Seafood Gratin - Not Exactly Kosher

Christmas is not my holiday.
I'm Hanukkah, which we all know is nothing like Christmas.
It just so happens to fall in December, so it became a Christmas-like substitute for all the kids without a tree or stockings or Santa or blinking colored lights.

But I married a Christmas and now I do both holidays every December.
Latkes and brisket one night.
 Sugar cookies and ham the next.
Menorah lighting and light stringing.
Dreidels and advent calendars.
We are a full service family.

So when it comes to Christmas dinner, I am not a traditionalist.
Often, I'm pretty burned out by then - what with the birthday partying and marathon baking.
I don't go for the whole crown roast thing or turkey dinner redux.
The menu goes undecided until the last minute.
My husband came to the rescue this year when he ordered 6 pounds of lobster meat (full retail price: astronomical), 8 pounds of jumbo shrimp and clam chowder from a friend in the seafood biz (just another perk of living in Maine). That's a lot of seafood for a family of five plus mother-in-law.

Bob would have liked to put it all on a plate and have at it with toothpicks.
Not too festive.

Fortunately, the Bonus Baby (at ten years old she's a big fan of Food Network) and I had been watching Barefoot Contessa a few days early. Ina, my idol, made a seafood gratin that looked delicious and pretty uncomplicated. Menu accomplished.

Thanks Ina!
It was amazing. Very flavorful, elegant and not too rich. We also had my new favorite salad.

The pictures do this seafood extravaganza no justice. You'll have to take my word for it. Just wait until I finish my second helping.

You can find the recipe on Food Network's website by clicking here. The recipes on FN are easy to print out.

I made just a few changes...
-instead of individual gratins as Ina suggests, I made one in a shallow casserole dish.
-instead of halibut, I used sea scallops.
-since I forgot to buy heavy cream, I used whole milk. It seemed to make no difference, except in calories.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah!

Granola? Yup, Granola.

Of all the things you'd expect me to make and give as a food gift this year, I'll bet this one never even entered your mind...

Granola.

Sure I could have gone the fudge route.
I certainly have nothing against fudge. In fact, I probably like it a little too much.


I briefly considered - and rejected-  chocolate bark, almond toffee, coffee cakes, peppermint brownies, caramel sauce, chocolate truffles, even homemade marshmallows.
I'm pretty sure any of them would be warmly welcomed by my friends and my kids teachers.

But I went with granola.
You're shaking your head in wonder, aren't you? You thought you knew me.
Well guess what? I really like granola.
(But nowhere nearly as much as I like chocolate. Let's not get ridiculous).
I went to college in Vermont where granola is the state food.

Granola is homey and healthy.
It keeps a long time.
You can package it in all kinds of cute jars and bags.
People are secretly glad for a break from all that sugar.
And the number one reason I made granola...
is because it's wicked easy.
As we say in Maine.

 This recipe is inspired by one that 2 Stews (a beautiful, very delicious blog) posted last spring. After a bit of trial and error (and burnt oats), I find this works well. I'll give you measured amounts, but feel free to ignore them. Use any kinds of nuts you like, and any kind of dried fruit. I added some crystallized ginger because I am a little obsessed with it and I like the zing it adds.

Holiday Granola


4 cups of whole oats

1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

1 cup slivered or chopped almonds

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup maple syrup

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a heavy roasting pan with non-stick foil. Pour all of the ingredients listed above into the pan and mix well.
Roast in oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir well and roast another 10 minutes.
Remove and stir it again. Place back in oven and roast until lightly golden, about another 5-8 minutes, checking often.
The edges tend to burn very quickly so keep an eye on it!

Remove from oven and allow granola to cool.
Mix in 1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit) and 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, diced small.

That's it.
Wicked easy, huh?

Oh Really? Salad?

Aside from the Orange-scented Brownies with Cranberries, Pistachios and Ginger and the Chocolate Macaroon Mountains, believe it or not, the best thing I've eaten in the past two weeks was a salad.
Yes, a salad.

You may think I'm all about chocolate. This blog would certainly give you that impression.
But a girl needs some healthy and lighter foods occasionally.

