Best Tip Ever For Opening Jars and Cloudberry Jam

SBBrownell 2013

 Keep reading to find out why this jar has duct tape all around!

Several years ago thanks to Gordon Prestoungrange, Scottish Baron of Prestoungrange, I had the opportunity to visit Helsinki.  On that working trip, I attended banquets/local restaurants and sampled the local foods. Among the local delicacies, I tasted was something called a cloudberry.

Cloudberries are not native to Florida and in fact, you must be high up in the mountains especially, the arctic in order to find or pick cloudberries.  They are usually hand picked and when you do find them, you will also find mosquitoes in packs.  According to http://mylittlenorway.com/2011/07/guide-to-cloudberries/," it takes about 7 years for a seed to grow to blossom and they will only do that in the perfect situation. Mostly cloudberries are also highly prized as part of the Norwegian culture. Cloudberries are also part of Norwegian traditional cooking.  Cloudberry bløtkaker, cloudberry cream/yoghurt and cloudberry sauce wouldn’t be the same without cloudberries. Traditionally they would keep their berries in reindeer milk as it is so full of fat that it can preserve the berries."

For those of us that have had no previous exposure to cloudberries, I can tell you that they have seeds like raspberries and the texture is a bit similar as you can feel their juice explode (like blackberries) in your mouth when you eat them.  The taste is a bit like a Chinese sweet and sour although some say it is more like a Riesling wine taste.

This week my husband and daughter had reason to drive several hours to go shopping at IKEA.  They brought back much loved favorites for me: Swedish pancakes and a jar of cloudberry jam!


Here is the traditional way to serve:

SBBrownell 2013

• Open the pancake 
• Add the fruit (cloudberry jam here)
• Roll and top with whipped cream

So what's with the duct tape??

Yesterday, I had my pancakes without the cloudberries because I could not get the jar open by myself.  I mentioned it to my daughter and she had an absolutely brilliant solution:

**Simply wrap a strip of duct tape around the lid. I could have even torn the strip lengthwise so it was a narrow strip around the lid, grip as usual and it opens easily.

In Norway, where cloudberries grow they would say, "God jobb Katherine!"

Please try this at home!

 Recipe for Swedish Pancakes:

2 cups instant flour (Wondra Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (Room temperature)
1 1/2 cups seltzer                                                                                                                                      9 tablespoons sweet butter, melted and cooled                                                                                     1 teaspoon salt                                                                                                                                           2 large eggs plus 2 yolks, lightly beaten (Room Temperature)                                                          1 can of whipped cream or powdered sugar

 1. To make the batter first

•  Combine flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl.
• Now, carefully and slowly, I add half-and-half, seltzer, 4 tablespoons butter, eggs, and yolks into flour mixture until I have whisked so that the batter is smooth with no lumps.

2. I melt a teaspoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Tilt pan to coat sides also.

• When butter stops hissing, pour a ladle of batter into the pan and again tilt pan so that the batter is evenly distributed. 
• Cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. 
• Transfer to plate and put parchment paper between pancakes if you aren't going to serve immediately. 

3. Place a pancake on the plate.  Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of preferred filling ( cloudberry jam, lingonberry jam, any canned pie filling) onto top quarter of pancake--spread evenly and roll pancake over until in a loosely wrapped tube.  Fill 2-3 pancakes and place on plate alongside each other.  Add whipped cream or powdered sugar (or both) and enjoy!

Summer Thanksgiving Leftovers and a Cranberry Twist

Photo by Katherine Brownell

This was the original dinner where I substituted a tomato for the cranberry and the sweet potato fries for the traditional sweet potato casserole.






 Now follow me to the leftovers meal,

 where I have updated the heavy winter cranberry jelly with  a cranberry Merlot reduction using Merlot wine, orange zest, and an orange-pineapple concentrate to balance the tartness of the dried cranberries.  I also added a sweet potato puree with a bit of added brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange - pineapple concentrate, and a bit of creme freche to add smoothness.

 Recipe

Ingredients:
To be added 6/26 - Please come check it out.

Thanksgiving and the Full Moon

Photograph by Katherine Brownell©2013

Mindful of the beauty of nature all around us, and with all the talk of the full moon, I felt a Thanksgiving Dinner with a twist would be appropriate.

