Crispy, Zesty Dill Pickles

I have modified this recipe to make one pint at a time, because that seems to be what I get out of my garden.

Your jars don't necessarily need to be sterilized because these will be kept in the fridge. If you are going to make a lot and want to keep them in the cupboard they won't be very crisp but they will still be delicious. Also, you need to follow all the regular  canning processes of sterilizing jars and processing in a hot water bath. You might want to consider keeping your cucumbers in an ice bath for 1-2 hours to help them stay crispy.

Ingredients

1 clean pint jar with ring and lid

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs + 1 Tsp salt
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chili flakes (a big pinch)
 2 sprigs dill
1 dill head if you have it
1/4 lb or so of cucumbers

Bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan.

Pack the garlic, chili flakes, dill, dill head (if using), and cucumbers into the pint jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over it and seal. When mixture is room temperature, write the date on the top and move to the fridge. Your pickles will be ready in two weeks.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 hr

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened (use real butter, not margarine)
1/3 cup masa harina (I bought mine at our local grocery store in the Mexican food section)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup corn meal
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp milk or cream
1 can corn, undrained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine butter, masa harina, 1/4 cup water, and milk in a medium sized bowl and beat until creamy.

2. Add corn meal, sugar, salt, and baking powder on top of the creamed butter mixture and use a fork or whisk to lightly whisk just the dry ingredients together.  Beat the entire mixture until smooth.

3. Place corn and liquid from can in food processor and pulse until roughly broken up.  Add to bowl and mix until combined.

4.  Boil a tea pot full of water.  Spread mixture in an ungreased 8x8 square pan and top with foil. 

5. Bake for about 55 minutes.  Remove from oven, uncover, and let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.

Apple Cider Donuts

Apple Cider Donuts

From Food Network

(makes a lot)

 

Ingredients

2 red apples, such as Cortland or McIntosh
2 1/2 cups apple cider
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Core and coarsely chop the apples (do not peel). Combine with 1 1/2 cups cider in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are tender and the cider is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Measure the sauce; you should have 1 cup. (Boil to reduce further, if necessary.) Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Beat 2/3 cup granulated sugar and the shortening in another bowl with a mixer on medium speed until sandy. Beat in the egg and yolk, then gradually mix in the applesauce, scraping the bowl. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix to make a sticky dough; do not overmix.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and pat into a 7-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 1 cup cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and glossy, then set aside. Mix the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl; set aside for the topping.

Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cut the chilled dough into 12 rounds, using a floured 2 1/2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter, then cut out the middles with a 1-inch cutter (or use a doughnut cutter). Slip 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer to the paper towels to drain.

Dip one side of each doughnut in the cider glaze, letting the excess drip off; dip just the glazed side in the cinnamon-sugar or roll all over in cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

Sunday Dinner- Beef Pot Roast

Beef Pot Roast

Adapted from Michael Symon
ingredients

• One 2-2 1/2-pound chuck blade roast, silver skin removed
• Salt
• 4 slices bacon, large dice
• 2 shallot bulbs peeled and left whole
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoons coriander seeds

• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 fresh bay leaves (dry are o.k. too)
• 1 cup apple cider or other mild flavor juice (if you don't have any, use water and 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock

Directions

Sprinkle the roast liberally with salt (about 3 tablespoons), and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to overnight. Pull the meat out an hour before cooking to take the chill off of it.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, render the bacon until slightly crispy. Remove and reserve. Dry off the meat with a paper towel and begin to brown it in the same pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side; remove and reserve.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots, carrots, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sweat until slightly caramelized and the vegetables start to release their aromas, about 4 minutes. Add the coriander, thyme and bay leaves, and continue to sweat for 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with the cider, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to get all of the caramelized bits into the sauce. Add the beef stock and wine and bring to a simmer.
Add the beef back in along with the bacon The liquid should be about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Baste the meat with the liquid, top with a lid and place in the oven until tender, for 3 to 4 hours.
Skim off any excess fat and gently remove the meat to a platter. Spoon the vegetables on top.
Delicious with rosemary Parmesan popovers

Amaretti Cookies with Orange Earl Grey Sherbet

Amaretti Cookies
from Smitten Kitchen

1 (7-ounce) tube pure almond paste (not marzipan; 3/4 cup)
1 cup sugar
Pinch of Kosher salt
2 large egg whites at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 300°F and place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
Pulse almond paste, sugar and salt in a food processor until broken up, then add egg whites and puree until smooth. Transfer batter to pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch tip and pipe 3/4-inch rounds (1/3 inch high) about 1-inch apart in pans. Dip a fingertip in water and gently tamp down any peaks.
Bake, rotating and switching position of pans halfway through, until golden and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes.
[When you rotate the pan midway through baking, you'll wonder why you left so much space between the cookies. Suddenly, at 15 minutes they'll puff up and you'll be happy you left that space!]
Let cookies cool almost completely in their pans. Once cool, they’re much easier to cleanly remove from the parchment. You can make them into sandwich cookies but spreading some jam (I used raspberry) between them or ganache (3 ounces of semi-sweet chips melted with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream, then left to thicken a bit would be enough to sandwich the whole batch).
Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two or frozen up to one month.

I used 3/4 cup roasted almonds and processed them with a little bit of oil instead of using the almond paste

Orange Earl Grey Sherbet

Ingredients

7 ounces sugar

4 Earl grey teabags
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately 2 to 3 pounds oranges
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups very cold whole milk

Directions

Combine sugar, lemon juice, and orange juice in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Add teabags and steep for 4-5 minutes. Remove teabags and allow mixture to cool. Whisk in the salt, orange zest, vanilla, and milk.

 Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve now or transfer to a lidded container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours.