Happiness is...Blue Cheese Caramel Sauce

 September

The goldenrod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusky pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest
In every meadow-nook;
And asters by the brookside
Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

by Helen Hunt Jackson 

I can't deny that I have been enjoying this late Summer/early Autumn weather.  Though the days are clearly getting shorter, we have had clear sunny skies and mild, warm evenings with wonderful briny breezes.  Lovely weather.

Call me crazy, but I've even been enjoying the humidity.  We don't often get hot and humid here in the coastal northwest.  Sticky heat gives me a good excuse to take a mid-day icy cold shower, which I almost never get to do. 

The trees are beginning to change colors, from dark green to gold and amber.  There are pumpkins in the market, and I am often dreaming of soup and sweaters and mufflers and long walks on crisp, smoke tinged nights.  I love Autumn, it's my absolute favorite time of year.

Another reason I love Fall is Apples.  I only eat apples in the Fall, because it is the only time they are any good.  I plan on making Apple Pie, Apple Butter, Mulligatawny Soup, and grilled Apple & Smoked Cheddar sandwiches.  An Autumn Apple Feast!

I picked up 3 delicious looking Honeycrisp Apples at the market the other day.  I planned on making Caramel Apples, but decided I would make a Caramel Dip instead (much easier on the teeth).

When I bought the apples they were sampling them out with Blue Cheese and it was a brilliant combination.  I kept thinking about how good the apple and the cheese go together, so today when I got in the kitchen to make my Caramel Apple Dip I decided I would add Blue Cheese to my sauce.  Why not?  I've had Blue Cheese and Honey before, and how different are honey and caramel anyways?

So good!  I kept wanting to taste it again and again. Sweet, creamy, salty, Blue Cheesy, and delicious with my Honeycrisp Apple slices.  

I can't wait to share this sauce with everyone I know.  I just know it would be scrummy over vanilla ice cream or drizzled over a slice of apple pie.

Blue Cheese Caramel Sauce

25 individually wrapped Caramels, about 1 cups worth

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Blue Cheese, I used Salemville Amish Gorgonzola

Place the Caramels and Heavy Cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium heat.

Stir constantly, until the Caramels have melted completely and the sauce has thickened.

Lower the heat and stir in the Blue Cheese; blend until cheese is completely incorporated into the sauce.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer sauce to a jar or bowl; do not cover until completely cooled.

Enjoy warm, room temperature, or chilled with apple slices, pears, pie, ice cream, or anything else you can think to dip or drizzle it on.

Happiness is...a Paper Hat

Today is Make A Hat Day, so of course I had to make a hat, because I love hats!  Big hats, small hats, berets, cowboy, I wear and love them all.

So, some big decisions to make. What should I make my hat out of?
Felt?  Fleece?  Tissue?  I think Paper.  I have lots of newspaper around due to my obsession with doing the daily crossword puzzle...

What type of hat should I make?
Pirate?  Porkpie?  Fascinator? I do have tons of big feathers in my closet...I collect too much crap.  But then again my 'crap' comes in handy for a day like today.

Well here it is, after about an hour of folding and shaping and taping...
My Newspaper Cloche Hat:

 I made my little hat out of newspaper, black electrical tape, a piece of
white grosgrain ribbon, and a bunch of pink silk hydrangea.

 I think is looks really sweet from the side.

I'll definitely be wearing my hat today!

Happiness is...An Impromptu Breakfast

After nearly 2 weeks of truly perfect summer weather, today I woke up to this...

The quintessential Seattle morning; cool, misty, briny, and most of all gray.   Gray from the Sound to the Heavens.  Not rainy, just gray. My favorite kind of gray day.  The kind of day that beckons you to stay in your pajamas, open all your window blinds, climb into your most comfy chair and read challenging books and watch terrible movies all day long, whilst you are cuddled up under your most favorite blanket...mmmmm lovely gray day.

So when my friend rang me in the morning, to invite me to go for breakfast, I instead invited my friend over to my place and I would make us both breakfast, as I had no intention of leaving the coziness of my house to spend my morning sitting on some uncomfortable bench, at a slightly sticky table, while being ignored by some snarky hipster server, and spending too much money on a meal I could make myself...better...and I didn't even have to get out of my jammies.

Some masa flour and a little water, and in minutes I had corn tortillas in my skillet.  Strong pot of coffee brewing. In my pantry I had eggs, some goat chevre. a few strips of bacon, and some fresh jalapeno peppers, the makings for a decent scramble or omelette.  But a gray day like today calls for something a little quirkier than an omelette or scrambled eggs.  I decided to make something I had never had before...Jalapeno Poppers.

I have never had...a Jalapeno Popper.  Basically because I could never say, "I'll have the Jalapeno Poppers."  Poppers.  Poppers.  "I want the Jalapeno Poppers." (never gonna happen out in public.) 

