Brunch Recipe

Cornmeal - Blueberry Scones
Made them for my RYS (after school program job) meeting tomorrow morning. That is a 1/2 cup of buttermilk, not 1 cup as I did on accident.
Anyway I'll let you know the verdict on how they taste tomorrow.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/coffee-cakes/cornmeal-blueberry-scones/

ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/3
  cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3
  cup yellow cornmeal
• 2
  tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2
  tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2
  teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4
  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3
  cup cold butter, cut up
• 1/2
  cup buttermilk
• 1
  egg
• 1 1/2
  teaspoons finely shredded lime peel
• 1
  cup frozen blueberries*
• 1
  teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 - 4
  teaspoons lime juice
• 1
  cup powdered sugar
• 3
  tablespoons chopped almonds, toasted
  
  
  1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.

  2.In a large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in butter until flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center. Combine buttermilk, egg, and peel; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir with a fork just until moistened.

  3.Toss berries with cornstarch to coat; add to flour mixture. Stir gently 3 to 5 turns, just until berries are incorporated (do not overmix). Using a large spoon, drop dough into 12 mounds on baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between mounds. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until tops are golden. For icing, in a small bowl whisk enough lime juice into powdered sugar until drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm scones. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve warm. Makes 12 scones.

Coffee Toffee Bars

Mmmmm! My roommate, Emily, made these yesterday and they are all gone! hahaha Just kidding but they are delicious!

Ingredients

1c butter
1c brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/4c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1c chocolate chips
1/2c walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven for 350F. Beat together butter, brown sugar, instant coffee and almond extract. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients in with the butter mixture and add the chocolate chips and walnuts. The dough is crumbly. Pour mixture into a greased 9x12 pan. Bake for 20 - 25 min. Optional, glaze with milk and confectioners sugar mixture. Enjoy!!

Happy Holidays
Kat

Eggnog

Here is my first attempt at making my own Eggnogg. I found this recipes at http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/eggnog/.

I think I added to many spices or just didn't mix them well enough but clumps of spices sank to the bottom of the drink. I'm going to try it again soon and maybe try a new recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 whole cloves
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp each of bourbon and rum or brandy, or to taste (can omit for kid-friendly eggnog)
• *4 egg whites (optional)

METHOD

1 In a large bowl, use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat egg yolks until they become somewhat lighter in color. Slowly add the sugar, beating after each addition, whisking until fluffy.

2 Combine the milk, cloves, and cinnamon in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat on medium heat until the milk mixture is steamy hot, but not boiling.

3 Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

4 Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. It helps to have a candy thermometer, but not necessary; if you have one, cook until the mixture reaches 160°F. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle. (If the mixture does curdle you may be able to save it by running it through a blender.) Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the cloves. Let cool for one hour.

5 Mix in vanilla extract, nutmeg, and bourbon/rum and brandy (feel free to omit for kid-friendly eggnog). Chill.

Happy Holidays!

Kat Clement

Very Fruity Bars

One of the items on the JOPCC Picture Rocks 2011 Canoe Trip were Very Fruity Bars. These were very fruity bars...and they were made twice. The first batch was placed in the freezer in Toledo and then promptly forgotten until halfway through the drive north to Grand Marais. A quick stop at the grocery store in Gaylord remedied the no-ingredients situation and Very Fruity Bars were once again on the menu for the Pictured Rocks Canoe Trip 2011. The intent was for Aurora to be able to snack on them throughout the day and therefore prevent her from becoming too hungry...well, they were gone by the end of the trip...but AHP did not participate in eating any of them! None the less, they were delicious and help up wonderfully for the duration of the camping trip.



Recipe
1 1/2 cups pitted prunes
1 1/2 cups dried apricots
2-3 cups raisins
1 cup dates

Place dried fruit in a bowl and just cover with cold water, let soak overnight.

Add to the fruit mixture:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 cups rolled oats
3 cups chopped nuts
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Mix together. If mixture is too dry, add apple juice a little at a time until mixture comes together. Spread mixture into a greased baking sheet lined with wax paper. Preheat oven to 350F, bake for 30 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp. Cut into squares, freezes well.

Berlin

Today it is Wednesday, we travel to Berlin, a 7 hour drive, and we said goodbye to Genevieve. Jean-Baptiste never wakes before 8 if possible so we did not get a picture with him. PMB drove first to a grocery store north of Strasbourg to show us the “cockpit.”

It was in a very nice, upscale grocery and I was impressed by the organization, display of cut food and especially the enthusiasm of the 2 women who ran the operation. They were very concerned with the quality of the cuts, and the presentation of the display. It is a concept I believe can work in the US. PMB drove again and when we reached the German Autobahn, we were going 185 KPH, faster than I have ever driven before.

