You gotta try this recipe!

I try not to play favorites with the recipes on this site but sometimes I come across a recipe that’s so unique, so delicious that I have no choice. This is one of those times.

It couldn’t have come across this recipe at a better time considering it’s been a while since I have posted anything new. For the past few weeks, I’ve been focused on unpacking boxes, fighting with cable company phone reps, installing wallpaper (this alone was responsible for three or four nervous breakdowns) and building bookshelves (this was nervous breakdown number six).

One day I have to give you a photographic tour of my new digs. It’s a New York City apartment, so by photographic “tour,” I mean standing in the doorway and snapping one shot that shows the entire place. Ugh.

With all of that said, I honestly couldn’t think of a better recipe to “re-launch” with.

A few days back I came across this recipe for Spicy Red Pepper Jelly. The recipe looked unique, interesting and best of all, easy. I couldn’t pass it up.

Let me tell you, this ain’t the one note, singularly-sweet jelly that your mom slathered on PB&J sandwiches. This more mature version pacts an amazing concert of flavors: the tangy, sweetness of the red pepper; the earthy, hearty and almost smoky flavor of the fresh thyme; all finished off with a subtle push of heat from the pepper flakes. Delish!

Besides the flavor, what really sets this jelly off is its versatility. It’s a perfect condiment to put on buttered toast – the creaminess of the butter and tangy sweetness and heat of the jelly (in this post I paired it with miniature cornbread muffins).

It would also be AMAZING served as a slightly warm dipping sauce for grilled lamb chops – the tanginess, sweetness and heat would hold up well with the bold flavors of a perfectly grilled rosemary-garlic grilled lamb chop.

This jelly is seriously a must try.

Before I go, although things are great now (finally settling into my new place has done wonders), it’s been a year filled with ups and downs.  I want to say thank you to all of you who have been so generous in my absence with your emails, well wishes and CeramicCanvas.com inspired posts on your own sites (example 1, example 2). They are all very much appreciated.

It feels good to be back.

Cheers!

WORD TO THE WISE: After you add the fruit pectin, only cook the mixture for a 1 or 2 minutes as the recipe instructs. I made the mistake of boiling the pectin for about 3 or 4 minutes. And while it still tastes amazing, when the jelly cools it becomes to set, hard and unspreadable. Which can be fixed by gently reheating the jelly to make it more pliable.

SPICY RED PEPPER JELLY

Originally Printed in Gourmet Magazine, December 2006

1 1/2 lb red bell peppers (about 3), cut into 1-inch pieces (6 cups)

2 TSP dried hot red-pepper flakes

3 TBL Sure-Jell less- or no-sugar-needed pectin (from a 1 3/4-oz box)

3 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup white-wine vinegar

1 TBL unsalted butter

1 TSP fresh thyme, chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse bell peppers with red-pepper flakes in a food processor until finely chopped. (Mixture will measure about 2 1/2 cups.)

Whisk together pectin and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.

Stir together pepper mixture, vinegar, butter, salt, and remaining 3 cups sugar in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot. Bring to a vigorous boil over high heat, then continue to boil vigorously, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add pectin mixture and chopped thyme. Return jelly to a vigorous boil, stirring constantly, and boil, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly). Remove from heat.

NOTE: For instructions on jarring the jelly, click here.

No doubt that many of you reading this entry will be very disappointed with the content. It’s all about cocottes. Evidently, the French word cocotte has two meanings. There’s the culinary definition – an individual serving sized dish of baked eggs and cream. And then there’s the other meaning referring to – well, you know – ladies of the evening.

So, if you’ve landed here via a Google search with hopes of photos and info on the red light district cocottes, sorry, this post is all about eggs. But if you’re here for the edible cocotte (I’ll restrain myself and not make an off-color joke here) then boy-oh-boy, do I have a dish for you.

The nuts and bolts of this dish are simple (and delicious): eggs, heavy cream, bacon, sautéed potatoes and butter. How can you go wrong, right? You can’t.

The other unique element of this dish is the presentation. It has the beauty of a sunny side up egg (bright, intense yellow yolk center) but with the ease of making a frittata – just mix and pop it in the oven. Again, how can you go wrong?

I was indirectly inspired to make this dish. Walking through a local home store, I found these cool tiny 6-ounce ramekins that were designed to look like a full sized Le Creuset enameled Dutch ovens. I saw them. I was intrigued. Resistance was futile. I bought them. (Did I mention that they were only $2.50 each?)

