Dark Starr Stout & Cheddar Soup

Beer, cheese, and crusty bread?  Yes, please!  Most beer-and-cheese soups feature an ale, but using Virginia's own Dark Starr Stout gave this soup a heartier taste and feel.  It features the stout, a sharp smoked cheddar, a few veggies, and some cream cheese to give it a velvety texture.

I made this a few nights ago during the first heavy snowfall in Charlottesville this year (followed, of course, by several oddly warm days).  I can't think of a song to better capture the ambient strangeness of nighttime snowfall that's melted away by springtime temperatures and warm breezes than a song from the Austin-grown "post-rock" favorites, Explosions in the Sky.  So here's "Snow and Lights", a track from their first album, How Strange, Innocence. 

Ingredients:

--1 bottle Dark Starr Stout (you could use any stout, but I wanted to use a local brew)

--8 oz. sharp smoked cheddar, shredded

--4 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

--1 head broccoli, washed and cut

--1 c. carrots, cut

--1 clove garlic, minced

--1 medium-sized white onion, chopped

--1 tbsp. unsalted butter

--48 oz. chicken broth (this is about 1 1/2 cartons if you buy it)

--1 8 oz. package cream cheese

A note about the vegetables: you'll want the potatoes, carrots, and broccoli to be cut into pieces of approximately the same size so that they'll cook evenly.

In a stockpot, heat butter on low, and sauté onion and garlic.  Increase heat to medium, and add the carrots and potatoes, followed by the Dark Starr Stout and the chicken broth.  Boil until carrots and potatoes have softened.  Add the broccoli, and allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes, until broccoli is soft.  

 (Check out the dark, velvety color of the stout!)

Remove from heat, and add the shredded cheddar and the cream cheese.  Whisk until the cheeses have been combined into the stock mixture.  Next, using an emulsion blender, puree all ingredients until you have a thick, creamy, and velvety soup.  (If you don't have an emulsion blender--this is one of the handheld stick blenders that you can put right in the pot--you can also use a traditional blender, transferring the stockpot mixture into a blender and then into soup bowls).  

I recommend serving warm with a piece of crusty sourdough.

Caprese Mac & Mozzarella

I may have said it before, but I'm a sucker for any kind of macaroni and cheese.  This recipe is to remind you that insalata Caprese need not just conjure a simple salad in your mind.  In fact, you can always turn some of your favorite non-pasta dishes into their very own mac 'n' cheese versions!  I've created this mac 'n' cheese dish with an insalata Caprese twist, featuring a lotta fresh basil.  More than any other combo, a mix of fresh mozzarella and basil with ripe tomatoes makes me anticipate summer.  

I pointed you to Beat Happening's "Indian Summer" for an earlier summer-inspired entree, but now I'm going to give you one of my favorite Summer songs from the past few years (that's right: move over Chad & Jeremy).  Here's the Magnetic Fields's "California Girls" (and no, it's not a Beach Boys cover!). 

Ingredients:

--1 lb. elbow pasta

--1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--8 oz. fresh mozzarella (cut into approx. 1/2" pieces)

--8 oz. shredded mozzarella

--1/2 shredded parmesan (for sprinkling)

--1 large bunch of fresh basil, with stems removed and leaves chopped (chop the leaves to whatever consistency you like--large, leafy pieces or small, thinly cut strips)

--6 plum tomatoes, chopped (chop to whatever size you'd prefer--large quarters or small "bits")

--3 tbsp. unsalted butter

--1/4 c. flour

--1 quart milk (I used whole milk, but you can use whatever you'd like)

--2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

--1-2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

--1-2 tsp. pepper (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil elbow noodles until just al dente--they'll bake more in the oven.  Strain and pour into a 13x9" baking dish.  Coat noodles with 1 tbsp. olive oil (for flavor, and also to prevent them from sticking while you make the cheese sauce).