Salad sounds like summer food doesn't it?
My friend Betsy made this salad for our book group meeting last week (in case you're interested, we discussed The Book Thief) and it's the perfect winter salad, featuring roasted pears and fennel. I've already made it twice since then, and plan on doing it again this weekend, to go with our Hanukkah dinner.
If you have to bring a salad to a potluck in the next couple of weeks, this is the one. Easy and impressive.

Greens with Roasted Fennel, Pears and Parmesan

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 ripe (but not mushy) pears , quartered, cored and thinly sliced
(I used Bosc)

2 large heads endive, trimmed and sliced crosswise

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

4 cups mixed salad greens, or 4 cups arugula

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush a baking sheet with one Tbsp. oil. Add the fennel, toss to coat and spread in an even layer.
Brush a second baking sheet with the remaining oil, add pears and toss to coat evenly. Spread in a single layer. Bake the fennel and pears until tender, about 30 minutes.

Place endive and greens in a large salad bowl. Top with pears and fennel, then shaved Parmesan and pine nuts.

Toss with vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. herbes de Provence

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil. Add herbs and salt and pepper, then whisk again thoroughly.

What's the best thing you ate all week?

Going Coconuts

(I apologize if you are receiving this for the second time. Some weird Blogger glitch...)

This time of year always makes me feel a little crazy.

I don't need to tell you how long the to-do list is. I'm sure yours is a lot like mine.

Shop for family gifts.

Bake.

Drink.

Eat.

Order stuff online for husband's family.

Bake some more.

Visit Santa.

Buy and set up tree.

Make teacher and bus driver gifts.

Struggle to fit into last year's black skirt.

Bake.

Plan and execute birthday party for youngest daughter.

Care for husband having hip replacement surgery.

Design, order, sign, address, mail 100+ holiday cards.

Create and sustain unique and wonderful holiday memories for children.

Decorate home for Christmas.

Decorate home for Hanukkah.

Make latkes.

Bake.

Take deep breaths.

Bake.

Eat. Drink.

In honor of all this nuttiness, I have been on a coconut cookie baking spree.

I know that coconut is not universally loved. But people who love it as I do, really LOVE it.

Plus it fits right in with my preference for all things chewy and chunky.

And, because sometimes it matters, these cookies are gluten-free.

First there was the almond-coconut macaroons. This recipe came from Cooking Light. I added the chocolate dip and drizzle.

Then, the macaroon mountains, aka chocolate coconut macaroons dipped in white chocolate.

I made them for our annual neighborhood cookie swap.

Don't they look like little snow-capped mountain peaks? I thought so.

And they're that perfect combination of a slightly crispy outside and chewy inside.

The recipe is pretty simple. So that's one less thing to drive you nuts.

One thing to think about before you start - the cookie dough needs to freeze before it's baked, so leave yourself enough time for that.

Also, instead of melting the chocolate over a pan of water, you could microwave it in 30 second intervals, being very careful to stir it in between so it doesn't burn.

Chocolate Macaroon Mountains

adapted from The Boston Globe and Clear Flour Bakery

9 1/4 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)

4 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

5 egg whites

8 oz. sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbsps.)

1 Tbsp. vanilla

14 oz. pkg. sweetened, shredded coconut

8 oz. white chocolate (optional)

Combine the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a large metal or glass bowl, or top of a double boiler. Place the bowl over a saucepan of about 1" of barely simmering water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water).

Melt the chocolate, stirring frequently. Remove bowl from over the water and set aside.

In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar and keep beating until the mixture has the consistency of melted marshmallow. Using a firm rubber spatula, mix in the vanilla, melted chocolate and coconut until well combined. The dough will be thick.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or Silpat). Make sure the sheet will fit in your freezer. Using wet hands, form dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. Place on prepared cookie sheet, and repeat until all the dough has been used.*

Freeze the cookies on the sheet.**

Heat the oven to 350. Bake the frozen macaroons for 16-20 minutes, until the outsides have developed a delicate crust and the tops are set. Slide the parchment paper, with macaroons on it, off the cookie sheet and onto a wire rack to cool.

When cookies have cooled completely, they can be dipped, if you'd like.

Melt 8 oz. white chocolate in a shallow bowl. Dip the top of each cookie into the white chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place back on rack, and allow chocolate to dry completely.