It wasn’t until I got home that I thought, “Sure they were cheap but what can I use them for?” Individual Mac & Cheeses? That could work. Or maybe soup dishes? Too awkward and forced.

At some point I thought of cocottes. I also remembered this Gourmet magazine recipe that I bookmarked a while back. At this point I should mention that the original Gourmet recipe has almost no resemblance to the recipe that I ended up making. It has been tweaked (ingredients & technique) almost beyond recognition. Not because I possess any advanced skills at culinary improvisation. I just didn’t want to go to the market and buy the ingredients. I used what I had on hand. As I have mentioned before on this site, I can be quite lazy.

More important than the presentation is the flavor. It’s delicious, filling and satisfying. The sautéed potatoes and leeks. The bacon. The lightly cook egg with the rich runny yolk. The cream.

I think this would make a great brunch dish. Or better yet, make them, serve them on a tray with the Sunday paper, orange marmalade buttered toast, a glass of OJ and/or coffee and it becomes the perfect breakfast-in-bed treat for your main squeeze.

NOTE: If you’re making this dish for a group. I would suggest that you cook the bacon and potatoes-leek mixture ahead of time (even the day before). And a bit before you’re ready to serve, assemble the ramekin components and pop them in the oven.

NOTE 2: The eggs in this recipe will not be fully cooked, which may be of concern if salmonella is a problem in your area.

NOTE 3: I recommend that you use a nonstick pan for sautéing the potatoes. I didn’t. A good deal of my potatoes burned and stuck to the pan. Using a nonstick pan also allows you to use less of the rendered bacon fat when cooking the potatoes. Which is good since it’s a bacon, heavy cream and yolk dish.

Cheers!

EGGS EN COCOTTE BAKED WITH CREAM & BACON

¾ cup slab bacon cut into lardons (1/4” wide batons)

2/3 cup potato, ½” diced cubes

1/3 cup leeks, diced

dash of dried thyme

2 large eggs

3 TBL heavy cream

1 TBL butter

Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Chives, diced (for garnish)

Equipment: 2 (6-ounce) ramekins

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

In a medium sized nonstick sauté pan, cook bacon lardons over moderate heat until it they are crisped and cooked through.

Let bacon drain on a paper towel.

Meanwhile pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat. To the sauté pan, add potatoes, leeks and thyme and cook until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Divide and layer the potato/leek mixture among the two ramekins. Add a layer of bacon lardons to each serving (reserving a few of the lardons to garnish the cooked dish). Spoon 1 tablespoon of heavy cream into each serving. Crack an egg into each ramekin and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon 1 teaspoon (2 teaspoons, if you dare) of cream over each egg. Cut the tablespoon of butter into 4-6 small pieces and dot the top of each ramekin with butter.

Put ramekins in a shallow baking pan and bake, rotating pan halfway through baking, until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 15 to 20 minutes, removing from oven as cooked.

Serves 2

“Suck it up you whimpering cry baby!” Sometimes, tough love is the only way to go.

Standing in the produce section of my friendly corporate chain mega-supermarket, I was contemplating buying a bag of oranges – mind you, despite the ‘Farm Fresh’ label on the bag, these babies were flown in from South America. That’s when it hit me. Summer was over and I needed to let go. That’s also when I gave myself the ‘tough love’ talking to. It was a very uncomfortable conversation… and I have to assume, an even more uncomfortable conversation for my fellow shoppers who were forced to witness it.

Back to my epiphany. So I decided not to buy the fresh picked South American oranges. I put down the oranges, slowly backed away, walked out of the supermarket and headed straight for my local farmer’s market. Once there I threw myself into the bounty of seasonal produce.

With that said, there will be no more complaining about the loss of summer in the pages of the Ceramic Canvas. We’re going to embrace Fall and all it has to offer – I’m so inspired that I shot a few seasonally inspired photos for this post. Plus, with its crisp days and robust rust and burgundy color leaves it’s actually a very beautiful season.

So bring on the root vegetables and hearty squashes that thrive and thumb their noses at Mother Nature’s cold spell.

First up, the ubiquitous pumpkin.

When I bought these little pumpkins (about 4lbs each) at the market I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them. I got home and quickly decided against my first idea – a soup. I was inspired to do something a little different. At some point granola bars entered my little brain.

I was inspired to make a granola that I was entirely inspired by the season. And what says autumn better then pumpkin pie. So that was the plan. Pumpkin Pie Granola Bars – a snack that used all of the spices and flavors of a classic pumpkin pie. Now, I just needed to figure out how to make this happen.