In a saucepan, heat butter on low.  Whisk in the flour to make a roux.  Once the flour and butter have combined, whisk in milk to make a béchamel (a simple white sauce).  Whisk in the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.  Once the sauce is hot (but not boiling!), remove from heat and add shredded mozzarella.  Continue to whisk until the cheese has been incorporated into the béchamel--now you've got yourself a mornay sauce.  Slowly mix in the chopped tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella.  Pour over noodles and mix so that noodles are covered in the sauce.  

Sprinkle 1/2 c. parmesan over the top of the dish, and bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until the parmesan has turned into a crispy golden crust.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Amaretti Chocolate Pie with Strawberry Whipped Cream

This is, I think, my favorite chocolate-based dessert I've ever made.  I love the combination of chocolate, strawberries, and almonds (perhaps more than any other earthly mix).  This is an adaptation of Giada's Brownie-Walnut Pie, which, although delicious in its own right, isn't quite as good as my version, I dare to say!  With Amaretti cookies for its crust and a chocolate filling laden with sliced almonds, I'm not sure that anything could be better than this.

And while this pie might be scrumptious with other toppings, too, I think the strawberries really make it what it is.  So, I'm giving you the Beatles's "Strawberry Fields Forever", a song that's both colorful and beautiful (and also my favorite from their late-1967 album, Magical Mystery Tour).  

Crust:
--6 oz. Amaretti cookies (I used Balocco Amaretti cookies, but any brand would do, and you can buy these from any Italian import store or even from some local grocers)
--1/2 stick chilled and chopped unsalted butter
--1/4 c. dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse the cookies, butter, and sugar.  Form this "dough" into a glass pie dish so that it fills the dish, coming up onto the edges.  Bake for approx 15 minutes, or until just golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

You can make your whipped cream next and chill it while your pie is baking.

Strawberry-Amaretto Whipped Cream:

--1 c. heavy whipping cream

--1/2 c. granulated sugar

--1/2 c. Amaretto liqueur

--1 c. chopped strawberries

--a few strawberries, sliced, for garnish

Beat whipping cream, sugar, liqueur, and chopped strawberries on high until mixture forms stiff peaks.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Batter:
--6 oz. dark chocolate rounds
--6 tbsp. unsalted butter
--1 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
--3/4 c. cake flour
--3 large eggs, at room temperature
--pinch of salt
--1/2 c. sliced almonds (you could use more or less, depending on your preference)
--approx. 1/4 c. whole almonds, for garnish

In a double boiler (you can also use a glass bowl sitting on top of a smaller pot with boiling water), melt the chocolate and butter while whisking it together (you want to keep them over heat until they're just melted--no longer than that, or your chocolate will burn).  

Remove from heat, and mix in brown sugar.  Check to ensure that batter has cooled (it should have cooled sufficiently after mixing in the brown sugar).  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Then mix in flour and salt, followed by the sliced almonds.  Pour batter into the baked Amaretti crust, and place whole almonds around the edges as decoration.  Bake on top of a cookie sheet for approx. 35 minutes, or until the edges have puffed.  As Giada says, your cake tester will come out of the center still a bit gooey when the pie is done--don't over-bake!

Dark Chocolate Bahraini Meat Pies (with Toasted Merlot Couscous)

I recently purchased an Arabic Cuisine Cookbook, created by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Pittsburgh, PA.  (Who'd have thought?  But it's a very cool, mustard-and-orange-colored hand-bound book with aged typewritten pages.  Undated, but perhaps a 1970s-1980s creation.)  Although my version only took its inspiration from a recipe bound in this collection, these Dark Chocolate Bahraini Meat Pies would not have come to life had I not stumbled upon those culinary pages.

I made these savory pies for a Valentine's Day dinner: chocolate need not be merely for dessert!  Thanks to a recent Cooking Channel broadcast, I've begun thinking of chocolate as a spice.  And in order to round out the sweet, I've paired these meat pies with a toasted couscous, simmered in a Merlot, with sautéed yellow onions and a clove of garlic. 

Although this dinner has no hints of citrus, what's a Valentine's Day dish without a classic love song?  Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine" will forever make me weak in the knees.    

