Broiled Tomatoes

An international breakfast - English broiled tomatoes and Polish jajecznica 

I'll never forget the first time I saw broiled tomatoes served for breakfast.  I was a very young woman, raised in a family where breakfast was cereal - maybe pancakes and bacon on the weekend.  I was staying in a bed and breakfast on the Isle of White.  The generous amount of food they were serving for breakfast was shocking and then came the hot course.  Surely, they didn't expect me to eat cooked vegetables first thing in the morning.  (I know tomatoes have seeds and that technically makes them a fruit, but still!)

Thankfully, my tastes have changed over the years, and I now enjoy savory things in the morning.  This breakfast of broiled tomatoes and scrambled eggs wasn't really planned; it was all there was in the kitchen.  I took inspiration in the tomato topping from my newly found mustard croutons, and we loved the flavor.

Ingredients

2 tomatoes
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
a pinch of chopped parsley

Directions

• Preheat broiler
• Slice tomatoes in half
• Using the tip of knife, scrape out most of the seeds to remove moisture
• Season with salt and pepper

My first attempt at broiling in our whacky little oven

• Combine remaining ingredients until uniform in texture
• Spread cheese mixture over the top of tomatoes and broil until browned

Serves 2 - 4

A little too brown; I'll try a slightly lower shelf position next time

Orange-Glow Chiffon Layer Cake

 Heavenly Cake Baker Submission #40

I chickened out!  I don't have a flower nail with me, and I'm still hunting my way through all of the flours with my translator app - nothing is labeled unbleached.  So I took the easy way out and made cupcakes like the original Bostini batter.

Hurray - both pans on the same rack!

I haven't found a baking spray yet, so I buttered the cups and dusted with flour.  It was the usual two step process with a fluffy meringue folded in for a light as air, orange scented batter. 

I had a little extra batter, so that went into a small prepared bowl.  I had to try one when they came out of the oven.  It was light and fragrant.  I had a second one before I went on on errands, just to stave off low blood sugar, of course.  While I was out, Ed and Bill sampled the plain cupcakes.  Bill felt that didn't need a topping; they were fine they on their own.  Now, we're down to 8 cupcakes and a small bowl.  They all got the True Orange Whipped Cream topping and went to Ed's office the next day.  The Polish Air Force will think that Americans are dedicated bakers. 

Unlike my other blog posts, as part of the Heavenly Cake Bakers, I don't post recipes from this book on the Internet. One of the reasons for this baking group is to encourage readers to purchase the cookbook. That strategy worked on me! After follow the group's baking adventures for a couple of months, I ordered a copy from Amazon because I wanted join in.

Room 55, Poznań, Poland

On the West wall of the Old Square

Located at Stary Rynek 80, Room 55 (no idea where the name comes from) has been our Friday night dinner spot for the last two weeks. 

On both visits, I've had a salad for dinner.  This is the seafood salad with smoked salmon and shrimp - topped off with fruit and red peppercorns.  It was delicious, and would be the perfect cool meal for a warm day.

 

This salad is served with Polish ham and grilled pork.  Surprisingly, this was my favorite.  I'm usually not a huge fan of pork, but this was spicy and grilled to perfection - still very moist.  Both salads were about  $8.  

We've always stopped by early on a Friday evening, and have always been able to get a table without waiting. 

Champiñones al ajillo (tapas)- Garlic Mushrooms

One of our favorite tapas from our time in Spain - garlic mushrooms are easy to make and always popular.  Let's just say I've never had leftovers.   As for the ham - prosciutto or serrano are ideal.  In this case I've used finely diced and browned Polish lardon, in a pinch I've also used sliced ham from the deli.

We've made these so many times, but they've been out of the rotation lately.  Until Bill mentioned that he's looking forward to having them when he visits Madrid next week.  That got us going again.  

Ingredients

White button mushrooms
garlic, minced
parsley, chopped
ham, diced
lemon juice
olive oil
kosher salt

Directions

• Clean the mushrooms as you usually do.  I know they say you should never use water on mushrooms, but I do.  I rinse them cap side up, rubbing them to remove any soil.  After all, it rains in the forest. 
• Remove the stems.

Polish mushrooms - about to become Spanish mushrooms

• Place in each mushroom cap a small bit of garlic 2 or 3 pieces of a fine dice, a small sprinkle of parsley, and a few pieces of diced ham.  The opening will not be completely full.  
• Lightly drizzle each mushroom with lemon juice and olive oil - just 2 or 3 drops of each in every mushroom cap. 
• Lightly coat a large frying pan with olive oil.  Transfer the mushrooms to the pan and cook over medium low heat, covered for about 15 minutes. 

