Marshmallows and chocolate are a match made in heaven.
One way to elevate the experience for winter is to make them yourselves and add a few to that steaming mug of goodness you’ll want for winter warmth.
Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp. White vinegar
1/3 cup agave or honey
1/2 cup water (for syrup)
1/2 cup water (for blooming the gelatin)
2 TB gelatin powder
GOOD Vanilla to taste
Instructions:
Bloom the gelation.
Place 1/2 cup water in mixing bowl.Sprinkle in gelation and stir to moisten. Set aside.
Make the syrup:
Place sugar and remaining water in a pot. Add vinegar honey, stirring gently. Heat and swirl until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil , cover and simmer for 2 minutes . After 2 minutes check the pan for any sugar crystals. If none, clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Cook until the temp reads 242 degrees. (hard ball stage)
Prep the pan:
Using butter, grease a 9 by 9 inch pan.
Set aside.
Mixing:
Place the bloomed gelatin in a mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for a minute to break it up.
Add a pinch of salt.
While the machine is mixing on medium to med low, slowly and carefully stream in the sugar syrup-, adding along the wall of the bowl (not on the moving whisk!)
The heat of the syrup should dissolve all the gelation.
Increase mixer speed to high for 5 minutes. You should have a fluffy, glossy mixture similar to meringue. Add the vanilla and mix another minute.
Getting it into a pan:
Spread into the prepared, buttered pan while still warm, using an offset spatula to smooth down the top.
Curing:
Let the marshmallow set for 6 hours at room temperature.
After that, turn the marshmallow out onto a counter to cut., any size you like. I choose a 1 by 1 inch square, and use a buttered knife for a clean cut.
Dusting:
Use cornstarch to dust them with.
These keep for quite a while in an airtight container….as long as there are no children in the house!
We’ve struggled through October’s “Pumpkin Spice” moments, eaten muffins, cake, quick breads and coffee flavored like pumpkin.
Let’s give things a savory twist just in time for Thanksgiving. How about a silky, rich Pumpkin Bisque, scented with local cider and freshly ground nutmeg?
A bit of white wine, or coconut milk rich, homemade chicken stock and plenty of roasted pumpkin rounds things out.
I use celeriac in mine, which is celery root and usually found in a natural foods store at this time of year.
Puree all with a stick blender and you get something wonderfully satisfying and comforting. Easily makes a meal and also freezes well.
Another of this recipe’s virtues is that it can easily be made Vegetarian or Vegan. A show stopping first course served individually in a small pumpkin for Thanksgiving dinner!
CLASSIC PUMPKIN BISQUE/ SERVES 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1/4 C. OLIVE OIL
1 CUP CHOPPED VIDELIA ONION
1 SMALL BALL OF PEELED, DICED CELERY ROOT
1 TB. MINCED GARLIC
1 # PUMPKIN PUREE
1 QT. RICH CHICKEN STOCK, a splash each of white wine and cider
1/2 C. HEAVY CREAM OR COCONUT CREAM
MIX OF WARMING SPICES, TO YOUR TASTE: FRESH GINGER, FRESH GRATED NUTMEG, CURRY POWDER, S AND P
METHOD
HEAT OLIVE OIL IN A LARGE POT WITH A HEAVY BOTTOM. ADD CELERY ROOT AND ONION, PINCH OF SALT.STIR, COOK TILL TENDER
ADD GARLIC AND SPICES. COOK A COUPLE OF MINUTES LONGER.
POUR IN THE CIDER, WHITE WINE AND CHICKEN BROTH. ADD THE PUMPKIN PUREE. STIR UNTIL WELL COMBINED. BRING TO A SIMMER, STIRRING. THEN LOWER HEAT AND COOK COVERED, PERHAQPS 20 MINUTES.
USE AN IMMERSION BLENDER TO MAKE THE SOUP SMOOTH. ADD CREAM OR COCONUT CREAM TO FINISH AND STIR.
CHOPPED PARSLEY TO GARNISH …OR TRY Toasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil!
PRO TIP: Looks great when served in small individual pumpkins.
Imagine a double smoked pork chop, it’s fat crispy, the flesh succulent. Now imagine that bite with a drizzle of a reduction of star anise spiced cider reduction. Elevated. To be sure…and so easy. Bonus, it makes the house smell good and it’s actually easier than pie.
Here’s what I do :
Find a gallon of locally pressed apple cider
Empty it into a heavy bottomed kettle.
Add spices you like, I use star anise and allspice, 1 cinnamon stick. Maybe some lemon peel.
Let it simmer all day on a low flame.