Pie Crust dough:

--1 1/4 c. wheat flour (you could use white all-purpose flour, too, but the wheat makes it a bit heartier)

--1/2 c. chilled salted butter, sliced

--1/4 c. ice water

--1 tsp. salt

--1 tsp. ground pepper

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and pepper.  Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly.  Then pour in ice water and combine until you've formed a dough.  Form into a ball and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or up to 2 days (you can make the dough ahead of time).

Meat Filling:

--4 thinly cut skillet steaks

--1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--1 tbsp. salt

--1 tbsp. ground pepper

--2 tbsp. paprika

--2 tbsp. grated dark chocolate (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)

--1 egg (for egg wash)

In a large pan, sauté the steaks in olive oil.  They need about 1-2 min. per side.  (Leave the meat juices in this pan--you'll be using it to make the couscous.)  On a separate plate, shred them by pulling them apart into small, shredded pieces, and place in a bowl.  Mix with salt, pepper, paprika, and dark chocolate.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Next, roll out the dough to approx. 1/8" thick and cut out eight 5-inch circles (it's almost impossible to find a cutter this large, so I usually use a tracer and cut out these larger circles).  Lay four of these circles on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper.  Spoon 1/4 of the meat mixture into the center of each dough circle.

 Make sure to leave an edge, approx. 1/4".  Cover these with the remaining four dough circles, then press and pinch the edges to make a "pie crust" edge.  Next, whisk one large egg in a bowl, and brush this egg wash onto the tops of the pies (making them a nice golden color).  

Finally, poke a few fork holes into each pie, allowing the air inside to escape, and bake for approx. 20 min, or until crust edges are golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Toasted Merlot Couscous:

--1 c. wheat couscous (again, as with the crust, you can use a non-wheat couscous, but this is a heartier and healthier option)

--1 large yellow onion, chopped

--1 clove garlic, minced

--1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--approx. 1/2 c. Merlot, or another dry red wine

--1 tbsp. salt

--1 tbsp. ground pepper

--1 tbsp. paprika

In the same pan you used to sauté the steaks, add another tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat.  Next, de-glaze the pan with the red wine and continue to simmer, allowing the onions and garlic to absorb the red wine and other flavors.  Add 1 1/4 c. water, salt, pepper, and paprika (you want to carry over some of the flavors from the meat pies).  When the mixture begins to boil, add the couscous, remove from heat, and cover.  After approx. 5-6 min, remove the cover and fluff the cooked couscous with a fork.  Serve over a bed of fresh arugula.  

Baked Oatmeal Almond Minis

I had baked oatmeal for the first time a few years ago at a little bakery nestled in Pennsylvania Amish country.  (Admittedly, I hadn't previously considered the possibilities of Amish baking.)  Shaped in a cake pan and served in squares, usually with warm milk and berries, I loved this breakfast dish instantly.  I've tried a few recipes, and this Taste of Home version is pretty tasty.  But at the same time, I yearned for a more granola-like version that could just as easily double as an on-the-run morning snack.  So: I turned Amish baked oatmeal into these Baked Oatmeal Almond Minis, shaped into "bites" with a mini-muffin pan.  And, unlike the traditional Amish version, these Minis omit the butter, giving them a healthier edge.

Normally, I wouldn't pair Lou Reed with breakfast (surely, he'd match better with a recipe for a liquid Night Cap), but it seems natural to line up these breakfast bites alongside the Velvet Underground & Nico's "Sunday Morning".

Ingredients:

--1 1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

--1/4 c. dark brown sugar

--1/4 c. honey

--1/4 c. shredded, sweetened coconut

--1/2 c. sliced almonds

--1 tsp. salt

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--1 large egg

--1 large egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine oats, dark brown sugar, honey, coconut, almonds, salt, and cinnamon.  Mix in the egg and egg yolk.

Using "butter" spray, spray/grease the cups in a 24-count mini muffin tray.  Spoon approx. 1 tbsp. of the oat mixture into each cup, or enough so that the cup is "just full."

Bake for approx. 15 min, or just until the edges begin to look golden.  Remove, allow to cool, and then just pop them out of the mini muffin cups and serve.  They're great on their own or in a bowl with milk.