I wanted the intense  flavors of Thanksgiving with the lightness of summer so I did a bit of a twist.





Recipe:

Ingredient list:

1 box of Stove Top stuffing
4 tablespoons of butter
Water per stuffing directions
4 boneless turkey breasts
Olive oil
1 package of prociutto
 tomatoes on the vine
frozen sweet potato fries
1 3 oz jar of pesto
Aluminum Foil

Directions:

1. I used the microwave to make the Stove Top according to the directions adding the 4 tablespoons of butter on top.  When it finished, I stirred once or twice and let it cool uncovered while I worked with the chicken.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F and cover a low baking dish with foil.
3. Tear off two sheets of foil about 24 inches long and fold the long sides together a couple of times so your foil is twice as wide as it usually is and set aside.
4. Cover cutting board with plastic wrap lay out boneless turkey breasts one at a time, cover with more wrap and beat with a kitchen mallet until about 1/2 inch thick and set aside.
5. Lay out your prepared foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray to prevent sticking.
6. Put down strips of prosciutto so that you have a rectangle in the center with no foil showing.  Then, take chicken out of plastic wrap and lay on top of the prosciutto in one single layer.  The chicken should make a rectangle just slightly smaller than the prosciutto.
7. Now, drop spoonfuls of the pesto randomly onto the pesto and spread with separate knife continuing until you have a thin layer of pesto covering the entire chicken rectangle.
8. Add 1/2-3/4 of the stuffing spreading and flattening until you now see only the stuffing and no pesto.
9. Finally, pick up the closest edge of foil and carefully, pulling the prosciutto from the foil roll the meat until you have a loaf where you can see only prosciutto.
10. Make sure top of loaf has no seam, then seal foil, place on baking pan and cook for about 40-45 minutes.  Use meat themometer to ensure turkey is cooked (Juices run clear.)
11. Increase oven temp to 450 F, open foil wrap carefully and slide loaf off onto baking tray.  Cook for another 10 minutes, turning once, then turn oven temp up to broil and broil until prosciutto is golden brown. (Watch carefully)

While meat is cooking:

1. Heat skillet until just short of smoking, add olive oil, tomatoes still on vine, and frozen sweet potato fries.  Sprinkle both with coarse salt.  As tomatoes cook, rest in pan on all sides.  Cook fries as directed on package (about 3 minutes each side).

Photograph by Katherine Brownell©2013

To serve:

 When meat is finished, remove from oven and allow to rest about 10 minutes, then wrap loaf in parchment paper and cut into slices.  As you can see in the picture below, I served the end piece covered in the prosciutto; it was a lovely color.  Each inside slice shows the turkey stuffing spiral beautifully.  The tomato's color is enhanced by the stove top cooking method and the sweet potato fries were a fun summer twist.

Reflections: I forgot the cranberry so when I use the leftovers tonight, I expect to make a cranberry-merlot reduction and possibly a sweet potato puree. 

Photograph by Katherine Brownell©2013

What do YOU Want to See?

Ok, this weekend I will be working on adding the recipes to each blog post directly below the post so that you don't have to toggle between posts to find them but I have a request.

Are there any categories of recipes that you would like to see more of?

• Under 400 calorie meals
• Vegetarian or Vegan
• Meat, meat, and more meat?
• How do I successfully and easily use a certain herb?
• Fun meals for the kids in all of us?
• 30 minutes or less from grocery bag to table?

Please comment below and let me know what you might be interested in.  You'll really be helping me find direction and focus to help me heal.

Thanks,

Sally Bee

Pan Seared Trout with Parmesan Risotto

Photo taken by Katherine Brownell ©2013

For a refreshing but satisfying summer meal, on one of those 94 degree (F) days, I wanted the refreshing flavors of the wild caught trout.
Infused with rosemary, I paired it with a simple Parmesan Risotto.  Sitting down to enjoy with a glass of Pinot Noir wine, it was the perfect summer meal.

I had one small section of fish that was simply too thin to cook alongside everything else without becoming overdone.  I separated it and cooked as a crispy fish skin "chip" and it went very well with the rest of the meal.

Photo taken by Katherine Brownell ©2013

 Recipes will be added shortly right here!  Check back soon please.

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Day 2 Leftovers Create Unique Breakfast in Bed

A bit of a twist on an old friend: scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and steak with mushrooms and ham.

