Spinach-Artichoke Chevre Scones

The idea for these wonderfully colorful scones came from an encounter with a Chicago pastry chef. SJJ's college friend graduated and found a job working for a well known cafe, Hannah's Bretzel. Knowing SJJ was in the city with friends for a few days, he invited us to the Bretzel, where he treated us to an array of scrumptious pastries. Artichoke goatcheese scones were one of the treats. He never told us the secret recipe, but I think I've found a way to make them...

Ingredients
3 cups of all purpose flour (plus some for later)
5 tsp baking powder
1 cup of milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
8 oz goatcheese
1 cup thawed spinach (drained and patted dry)
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 onion, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves

To start, thaw a package of frozen spinach in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. You'll only need a cup of it, but make sure its a tightly packed cup.

Finely chop the onion and put it in a pan with a bit of olive oil. Allow it to become translucent and then add the finely chopped garlic. After you can smell the wonderful aroma of garlic (2 minutes), add the artichoke hearts, plus a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Let it cook until the artichokes get warm. Remove from heat.

At this point, preheat the oven to 375 F.
In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the milk. Then add it to the dry ingredients. Mix them up, but don't mix too hard. It will make the dough tough.

Add the goat cheese in 1/2 inch pieces. Then add the artichokes and spinach. Mix together. If the dough becomes too wet, add a bit more flour. Make sure to mix the flour in before adding more.

Add flour to a large cutting board and then roll the dough into equal size spheres. Cut them in half, and then in half again, until you get triangle shaped scones.

Grease a large baking sheet and place the scones 1/2 inch apart. They won't expand sideways as they cook, but just to be safe, allow the half inch.

They should look puffy and doughy before you put them in the oven.



They should bake for about 30 minutes. Check them every 10 to 15 minutes. If the bottom looks brown, flip them over. (Unless you have a convection oven... then they will bake perfectly)

Let them cool for 10 minutes and then add a bit of goat cheese to the top.

These are best warm and fresh.
Enjoy!
ILR

Happy Tummy Granola

This granola recipe originally came from my friend Ben's mother in Vermont (thanks Mrs. Adler!), but I substituted a lot of the ingredients to better tailor my own diet needs. It's quite tasty with the changes, and full of wonderful fiber, protein, and vitamins. This is an especially great granola for people who suffer from irregularity in their digestive system.

Ingredients
1/3 cup pure apple juice (no sugar or water added. The brand I bought is called HUCK'S)
1/4 cup maple syrup or good quality honey (i like the honey)
1/6 cup olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar (if you like it sweet, you can do 1/3 cup instead)
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
a dash of salt to taste
2.5 cups rolled oats (make sure these aren't the instant or quick cooking oats, otherwise boooo)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (you can toast this on a fying pan, no oil, just heat for 2-3 minutes)
1/2 cup coarsely shopped raw almonds
1/4 cup coarsely chopped raw hazelnuts
1/4 cup flax seed

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a cookie sheet and set aside.

In a small/medium saucepan, heat the apple juice, syrup, olive oil, and brown sugar and let it simmer for a few minutes. It'll become a bit syrupy. That is when you know it is done. Just DO NOT let it burn. Add the cinammon when you remove the pan from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheat germ, almonds, hazelnuts, and flax. Then add the syrupy mixture and mix well together. I like to add the syrup slowly, mixing everything together, before adding more. This is because I always worry about adding too much liquid and making goo.

After it is well mixed, distribute the granola very evenly on the cookie sheet and place it on the bottom rack. After 10 minutes, move the granola around a bit on the sheet so the unbaked pieces have a chance to bake. Check the mixture every 5-7 minutes after that. Total bake time ranges between 20-25 minutes.
Let cool and then store in an airtight container.

Now, I really should mention that although this granola is very heart and stomach healthy, it is not low fat or low calorie by any means. 1/2 cup of wheatgerm contains 410 calories, but it also contains 30 grams of protein and 43 grams of carbs. So be wise. If you're trying to lose weight, don't eat this as a snack. Eat it as part of a meal. I personally enjoy granola on top of a bowl of plain yogurt and berries every morning. This will fill you up and give you a major boost of protein (almonds, hazelnuts, wheatgerm).

Enjoy!
-ILR

(P.S.) My lovely South African roommate Sir Withers just tried the granola on top of his plain yogurt and said it was scrumptious!

Roasted Winter Vegetable Tarts

7-8 C. winter vegetables (sweet potato, onion, fennel, parsnips, turnips, carrots, rhutabega, etc.)
3 T. olive oil
salt/pepper, to taste

dice veggies into uniform, bite-size pieces. coat evenly with olive oil, salt, and pepper. lay on a parchment lined baking sheet and place into UN-heated oven. then, turn oven to 425 and roast until desired roasting is achieved, about 30 min. thennnnnn, take out of oven and place in a big ole' bowl. begin stage 2.

****DID YOU KNOW!!???.....you will obtain better carmalization and color when you roast veggies if you refrain from pre heating the oven? true story. i couldn't tell you why, but just trust me. i speak the truth.

4 oz. chevrie cheese, or goat cheese (same thing, i just wanted to show you my mad culinary vocabulary)
2 T. fresh thyme

mix these items in with veggies. cheese will no doubt melt and the thyme will make love to your nose. then, onto stage 3....

