Archives for November 2007
Circles of heaven
These toffees from Nilda’s Chocolates win the prize for absolute perfection in the category of chocolatey sweetness. Do you love toffee? I do so, so, so much. A perfect toffee resists, just ever so slightly, when your teeth crash into it. Then it crumbles into shards of buttery sweetness. Nilda’s toffee is just right…not too hard, not too crumbly, and let me tell you, she is not stingy with the chocolate…unh uh…those babies are robust with chocolate.
So on this, the eve, of the eve, of the Thanksgiving holiday, let me suggest that you stop by Nilda’s before you leave town and pick up a dozen (or two) toffees. When you arrive at your destination simply open the box and relax. You’ve done your part, plus you purchased locally, and you’ve provided a gluten-free treat on a day awash in gluten.
For those of you not living in Madison…get on over to your local chocolatier and pick out some goodies…you can never go wrong with chocolate.
Weekend herb blog No. 109 - recap
I can’t believe all the good food that my fellow herb bloggers made this past week…you’re a busy group. This was a tough job because every time I sat down to work on the recap I got hungry.
Basil
- Marinated baby bocconci with proscuito from Pam’s blog The Backyard Pizzeria
- Roasted Tomato Soup with Ground Beef, Sausage, Garbanzos, Macaroni, and Basil from Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen (creator and Queen of WHB)
- Seared Scallops over Baby Greens & Apple Cider Vinaigrette from Ruth at Once Upon A Feast
- Penang gai from Kevin’s Closet Cooking
Pam’s offering would make a great appetizer for thanksgiving, Kalyn’s cooking is so healthy yet totally tasty looking, Ruth’s luscious looking greens are accenting some perfect scallops, and Kevin’s thai curry looks delicate but I bet it packs a punch.
Bay
- Tomato, Chorizo and Chickpea Stew from Y at Lemonpi
- Chicken etouffee from me here at What Geeks Eat
Y’s bay is fresh and homegrown, while mine is dried.
Beets
- Spicy beets and peas curry from Kalva at Curry in Kadai
- Roasted Beets with Celery Root Skordalia from Laurie at Tastes Like Home
Kalva claims you can’t beet (and she’s funny too) her recipe and Laurie’s recipe for skordalia made from celery root sounds intriguing.
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots from Sarah at Cucina Bella
- Chinese cabbage salad from Gretchen at Canela & Comino
- Minestrone from Kate at Thyme for cooking
- Orecchiette With Rapini and Crispy Bread Crumbs from Peter at Kalofagas - Pursuit of Delicious Foods
Sarah featured tiny little cabbages enhanced by bacon and shallots, Gretchen taught me about sacha inchi oil which is very high in omega 3, Kate revealed she can’t help herself…she’s compelled tomake huge pots of soup (so am I!), and Peter made my favorite kind of food…quick, easy, inexpensive but luxurious in taste and texture, and healthy.
Chestnuts
- Herbed Chestnut Dressing or Stuffing from Eva at The Chocolate Lady
- Roasted chestnuts from Genie at The Inadvertent Gardener
Eva gives us a timely dressing recipe and Genie gives us the lowdown on chestnuts and roasting them.
Chive, dill, onion, spinach and green chili
- Chive bread from Jennifer at Like To Cook
- Cipolline Borettane con Prosciutto and Aceto Balsamico from Haalo at Cook Almost Anything
- Celery roots in olive oil from Isil at Veggie Way
- Spinach, cheese and walnut baked risotto from Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen
- Pork and chili stirfry from Gay at A Scientist In The Kitchen
Jennifer has a great idea to add fresh herbs to bread…something I never remember to do, Haalo shows off some perfect little dense onions with proscuitto and balsamic, Isil uses dill as a subtle yet perfect accent to the celery root flavor, Patricia give us a rich risotto that is actually baked thus making it so much easier, and Gay gives us pork and chilis…what’s not to love.