So I got to work, stuffing my jalapeno peppers.

First, I made sure the peppers were washed well, since I bought

them at the 'Used Fruit Store' and I'm sure about 1000 people had

touched them before I bought them.  Then I took the  stems off.

Next I sliced the peppers open, lengthwise.

These were going to be spicy with all those seeds.

*It is also a good idea to wear a pair of rubber gloves during

this whole process, or you could end up with a nice 

capsicum burn in your hands and other parts of your body

if you touch anything.

Using a grapefruit spoon, I scraped out all the seeds and

membrane from inside the peppers.  I want them zesty but not 

mouth burning.

Using my (gloved) fingers I placed a small amount of goat

chevre into each half of the peppers.  Just enough to be flush

with the rim of the pepper.

Stick the goat cheese stuffed halves back together again.

I cut my bacon strips in half and wrapped each

pepper in a half of strip of bacon.  You can secure the bacon 

to the pepper with a toothpick or small skewer, but I used the only 

thing I had, some bamboo cocktail picks. 

*I soaked the picks in water for awhile so they wouldn't

burn during cooking.
 

I had preheated the over to 450˚ F.

Then I placed the bacon wrapped peppers on a baking sheet,

I cooked the peppers for 10-15 minutes, until the bacon was very crispy

and the jalapeno was tender and the cheese melty.

We enjoyed out Jalapeno Poppers with corn tortillas, some

fried eggs, a little heated salsa and lots of coffee.

We ate in out jammies too!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

6 large Jalapeno Peppers

2 oz. soft Goat Cheese, I used Chevre

3 strips of thick-cut Bacon

Kosher Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.

Put on some rubber/latex gloves!

Cut Jalapeno Peppers in half, lengthwise. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and membrane. Fill each jalapeno half with a little Goat Cheese, just to the rim of the pepper. Put the filled halves back together and wrap each jalapeno with a half slice of Bacon. Secure the bacon by sticking toothpick or skewer through the middle.

Bake on a sheet pan for 10-15 minutes, until the bacon is crispy.  If, after 15 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off.

Sprinkle with Kosher Salt & Pepper.  Serve immediately, but they’re also great at room temperature.

Nom Nom.

Happiness is...Green Tomatoes

Here it is, the beginning of September, and we are finally getting our summer.  It has just been downright gorgeous for the past week, low 80's, cooling breezes coming in off the Sound, spectacular sunsets...I can't believe Fall is right around the corner.

Fall's coming alright. You can see signs of it everywhere, the leaves are just a little more red or yellow everyday.  The sun is setting a little earlier each day too. You can even smell it wafting in on the misty mornings...it's there, it's real close. Though you'd barely be thinking about it on a day like today.  So nice.

The urban gardens in my neighborhood are definitely telling me summer is coming to a close.  The berries have long been picked, the corn stalks have been cut and are drying in piles along the fences, the peas and beans are disappearing rapidly, and tomato plants are heavy with Green Tomatoes. 

Green Tomatoes everywhere I look.  I'll spy a red one here or there, and there may be more to come with this hot spell, but I have had my eye on the prize of a big bushel of Green Tomatoes.

I got a pail from a friend, I was allowed to pick all I wanted from my Bank's Community Garden, my neighbor said I could take them all as long as I shared what I put up, and the rest I pilfered from some unattended plants in an alley and from an abandoned plot behind a condemned house.  Green Tomatoes Galore.

So far I have made Green Tomato Pizza, BL(G)T Soup (Bacon, Lettuce & Green Tomato Soup), Green Tomato Marmalade, Green Tomato & Grape Chutney, Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches, and Green Tomato Mincemeat (no real meat of course) to be put up for Christmas Pies.

But, by far, my favorite Green Tomato application this year has been My Green Tomato Coffeecake.  Inspired by a co-worker who made Mango Bread, I said,  "Why not?  Green Tomato could be good in a cake."  Little did I know just how good.

I love sweet & tart together, and this cake has that. It is dense but not dry, because the Green Tomatoes make it very moist. Plus it's chock full of goodies like raisins, nuts, and coconut (pretty much everything I had laying around in my pantry).  A little streusel topping and a dusting of powdered sugar and 'voila', Green Tomato Coffeecake.  Nom Nom.

I made sure I froze enough diced Green Tomatoes to make this coffeecake at least two more time this fall.  It will be so good on a crisp Autumn morning with a hot cup of coffee.

