The Charmed Kitchen

Black Forest Blintzes

I needed a last minute dessert when a friend stopped by for dinner a few nights ago. I had some cherry pie filling and some bittersweet chocolate.  I also had some flour tortillas, so I combined them for what I think is a pretty nice dessert. Easy to make, too. The name was inspired by Black Forest Cake, which contains both chocolate and cherries.

First I softened the tortillas in milk for about 10 minutes. This makes them more pliable- like a thick crepe. I melted some semi-sweet (bittersweet) chocolate with a little half-and-half.  Two parts chocolate to one part of the half-and-half. Whipping cream would also work. Milk, too, but maybe use a little less milk, it is thinner.  I melted the chocolate and half-and-half  in the microwave for half a minute or so, then stirred until they were smooth. I put the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle and put a nice swirl of it in the center of a tortilla. Then I added a couple of spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling. I folded up the sides a little and then folded it over- like making an egg roll.  Next I melted some butter in a pan and cooked them over medium heat until golden on both sides. I put a drizzle of the chocolate on a plate, dusted the blintz with powdered sugar and placed it on top of the chocolate. Simple and kind of pretty, too. Would be nice served with whipped cream or ice cream.

Start with chocolate sauce on the softened tortilla

Top with a couple of spoonfuls of cherry pie filling

Fold sides in and roll up

Brown in butter

Veggie filling for the egg rolls

I was so pleased to be asked to do an inter-generational cooking class for the Jennings Center for Older Adults. The class was a mix of residents from Jennings and kids from their day care center. We made fried rice and egg rolls. Not one of the participants had ever made egg rolls before, so it was a new experience for all, old and young. It was so much fun to see kids working with older adults. I also got chopsticks for everyone. They had a lot of fun trying to eat fried rice with them.

I have to share what one of the kids told me before class started. She was telling me that sometimes kids find old people scary, but that they were really nice. She enjoyed spending time with them. I thought that was perhaps my favorite moment of the day. She was a real natural at making egg rolls, too. She would show others how to make them, if they were having trouble. The pics at the bottom of the post are of her rolling an egg roll. I think she is about 7 or 8 years old. All of the kids and adults were fun to work with.

Thanks to Jodi Spiegal and the rest of the staff for helping things to run so smoothly. Looking forward to our next class.

One of the kids making her egg roll

Almost finished. So well done.

Some of the finished egg rolls

Cherry Vanilla Jam

When cherries are in season I can’t get enough of them. I kind of like the taste of sour cherries, even without adding sugar to them. If you are going to cook with them, this cherry vanilla jam is a great recipe. The addition of vanilla gives this jam such a nice fragrance. I also add just a touch of lemon juice- for a little extra flavor. It tastes like summer in a jar. Make more than one batch. This one is always a favorite with family and friends. Seems I run out quickly every year.

Cherry Vanilla Jam

4  c. chopped pitted sour cherries including any juice

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. pure vanilla extract

1 box powdered pectin

5 c. sugar

Wash jelly jars and lids and keep warm until ready to use. Place a large pot of water, with a rack, on to boil for the water bath. In large saucepan combine cherries with lemon juice, vanilla and pectin. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often. Add the sugar and bring mixture back to a rolling boil, stirring often. Once the mixture gets to a full, rolling boil,  constantly stir for one minute longer. Remove jam from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, filling to about 1/4 inch from the top. Wipe off rim and screw on the lids. Repeat with remaining jam. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water bath and allow jars to cool.  Yield: about 7  half pint jars of jam.

Adapted from NCHPF recipe.

Minty Brown Rice Salad

I make salads with rice and other grains pretty often. It started years ago with leftover rice from Chinese takeout. It was hot and I wanted a salad. I don’t remember everything I put in that salad, but I knew I liked the rice in it. For this rice salad I started with brown rice. I had browned the rice in a little oil, before cooking, to give it even more flavor. I also added some roasted Brussels sprouts, minced celery, green onions and a light dressing. What I think really made this recipe work,  was the addition of fresh mint.

Minty Brown Rice Salad

3 c. cooked cold rice, I prefer brown rice but use what you like

8-12 oz. Brussels sprouts, cut in half and cooked*

1/2 c. minced celery

2 green onions, sliced

3 T. chopped fresh mint leaves

2 T. chopped lovage leaves- use celery leaves, if you don’t have lovage

1/4 c. oil- I used grape seed oil

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

In medium bowl combine rice with veggies and herbs. Drizzle the oil over the rice mixture, toss to combine. Then drizzle the vinegar over the rice mix. Mix will and add seasonings to taste. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 4-6.

* Trim off the bottoms, cut the sprouts in half and rinse. You can cook the Brussels sprouts any number of ways- steam, boil, roast. I just heated oil in a large pan and sauteed the sprouts until they were a little golden. I added some salt and a little water. Put the lid on the pan and let them finish off another couple of minutes, over low heat, until tender.

Dilly Green Beans

If you are interested in learning how to make pickles- I am teaching a pickle making class next week. This class is through the Countryside Conservancy at will be held at Old Trail School at 2315 Ira Rd. Bath, Ohio. This is in the very scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Date of the class is June 24 and it will be from 7-9 pm. This is a hands on class. Besides a jar of fresh made pickles to take home you will also receive plenty of additional recipes and a lot of information on making pickles and pickled products. Click on the link below for more details.

https://countrysideconservancy.worldsecuresystems.com/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=43514

Blueberry Vanilla Jam

I make a lot of jams, jellies and preserves in the summer when berries are abundant. That way I can enjoy them throughout the year. They also make such nice gifts. I have posted this recipe before, but had a request from  somebody for it- so here it is. I used the basic berry jam recipe from the Ball Blue Book, but I added some vanilla and a little lemon juice for extra flavor. Looks like I’ll get a decent blueberry harvest this year- assuming I get there before the birds, squirrels and chipmunks. Enjoy.