* I couldn't possibly fit all those cookie sheets in my freezer, so I ended up placing balls of cookies on plates, and putting those in the freezer. When it was time to bake them, I just transferred them to cookie sheets.

** Once the cookies are frozen, you can store them on the freezer for up to 3 months, in a plastic freezer bag or container.

Thanksgiving Class of 2009 Superlatives

Most Popular

Brussels sprouts! This may come as a surprise to some, but really not a shocker for my family.

When you do brussels sprouts right, and by right I mean with bacon, there's not much that's better.

Last year I cooked them with proscuitto. This year, they were roasted with bacon and maple syrup.

You can find the recipe here.

Most Likely to Succeed

I tried a new green bean semi-casserole dish, supposed to be an update on the classic. I got the recipe here.

Love the concept - fresh green beans and crimini mushrooms, caramelized onions, goat cheese and more. But it just didn't come together quite as I hoped.

So I think with a few tweaks, it could be a big success next year.

Most Improved

I have no tried and true method for turkey. I pick a recipe from the big stack of Thanksgiving magazines. The criteria for my choice is 1. uncomplicated 2. tasty and 3. uncomplicated.

This year, I chose a recipe/method from Fine Cooking, that starts with cooking the bird breast side down for the first hour.

It was a huge improvement over previous years. Definitely easy, moist and very flavorful (for a turkey). And it cooked more quickly than I thought. Would do this again next year for sure.

Most Versatile

Mashed potatoes. Like a 16 year old boy, mashed potatoes can take on many personalities. That's why we assign them to my son. He whips them up in a classic style, with lots of butter, cream, salt and pepper. Thanks Jack!

Most Old School Spirit

My mother's Ritz cracker stuffing. I could make the most gourmet, fabulous stuffing ever and it would still not taste as good as this at Thanksgiving dinner.

Sounds kind of ridiculous, I know, but buttery Ritz crackers really make an awesome stuffing. Plus it's the stuffing I grew up with, so extra points for that.

Most Thanksgiving Spirit

Mmmmmaple-y, buttery, bright orange-y squash. It would scream "Thanksgiving" but the flavor is too subtle and it's certainly too classic to shout out loud.

Yum - and many thanks to my brother-in-law for bringing it.

Cutest Couple

The pumpkin and apple pies made by my husband and daughter.

Most Glamorous

The pear pie with streusel topping made by me. I added some crystallized ginger to the streusel mix, giving it a sophisticated boost. I also changed the dried cherries to dried cranberries. A big hit, and a keeper.

The recipe is also from Fine Cooking.

And one more side dish...

Look for me on mainelovesfood.com!

I's a cool new website that has LOADS of info about all the amazing food and food-related events in the great state of Maine.

My feature is called Maine Loves Food Loves...

I get to research and write about new products and places. Lucky me!

Tablesetting: It's Not Rocket Science

Is there a holiday more centered around the table than Thanksgiving?
I don't think so.

It's the dining room that's center stage on Turkey Day.
Sure, the kitchen is where all the actual work takes place, but the dining room and table is where the audience gathers and the presentation is made.

It's easy to make your table shine in the spotlight.
First of all, the internet is positively loaded with table setting ideas.
Check out Hostess with the Mostess (warning! you could get lost for hours in this site), Country Living and of course Martha Stewart.

If you need even more inspiration, I highly recommend this blog.
Or just take a look at what I did last year.

But let me make this easy for you. Everything you need to make your table look outstanding is already in your home, or at least at your local supermarket.

A neutral colored tablecloth is a good place to start. White, beige, brown, even black makes a good backdrop. If you have a table square or runner to drape over the tablecloth, use it. No table square? I bet you have a large scarf, shawl, or simply a piece of fabric to layer on.

Look around. Do you have a pitcher? A glass vase? A bowl?
Of course you do.
Fill those vessels with nuts in the shells, fresh cranberries, apples, acorns, mini-gourds.
Nestle a candle down in there too.

Now e x p a n d outwards. Surround the centerpiece with other fruit and vegetables. Colorful squash, small pumpkins, Bosc pears, pomegranates, lady apples, clementines.
No need really to think about "matching" colors. It's nature. Everything goes together.