Fish Nachos!

Love picking up a fish taco (or two) in Santa Monica?  So do I.  But when you can't stroll those sandy West Coast streets, why not tweak their seafood-meets-tortilla recipes just a bit and create a plate of nachos? 

These fish nachos feature cod grilled with olive oil and paprika (but any whitefish would do), cilantro-lime rice, and pimiento cheese over blue corn chips, topped with a white queso.  The sweet red-pepper taste of the paprika pairs excellently with the pimiento cheese, both of which are complemented by the citrus scents of lime and cilantro.  Not to mention the popping colors in this dish!  (I have to admit, I got the idea to mix seafood and pimiento cheese after ordering an out-of-this world "special" burrito from Charlottesville's own Mono Loco Restaurant, a favorite for both burritos and mojitos nouveau.) 

I mentioned that flavors like these make me think of southern California.  And what's better than fish tacos and the crisp Pacific?  Some "California Sun", of course.  (The Ramones recorded this song just a couple years after the Dictators, another punk favorite, created their cover version.)  I love the Ramones.  I know, I know--they're New York, not California.  But whether it's their homage to the dirty waters of Rockaway Beach or their later cover of Brian Wilson's lyrics in Surf City, I think they're truly rad, coast to coast. 

The Fish:

--1lb of cod, filleted (I used cod)

--2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--2 tbsp. paprika

--1 tbsp. salt

--1 tbsp. pepper

Heat a charcoal grill.  Inside, rub olive oil into the fish, followed by the paprika and salt and pepper.  Then place fish fillet, on top of foil, over head for approx. 3 minutes per side.  You'll know it's done when it flakes apart easily.  It's really important that you grill a fish like this on foil--without it, it will flake apart on the grill, and you'll lose your fish to the charcoal below.  [My boyfriend is becoming a master griller in his own right, so he did this fab grilling job for me.]

While fish is grilling, attend to the nachos.

Nachos:

--approx. 25 blue corn tortilla chips

--1 12 oz. tub pimiento cheese spread

--12 oz. white queso, shredded

--1/2 c. white rice (I used jasmine rice, but any will do)

--1/4 c. chopped cilantro

--1 lime, zested and juiced

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread approx. 25 blue corn tortilla chips, or until parchment is completely covered (the chips can overlap--that's totally fine).

Drop spoonfuls of pimiento cheese onto chips until the cheese is evenly dispersed.

In a small pot, place 1/2 c. white rice with 1 c. water, along with the zest of one lime.  Allow water to boil, then reduce heat to low and cover until rice is cooked (about 15-20 min.).  Mix the rice so that you mix in the lime zest, and then add the chopped cilantro and the lime juice.  (You want to make sure you add the cilantro and lime juice after the rice has cooked for the best flavor.)   

Across the nachos (now covered in pimiento cheese), flake the fish evenly across the chips, sprinkle with the rice, and top with the queso.  Bake for approx. 20 min., or until queso is melted and golden-colored.

Move over, beef nachos.  These West-coast-style chips are serious contenders.

Bloody, Black, & Blue NFL Mini Pies

In the market for a pastry "finger food"?  Filled with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, yesterday's Super Bowl mini pies could just as easily double as a 4th-of-July summertime treat.  They're tart, a little sweet, and can take the pain out of an unexpected sack or interception. 

And while you may not consider Elvis Costello to be a traditional pairing with American prime-time sporting events, I just have to pair these petit pastries with "Pump it Up", a track from his 1978 album, This Year's Model.  These pies are some hot little numbers. 

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Crust:

--1 1/4 c. cake flour

--1/2 c. chilled butter

--2 heaping tbsp. granulated sugar

--pinch of salt

--1/4 c. ice-cold vodka (replacing the ice water with vodka is an idea I got from a pie crust recipe at the Volunteer Park Cafe in Seattle, WA--it evaporates more quickly than the water during baking, making the crust even flakier)

(When making these for the Super Bowl yesterday, I doubled the recipe--if you want 24 pies instead of 12, double everything!)

