Smitten Kitchen: Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

I think I have a relatively unhealthy love of mushrooms.  I swear, I could eat them every day and not get sick of them.  There's something about the way they soak up all the delicious goodness of whatever you cook them in that just makes them a delight on the tongue.  Especially when that goodness is butter and garlic.  Heck, I might start putting butterandgarlic up there with bacon in making everything taste better.

I saw this recipe quite a while ago, and to this day I'm not entirely sure why I didn't make it IMMEDIATELY.  I must have been confused at the time.  Because this recipe makes a batch of mushrooms that make you want to lick your fingers and keep going back for more until you realize you ate the whole dang dish yourself.  I didn't have capers in my refrigerator, and I didn't miss them.

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen blog, as seen on Gourmet.com

1 pound mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

⅛ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, salt, and several grinds of pepper in a 1½- to 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the juices.

Makes 4 servings

Allrecipes: Chicken Divan

I was always that weird kid in school who didn't mind when they pulled out the tray of broccoli at lunch in the cafeteria.  I even requested it from among many choices.  And my friends would watch me eat, almost fascinated by the fact that I was doing it voluntarily.  Hey, I liked my veggies, what can I say.  And I still like almost anything made with broccoli.  Anything savory.  Broccoli and chocolate are probably a no-no.

My mom only made chicken divan once that I can remember, but I really liked it.  (Wait a minute...why did this only make one appearance in my childhood if I liked it??)  I'm not normally one for a can of cream of mushroom soup, but I just haven't found a perfect replacement for that umami MSG deliciousness, even though I know it's probably slowly growing a tumor somewhere in my body.  Plus, it's fast.  And since I just want to crawl in bed when I get home from work lately, I'm all about fast.

Chicken Divan
Loosely adapted from Allrecipes

½ rotisserie chicken, bones and skin discarded, meat kept in bite-sized chunks
1½ cups frozen chopped broccoli
1 (10¾-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
⅓ cup milk
Dash of garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cook the frozen broccoli according to package directions.  Place the cooked broccoli in the bottom of a casserole dish or 9-inch pie dish.  Top with the chicken.  In a bowl, mix together the canned soup, milk, garlic powder, and Tabasco sauce.  Pour the mixture over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese, then with the crackers.

Bake until bubbly and brown, about 25 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings

Gourmet: Barbecued Country-Style Ribs

My mom used to make baked country-style ribs throughout my childhood, and while I liked the idea, they never seemed to turn out very tender.  I was practically fighting off my sisters for the tender, fatty bits.  For a long time I just figured that country-style ribs were tough and unpleasant.  Guess what?  I'm wrong.

I came across this recipe while cruising the internet and discovered where we had all gone wrong.  That naughty plaid cookbook (not to name names) did not provide a long enough cooking time to get the ribs all the way to tender.  These things take hours.  But they are worth it.  Definitely.

Barbecued Country-Style Ribs
Loosely adapted from Gourmet magazine, December 2005

3 pounds well-marbled boneless country-style ribs
3 teaspoons sea salt
20 black peppercorns
1 large red onion, halved through the root and sliced into half moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups Sweet Baby Ray’s original barbecue sauce
Orange zest, for serving (optional)

In a large pot, put the ribs and cover with water until it is 2 inches above the top of the meat. Sprinkle in the salt and peppercorns. Bring the water to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, spooning scum from the top of the water. Do not boil! Remove the ribs from the water with tongs and rest the meat on paper towels to dry.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan, spread the red onion slices and sprinkle with garlic bits. Place rib pieces on top of the onions, trying to keep the ribs from touching. Pour 2 cups of barbecue sauce over the ribs and spread evenly using the back of a spoon. Cover with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours. Remove foil, cover ribs with remaining barbecue sauce, and bake for another 30 minutes. Sprinkle with orange zest, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Garnish with Lemon: Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)

So I had one lonely corncob left in my refrigerator.  And it seemed a shame to throw away the last corn I would probably have until next summer.  But what do you make with one ear of corn?  I wanted it to be special, not just boiled.  Then, since I'm on a Mexican kick lately, I thought of the corn they serve on the streets.  Roasted and slathered with mayonnaise and cheese.  Perfect.

I used my grill pan to sear the corn since I didn't want to get out my charcoal grill for one ear of corn.  It seemed to work pretty well, but I didn't get as nice of grill marks.  Surprise, surprise.  I also hadn't planned ahead and bought cotija cheese, so I subbed with the Parmesan.  It still turned out tasty and pleasing, and I will definitely be trying this again the next time I see some decent corn.

Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)
Adapted from Garnish with Lemon blog

4 ears corn, silks and husks removed

Grapeseed or olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup mayonnaise

⅓ to ½ cup grated cotija, queso fresco, or Parmesan cheese

Cayenne pepper to taste

Handful cilantro, chopped

4 lime wedges

Rub corn with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on preheated grill or grill pan and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or to desired degree of doneness, turning occasionally. Spread each ear of corn with mayonnaise, then sprinkle with cotija cheese, cayenne pepper, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and squeeze lime juice over corn just before eating.

Fine Cooking: Torte de Tres Leches con Café (Coffee Infused Three Milks Cake)

I needed a dessert for a Mexican themed lunch.  Sopapillas?  No way to fry them up at the right time.  Churros?  Same problem.  Flan?  To delicate and eggy.  This was becoming too much of a pain.  But then I realized that I could make a tres leches cake ahead of time and save the day.

I made the cake the night before and let it soak in its syrup in the refrigerator.  The next morning I whipped up the cream and spread it on top.  The decorations were added right before serving, and the cake spent its time almost exclusively in the refrigerator so it wouldn't melt.  It turned out rich and creamy, almost like tiramisu in flavor.  For a plain vanilla cake, just leave out the espresso.

Torte de Tres Leches con Café (Coffee Infused Three Milks Cake)
Adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, June/July 2012

For the cake:
Unsalted butter, softened, for the pan
1 cup (4½ ounces) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons kosher salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup whole milk
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the soaking liquid:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
½ cup heavy cream

½ cup fresh brewed espresso, cooled
Pinch kosher salt

For the topping:
2½ cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Shaved chocolate, raspberries, and mint for serving

Bake the cake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch Pyrex baking dish or a nonreactive metal pan. Line the bottom of the baking dish or pan with parchment and lightly butter the parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the yolks with ¾ cup of the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined, 1 minute more.

Clean and dry the beaters and then beat the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until they reach soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar in a stream, continuing to beat on high, until you reach firm but not dry peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more. Whisk a third of the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in a third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and egg whites, alternately, in two more batches each, until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish or pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely.

Return the cake to the baking dish or pan (the cake will soak up more of the liquid if returned to the pan it was baked in), or invert it onto a rimmed platter.

Soak the cake:

In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, espresso, and salt until the condensed milk is well blended.

With a toothpick, prick the cake to the bottom in ½-inch intervals. Pour the soaking liquid slowly over the cake, starting at the edges and pausing to let it soak in before adding more. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Top the cake:

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium speed. When it begins to thicken, slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat just until it holds firm peaks, 3 to 4 minutes (be careful not to overbeat). Spread the whipped cream all over the top of the cake.  Decorate with shaved chocolate, raspberries, and mint, if desired.  Serve.

You can soak the cake in the milk mixture up to a day ahead and top it up to 2 hours ahead.

Saveur: Hawaiian Cabbage Salad

I had this salad for the first time years ago at a potluck at my office.  At first I was a bit suspicious.  I mean, ramen noodles are an ingredient.  Only recently did I figure out that this salad is actually a thing in Hawaii.  I guess that makes sense.  I mean, they also idolize Spam.

This is a perfect winter salad, since cabbage pretty much never goes out of season.  The almonds and ramen and breadsticks give a nice crunch, and the black sesame seeds make it interesting.  This doesn't last long though, so make sure you add the dressing right before you serve it.  And if you think you might not need it all, hold half back and only use half of the dressing.  I promise, it can get slimy the next day.

Hawaiian Cabbage Salad
Adapted from Saveur magazine, July 2011

1 large head green cabbage, shredded

8 green onions, white and green parts, sliced thin

1 (2-ounce) package slivered almonds

1 (4.4-ounce) package Alessi sesame breadsticks, crushed

1 (3.5-ounce) package chicken flavored ramen

3 teaspoons black sesame seeds

Salad Dressing

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.  Pour dressing over salad and mix just before serving.

Salad Dressing

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup sesame oil

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon Accent powder

¼ cup mirin

¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Seasoning packet from chicken flavored ramen

Whisk all ingredients together.

Family Circle: Mini Crab Cakes with Dijon Sauce

My mom has had a container of crab in her refrigerator for a while, and almost every time I call her, she asks what should be done with it.  Finally I told her that I would come over and make crab cakes (and eat them of course) since that seemed to be what she was implying.

These babies make for a pretty delicious dinner.  Unless you're my dad who hates crab.  Then you get a steak, and my mother claims part of it so that she can have surf and turf.  I can't wait to get married if this is how it works.

Mini Crab Cakes with Dijon Sauce

Crab cakes adapted from Family Circle magazine

1 (6- to 8-ounce) package fresh lump crabmeat

1 large egg, slightly beaten

6 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion (green part only)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¾ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Dijon Sauce

In a medium mixing bowl, combine egg, 4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, carrot, celery, onion, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and hot pepper sauce.  Gently stir in crabmeat, just until combined.  With wet hands, gently shape mixture into small patties, a little over an inch in diameter.  Place remaining crumbs in a shallow dish and coat both sides of the patties with crumbs.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add crab cakes.  Cook about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and heated through.  Serve immediately with lemon wedges and Dijon Sauce.