Anything you have that's remotely decorative, or sentimental, can be added. Ceramic or pottery figures, glass balls, artificial berries, you name it. I sometimes put in stuff my kids made in pottery class.

Next layer. Not essential, but does sort of bring it all together. Wind a strand of autumn leaves (mine are fake), a piece of grapevine or some small branches around your arrangement. This will give it more dimension and visual interest.
Add a few more small votives, tucked into any open spaces. Please be careful lighting them near your greenery!

How about place cards?
How about place cards made from mini-pumpkins? Or tiny pears?
No problem!
And remember, if you do the place cards you won't get stuck sitting next to Uncle Howard who makes weird noises when he eats.

There. Looks good, doesn't it?
And I bet it was kind of fun.

Now if your food doesn't all come out at the same time, no one will mind. They'll be busy admiring your table.

Banana Bread and Lots of Stuff

When it comes to food, which do you prefer - smooth or chunky?

I'm not just talking peanut butter.

Do you like chocolate pudding or Rocky Road ice cream better?

A cream-of-whatever soup, or minestrone?

A sugar cookie, or oatmeal chocolate chip?

Place me firmly in the chunky group (no weight jokes please).

I choose the Rockiest Road there is. Or Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.
Or a cookie with just enough cookie dough to hold the the other stuff together.
Creme brulee? Only the top. NY Cheesecake? No thanks.

Smooth is for coffee, vodka and men.
Must. Have. Pieces.

And that's why, when I make banana bread, it has lots of STUFF in it.
If you're more of a smoothie, just leave the pieces out.
That's your right. It's still a very good recipe.
But all the stuff makes it a great one.

Banana Bread with Stuff
adapted from For The Love of Cooking


1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flour (I used half whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 all purpose)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 egg

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

5 Tbsps. plus 1 tsp. vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups of "stuff", any combination - walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, coconut, granola, fresh berries, dried fruit,  crystallized ginger, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a loaf pan or coat with cooking spray.
In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg, mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, a little at a time, alternating with the vanilla yogurt. Start with the flour and end with the flour.

Gently add the mashed banana and vanilla. Add all your "stuff" and combine well, but try not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle a little extra stuff on top if you'd like.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan before removing.

The Best Thing I Ate All Week

Apple streusel cookie, from When Pigs Fly bakery. I'm not sure cookie is descriptive enough here. It's like a combination scone/ muffin top/ apple crisp. A thick round of apple, raisins, nuts, sugar-y topping held together with just enough buttery dough.
That's what I'm talking about!

What's the best thing you ate all week?

But wait, there's more...


For those of you who were asking, here's a picture of the Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake.

And I am sad to report that it did not help our football team one bit this week.

Why I Am Not The Pioneer Woman

Have you heard about the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond?

Of course you have.

She, who went from "spoiled city girl to domestic country wife".

She, who lives on a real ranch in Oklahoma, married to a stud she calls the Marlboro Man and does her own remodeling.

She, who takes fabulous pictures, cooks like a Cordon Bleu cowgirl, homeschools her four kids and blogs about it every single day.

She, who now has her very own cookbook and is currently on book tour for it.

Yeah, that Pioneer Woman.

You know, several years ago, I moved from a swish Massachusetts town to this suburban outpost on the rocky Maine coast.

I traded Bloomingdale's for LL Bean.

Manicures for manure.

Cashmere for polar fleece!

Well, not really.

But I suppose I could have parlayed this story into a successful blog/book/major motion picture.

But I didn't.

Because I could never homeschool my children. For one thing, they're smarter than me. Plus, it would interfere with my tennis time.

And my husband rides a bike wearing spandex, not a horse and chaps.

My dog mostly lies around hoping for peanut butter. She would not know how to herd cattle if her life depended on it.

And because I just don't have that kind of initiative, energy and drive.

Friends, that is what ultimately separates The Pioneer Woman from the rest of us.

As well as this recipe for The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Combine in a mixing bowl:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

Pour 1/2 cup buttermilk into a measuring cup.

Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:

Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely (optional).
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.

Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb, minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Wait until cool, then cut into squares.

I made this cake for our kick-ass football team last week. I will make it again this week as they head into the Western Class C Championship game.
The boys ate it all before I could snap even one photo.
You'll just have to trust me when I say it really was The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake ever.

