An Emerald Isle Dessert

                                                                               
(I have a beautiful picture from the Dingle Peninsula, but I can't get the  ______idjit computer to download it.)
                                                     

Now that we've been to Ireland...........Here is a recipe of a wonderful dessert.

On two occasions I had this marvelously sweet, flavorful dessert--once at the fish and chips place and again at the Smokehouse which really wasn't a smokehouse. Both were in Dingle in County Kerry.
It's called Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.  Added my own touches. Don't be alarmed at the amount of soda. I thought it would ruin the cake. It did not!

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup pitted dates
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla

Toffee Sauce:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/c packed light brown sugar
1 cup English walnut pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Butter a 10-inch round or square baking pan. (I used my mother's pan that she used to make Raisin Roll. See a previous blog.)
Sift flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl, add the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a bowl of electric mixer  beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended. Pour in the prepared baking dish.  Bake until pudding cake is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes.

Toffee Sauce: Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes.  Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 cup over the pudding cake. spread evenly over the top. Place pudding under the broiler until the top is bubbly, about 1 minute. Spoon into dessert bowls. Drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with toasted pecans. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

It's GRAND.

A Visit to Some Painted Churches

 

.Labor Day is not a great weekend to travel in Texas. The weather is hot, the traffic is heavy, and many restaurants are closed. However, all the stars were aligned for travel. The destination was some of the Painted Churches in south central Texas. Having heard of them for several years, three friends and I set out on THAT Monday to see them.  We took a scenic tour of Bell County, and on a country road saw twenty or more hawks circling and feeding in a field where a farmer was plowing. They were eating insects and worms. I could not identify them--perhaps Swainson's Hawks. Exciting for an old birder.
We spent the night at Brendan's Bed & Breakfast in La Grange; we met our guide for the tour at the Chamber of Commerce in Schulenburg for the tour of five beautiful churches in Fayetteville County. Our guide, Wanda, was informed and had a personal connection to the Painted Churches since she had been married in one of them. We toured the churches at High Hill, Dubina, Ammannsville, Moravia and St. John. On the way home we stopped at the Serbin Community to visit the The Wendish Heritage Museum and St. Paul's Luthern Church

If you have not done this short trip, I highly recommend taking a day or two to see them. According to some references there are twenty. I haven't found that many in any listing, but I will keep on searching.

For lunch we had some barbecue and German potato salad. Laced with vinegar, it cleared my sinuses. Potato Salad may be my favorite food.
Below find a recipe from www.whats4eats:

Kartoffelsalat

Southern region Potato Salad

Boiling potatoes--2 pounds
Hot beef or chicken broth--3/4 cup
Oil--1/3 cup
Onion chopped finely--1
Vinegar--1/4 cup
Brown or Dijon mustard--2 tablespoons
Sugar--1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper to taste
Chives or parsley, chopped (optional)--1 to 2 tablespoons

1 Place the potatoes into a large pot and add enough cold water to cover them by an inch or two. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and continue to boil until the potatoes are cooked through and a sharp knife pierces them easily. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them if you like. Then cut the potatoes in half and then cut them into thick slices.  Put the potatoes in a large bowl and carefully stir in the hot broth and onions.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir this vinaigrette in the potatoes, along with the chopped chives or parsley.

4. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

Variations:
Add diced, cooked bacon if you like. Substitute bacon fat for some of the oil.
Coarsely shred a small head of Romaine or Iceberg lettuce and mix.
Add some chopped dill pickle and juice.

All of the churches have festivals. I wish I could go to all just to check out the types of potato salad that are served.

Did You Get the Number of the Truck?

"What truck?"
"The one that ran over me"

This was the exchange in our family when someone had a particularly difficult day, task, etc.

It is appropriate for the past week for Gourmet Gallery and me personally. Now, this is not a BAD thing. There are many good things!

Fifth anniversary celebration with 109 friends--GOOD

Number One grandson graduating with a Master of Information Systems Degree--GOOD

A three-day holiday to West Texas to be with family to celebrate a ninetieth birthday--GOOD
(We missed the planned party, but made it for the after-party parties. Such great family time for us.)

There were a few small towns on our itinerary. What fun we had exploring in Clifton on the way there, and Roby, Anson, Abilene (not so small, but one of our former hometowns), Buffalo Gap, Cisco, Eastland, and Cranfills Gap and St. Olaf's Lutheran Church on the way back.

Perini's Steakhouse is in Buffalo Gap. We didn't get to have any of their famous steaks, but enjoyed some of the other foods--a one/half pound hamburger, fried quail legs, and some of the best hominy I've tasted.

This recipe from "Texas Cowboy Cooking", p.148:

Jessica's Favorite Green Chile Hominy

1 cup chopped onion, sautéed
4 15-ounce cans white hominy (drain and reserve)
1/2 cup hominy liquid
1 tablespoon juice from pickled jalapeños
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated
10 slices bacon, fried crisp and chopped (reserve drippings)
1 cup chopped green chiles
1-2 pickled jalapeños, seeded and chopped (optional)

Sauté the onions in a little of the bacon drippings and put aside. Heat hominy in a separate sauté pan, stirring often. When heated thoroughly, add the hominy liquid and jalapeño juice, bring back to a high temperature and add 3/4 of the cheese. When the cheese melts, add half the peppers and bacon and all the onion. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, bacon and peppers. (At this point it can be refrigerated or even frozen, if you want to make it in advance.) Bake at 325 degrees F. Until cheese on top melts, about. 15 minutes ( or 40 minutes, if refrigerated.)
Serves 10 to 12.