Makes 12 patties

Dijon Sauce

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper

Whisk together all ingredients and serve with crab cakes.

Martha Stewart: Spinach Pie

Ah, spanakopita.  Such a delicious nectar of the gods.  And such a pain in the rear to make.  I mean, seriously, who has the time to fold all of that phyllo dough into perfect little triangles??  Well, maybe I could, but I much prefer this incarnation.

More of a casserole than a pie, this is a great dish for a potluck (which is where this one went), especially if you fear that there may be a lack of vegetables.  This way everyone gets their greens and they actually taste good.

Spinach Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart

¼ cup (½ stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
½ pound feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried dill
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 ounces frozen phyllo sheets, thawed and thinly sliced

Make the filling:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until garlic is tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in spinach, feta, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, dill, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Fold in eggs until combined.

Pour mixture into a 9-inch springform pan; press firmly to flatten.

Make the topping:

Melt remaining ¼ cup butter in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, gently toss sliced phyllo to separate, then toss with melted butter until coated.

Cover the top of the pie evenly and completely with the topping. (To freeze, cover pie tightly with plastic wrap, being careful not to flatten topping. Bake within 3 months; do not thaw first.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake until heated through and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes for frozen pie (30 minutes for unfrozen pie).

Closet Cooking: Jalapeño Popper Corn Fritters

You won't believe this, but I actually found some corn at the grocery store, and it wasn't gross.  I'm not sure where these beautiful cobs came from, but God bless that farmer.  Who knew you could get produce like this in October.  I really hope I didn't just buy something from Peru...

I pinned this recipe a while ago, and I drool over it every time I flip through my pins.  It just looks so...delicious.  So I used my beautiful corn to make these fritters.  Not quite as spicy as I thought, so play with the jalapeño.  After all, every jalapeño has a different spice level.  And the original recipe said bacon was optional.  Bacon is never optional.

Jalapeño Popper Corn Fritters
Adapted from Closet Cooking blog

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
½ cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, diced
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coriander, toasted and ground
2 green onions, sliced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
2 tablespoons oil
½ cup Jalapeño Popper Dressing

Mix the corn, flour, egg, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, jalapeños, bacon, paprika, coriander, green onion, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, form into ¼-cup patties, and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.

Serve with jalapeño popper dressing.

Makes 4 servings

Jalapeño Popper Dressing

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup fresh diced jalapeños
1 clove garlic
1 green onion
1 tablespoon cilantro
2 tablespoons bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Puree everything in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Chow.com: Best Eggnog

I know it's early to be talking about eggnog.  I know, I know.  But the thing is, THIS is the time to make the eggnog so that it's beautiful and mellowed by the time you're drinking it at Christmas.  Same sort of thing with fruitcake.  All those beautiful things you eat at the end of the year have to be made ready months ahead of time so that they have the chance to age properly.  So get yourself a good bottle of bourbon, whip some of this lovely stuff up, and leave it in the back of your fridge until Christmas.  Don't poke it, pull it out, or anything.  Leave it alone.  It will be waiting for you when the fire is crackling and the Christmas music is playing.

Note:  This is some strong booze.  Some really, really strong booze.  And you can let it age in your fridge for a year.  Or two, if it lasts that long.  Just be careful when you finally sample it, because it may knock you on your rear.

Best Eggnog
From chow.com

For the eggnog:
12 large eggs yolks (reserve the whites)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 to 4 cups bourbon
1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup Cognac or brandy
½ cup Myers’s dark rum
Pinch fine salt

To serve:
12 reserved egg whites
1½ cups cold heavy cream
Ice (optional)
Freshly grated nutmeg

For the eggnog:
Place the reserved egg whites in a very clean and airtight container and freeze until the eggnog is ready to serve. Combine the yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until well blended and creamy. Add the the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 1-gallon glass jar and tightly seal the lid. (Alternatively, you can bottle it.) Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 week and up to 3 weeks.

To serve:
The night before serving, place the frozen egg whites in the refrigerator to thaw. When ready to serve, let the egg whites come to room temperature. Place the egg whites in the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a large punch bowl. Place the cream in the stand mixer bowl (no need to wash the bowl) and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to the punch bowl. Stir the eggnog base with a rubber spatula to re-combine, then add it to the punch bowl. Gently whisk the eggnog together until just combined and no large pockets of whites or cream remain (do not overwhisk or you’ll deflate the eggnog). Serve in punch cups over ice, if desired, and garnished with grated nutmeg.

Makes 16 servings