Pumpkin is water logged. So I would need to dice and dehydrate it. This would solve a few issues. First, since fresh pumpkin has a mild flavor, this process would intensify the flavor. And dehydration would get rid of the crunch of the fruit (or is it a vegetable) and make it dry and chewy, which is what you want in a granola.

For color and to keep the Thanksgiving dinner concept going, I threw in some dried cranberries. After all, cranberry sauce is the 3rd best part of Thanksgiving dinner (turkey and pumpkin pie being 1st and 2nd).

I really like these Pumpkin Pie Granola Bars – I’m actually snacking on one as I write. They’re chewy and the pumpkin pie flavor really delivers. The cranberries deliver the balance. Just as you settle into the pumpkin pie flavor you get a pop of bright and tart cranberry on your palette.

In closing, let me say that while I love this granola bar, it pales in comparison to my friend’s, Alejandro, Green Tea Granola (maybe he’ll let me share the recipe one day).

Cheers!

PUMPKIN PIE GRANOLA BARS

Tweaked beyond recognition from Back to Basics by Ina Garten

6 cups diced pumpkin, roughly ½” cubes (from a 4 lb pumpkin)

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

½ cup wheat germ

3 TBL unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

2 TBL brown sugar

1 TSP pure vanilla extract

¼ TSP kosher salt

1/8 TSP nutmeg

½ TSP grounded cinnamon

1/8 TSP allspice

1/8 TSP grounded cloves

¼ TSP ground ginger

½ cup cranberries

Line baking sheet with diced pumpkin. Cook pumpkin in a 150˚ oven until it has dehydrated and reduced to half its original size, about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter or line an 8 x 12-inch baking pan with parchment paper. (Alternatively, you can use a 6 x 6-inch baking pan for thicker granola bars)

Toss the oatmeal and almonds together on a sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚.

Place butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves and grounded ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Stir and let boil for one minute. Pour mixture in bowl with toasted oats. Add dehydrated pumpkin and cranberries and stir well.

Pour mixture into the prepared 8 x 12-inch pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into bars.

Makes about 6 to 9 bars.

Two Cheese Omelet Soufflé

It was love at first site….I mean bite.

Years ago (about 9) I came across the cookbook How to Cook by Delia Smith. I purchased the book mainly for one recipe and one recipe only (since then I have picked up many other recipes in the book). While thumbing through the book sitting crossed legged in the middle of the aisle of my local Barns & Noble, I was mesmerized by the recipe on page 52.

It was for an Omelet Soufflé. I am not a huge fan of egg dishes but the omelet featured in the photograph looked so luscious, light and fluffy that I decided right then and there to get the book… at full retail price.

(Note: Paying full retail for anything is a huge thing for me. I am known for going into full on negotiation mood when trying to get the best price for $1.00/set stemware at the Salvation Army. I know…that’s just sad.)

Back to the recipe. It did not disappoint. I’ve cooked it (in many variations) for nearly a decade. The omelet, which rises like a soufflé, is so unique that it’s definitely one of those showstopper types of dishes.

For me, it’s a particular favorite on Valentine’s Day morning, for breakfast when we have guests staying overnight or a quick bite when I have the late night munchies – no, not those munchies.

For many people, including me, soufflés can be stressful to make. But this soufflé omelet is so easy to make that you’ll be amazed. It takes less than 7 minutes to prepare and it’s a very forgiving soufflé that doesn’t deflate very easily or fast (The omelet in these pictures was shot up to 15 minutes after the omelet was cooked). And more importantly is the taste – a beautifully rich eggy flavor.

I’ve adapted the recipe to use mozzarella and Parmesan. But the beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. More then likely, whatever cheeses you have on hand will work. If you only have Gruyere and cheddar in the fridge, that’s fine. What about mozzarella and goat? I think that’s a fabulous combo.

The only thing I would recommend is that if you use a combo of cheeses, use the strongest flavored one in the smaller quantity to make sure you don’t over power the dish.

Let’s say on a 1 through 10 Ceramic Canvas recommendation scale, this recipe ranks an eight.

If you are having the omelet soufflé for dinner, try it with a nice glass of dry red wine. It’s a fabulous combination.

Enjoy!

TWO CHEESE OMELET SOUFFLÉ

Adapted from How to Cook by Delia Smith

This recipe serves one. To serve two, just double the ingredients and use a 9” or 10” sauce pan.

3 large eggs

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1oz shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 TSP kosher salt

¼ freshly ground pepper

3 TBL finely chopped chives

1 TBL butter

Preheat broiler.