In a small saucepan, I made scrambled eggs with butter, using creme freche at the end to keep them very smooth.

In a larger hot frying pan,I took some slices of potato I had cooked quickly in the microwave and tossed them on top of a couple of fresh garlic pieces, Italian seasonings, butter, and olive oil. When they were golden brown, I turned them over once.  When they were done, I popped them into a waiting coffee filter to drain.

Finally, I deconstructed the one of the last pieces of leftover Beef Wellington made with the Lawhon's Fillet and quickly heated it in the hot pan I used to cook the potatoes.  I separated all the pieces which gave me some mushroom, steak, and a bit of pastry (biscuit).

Reflections: Because I basically had everything done already and I sliced the potatoes, it took only the time to cook the eggs to make everything else and my husband had breakfast in bed; a rare treat!

Yummy Lemon Squares

A fairly easy dessert to make if you have a food processor.  I made this with my daughter.  I made the crust while she was making the filling.  This kind of teamwork in the kitchen made for a fun rainy summer afternoon as well as a terrific refreshing summer dessert.

I served with a bit of no sugar added caramel and a lovely Caramel Praline ice cream from Publix.  The sweet in the caramel and ice cream balances the tart lemon flavor that is achieved by using whole lemon in your food processor!

Reflections:  Cook a bit longer than the recipe calls for as they were no longer jiggly when we pulled them but I felt like they should have cooked another 5-7 minutes.

Easy Summer Greek Salad

So easy to make but this salad looks like you spent a lot of time on it.  I sliced sweet onions and plum tomatoes, sprinkled with good olive oil, covered the whole dish with clear plastic wrap and refrigerated for an hour. While this was cooling, I peeled a cucumber.  Once the skin was gone, I continued to peel long thin slices of cucumber and curled them on the plate like spaghetti.  I added the chilled tomatoes and onions and drizzled a bit of Greek salad dressing on the whole thing.  I would have added some fire roasted red peppers and Greek olives but didn't want to go back to the supermarket one more time; I have been living there lately.

Reflections:  Next time, I'll add small strips of fire roasted tomatoes and Greek olives for a salty finish.  I could add just few bits of feta cheese to finish it off nicely, too.

Paper Bag Grouper or Mahi

Mahi Mahi

For a lovely summer meal, I cooked a fillet of grouper in paper and at the same time, I cooked a blackened fillet of Mahi Mahi with identical topping.  The topping was one that was originally used by the Bubble Room Restaurant on Sanibel/Captiva.  It is a pecan-crusted topping with a lemon, garlic, and mayonnaise base.

To go with it, I peeled thin slices of cucumber and paired them with tomatoes and onions.  Topping the salad off with tiny bit of Greek salad dressing, I placed the fish directly over the salad for a clean look.

Grouper

Reflections:I was a bit disappointed that the topping did not come out crunchy. Next time, I will open up the fish package at the end and finish under the broiler to put a lovely crunchy finish.  The salad was a bit too insipid to go with the fish flavors.  I would have preferred a salad with a bit more texture and depth.

I believe the Mahi Mahi came out prettier on the plate.  If anyone has any suggestions that would help this become more crispy or what sort of veggies might have a better impression, please comment below.

Leftovers Done With Style

Okay, so how do you serve a leftover Beef Wellington?  I sauteed some mushrooms with thyme and set those aside. I cut up some red/green peppers and sauteed those with some Greek salad dressing, rosemary, garlic and olive oil.  After the peppers were finished, I moved them to the side of the pan, took it off the flame and added 2 slices of the Beef Wellington.  I unwrapped the pastry outer covering and just one thin layer of the parma and piled the rest on the beef.  This allowed the beef to heat up without cooking it further.  That outer layer of pastry and parma?  I quick fried it after breaking into bite sized pieces.  It was sweet, salty, and flavorful!

Finally, I took a kaiser roll added olive oil and fresh thyme and put it under the broiler.until it was a  light brown/golden color.  To build the sandwich:

• On top of the meat, I added a layer of horseradish, 
• the sauteed mushrooms and the parma that had been on the outer edge.
• and all of this on the toasted kaiser roll.

Meringue Island on Berry Compote

On the spur of the moment, after watching Chef Ramsay create a floating meringue island in a strawberry champagne soup decided to put those leftover egg whites (from the Wellington), to good use. 