Golonka

After reading Annula's post, checking out a YouTube video, and getting guidance from Ed, who loves the golonka at the Berlin train station, I felt prepared to take on this new cut of meat.  Golonka means knuckle in Polish.  I want to compare it to the familiar ham hock, which I often include in a pot of beans, but you'll see below that this has much more meat, and a lot less "inedible stuff" than a ham hock in the US. 

The cost - about $2.40

Ingredients

golonka
beer
stock (homemade, purchased, or buillion and water)
vegetables, in large chunks (any combination of onion, potato, carrot, celery)
1/3 cup beer
1/4 cup honey


Directions

• My first step was to score the outside, seasoning all around with salt and pepper.   

• With just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a pan, brown all sides over medium-high heat.
• At this point, I will advise you to add enough beer and stock (equal parts) to give you a couple inches of liquid in the pan. 
• I had a couple cups of a thick, beer based, meaty stock in the freezer.  (The Guinness I used in my Irish Stew needed to be toned down a bit at the end, so I ladled out two cups, replacing it with beef stock.)  I'm using this frozen beer broth and a cup of stock. 

• Simmer, two to three hours, turning occasionally, skimming any foam that developes.  Add vegetables at the mid-point of your cooking time.  
• Preheat the oven to 200 C or 400 F.
• Heat the remaining beer with honey, warming enough to combine.
• Remove the golonka and veggies and transfer to a baking dish
• Baste the golonka and veggies with the beer/honey and bake for about 20 minutes or until the outside of the golonka begins to crisp and the vegetables begin to brown. 

This could be served with rice or mashed potatoes.  I'm using the cooking liquid (thickened if necessary - either by whisking in  a roux or a little corn starch dissolved in cold water) as a gravy.  

English Gingerbread Cake

 Heavenly Cake Baker Submission #39

For this week's free choice, I skimmed the recipes looking for something that would make an appropriate dessert for my St. Patrick's Day dinner (the Irish make gingerbread too), and that wouldn't be too difficult to take on in our little apartment kitchen.  It will be a while before I'm comfortable enough to tackle something like the Saint-Honore Trifle here. 

It was thrilling to find golden syrup.  It took three stores, but it was worth it to add that treacly flavor.  I'm learning to start gathering my ingredients early because I can't make a two minute drive to the market at 11PM for something I've forgotten at the last minute.  I think the stores are open until 10 PM, but if it can't be found at Chata Polksa (our convenience store, which means Cottage Poland), it involves a 10 - 15 minute walk or  two or three mile tram ride. 

The cake was a hit with our dinner guests.  I actually made a double recipe and have one in the freezer to share with my ladies group next week.  I can't put two cakes on the same rack in this oven, and the lower one took much longer to bake.  It's the one in the freezer, but it appears that the texture may have suffered a bit because of the slow baking.  Advice - fellow bakers? Is it better to let it sit and bake on its own, or bake slower?  Maybe I just need to be brave and try the convection feature.  That might help with more even heating.   

My pan selection is limited, but my brother did hook me up with a bunch of silicon pans at Christmas, thinking, rightly so, that they would be easy to squeeze into my suitcase.   They we're quite tall enough, so I added a parchment collar as well as covering the bottoms of the pans.

The liquid (minus eggs and milk) ingredients are combined over medium-low heat.  After cooling, the eggs and milk are whisked in.

The dry ingredients, including the aromatic ginger and cinnamon, are whisked together, and then, combined with the liquid ingredients.  If you take risks in the kitchen with raw eggs, like I do, the batter is delicious!

The cake should sit for a day before eating to let the flavors mellow.  This suited my agenda perfectly.  I was able to prepare almost all of my St. Paddy's meal in advance because on the actual day, I was attending a luncheon hosted by two Irish ladies who live in Poznan.  They put out a wonderful spread - smoked salmon, shrimp, cheeses, brown bread, cottage pie, sausages, scones, but not a green beer in sight. 

Unlike my other blog posts, as part of the Heavenly Cake Bakers, I don't post recipes from this book on the Internet. One of the reasons for this baking group is to encourage readers to purchase the cookbook. That strategy worked on me! After follow the group's baking adventures for a couple of months, I ordered a copy from Amazon because I wanted join in.

Chutney Brie Bruchetta

 

Inspired by an appetizer enjoyed at Scratch in Oro Valley, AZ, this bruchetta involves your guests.  They're doing the assembly,  participating as well as chatting and noshing.   

The combination of flavors is surprising and delightful.  Most of the preparation can be done in advance with just warming the cheese at the last minute.  