When you get close to the bottom of the pot, now that’s the time you need to watch it. Do not let it scorch. I takes a practiced eye to get your syrup right. If you leave it too long, it gets stiff, like taffy. Just right and you’ll have a lovely syrup to drizzle judiciously over roast pork.
And BONUS if you happen upon juice containing a lot of natural pectin, once in a blue moon you’ll get Cider Jelly, which is heavenly on toast and impossible to find in speciality shoppes anymore.
Full of flavor and just natural sugar, it works for me!
It’s a wonderful moment in the garden and a great time to be cooking”all the things” you planted in June. But maybe like me, at this point you can’t eat one more cucumber or tomato?
I reach for one of the many gluten free brownie mixes you can find at the local market. Buy it. Bake it. Cool it. Then destroy it!
Directions:
Crumble the whole pan of brownies into a bowl and add a bit of decent rum. Mix it gently, until it will hold into a ball shape.
Make small 2 bite balls and set them aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix cinnamon powder with a small amount of chipotle powder ( you want just a hint of heat).
Toss the brownie-rum balls in the spice dust and set aside on wax paper.
These keep quite a while in a covered plastic container in the fridge, in a single layer is best.
These dessert snacks are surprisedly good, if a little surprising.
If you decide that you love the umami of fermented black garlic, the retail cost of it may scare you away. Why not make it at home? Just get ready for some smells!
Well, let’s cut to the chase. You’ll need a rice cooker. It’s an easy way to maintain the consistent temperature and humidity that fermenting garlic requires. It takes a week or more for the garlic’s flesh to become black, dense , sweet and chewy, similar to a date.
Although relatively new to the restaurant scene, black garlic has long been a staple in Asian kitchens.
If, in fact, you’re ready to try this….Google a detailed tutorial on the subject, and give heed to these tips from a pro ( who is not me):
Be certain you know the temperature of your rice cooker…or you may get char. The ideal range is around 150 degrees.
Seal in the moisture as best you can to attain that chewy texture, wrap the garlic heads in foil and also the top of the cooker.
Make it in an outbuilding or garage so your whole house doesn’t smell garlic-y!
So, now you’ve made it. How to use it? Think of it as a way to deepen the flavor if things you already make and love….pesto, chermoula or chimichurri sauce es…hummus, etc.
It tastes great and comes with a range of health benefits too!
I suppose this dish stems from the Mainer’s love of bragging rights.
By July, if you’re a decent gardener you can compile this dish of peas and potatoes from the garden, garnished with fresh dill (my favorite) and sometimes a simple white sauce.
The perfect complement is a savory, fresh and perfectly grilled piece of salmon filet. Crispy skin please! Fresh bread and butter, a green salad from the garden and family..with the promise of whoopie pies and fireworks later…maybe a dip in a lake!
It’s not really a recipe, it’s a state of mind.
Happy Fourth of July everyone. Independence Day. More important to note than ever.
If you’ve got horseradish growing on your land, you will always have horseradish. Like comfrey, it’s often found around old farmsteads and the distinctive plants tend to thrive forever!
The good news, or further good news ,is that once the ground is soft ( we also call this MUD SEASON in Maine) you can dig some of it up, wash it and bring it into your kitchen to grind. If you haven’t any on your property, it can be found as an early offering at a farm stand.
Preparing fresh horseradish is easy. I prefer to make it in small quantities and more often. Using fresh horseradish will improve so many things you already love. Trust me.
INGREDIENTS
4 OZ HORSERADISH ROOT.
2 TB. WATER, OR AS NEEDED
1 TB WHITE VINEGAR, MORE AS NEEDED
A PINCH OF SEA SALT
METHOD with food processor
SCRUB THE ROOT AND DRY IT.
USE A PEELER TO PEEL THE ROOT.
DICE INTO LARGE PIECES.
PULSE, ADDING WATER TO PROCESS, UNTIL WELL GROUND. ( KEEP THIS AWAY FROM YOUR EYES!)
ADD THE VINEGAR AND SALT AND MIX WELL.
STORE IN A TIGHTLY COVERED CONTAINER . THIS WILL KEEP A LONG WHILE.
TIPS: WHEN USING, I OFTEN SQUEEZE SOME OF THE WATER OUT THROUGH A SIEVE SO AS NOT TO GET WATERY COCKTAIL SAUCE, FOR EXAMPLE.
This fresh horseradish will take your Sunday Bloody to the next level….Enjoy responsibly!
Instructions:
VIOLET SIMPLE SYRUP/ MAKES A PINT