I grabbed some mixed berries and cooked them down on the stove top with some diet 7Up, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a dash of white wine.  While that was cooking, I whipped up the egg whites and then, folded in some powdered sugar. Once the fruit was cooked down, I put it into some small ramekin dishes, topped it with the meringue and put in the oven. The oven was a low temp and they were sitting in a water filled pan in the oven.

Now, we have some lovely lemon drop ice cream from Publix so I grabbed a bit of that and used it to de-glaze my berry pot and stuck it back in the freezer to re-freeze.

Once the meringue came out of the oven, I lifted it off the berries, poured them over the now lemon-berry ice cream and added the beautifully browned meringue island in the center.  So easy, used what I had on hand, and came out lovely.

Reflections:  I should have used a lot more berries in the compote when I started.  Then, I could have just served that instead of having to fool with the ice cream bit but I underestimated how much they would cook down.  The meringue was so easy to make that I wonder why I haven't tried it before.  Now, I really want to attempt a lemon meringue pie!

Beef Wellington with Garlic-Tarragon Mash

My first Beef Wellington

Quickie little 2 egg omelet for a starter and my first Beef Wellington  wrapped in Parma Ham, mushrooms, chestnuts, and puff pastry over all.  I added a mash that had butter, garlic, whole milk, and tarragon whipped into it after it had been fed through a ricer to make it fluffy.

I watched Chef Ramsay's video many times before I attempted on my own as Beef Wellington can be difficult.  I bought 2 fabulous looking Filet Mignon steaks from Lawhon's Grocery; they were spectacular looking.It took an hour of prep time as I braised the meat, cooked the mushroom-chestnut filling, painted a coating of stone ground mustard on the meat and wrapped it in the ham.  In and out of the fridge to maintain the shape, it finally was wrapped in the puff pastry dough, brushed with egg yolk-dotted with salt and whisked into the oven.

 Reflections: I should have used only 1 filet instead of two. Because I did not braise the sides that were touching, the juices were able to bubble out and moisten the bottom crust.  I also should have double the mushroom filling; I had no idea how much they cook down.  Next time, I will cook at a higher temp and less time to try to get the meat a bit more rare.  All in all it came out great and a terrific first effort!

Quick Ice Cream Treat

Quick and easy, this took just few minutes to put together.  We had some lemon drop ice cream and some chocolate malt ice cream from Publix just hanging around in the freezer.  I wanted a cute way to disguise the fact that we were each getting a tablespoon and a half of each flavor. 

• First, I squeezed out a bit of no sugar added caramel topping on the plate.
• Then, I dipped a tablespoon in hot hot water and scooped the ice cream towards me scraping at an angle as I went.  This allowed the ice cream to curl around itself inside of the tablespoon.
• I dipped the spoon back into the hot water between flavors.
• Finally, I cut a piece of lemon, twisted it, and stuck between the two flavors.

Reflections:  I could have simply stuck two scoops in a bowl but it wouldn't have looked like much and as we are limiting our calories, I knew that would lead to me adding more than we needed.  The lemon piece was a last minute inspiration but it added a great balance to the sweet caramel sauce.  This would also be great with a berry sauce and a few fresh berries added.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomato and Onion on Texas Toast

The eggs came out fluffy and fabulous thanks to very slow cooking over a very low flame.  The parsley, Vermont cheddar, and creme freche added at the end, also really woke up the flavor of the egg.  There is a bit of leftover tomato and onion so I'll hold it to serve over bean sprouts for a main course tomorrow.  (low calorie and fabulous)  I was really shocked that a can of organic tomatoes, fried onions, and the right spices really made the perfect spaghetti sauce.  I cheated a bit and used an already prepared Texas Toast with cheese bread that I just had to pull out of the freezer and pop into the toaster oven but still it allowed me to plate everything and get still hot it to my hubby for a lovely Father's Day breakfast!

Reflections:  I think that next time, I will go a bit simpler with just the fried onions and some cooked whole cherry tomatoes.