GREEN TOMATO COFFEECAKE

For Cake:
2 c. Raw Sugar
1 c. Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
2 t. pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2  c. all-purpose Flour
1 1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1 t. Kosher Salt
1 t. Baking Powder
1 t. ground Cinnamon
1/4 t. freshly grated Nutmeg
1 cup Walnuts
1/2 c. Black Raisins
1/2 c. Golden Raisins
2 1/2 c. diced Green Tomatoes
1 c. shaved Coconut (the really big stuff)
Powdered Sugar for dusting

For Streusel Topping:
1/2 c. all-purpose Flour
1/2 c. Oatmeal
1/4 c. packed Brown Sugar
1/4 c. Raw Sugar
1/4 t. ground Cinnamon
1/4 t. freshly ground Nutmeg
3/4 c. chopped Walnuts
a pinch of Kosher Salt
3/4 stick Unsalted Butter, cubed 

Prepare the Streusel Topping:
Combine the Flour, Oatmeal, Brown Sugar, Raw Sugar, cinnamon, Nutmeg, Walnuts, and Kosher Salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cubed Unsalted Butter and pulse until it looks crumbly.  Set aside.

For the Cake:
 Preheat oven to 350°.
 Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, set aside.

In mixing bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and a little fluffy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in pecans, raisins, green tomatoes, and coconut.  Pour batter into prepared baking pan and cover evenly with the streusel topping.

Bake for one hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. Eat & Enjoy!

A slice I took to work for lunch.

Happiness is...Rhubarb Chutney

I have a Dear Friend who grows Rhubarb in her backyard, and from time to time she will lavish me with a bow-tied bundle. 

The same friend who provides me with the delicious ruby red stalks, made the most wonderful Lemon Custard Rhubarb Pie, that I'm kvelling over nearly 2 months later. That was one delicious pie...A creamy, sweet, sour, refreshing bit of Heaven that pie was.

On my own I have done the Rhubarb Pie, the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Red Wine Braised Rhubarb, Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream Topping, and even a Rhubarb Upside-down cake.

Now I'm all about something a little more exotic, a little more sweet-savory, a little more...chutney.

I've done all sorts of chutneys, from apple to mango and even green tomato.  So why not Rhubarb?

Funny thing about chutney, it's transformative.  Chutney makes pork and ham elegant, magically makes a simple hunk of cheese and a bit of bread a grilled cheese masterpiece, and bring it out at a party and suddenly everyone is wowed.

All from a few slices of fruit, a bit of onion, a little sugar, a few pinches of spice, a splash of vinegar, and a tiny piece of time.

 Rhubarb Chutney

1 T. Olive Oil
1/2 a medium Yellow Onion, finely diced
1/2 lb. Rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 c. seedless Raisins
1/4 c. dried Cranberries ~or~ Cherries
1 1/2 t. freshly grated Ginger Root
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1/2 t. Curry Powder
a pinch or 2 of Kosher Salt
1/4 c + 1 T. packed Brown Sugar
1 T. Grand Marnier (optional)
1 T. Balsamic Vinegar

Heat the Olive Oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the Yellow Onion until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.

Add the Rhubarb, Raisins, dried Cranberries, Brown Sugar, grated Ginger Root, cinnamon sticks, and a pinch of Kosher Salt. Cook over medium, stirring,stirring, stirring, until rhubarb begins to break down, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the Curry Powder, Grand Marnier and Balsamic Vinegar. Continue cooking and stirring until the liquid thickens and the Rhubarb is tender but not completely mushy.

Remove from the heat. Let the chutney cool slightly and then remove the cinnamon sticks. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  Chill completely in your cooling box.  Store chilled.

Makes about 2 cups of chutney.

As I deal in cheese, I would suggest pairing this Rhubarb Chutney with a sharp cheddar, such as Kerrygold's Vintage Irish Cheddar, or with a milder brie, like Marin Rouge et Noir Brie, and a bit of crusty bread.

Happiness is...Gorgonzola Crackers

Every summer these crispy, flaky, cheesy, scrummy crackers make an appearance from my recipe vault.
I love making them because they are so easy!
It's actually quite shocking how few ingredients go into these delicious nibbles.

I like to make up tons of dough and keep it in the freezer, in rolled out sheets, so I can bake fresh crackers whenever I have guests coming over or have an unexpected BBQ/Party to go to or whenever a tasty snack is needed.

Wonderful with bubbly, wine or washed down with a cold beer, you can take them to most any function from picnic on the beach to sunset cocktail party.

Gorgonzola & Walnut Crackers
Adapted from Ina Garten 2008

1 stick (1/4 lb.)  Unsalted Butter, room temperature
8 oz. (1/2 lb.) Amish Gorgonzola Cheese*, crumbled
1 1/2 c. unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 t.-1 t. Kosher Salt, taste the dough for saltiness (sometimes I add even less)
1 1/2 t. freshly coarse ground Black Pepper (I use a mix of Pink, White, Green and Black peppercorns)
1/2 c.  Walnuts, finely chopped
1 T. Water
1 Egg, beaten with a touch of water for an egg-wash

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the Butter and crumbled Gorgonzola together funtil smooth. Reduce speed to Low; add the Flour, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and Walnuts; mix well, about 1 minute, dough will be crumbly. Add 1 tablespoon of Water and mix until combined. 

Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap or a plastic produce bag, and form the dough into a 1 inch thick disc.  Wrap the disc in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 min. or up to several days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, roll the cracker dough out to a sheet about 3/8 of and inch thick.  Using a pie wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1'x1' squares.  Using a bamboo skewer poke a divot in the center of each cracker, to prevent bubbles.  Transfer the squares to a sheet pan lined with parchment and brush the tops of each square with Egg-wash.

Bake for 14 minutes until very lightly browned. Rotate the pan once during baking.

Cool and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!**

*Don't be afraid to substitute any other crumbly blue cheese.  I've used Stilton, Roquefort, and all kinds of Blues, you just don't want one that is too creamy.  Try a new cheese every time you make a batch until you find your favorite.  Goat Cheese works wonderfully as well!

**They won't last long!

Happiness is...Dim Sum

Yes. The last time I posted it was cold, wet, windy, and gray...much like it is today.  When is summer ever gong to get here?

Since October I've left a job, found a great new one, spent a horrible winter in a house without heat, found a new apartment with a view of Puget Sound and the Olympics (and heat), moved myself in, car load by car load across the city whenever my work schedule allowed, and I am now unpacked and settled. 

I've had very little time to do much relaxing, much exploring, or much writing, but at least I found the time to eat Dim Sum...lots and lots of Dim Sum!

Dim sum is quite and experience.  The good places are always packed (though you usually don't have to wait long for a table) but the atmosphere is jovial and noisy with chattering patrons, clinking tea cups, and the squeaking wheels of dollies loaded with towers of tin rimmed bamboo steamers and shimmying ceramic plates.  I just love it!

It is best to go to Dim Sum with a group of people so you can point and pick a bit of everything that comes by on the cart.  Savor.  Sit back.  Sip some hot tea.  Talk.  Digest a little. Then point and pick a few more Cantonese delicacies as the trolly comes by one last time.  A very nice way to spend an early afternoon.

Soup Dumplings

Caution: The rich broth is near boiling hot!!!

It's like Chicken Noodle Soup in reverse.

Siu Mai

Steamed pork and shrimp wrapped in tofu skin

and topped with crab roe.

Cheong Fun

Broad Rice Noodles with Shrimp

smothered in Brown Sauce.

I can't get enough of the fluffy, slippery texture.

Chicken Feet

Fried, marinated in Black Bean Sauce, and

steamed to velvety, succulent perfection.

I always order the Chicken Feet first.  If the Chicken

Feet aren't excellent, then chances are the other

dishes won't be exceptional either.

A Dim Sum Restaurant's worth is in the Chicken Feet!!!

Fish Ball

Wrapped in Tofu Skin with Peas and steamed.

Pleasantly spongy and briney.

Honeycomb Tripe

The velvety lining sops up the fragrant gingery broth like a 

sponge.  I enjoy the tender, crisp, snap you get

with each bite.

Fried Tofu & Shrimp Ball

Stunning!  The tofu is like creamy egg custard.

Pan Fried Rice Noodles

Hong Kong Style

Fluffy, chewy, crispy all in one bite.

Served with Peanut Sauce and Hoisin.

Fried Stuffed Eggplant

Usually stuffed with shrimp, this dish is

soft, oily, and succulent.

One of my very favorites!

Pan Fried Shrimp and Scallion Balls

The rice wrapper is crispy and chewy, and I

love the whole shrimp inside.  

Plus you can't go wrong with toasted sesame.

Ginger Tripe

 Texture is just as important as taste with this dish.

The broth should be light and the tripe 

should be crisp tender.

Har Gau

Steamed starchy tapioca dumplings

stuffed with shrimp.

Soft and crisp, this is a Dim Sum standard.

Perfect Har Gau should have a wrapper that is soft yet

sturdy enough to be picked up with chopsticks.

It should have a generous amount of filling, 

but still be one bite.

Steamed Fish Ball 

with Egg Drop Broth

and Chinese Black Mushroom

Love this dish!  Savory, briny, slippery, 

spongy, earthy, sweet, and rich.

Steamed Tofu Skin Rolls

This one was stuffed with pork, ginger, 

and bamboo shoots.

 Lo Bo Gao

Pan Fried Turnip Cake

Another one of my favorites!

The Chinese version of Hashbrowns.

I'm going to have a Turnip Cake

Birthday Cake next year!

Fried Green Tea Dumplings

I call them "Turtle Faces".

These fried glutenous rice dumplings are

filled with black sesame paste.

Sweet, bitter, savory combo.