It's Not Over 'Til the Candy's All Gone

Halloween candy hangover?

Sick of Snickers and tired of Twix? Wallowing in Whoppers?

You could throw it out. That would be the responsible thing to do.

But here at Mignardise, we rarely (if ever) do the right thing when it comes to chocolate.

In fact, we boosted our Halloween haul in the best way possible.

We baked it into brownies.

Use the Katherine Hepburn Brownie recipe I posted last April. It's the easiest and best brownie recipe ever, if you like them fudgy.

Chop up as many different kinds of candy from your kid's bag as you like. I suggest staying away from things like Starburst or Sour Patch Kids. We used Reese's, a KitKat, M & Ms, a Hershey's bar and Whoppers. Mix them into the brownie batter before baking.

As you pour them into the pan, tell yourself that you'll give them away to a neighbor. What good intentions you have!

Then you remember your neighbor is gluten-free.

You could take them to the pre-football game dinner.

But is all that chocolate really good for finely-tuned athletes on the eve of a big game?

I guess you'll just have to eat them yourself...

The Best Thing I Ate All Week

Do you remember when I said this would be a new weekly feature?

I may be a little slow off the mark, but here's the first.

"Sesame Macadamia Caramel Nut Tart with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream, Housemade Hot Fudge and Rum Caramel Bananas" from Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass., "shared" with my friend Beth.

Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.

I would love to show you a picture but I was too busy eating to take one.

What's the best thing you ate all week? Please comment!

A Weirdly Addictive Appetizer

I remember my first ever book group meeting, almost twenty years ago.

We were new to town and, appropriately, had joined the Newcomers Club. The notice came announcing that the Newcomers Book Group would be reading Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns.

It’s not a book I would have read on my own, but isn’t that the point of being in a book group?

I bought the book, read it and showed up at a stranger’s house, not quite sure what to expect.

What I got was a group of women who loved reading as much as I did. A glass of wine. Some good food.

Who could ask for more?

We stayed together long after we were kicked out of Newcomers (they figured we’d been town residents long enough). We enjoyed monthly meetings discussing everything from fiction to families, poetry to politics and more personal topics. There were babies born, houses built, illnesses and celebrations of recovery. There was also the occasional member who moved away.

After twelve years, that member was me.

I’m part of another book group now, and I look forward to meetings. Because now it’s not just snacks and drinks, but a full dinner. This sounds like a lot of work, and it can be.

Or not.

It’s a special treat just to go to dinner at someone else’s house. So whatever is offered is appreciated and feels like a warm welcome.

We had book group at my house this past week. We discussed What is the What by Dave Eggers.

I made a green salad with pears and spiced pecans, maple roasted salmon and a warm quinoa salad with roasted squash and onions.

I also made an appetizer that we used to enjoy often at my “other” book group (thanks Rosemary!). It’s a funny combination of flavors - something you taste and think “ hmmmm...what is that”.

So you take another taste. And then another. It’s weirdly addictive.

You can make this in a small (7”) springform pan, if you have one. If not, it will taste just as good piled into a small bowl.

Hot Pepper Jelly Cheesecake

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup hot pepper jelly, any flavor (I used blueberry/pepper)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 1/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Spray the bottom and sides of springform pan with cooking spray (unless of course you aren’t using one).

Put cream cheese, 1/2 cup pepper jelly, garlic, cilantro and cheddar in food processor. Blend until well combined.

Spread mixture in prepared pan. Top with remaining pepper jelly, then sprinkle with pine nuts.

Cover and refrigerate at least two hours.

To serve, remove sides of springform pan and place cheesecake on serving dish.

And the Winner is...

Thanks so much to everyone for your comments on my blog-iversary post. I LOVE hearing from readers.

Monique, I hope you'll let us know what the best thing you ate all week was.

Linda at Lime in the Coconut, glad you like the cherry tomato sauce. And yes, the Curry Coconut Chicken Soup does have lime too.

Farmgirl Cyn, lucky you! Send me an email with your address and I'll send out a Mignardise apron to you. It pays to comment!

Susan at SGCC, thanks for the good wishes. I love your blog.