Blueberry Vanilla Jam

9 c. crushed fruit

6 c. sugar

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 T. vanilla

Pick over berries getting any stems. Rinse , drain and crush. Place berries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a large saucepan and heat slowly until sugar has melted. Bring up heat and cook over high heat, stirring often. Stir more as mixture thickens. It will take 20-30 minutes to get to the gel stage. To check for gel stage dip a metal spoon in blueberry mixture and hold it up sideways. Allow mixture to drip off and when two drops come together to form one larger drop- you are at gel stage. You can also use a candy thermometer. When the jam reaches 220 degrees- or 8 degrees over the temp of boiling water- you are at gel stage. Ladle hot jam into clean, hot jelly jars. Fill to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe rims and place on lids prepared according to directions on box. Screw lids comfortably tight. Place jars in boiling water bath with water at least 1-2 inches over the tops of the jars. Cover pot and start timing when water returns to the boil. Process 15 minutes. Remove jars to towel, cutting board or cooling rack in a draft-free location. Check seals once jars are cooled. Makes 8-10 jelly jars.

Source: Adapted from Ball Blue Book

Carrot Pasta Sauce

This pasta sauce is one of my favorites. Most people don’t think of carrots when they think of pasta sauce, but maybe they should. It’s a simple sauce that packs a lot of flavor. The process is easy, just cook carrots and few other ingredients in stock until the carrots are really tender and most of the liquid is cooked off. Puree, then toss the sauce with pasta, over rice or even with veggies or meats. It is a pretty color, too. You might even get kids to eat carrots, this way.  Here is the recipe.

Carrot Pasta Sauce

1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. cream, half and half or evaporated milk
1T. fresh dill or 1 t. dried

Hot cooked pasta

Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, carrots and stack and cook until carrots are very tender. Much of the liquid should have evaporated by then. Place mixture in blender and add cream or milk, mixing until smooth. Add dill and adjust seasonings, tossing over hot pasta to serve. I sometimes top with some shredded Parmesan cheese, too.
Variations: Use sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash or even peas for different tastes.

Fresh Strawberry Wontons

I needed a dessert and decided a spin on strawberry pie might be fun. I had some wonton wrappers in the fridge, left over from something else. I decided to make strawberry-filled wontons.

I started with a pound of strawberries. I used about a cup of berries, sliced,  to make the glaze. Just placed the berries in a small saucepan with about 1/2 cup of water and brought to a boil. Simmered for 10 minutes or so- until the berries lost color and the liquid turned a pretty red color. I strained out the liquid and discarded the berries.  I put the berry liquid back on the stove, sweetened with sugar to taste- about 1/4 cup, maybe a bit more. I also made a slurry of water and tapioca starch to thicken it. I could have used corn starch but tapioca starch holds up better to reheating. I used about a tablespoon of tapioca starch and a couple of tablespoons of cold water and poured this into the simmering strawberry liquid until it got to the thickness I wanted. I removed the glaze from the stove and let it cool down. Once cooled I added about 2 cups of finely chopped strawberries. Now my filling was ready to go.

To make the little strawberry-wontons I just put a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of a wonton. I moistened the edges of the wrapper with water and folded it in half. I also folded some up like little eggs rolls. In small pan I heated the oil to 350 degrees. I had about half an inch of oil in the pan. Pan fried until crisp- about 30-60 seconds per side. Drained on paper towels and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Strawberry Shortcake “Sliders”

While we were enjoying these at dinner the other night, one of my friends said they looked like sliders and the name stuck. I made the shortcake base with a scone recipe and used an ice cream scoop to put the batter on the baking sheet. They ended up looking like little sandwich buns. Split and filled with sweetened strawberries, I replaced the top and added chocolate ganache and whipping cream to finish them off. They were a big hit. The scone was tender and not too sweet. Satisfying and light at the same time.

Strawberry Shortcake “Sliders”

The shortcakes
2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 T. baking powder
1 1/4  c. heavy cream or 1 cup half and half
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add cream to form soft dough. Stir mixture until it just holds together. Using an ice cream scoop place batter on baking sheet a couple of inches apart. You should get about a dozen. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Makes about 12. Cool on rack until ready to use.

The berries

2 lbs. strawberries, sliced thin

1/2 c. sugar, or to taste

Combine berries and sugar in medium bowl and place in fridge until ready to use. Berries should be in the sugar for at least a couple of hours and can even be prepped a day ahead to allow the juices to come out of the berries.

The ganache

1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips or 6 oz. semi sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream.

Combine both in double boiler or in microwave and heat until mixture is just warm enough to melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth.

The whipped cream – use whipped cream, sweetened or unsweetened according to your taste.

Assembly: Slice the caps off the tops of the shortcakes. Place a generous spoonful of the sliced berries on the bottoms of the shortcakes and spoon some of the strawberry liquid over them as well. Place the tops of the shortcakes back on and spoon on a dollop of the chocolate ganache. I let me get to room temperature so it didn’t drip down exactly as I had planned. Top with some whipped cream and serve. Makes about 12.