Measure flour into a large bowl and stir in salt and sugar.  Cut in butter (see closer instructions for this in my Hot Buttered Rum Pecan Pie recipe post).  Then add ice-cold vodka (as with the water typically used for pie crust, I keep mine in the freezer before use; vodka won't freeze!).  Knead the dough until all ingredients are combined, and then store in refrigerator until ready to use.  

To make the crusts, use a 5-inch-diameter cookie cutter and a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter.  Flour a work surface, roll dough to a thin pie crust (approx. 1/8" thick), and cut 12 of the 5-inch circles (pie bottoms) and 12 of the 2-inch circles (pie tops).  

Butter the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.  Then, cut 6"x1" strips of parchment paper and place them in the muffin cups, allowing the edges to hang over the edges of the muffin cups (this is an idea I got from Giada's "Baby pie" recipe, and it works amazingly well).  Using these strips will allow you to remove the mini pies easily after you've baked them.  Next, press the 5" circles into the muffin cups, on top of the parchment strips (remember, make sure the parchment strips are still hanging over the edges so that you can grab them and pluck the mini pies out once they're done!).  Next, add the filling.

Filling:

--8 oz. washed and cut raspberries

--8 oz. washed and cut blackberries

--8 oz. washed blueberries (don't try to cut these)

--1/4 c. light brown sugar

--1 tsp. allspice

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--1 tbsp. cornstarch

This filling is tart--just sweet enough (if you like your fruit pies on the sweeter side, double the amount of brown sugar).  In a large bowl, combine fruit, brown sugar, allspice, and cinnamon.  Whisk in the cornstarch until blended.  Measure about 2 tbsp. filling into each muffin cup.  

Then press the 2" circles onto the tops, and use a fork to seal the edges.  

Extras:

--1 egg

--3 tbsp. sugar in the raw

Before baking, make an egg wash: whisk an egg in a small bowl until combined.  Lightly brush egg wash over the top of each mini pie, and then sprinkle with sugar in the raw.  Bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until tops and edges are golden.  Allow to cool, and then remove from muffin cups using parchment strips.  Serve!

Buttermilk Biscuits: Sweet Potato Style

Got a few left over sweet potatoes from making that layer cake?  Whip up some sweet potato biscuits for breakfast, a midday snack, and an after-dinner treat.  One of my favorite parts of a southern plate is the buttermilk biscuit--on its own with some jam or honey, as the base for southern-style Eggs Benedict, criss-crossed with homemade gravy, and so forth.  You know what I mean.   

And when I think of all the ways I like my biscuits, I can hear the sounds of old-time Nashville zinging in my ears.  In a perfect internet world, I'd link you to Roland White's "Head Over Heels in Love With You", a track from his 1976 album, "I Wasn't Born to Rock 'n Roll (But I Love to Cook)".  This album not only features some excellent bluegrass tunes, but also some very cool black and white photos.  (I picked up this album while driving through Tennessee last year at Grimey's New & Preloved Music, just beyond the Nashville Skyline.)  Since I can't link you to the auditory spectacular of the solo Roland White through youtube or otherwise, I'm sending you to a Kentucky Colonels' cover (in which both Roland and his brother Clarence played) of the Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower". 

Biscuits: 

*adapted from a combination of recipes belonging to Paula Deen and the fabulous Loretta Lynn, whose restaurant sits atop a hill, heading west of Nashville. 

--1 1/4 c. cake flour

--1 tbsp. brown sugar

--1 tsp. cinnamon

--4 tsp. baking powder

--pinch of salt

--1 large sweet potato (cooked, skinned, and mashed)

--1/4 c. butter, room temperature

--3 tbsp. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Then add sweet potato, butter, and milk.  On a floured surface, roll the dough to approx. 1/2" thick.  Using a biscuit cutter, cut biscuit disks and place 1/2" apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for approx. 15 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden. 

Allow to cool.  For a sweet spread, I blended 8 oz. of cream cheese with 1/4 c. dark brown sugar and 2 tsp. vanilla extract.