Forgot to take a photo while it was still pristine - as you can see, this has been dug into

Ingredients

1 head garlic
1/2 apple
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 baguette
1/3 cup spicy mango chutney
4 ounces Brie

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Slice the top off of the head of garlic, taking off just enough to expose the individual cloves.
• Wrap in foil and bake for 60 to 90 minutes, until the cloves are a golden brown.
• Peel the apple, removing the core and stem.  
• Add apple and apple juice to a small saucepan and cook until the apple is tender, about 10 minutes, turning at least once.  When ready to serve, dice the apple.
• Slice the baguette, and toast.
• All of the above can be done in advance.
• Warm the Brie until the inside is soft and runny.  This can be done in the oven, the microwave, on in a pan.  We used our electric griddle.  
• Serve the bruchetta (toasted bread slices) with the head of roasted garlic, diced apple, and a bit of chutney.  
• Now to the part where your guest do the work:
• The garlic cloves can be squeezed out of the head or dug out with the tip of a knife.  Spread a bit of the garlic on a slice of toast; top with a slice of cheese (it's OK to eat  the white rind); sprinkle on a few pieces of diced apple and finish it off with a dab of chutney.  Voilà!

Serves 4

Creamed Spinach and Egg with Mustard Croutons

This unusual combination caught my eye.  It would have never occurred to me to serve an egg on top of a pile of spinach, but I'm trying to eat more veggies and less meat.  So here we go.  This would make a great brunch dish or light supper. 

Adapted from Bon Appetit (Feb 2011)

Ingredients

one batch of mustard croutons
1 9-ounce package fresh spinach leaves
3 tablespoons half and half
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
a pinch of dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
4 - 5 drops Tabasco (we used the garlic flavor) 
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs

Directions

• Add about 1/4 cup water to the bottom of a large pan.  Add spinach and cook over high heat until spinach is wilted.  (The package of spinach we had was about half of the required amount, so we used frozen chopped spinach.  On the plus side, it was frozen into cute little hearts, which was a nice surprise, but the texture was too mushy.  I think you'll be much happier using fresh spinach.)

• Drain the spinach, and press out the liquid.
• In a saucepan, combine spinach, half and half, mustard, thyme, and Tabasco.  Stir over medium heat, about 3 minutes.
• Heat oil in a frying pan and cook eggs according to your preference, sunny side up or over medium.  
• Divide spinach between two plates, top with eggs, and sprinkle with mustard croutons.  

Serves 2

Mustard Croutons

Inspiration for this recipe comes from Bon Appetit.  I had to make a change because I couldn't find all of the ingredients.  These croutons were great on the spinach and egg dish, and they would also be a welcome addition to soups and salads.  The amounts here only make two servings, but the recipe could easily be doubled or even quadrupled. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard (the kind with whole mustard seeds)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Toss all ingredients in a bowl to coat bread crumbs.
• Transfer to a baking sheet, spreading them out as much as possible.
• Bake until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Serves 2

Ina Garten's French Apple Tart

 

Ed is a huge fan of apple pie, so I thought this would be a popular dessert.  It's beautiful, and it was all eaten, but I don't think I'll make it again.  Unless, Ina, you're out there (or an Ina fan who has had better luck with this) to tell me where I went wrong.   The dough wasn't as puffy as I had expected and it wasn't about to let go of the parchment paper. 

Source:  Barefoot Contessa - back to basics

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, small-diced
4 tablespoons apricot jelly
2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Directions

• Place the first three ingredients in a bowl and cut in butter until pea sized.  I'm cooking in a little, modesty furnished Polish apartment kitchen, so I used two knives.  You can also use a pastry blender or food processor.  
• Add just enough ice water that the mixture begins to come together as a dough.
• Kneed into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees; line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough until it's just over 10 x 14 inches, place the dough on the parchment, and refrigerate.

How do you like my rolling pin?

• Peel apples, and slice in half - top to bottom.  
• Remove stem and seeds (I used a small knife and a teaspoon).
• Slice the apples crosswise, approx. 1/4 inch thick.
• Arrange the slices diagonally on the dough.

• Sprinkle the apples with sugar and dot with butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until browned.
• Heat the jelly and which ever liquid you're using, brush the entire tart with the jelly mixure.

I had trouble separating the tart and paper while warm or cool - ended up filling it onto a greased parchment and peeling away forever!

• Loosen the tart so it doesn't stick to the paper. (This is what I had difficulty doing.)
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

Devil's Food Cake with Midnight Ganache

 Heavenly Cake Baker Submission #38

Raymond warned us that this was not a quick cake to prepare; it literally took me days!  It did, however, introduce me to the wonderful combination of dried cherries soaked in brandy and that was worth the wait. 

An immersion blender with attachments is standing in for our KitchenAid and food processor, and the dry ingredients and butter seemed a little too stiff for the whisk attachment, so we (that means Ed) mixed by hand.

I wasn't able to find creme fraiche or sour cream, so I just used heavy cream.  I know this changed the chemistry of the cake and may account for the fact that it didn't rise as much as I expected.  

I wasn't able to find 60% chocolate, so I used equal parts 70% and milk chocolate (about 30%), so the ganache was lighter than it should have been, but that's OK.  We shared a slice last night, and we both still found the cake to be intensely chocolate. The ganche was a little too runny, but the flavor was fantasic.  Let me assure you that the leftovers are in the freezer waiting for another use.

As for the leftover cherry brandy, we found that by cutting it a bit with straight brandy, it makes an excellent after dinner drink. 

Unlike my other blog posts, as part of the Heavenly Cake Bakers, I don't post recipes from this book on the Internet. One of the reasons for this baking group is to encourage readers to purchase the cookbook. That strategy worked on me! After follow the group's baking adventures for a couple of months, I ordered a copy from Amazon because I wanted join in.

Margarita Bruschetta

 

Well, I now live in Poland, and since Vicki asked, you can follow my expatriate adventures on my new blog, Polish Housewife.  Like so many people here, we're in a multi-story apartment building, and the ground floor is occupied by shops.  We can find almost anything nearby - a post office, a bank, a drug store, a salon, a bakery, a market, a deli, and a restaurant.  

Our closest restaurant is called Volano.  They served the best Zurek (a sour soup that I hope to post for you soon) we've had in Poland, so that seemed like a great idea for dinner after our plane landed Sunday evening.  My husband suggested we start with their bruschetta.  

The flavor was wonderful, and I've taken inspiration from their dish.  The one noticeable change I've made is to use a  baguette.  They served theirs on a square, thin slice of sandwich bread.  It didn't harm the flavor, but it was a little flimsy to hold and take a bite.  We'll have to try it again to see if it's always served that way, or maybe they had to make a substitution in a pinch. 

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 baguette, thinly sliced

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 tomato

salt & pepper, to taste

fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons pesto

Directions

• Several hours before using, combine the garlic and olive oil
• Just before serving, brush one side of the bread slices with the garlic oil (the leftover oil is great for salad dressing)

• Toast the bread in the oven, under the broiler, or on an electric grill
• Top each slice of toasted bread with a slice of cheese
• Add tomato and season with salt and pepper
• Top each bruschetta with 1/2 of a basil leaf and a few slices of sun dried tomatoes
• Garnish with just a dab of pesto

Serves 4

Sticky Toffee Pudding

 Heavenly Cake Baker Submission #37

 

How can it be that I lived in England for 18 months and had never even heard of sticky toffee pudding?  I discovered it on a trip to the UK a few years ago, and it was one of the highlights of the trip - right up there with the Palace of Holyroodhouse.   The dessert is so enchanting that I'm cooking it while on the road.  We just arrived in Boca for my daughter's senior recital.  After dinner, I drug everyone to the closest Publix to get the necessary ingredients.

From the expression on the cashier's face when she scanned the spice jar with my single vanilla bean and $7.99 popped up on the screen, I don't think they're selling a lot of vanilla beans in Boca.  I wasn't able to find crème fraîche and substituted whipped cream, which I whipped by hand.  I want to say it was the first time I've done that, but it's probably more accurate to say it's the first time I remember whipping cream without a mixer.

It was fun cooking in Rachel's little apartment kitchen; it's better equipped that most college students could offer a visiting baker, but there was still that feel of making due.  Now for the actual process:

 The requisite dates are steeped in boiling stout mixed with baking soda and then blended.  After these unusual ingredients, it's pretty much your average cake.  Butter is mixed with sugar, vanilla, and eggs.  The dry ingredients are alternated with the stout date mixture until everything is combined.

While the cake was baking, I mixed up a simple toffee sauce using dark brown sugar, that pricey vanilla bean, butter and cream.  Three tablespoons of this silky, smooth sauce topped the warm date cake.  We added toasted walnuts and the whipped cream, and soon had three very clean "dirty plates" in the sink.  It was divine. 


Unlike my other blog posts, as part of the Heavenly Cake Bakers, I don't post recipes from this book on the Internet. One of the reasons for this baking group is to encourage readers to purchase the cookbook. That strategy worked on me! After follow the group's baking adventures for a couple of months, I ordered a copy from Amazon because I wanted join in.