Dragana, thanks so much for your support. It's a great feeling to get to that one year mark.

Linda, so nice to hear from you!

Anonymous, whoever you are (Greg?) thanks for joining in.

Food With Style (Jain), your continued support means a lot to me. Your photos and humor are always inspiring.

Jennifer, I hope you'll continue to read along. Thanks for commenting.

Anita, my old friend, don't be too impressed with the neatness of my desk. It's new so I haven't had a chance to clutter it up yet. Give it a week.

Greetings and gratitude also to Sharon, Stephanie, Judith, Holly, Laura, Jayne, Lo, Dawn, Marla, Kellypea and Angie.

I'm looking forward to another year, new friends and LOTS of commenting.

The Icing on the Cake

I promised you cake, didn't I?

Conveniently, Bob's birthday is the same as my blog-iversay, so I made him a cake which also secretly serves as the Mignardise celebration cake.

Oh what a cake it was!

And I say "was" because there's not a crumb left. We (four of us) ate that cake, slice by slice, then sliver by sliver, until there was nothing left.

I've made this cake many times before, but for some reason it tasted even better this time. Or maybe I just forgot how good it is.

Or it could have been the frosting, which was new to me, but an old family favorite of Bob's.

Or maybe the fact that is was a double celebration cake.

Whatever.

It's so moist, dark, rich and chocolate-y without being too sweet. And not at all complicated.

It comes from one of my all-time favorite bakeries, Rosie's.

Judy Rosenberg had to go ahead and write a cookbook so that we could have her deliciousness any time we want in the privacy of our own homes.

Note that some of the ingredients say "room temperature". I used to dismiss this advice because I could never remember to take them out of the fridge in time. But after reading this article, I have seen the error of my ways and I am now reformed. It really does make a difference.
Also, even though there's coffee in the cake, you won't taste it. It just makes the chocolate richer.

Rosie's Famous Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

(sift first, then measure)

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup hot, strong brewed coffee

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 345 degrees. Lightly grease two 8" layer cake pans with butter or cooking spray for baking. Or line with parchment circles.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water, then turn off the heat.

Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, blend the hot coffee, sour cream and vegetable oil with a whisk.

With the mixer on low speed, add the coffee mixture in a stream to the dry ingredients and mix until blended, about 35 seconds. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium-low speed after each addition until smooth, about 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl each time. Add the chocolate and mix until the batter is uniform in color, about 10 seconds more.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Tap each one gently on the counter to remove air bubbles. Place on the center rack of the oven.

Bake until the cake springs back to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-38 minutes. Do not wait for a crust to form.

Cool the layers in the pans on a rack before removing.

Penuche Icing

Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in a medium sauce pan.

Add 1 cup brown sugar and boil over low heat for 2 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup whole milk and bring to a boil again.

Remove from the heat and add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp.vanilla.

Add more milk as necessary to make a the right consistency for spreading.

It's My Blog-iversary!

Hey friends - it was a year ago this week that I embarked on the little adventure I call Mignardise. Time sure flies when you're having fun.

So what have I accomplished here? Let's take a look...

87 posts

To my great surprise, 24 of them were savory recipes and 21 were for sweets. Ha! I could have sworn I was heavy on the cakes and brownies, but I guess not. I might have to make that up to you.

What was your favorite?

My top three picks are Love and Pancakes, Birthday Sushi with Cake and Ode to Ina.

But the posts that generated the most comments were Celebrating World Nutella Day, Just a Bite and the recent Cinnamon Apple Cake.

98 subscribers

Thanks to each and every one of you. I truly appreciate the support and the faith you have in me.

What about the rest of you? Reminder - it's free! Just put your email in the box on the right. You will get a confirmation from Feedburner in your email. Click "confirm" and Mignardise will appear in your inbox whenever there's a new post. That's all there is to it. Please don't make me beg.


What I've used (approximately)
160 sticks of butter
12 pounds of sugar
5 pounds of chocolate (seems low, doesn't it? Maybe it was more.)


What I've gained
6 pounds (give or take)

Favorite photo

I am still firmly in the amateur category when it comes to food photography. I wish I was better at it and some day I will be. Just not now. Too busy cooking, eating, writing. Oh yeah, and my kids.
There are many blogs out there that have absolutely gorgeous food photos. Check out Food With Style for a taste of them.