1 package of pre-made pie crust (the kind for a 2-crust pie)

cut the two circles of dough into 8 pieces. love on them until you get some variety of a circle or square or oval. you know, something even or uniform. STAGE 4!....

evenly distribute veggies on top of pie crusts, leaving a generous border. let's say, 2 T. on each one....? fold corners of crust in to create a more bulbous edge. place another dab of chevrie on top of each one and place in a pre-heated 425 oven until crust is golden brown, about 20 min. remove and voila!

hey, good news. while this recipe is full of cheese, olive oil, and CRUST, one serving is actually entirely reasonable. i don't like to ruin food by talking about how good/bad it is for you, but i can't help but let you all in on this. one serving (there are 8, duh) is about 375 calories and 12 g. of fat. and trust me, the flavor is so satisfying that you'll be great after one. pair with a vinegary salad and you're good!

SJJ

Pucker-Up Lemon Bars

This lemon bar recipe has been experimented with quite a bit over the past month, and the best tasting batch was baked last night. The secret to amazing lemon bars in my opinion is the very sour lemon filling, sweet/creamy crust, and lots of confectioner's sugar sprinkled on top. Some people don't like inhaling the sugar as they eat the bar, but I think it's part of the fun. Especially when you are sharing the bars and everyone has a sugar 'stache to make fun of.

This recipe makes enough lemon bars to fill an 8x8 baking pan.

Crust
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered)
1/2 stick slightly warm butter
a pinch of salt

Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter in chunks or slices. Use a pastry cutter to break up the butter. It should be pebble size or a bit smaller.
Fill the bottom of a well buttered 8x8 baking pan with the mixture, and be sure to pat it down so it's well packed at the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes, or until it is yellow-golden. If the bottom looks like its burning, switch to the broiler at 350 F for a few minutes, or until the top of the crust looks yellow-golden.

Lemon Custard
4 large eggs
4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (you can use up to 1/4 cup more if you want the bars to be thicker)
1/2 - 1 cup confectioner's sugar
a pinch of salt

While the crust is baking, mix together the juice, zest, eggs, and salt. be sure to beat the eggs well. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Mix it in well before you add more. This is where your preference comes in. Some people prefer very sweet bars, others very tart. I like to add in 1/4 cup of sugar at a time, and dip my finger in the mixture to taste it. The batch I made yesterday evening consisted of 1/2 cup of sugar and it made my lips pucker quite a bit. But that's what I love about lemon bars. So use your judgement.

After mixing the custard well, add it to the crust. It's okay if it's very hot.
Bake again at 350 F until it looks set. It will look like it has a bit of a film over it. I wait until it starts to crack a tiny bit and then take it out of the oven.
Let cool and then sprinkle confectioner's sugar over it.

These lemon bars were enjoyed by Canadians and Americans alike, during a wild game of Taboo last night. They were later munched on by some more (drunk) Canadians and Americans at 3am after a large amount of gin was consumed rather quickly.
What a perfect midnight treat!
-ILR

january garnet cake

1 beautiful stick of butter (.5 C.)
.5 C. shortening, unflavored
2 C. granulated sugar
1 C. buttermilk
5 egg yolks
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1.25 C. flaked coconut (bagged, not canned, if you ask me)
1 C. chopped PE-cans

30 minutes before: separate eggs and leave butter out. baking works best when these ingredients are brought to room temperature.

with a paddle attachment (or some big guns) beat butter and shortening until whipped. add sugar. keep whipping. pour the vanilla in the buttermilk. add yolks and vanilla buttermilk, alternating between the two. baking is about harmony! in another bowl, please add flour and baking soda and mix lightly with a fork. there is nothing more disgusting than taking a bite of a baked good only to find a clump of baking soda. nothing. gently, but confidently, add flour mixture to wet mixture, beating lightly. once all is mixed thoroughly, fold in coconut and PE-cans.

at this point, you have options. lots of them. but first, please go preheat your oven to 350 F.

-you may use ONE 13x9x2 inch baking pan and have a nice sheet cake. bake 40-45 or until it smells divine.
-you may use TWO 9 inch baking rounds. bake these about 30 minutes, but keep an eye on it.
-you actually may use WHATEVER YOU WANT. for real. let's chat....

baking is not hard, as i have said before. let's say you choose to use a dora the explorer mold. it probably has some weird crevices, perhaps a few deep spots. use it! just stop cooking it somewhere between not done and over done. hang out in the kitchen, get some tea, do a sodoku. the key to baking is accurate ingredients and the temperature at which you bake them.

alright, whenever your cake situation is complete, take it out of the oven and wait 5 minutes. then, take it out of the pan and place it on a baking wrack where your dog can't eat it. this will prevent a soggy cake and a dead cake. after about a half hour, cover the cake with anything. kitchen towel works, cake cover, tin foil, whatever. this will prevent a dry cake. cakes have no brain so they can't figure this out for themselves.

for frosting, do what you want, but i think this is one is FABOO and i made it up myself, so that's cool.

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese block, softened
.25 C. beautiful butter, softened
2 C. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla...OH...never ever EVER use imitation. it's worth the extra $ to get the real stuff.

whip all that together. AND THEN...

whip about a half cup of whipping cream with just a spoonful of regular sugar. this makes whipped cream. duh. but stop whipping when it gets to the consistency of hair mousse.

fold those two bowls of heaven together. DONE.

*****now, you will notice that with this cake, there is some nondescript red goo. i added this touch because this was a birthday cake for my dear dear and OLD mother, terri. she turned 57 today, which is my favorite number. anyway, the january birthstone is garnet so i cooked up some garnet goo to lace the cake with. this is what it was.

1 C. raspberry (with seeds, please) preserves

2 shot raspberry liquor (Chambord...mmm...)

1 C. frozen, unthawed, raspberries

heat on medium low the preserves and chambord. take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. add totally frozen berries and mix. ta-da! looks like little garnet gems.

obviously, you can do this with virtually any preserves, fruit, or liquor on the planet.

sjj