Oregano
- Stuffed mushrooms from Elizabeth’s Blog From Our Kitchen
- Chicken-Apple Franks With Tomato Relish from Sher at What Did You Eat
- Halibut with White Wine and Oregano from Katerina’s Daily Unadventures In Blogging
Elizabeth’s tidy and versatile stuffed mushrooms will make a great starter to the Thanksgiving feast, Sher came up with the perfect lunch from a chore of cleaning her freezer, and Katerina’s delicate white fish is accented with the vibrant flavor of fresh oregano.
Porcini, prunes, and pumpkin
- Porcinis on toast from Anna’s blog Anna’s Cool Finds
- Roast pork with apples and prunes from Anna’s Morsels & Musings
- Pumpkin curry from Manisha’s Indian Food Rocks
Anna’s porcinis are simple, rich, and I envy her bountiful cache of fungi, the other Anna’s offering is a perfect pairing of pork with prunes and apples, and Manisha gives us pumpkin potato curry with spices guaranteed to warm you right up.
Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme
- Rosemary lamb with sweet potatoes from Windy at Windy’s Food Corner
- Chorizo and Squash Soup from Annemarie at Ambrosia and Nectar
- Vegan Sage Chili from Katrina at Cabbage and Kings
- Tourtiere (Meat Pie) from Mike at Mike’s Table
- Maple and black pepper chicken from Andrea at Andrea’s Recipes
- Roasted Chicken with Mediterranean Vegetables from Pam at Sidewalk Shoes
Windy’s roasted lamb is enticing and heart, Annemarie gives us an recipe for squash soup that wakes up the palate, Katrina’s chili is sure to warm, Mike’s meat pie…oh heavens, what a treat, Andrea’s pan sauce flavored with shallots and thyme puts her chicken over-the-top, and Pam’s chicken is a natural with that thyme.
Vanilla
Wicked way cocktail from Gwen at Intoxicated Zodiac…Gwen provides a much needed drinkipoo for all my hard blogging work.
Uncategorized
- Jennifer at A Lifetime of Cooking gave me so much information I couldn’t categorize her post…way to go Jennifer! I too adore Elizabeth David’s books.
- Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook gives us her Swedish Stuffed Potatoes and they look interesting.
- Jerry’s Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Cornmeal Encrusted Shrimp also deserves a peek.
That’s it folks…thanks to Kalyn for creating and nurturing this event and to all the participants…now I need that drink. The host for November 19 - November 25 WHB #110 is Truffle from What’s on My Plate. Send your entries to roshena (at) gmail (dot) com
Grilled chocolate sandwiches
I love chocolate combined with bread. Pain au chocolat, chocolate chip bagels, toast with nutella…all have the soulful bread texture combined with the dark splendor of chocolate. A good pain au chocolat will have a chocolate center that is still warm and pliable…but how often do you find one of those? Usually the whole thing is stone cold and the chocolate is hard as a rock. If I had the time and the will power I could bring it home and gently warm it in the toaster oven. But let’s face it…that has never, ever, happened. For my money a good chocolate chip bagel is a delight. I love the crunchy chocolate chips offset by the chewiness of the bagel, plus the bagel’s robust breadiness really does play quite nicely with the chocolate chips.
When I made my first brioche for World Bread Day I knew it wouldn’t be my last. Over the past few weeks I’ve thought about how best to combine brioche with chocolate…and then I was making grilled cheese sandwiches and it came to me. I told the guys I was making grilled brioche and chocolate sandwiches and Alex said, “A chocolate sandwich?!!? You can’t do that…it’s crazy!!”. Oh yes I can you silly boy…just watch me! After the brioche came out of the oven and cooled I sliced the loaf in two and gave half of it up to the guys…it was gone in minutes. The other half I hid for another day…I wanted it to be slightly stale when I grilled it up.
These little babies couldn’t be simpler and really pack a huge “WOW” factor. Slice the brioche, butter it, put your favorite chocolate in the center, top it with another buttered slice of brioche and grill it to a golden brown. My only tip is to grate the chocolate in the food processor to ensure it will melt all the way through. The finished product was a magnificent combination of chocolate and tender, stretchy brioche. Everyone loved it. I’m content for now but I bet there are other chocolate and bread combinations I need to try. Do you know of any?
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