I do have one photo of mine I love. Take a look at it here.

The Best Thing I Made All Year
Savory: Coconut Curry Chicken Soup, better than my grandma's chicken soup. But then again she wasn't Asian.
Sweet: Gianduja Straciatella Gelato, the winner, hands down.

The Best Thing I Ate All Week
This is the title of a new feature I'm introducing. It'll probably be on Sundays or Mondays, and it's exactly what it says. It may be something I made. Or not.

You're invited to join in too. Leave a comment telling us the best thing YOU ate all week. I really do want to know.

What's In It for You
I had these lovely Mignardise aprons custom-made just so I can give them away. To be eligible to win, all you have to do is leave a comment of any sort (except nasty) in the comments section of this post by the end of the day Monday, October 19. If you're not sure how to do that, read this.
A winner will be chosen at random. If you don't win this time, don't worry. There'll be more giveaways in the coming year.

Goals
 To connect with you who love good food and appreciate a good story.
To get you to try something new that my family and I love.
To make some new friends, even though we may never meet.
To challenge myself in the kitchen for your sake.
To make you smile.

How am I doing so far?

Like a Pie, But Not a Pie

My daughter has a friend who goes around saying "Hi, I like pie."
Well, who doesn't?

Pie is as all-American as it gets. It's moms in aprons, screen doors slamming and front porches. Pie is like Bruce Springsteen, baseball and the Fourth of July all mixed together then finished off with a heaping scoop of Thanksgiving.

Is there pie in France?
Tartes, oui. Pies, non.


And Italy? No pie.
But there is crostada. And I have to admit to a real fondness for crostada.
It's a little like pie in that there's a crust and a fruit filling.
But it's also a little like a dolce pizza, so it can be sliced into wedges and eaten by hand. Plus this crostada has an apple crisp-like topping.

What's not to like about that?

And aside from letting the dough chill in the fridge, it's very quick and simple to make. I think it's less of a time investment than pie, but the taste is certainly no compromise.

Apple Maple Crostada, adapted from Barefoot Contessa


Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsps. granulated or superfine sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 lb. (one stick) very cold, unsalted butter, diced

2 Tbsps. ice water

Filling:
3 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into large dice
(I use a mix of Golden Delicious, McIntosh and whatever else there is at the market. Try not to use just McIntosh, as they'll get too mushy.)

2 Tbsps. pure maple syrup

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. each ground cinnamon and allspice

4 Tbsps. (1/2 stick) butter

For the crust, place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12-15 more times, or until the butter is pea-sized. Then with the motor running, add the ice water all at once. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop just before the dough becomes one solid ball. Remove from food processor and place on a well-floured surface. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Flour a rolling pin and either a large cutting board or your countertop. Roll dough into a large circle (or some semblance of a round shape) and transfer to a lined baking sheet.

Toss apple pieces with maple syrup and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Cover the dough with apple pieces, leaving a 1 1/2" border all around.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and allspice in a small bowl. Add the butter and with your hands, rub all ingredients until they start to stick together. Sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the apples. Gently fold the the pastry border up and over the apples, enclosing them around the edges, pleating and folding as necessary.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender. Allow to cool before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.

Coming later this week...the blog-iversary with giveaway. Stay tuned!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce - It's Not Too Late

Quick!
As fast as you can, get to a farmer's market and buy up the last of the Sungold cherry tomatoes. And don't bother being polite by leaving some for anyone else (unless it's me).

You MUST make this sauce.
And if it's too late in the season - oops, my bad - save the recipe and make it next year.

The nice lady at the stand I frequent asked me what I was going to do with the 4 pints of Sungolds I bought. Aside from snacking on them for the candy-sweet goodness they possess, I make this sauce.
I serve it on pasta, but it would also be awesome as a kind of bruschetta on grilled bread.

It's not really even a recipe. No measuring or precise timing. Do it.
Now.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Several pints cherry tomatoes, preferably Sungold (but any will work)

2-3 cloves chopped garlic

olive oil

dried breadcrumbs or panko

grated Parmesan cheese

fresh basil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place tomatoes and chopped garlic, in one layer, on a rimmed baking sheet.
Sprinkle generously with olive oil, using about 2 tablespoons. Roll tomatoes around so they are thoroughly covered with oil.
Put in the oven and bake about 10 minutes.