Tilapia en papillote with leftover curry and acorn squash puree

I served the leftover curry in a small portion with a perfectly done sunny side egg on top to start. The main course was a filet of Tilapia that had been wrapped around a bunch of fresh tarragon.  I placed it on a bed of sweet and sour jarred cabbage, shredded fresh carrots, parsnips, broccoli, and finely sliced raw garlic. I threw in a dash of white wine to finish it off. Then, I wrapped the whole bit up in parchment paper (en papillote) and baked it. Finally, for dessert, I baked acorn squash with butter and brown sugar.  When that was done, I scooped it out and put it in a manual chopper with butter, a dash of pancake syrup, and a couple of teaspoons of creme freche.  Once I whipped it all up until mostly smooth, I layered it in a lovely glass with cool whip and served it still warm.


Reflections: The fish came out lovely with nice texture and taste but, I really did not like the dark coloring of the blood line in the center of the fish.  It was way too prominent and unappetizing.  My vegetables were not the ones Chef Ramsey used but rather, ones I had on hand.  They were over cooked and tasted odd, no....horrible!  The leftover curry held up very well and I really have the hang of making sure my fried eggs are not brown underneath yet all white is cooked fully and yolk still runs.  The dessert came out a bit rich but overall, I liked it.  I followed a recipe that said it was fine to cook acorn squash flesh side up however, I disagree. It takes far less time and the flesh comes out so much nicer when they are cooked upside down in a pan of water.

See recipe page for the Talapia and dessert bits:

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

This was so good that I could add something and I could serve it for dinner rather that just as breakfast.

Fluffy scrambled eggs with Vermont Cheddar and Fresh Basil picked moments before using, on sourdough toast with a side of roasted tomatoes.

Reflections - Used a much higher temp than usual and kept moving the eggs on and off the heat to avoid over cooking. used a bit of creme freche at the end to stop the cooking process and add a bit of a lift.

Chili Shrimp with Roasted Root Vegetable Curry

Garlic Chili Shrimp on cheese crusty Texas Toast as a starter

Main course: Vegetable Golden Curry with Sage-Garlic Roasted Root Vegetables. Perfect sunny side up egg on top for a bit of added protein.

Reflections- Shrimp cooked perfectly-major woo hoo on this one! The garlic powder on the Texas Toast should have been left off but the root veggies even on their own were fabulous. The golden curry was a good level of heat for me. Best sunny side up eggs ever - realized I have been cooking them on way too high a heat.

Aside: Sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, parsnips, red and yellow peppers, and onions .

You can find the recipe here:

Sesame Tuna with Shrimp -Asparagus Risotto

06/12/2013

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Sesame encrusted tuna on a bed of greens as a starter

Main course: Shrimp - Asparagus Risotto

Reflections- Glad I added a bit of blackening spices to the shrimp as I cooked them. I did a good job of not overcooking the shrimp- Rubber is not yummy! The asparagus tips were a stunning bright green color and the flavor permeated much more than I expected. I did add a bit of parsley (and freshly ground pepper for Ky) as a finish which the recipe did NOT call for.

Aside: What exactly was I supposed to do with the ginger? I forgot to use it. I think I was supposed to make my own dressing but I used a prepared light Parmesan, added sesame seeds, sesame oil, and wasabe paste.
  

Recipe and pics can be found here:

Pan Seared Salmon with 5 Cheese Risotto

My very first venture:

Pan seared tarragon stuffed salmon
served on a bed of creamy 5 cheese risotto

Reflections- Add the wine to the salmon after I turn it over- skin was crispy but wanted it a bit crispier. I was always afraid of cooking risotto from scratch so I used one of those boxed mixes. Cooking risotto from scratch was way easier than I thought it would be but it finished so quickly at the end, I had no idea if the salmon would be ready before it became overcooked. In my first attempt, I believe the risotto came out a bit too gluey because I did have to wait for the salmon to finish.

Link to the recipe:

Gordon Ramsay wants me back in the kitchen

06/13/2013

Chef Gordon Ramsay may have a loud frightening voice, but he also has a wonderfully easy teaching presence in his videos.  I can follow what he does pretty easily and that the food really does come out amazing!  This was my very first effort.  I remember learning how to cook from Mom and dad and things are starting to come back to me.  This is a bit like getting on a bike after having not ridden for years only I used to ride a 3 speed and now, I am on a 10 speed mountain bike. 

Chef Ramsay has a campaign to get people cooking from scratch rather than buying all of the pre-packaged food that I have served for years.

We shall see if this turns out to be a huge success or an epic culinary fail!