And what truck was th

Why Am I in Texas When There Are Cooler Places?

This is the time of the year-- EVERY YEAR--that I ask myself that question. I suppose the answer is that I haven't gone some other place. The secret to being as comfortable as possible for me is to stay as cool as possible and drink as much liquid as possible. Water , of course, is the logical choice, and it is a good choice. However, our gourmet world offers many options. Below find a couple of drinks that can be made at home--with a little help from Gourmet Gallery.

PEACH BELLINI

1) In a blender, combine 1/2 package of Wine-a-Rita mix (3/4 cup) with12 fluid ounces of wine or champagne and blend until mixed.

2) Fill blender with ice and mix until smooth.

Makes 12-6 ounce servings.

Or

LAVENDER LEMONADE

Brew 1quart of Sterling Earl Grey Lavender Tea. (2tablespoons loose tea in 1qt. hot water [185-205F] . Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea leaves and chill.

2 cups simple syrup. (Bring 2 cups sugar and one cup water to a boil stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill.)

Combine tea and simple syrup in a pitcher and add 1-1/2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir. Add ice and one or two sliced lemons.

ENJOY.

My Fig Tree, the Birds and the Squirrels

My fig tree is as tall as the storage house at the back of the lot. It is as big as the storage house. I can only
reach about 7 feet to pick the large, luscious figs that are beginning to ripen to their sweetest. I COULD get a tall ladder and move it a few feet at a time around the tree to pick the figs. (.Don't tell.)

I devised a plan for harvesting those figs. I was willing to get in and around the first seven or so feet of the tree and pick those plump figs. And I was willing to let the wildlife have the figs in the top half of the tree. In my nicest voice I have made that fact known to the birds, squirrels and any other creatures that want to have a treat. Have they accepted my invitation--my reasonable plan. NO!!!! With unmitigated gall they have been in MY part of the tree, and not only that, they are eating figs that are not completely ripe--just barely turning color. How rude when I was and am so willing to share!!!!!. 

However, if I can get sneak enough from the birds, etc., or if they have a change of heart, I am going to make the following recipe:

JUANITA'S FIG BRUSHCETTA

l Baguette, sliced
4 ounces goat cheese
Fresh figs, sliced
Honey for drizzling.

Toast the baguette slices.
Spread with about 2 teaspoons  or so of the goat cheese.
Place 1 sliced fig on each slice.
Drizzle with honey, to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Try this with a Pinot Noir, if you like a red, or a Sauvignon Blanc if you prefer white. I also found a "fizzy" Portuguese white that will be nice with this recipe.
Let me know what you think of the wine choices, please.

A Source--"Cook's Illustrated"

Entering the retail world of food has been a education for me. Even though I was a Homemaking teacher  when there were such animals and a wife and mother for even longer, so many new ideas, food and nutrition facts and new methods have appeared since then that I have had to really be alert to all things new. Among  the many magazines that pass through our doors, a stand-out is COOK'S ILLUSTRATED. In fact, it is our go-to for equipment recommendations, methods of cooking and their cookbook THE AMERICA' S TEST KITCHEN FAMILY COOKBOOK published by America's Test Kitchen is the book we recommend for new cooks who need a starter course in cooking and baking.

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED comes bi-monthly and has a plethora of information about food preparation, pots and pans, food products--too much to cover here. There are 32 items in the contents. One of them is for frying eggs. I know, I know! Who doesn't know how to fry 'em, and eggs are not that good for you. What about cholesterol? I eat them and I will continue to do so.

Pointers for the perfect fried egg, borrowed from August, 2013, COOK'S ILLUSTRATED, pp.12-13.

Preheat the pan for 5 minutes over low heat.
Use two fats--vegetable oil while the pan is heating and butter added just before the eggs.
Add eggs all at once. Cracking into small bowls and adding to skillet allows them cook at the same rate.
Turn heat to medium-high.
Cover as soon as the eggs are in place. Allow to cook 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Wait 15 to 45 seconds.

Ready to serve.
(I have a glass saucepan lid that fits for 8 inch skillet; so, I don't have to let heat out to check.)
Now, for a strip of bacon, toasted English muffins and a little orange marmalade.

Perfect breakfast--or dinner.
BTW we have both AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN FAMILY COOKBOOK and the current issue of COOK'S ILLUSTRATED available at Gourmet Gallery.

A Summertime Favorite, or Who Doesn't Love Peach Cobbler?

Peach cobbler always meant making a double pie crust, lining the pan with half and rolling a top crust. I still like it that way, but my niece sent me a recipe that is a hurry-up recipe that is so delicious that I usually make it that way.I have found several similar recipes, but they all require more steps than Lora's recipe. Here it is:

                               ( Luscious peaches. Watch at Farmers' Market. Probably will be the best)


LORA'S PEACH COBBLER

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

 Place 1/2 cup butter in 9X13X2 baking pan and put pan in oven to melt butter. When melted, remove from oven. Set aside.

Mix together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Add 1 cup "sweet" milk

Pour into baking pan over the butter.

Add 1 quart of sweetened peaches evenly over the batter.

Place into oven and bake until golden brown--about 30 minutes.

Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

So quick. So easy. So-o-o-o-o-o-o good.

Any kind of peaches will work-- fresh, canned or frozen. I remembering reading that even the peaches that don't seem quite up to par will be wonderful in a cobbler.
Please enjoy this simple recipe.