When tomatoes start to burst, remove from oven. Add about 1/2  to 3/4 cup bread crumbs or panko (depending on how many tomatoes you have) and about 1/2 cup cup Parmesan. Mix well.

Put pan back in the oven. Cook about 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven. If sauce looks very soupy, add a bit more bread crumbs and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

When all the tomatoes have burst and they look thickened and slightly colored, remove from oven. Stir in some chopped fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.


I often make this and freeze for later in the fall or winter, when good tomatoes are just a tasty memory.

A Celebration and What's for Dinner Tonight

In two weeks, it will be the blog-iversary of Mignardise.
What? You never heard that word before?

It means I'll have been writing this lovely little blog for a whole year.
What should we do to celebrate?
I have a few ideas...

Subscribe and/or become a follower!
My goal is to have at least 100 subscribers by October 14. Help me, if you haven't already. Put your email address in the little box to the right and you'll receive all Mignardise posts in your email. No obligation, no cost. And again, many thanks to you who have already made my day.

Make a comment and win!
I'll be having a giveaway of something special. I can't tell you what it is yet. But stay tuned. In order to be eligible, you'll have to leave a comment. You could practice by leaving one on this post.

New features!
Be on the lookout for a couple of new weekly features, including one you can participate in too.

Cake!
What's a blog-iversary without cake? Haven't decided on which one, but I promise to challenge myself in the baking department. This shouldn't be too hard.

While you wait for the big day, here's a recipe you've got to try. I've made it twice and both times I've been amazed at not only how easy it is, but how good. It's  been a big hit with the kids, but it's nice enough for company.

Chinese Glazed Pork Tenderloin
adapted from Cook's Country


Serves 4-6


2 pork tenderloins, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. total

1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

salt and pepper

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup dry sherry

3 Tbsps. Hoisin sauce (find it in the Asian section)

2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Pat pork tenderloins dry with paper towels. Season with five-spice powder, salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke. Cook tenderloins until well-browned all over, 5-7 minutes.

Whisk together water, ketchup, sherry, hoisin, sugar and ginger in a medium bowl. When pork is browned, reduce heat to medium and add sauce mixture. Cover and cook, rolling tenderloins occasionally, until meat registers 145 degrees, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes.

Simmer sauce and any accumulated pork juices until thickened, about 3 minutes. Slice pork and transfer to a serving platter. Pour sauce over pork and serve.

School Lunch Ain't What It Used to Be

I joined my 4th grader for lunch at the elementary school, one day last week. The school lunch menu said it was "Maine Local Harvest Week" and on the schedule that day was "School Garden Pasta". 
How could I resist?

What was served was nothing like the school lunches I received as a child. And I mean that in the most positive way.


We had whole wheat penne with a sauce of tomatoes, celery, peppers, onions and white beans. While I found it a bit bland (nothing some fresh basil and oregano couldn't fix), I can't argue with its wholesomeness and kid-appeal.

What I really loved was the salad bar. Freshly picked lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots. Topped off with an edible flower!

Did you ever get that in your school cafeteria?
Me neither.
Most of the kids were open to taking a little nibble, just for the novelty of it. They found it surprisingly spicy. Few asked for seconds.
So what? It's all about the exposure to new foods that can be found in their own backyard.

Literally.
 The vegetables all came from the Yarmouth School Garden, a 60' x 100' plot behind the elementary school. The garden grows organic produce for use in the Yarmouth school system's nutrition program.
Now in it's second year, the garden is a community project that not only feeds the school kids but also provides valuable lessons in nutrition, biology and the environment. High schoolers volunteer their time and receive community service credit.

Other meals throughout the week included Wolfe's Neck Farm hamburgers and pesto crostini.

What's next? Lobster rolls?

Maybe.

Maine Harvest Week hopes to promote relationships not only with farmers, but with the fishermen who are an important part of the community.

Dessert that day was a delicious, fresh blueberry crisp.

I have a feeling if the Nutrition Program keeps this up, they'll have to start taking lunch reservations from parents.