Separate eggs, placing yolks in a small bowl and the white into a large bowl.

In the bowl with the yolks, add half of the mozzarella, half of the Parmesan, kosher salt, pepper and 2 tablespoon of the chives. Stir mixture to blend.

In the large bowl, whisk egg whites to form soft peaks.

Using a large spatula, gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites.

Meanwhile, melt butter in an 8” saucepan over medium-high heat.

Pile egg mixture into the saucepan. Give pan a good shake to even it out. Cook for exactly 1 minute.

Pour remaining mozzarella over half of the omelet.

Place the omelet under the broiler (about 4” from the heat source) and cook for 1 minute, until the omelet puffs up and begins to turn golden.

Remove omelet from broiler. Use a spatula to loosen the omelet around the edges of the pan. Ease half of the omelet on to a warm plate and turn the remaining half onto the other.

Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese and chives.

Ricotta-Almond Doughnuts with Caramel Dipping Sauce

I’ve always had a warm place in my heart for donuts (or is it spelled ‘doughnuts’? – more on that later). And I especially love Krispy Kreme donuts. As a kid running errands with my mother, there would be the occasional Krispy Kreme store sighting. If we were lucky, we’d come across one that was just finishing a fresh batch. The warm scent of the bread would wind its way from the store, through the air, across the street and into our car. Often, we would make a B-line for the store – the errand would have to wait.

Sometimes we get to the donuts while they were still a bit warm and the glaze would stick to your fingers like glue. As a child, I would look with pity on the adults rushing to the bathroom to wash their hands when they were done – they were missing half the fun. The whole point of holding warm, sticky glazed donuts is that you get to lick the glaze off of your fingers when you are done…one finger at a time. Adults. Ugh. What were they thinking?

So, with doughnuts having such a special place in my heart, it’s no wonder that I have never tried to make them at home. Why ruin a good thing? I’ve tasted too many dense homemade ‘donuts’ with a texture that resembled a round pound cake with a hole punched in the middle to risk soiling something that I held in such high regard.

But something happened this weekend. When I came across a doughnut recipe in the new Williams-Sonoma cookbook, Cooking for Friends, I was intrigued – a doughnut with ricotta cheese! I realized that by design, these doughnuts would be a little more dense than the donuts that I grew up with but I was feeling adventurous and decided, “What the hell. Give it a try.”

In the cookbook, the doughnuts were paired with three dipping sauces: caramel, dark and white chocolate sauces. The caramel sauce was calling my name.

Now, I just had to put a little Ceramic Canvas addition on it and we were in business. I wanted to add a nutty flavor (to round out the caramel sauce), so I incorporated grounded almonds. Then I got to cooking.

The verdict? Two thumbs up! The doughnuts are not the same as the Krispy Kreme of my childhood but they are still oh so delicious. And the almonds offer a nice nutty flavor that works well with the caramel sauce.

Oh yeah, donut versus doughnut. My understanding is that ‘donut’ is an American spelling referring to the yeasty, ring-shaped variety, and ‘doughnut’ is a European/Australian spelling more often referring to the balls (or as we say in the States, ‘donut holes’) – like the ones in this recipe. If there are any donuts/doughnuts historians out there, please feel free to expand and/or correct me in the comment section.

Enjoy.

RICOTTA-ALMOND DOUGHNUTS WITH CARMEL DIPPING SAUCE

Adapted from Cooking for Friends (by Alison Attenborough, Jamie Kimm)

Canola Oil for deep-frying
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3 tsp grounded almonds
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbl granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

In a large, heavy saucepan, pour oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches and heat to 370˚ on a deep frying thermometer.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and grounded almonds. In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla. Add flour mixture to ricotta mixture and whisk until well blended.

Working in batches, gently drop level tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Dust with powered sugar and serve with dipping sauce.

Makes about 20 doughnuts

CARAMEL SAUCE

½ cup granulated sugar
1 tbl of butter, diced
¼ cup heavy cream

Put sugar in a small heavy saucepan and add enough water just to cover sugar (it will resemble wet sand). Place over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, but occasionally swirling the pan to ensure even cooking, until mixture starts to bubble and edges begin to turn amber, about 7-10 minutes. Watching carefully to prevent overcooking, continue cooking until mixture turns a deep amber, 3-5 minutes more. Remove from heat and very carefully add butter (it may spatter). Carefully add cream and swirl pan until evenly mixed.

Use at once, or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Warm gently on the stove top if reheating is needed.

Makes about ¾ cup

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