One of my favorite ways to prepare beets is to pickle them.
Last week, I was lucky enough to get some really beautiful organic beets at a local produce market. I made beet soup and beet salad and enjoyed the greens steamed.
I had enough beets left to pickle some. This simple preparation makes them perfect to add to salads, or to enjoy on their own. They will keep in the fridge for weeks and weeks. I served the pickled beets as an appetizer last night.
I cooked my beets by just boiling them whole until tender, but you can also roast them. Once cooked, just let them cool a little and slip off the skins. Then just dice them up and add the dressing. They will taste better after a few days in the fridge. It gives the dressing a chance to get into the beets and onion and give them that pickled flavor. Feel free to add other seasonings. I had some fresh dill, so that is what I used.
Pickled Beets
2 lbs. beets, greens trimmed off, leaving 1 inch of the stem
1 red onion, peeled and sliced thin
1 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar- more or less to suit your taste*
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T. fresh dill snipped, or 1 t. dried
2 t. salt
1 t. fresh ground pepper
1/2 t. celery seed
dash of hot sauce
Cook beets whole until tender. I boiled my beets in a large pot of water for about 35 minutes- they were kind of big. You could roast them, if you prefer. Place in cold water for 5 minutes, then remove from the water and slip off the skins. They usually come off easily, but you might have to peel them. Dice into 1/2 -inch cubes and place in a bowl. Add the onion. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the beets. Stir to combine, cover and place in fridge. These are ready to eat in a couple of days. Keep for weeks.
*You can also omit the sugar altogether- they will be very tart- but still tasty.