Germany in this area ranged from flat farmland to rolling hills, but everywhere there are windmill farms, with 12+ windmills at a time. By noon, PMB was hungry again and we stopped for lunch. He does not believe in “carry-out,” and does not eat in his car. He suggested the Goulash soup, and I corrected him when he said it was Polish. It is Hungarian! Phillou drove the remainder of the trip, at 185 to 200 KPH!!!!

inally we reached the outskirts of Berlin and slowed down. Our hotel was difficult to find, but we arrived about 7 PM and registered. The lobby is on the 5^th floor of an old building. 3 groups were waiting in queue ahead of us and it was a laborious process. The lights in the hallways are on timer and every 3 minutes or less, we waved our arms in the air to turn them on. The “receptionist,” who we decided was left over from the perestroika (look that up if you have too), missed the announcement that it was ok to go back to the Russian Motherland. It was such a complicated process to register we could hardly stop laughing. But she did say they had internet connections throughout the pension and a continental breakfast.

Olga had to tell, and show, each guest where they stayed and our imagination did not exceed reality, we had a bedroom with 2 twin beds and the bathroom was down the hall….but it was special! It had washers and dryers and we were the only one who had a key, except of course the cleaning woman who did the laundry for the pension in our bathroom. So we learned that timing is everything when it comes to taking showers.

It was late, we were tired and we had no idea where to get dinner, but left the hotel and walked 20 min to a nice area. After being rejected by the Italian restaurant we went across the road to the Greek restaurant and had a wonderful dinner.

I started with the soup of the day, a fish stew. It was a very light fish stock, with olive oil and lemon juice, small pieces of fresh fish,a rather large octopus, leeks, and a crayfish. I could live on a soup like this, and it was the best part of the dinner. John and I usually take the chef’s special of the day, after all, the chef spent most of the time perfecting this. But the main course was already sold out and so I choose Moussaka, a traditional dish that I have made myself. It was good, but I have made better. However, the highlight of the meal was a trip to the bathroom. ( see video) Espresso again and we walked back to the hotel.

Thursday morning found us on a bus to the exhibition hall. Believe it or not, for lunch there was a restaurant with an excellent selection of salads, stews and sweets. Needless to say , everyone partakes of lunch.

That evening we were invited to the dinner given by SORMAC, the Dutch company that manufactures the carrot and onion peeling equipment. It was at the top of a tall radio tower that we thought looked like a replica of the Eiffel tower. SORMAC had reserved the restaurant for their employees and sales team. An evening of good food and interesting people.

Friday morning we awoke to rain. PMB and Phillou were driving back home and we were to “see” Berlin. We had decided to take a bus tour, having no concept of the city, we thought this would be the best overview, and the next time we could visit the museums. It was a good decision. The city is large, and we were able to see the highlights in a comfortable setting. It has an amazing history.

The Brandenburg Gate, palaces, museums, the berlin wall & checkpoint Charlie from the cold war. “Hop on and Hop off” allowed us to conduct business at every Starbucks we saw.

PMB said Berlin doesn’t have Starbucks, but he is wrong, and it worked perfectly. I will return to Berlin.

Friday night found us back at our hotel, tired from walking many kilometers despite the bus. We decided to stay close by, which limited our dinner choices. It was not the best choice, but it worked. We were tired, but I tried the lamb shank stew with tomatoes, onions, feta cheese and hot peppers. Espresso and we walked around the corner to our Pension Arta.

Today is Saturday and we left at 8am for the Tegel airport., sharing a cab with another hotel guest. The airport does not have free wi-fi and each flight gate has its own security scanner. Everyone is patted down. We were in the air by noon and will be in our own bed tonight. Can’t wait, and I can’t wait to get back to lighter fare. German food is heavy on the meat.

Tuesday we left Klinganthal at 7:30 am and drove to Wilstatt to see George Kronen and his factory, at least the German factory. I met George, his son Simon, and the sales manager Frank. They demonstrated the equipment that they developed for the “cockpit.” Small lettuce spinner, blenders, food processors like the Cuisinart, cutters similar to the cutomato and even a small device to crack coconuts. Kronen now manufactures all of these items, in a factory in Cecezlovacia, rather than buy from other suppliers. After the demonstration, it was of course time for lunch. George invited us to go to a restaurant nearby, it was what I would imagine was a typical local German restaurant. Frank suggested we have the Gravlax appetizer first. It was enough for a meal, arranged on a large white square plate with only salt, pepper, and a slice of lemon, and that was all it needed. The salmon was one of the best I have had…no fishy taste. Then we had also ordered a main dish, I was trying to choose other than meat so I had a dish of spatzel with wild mushrooms in cream sauce. Large pieces of mushrooms barely sautéed with leeks. I can re-create this dish; just have to find the mushrooms.

We returned to the factory and spent the rest of the afternoon talking about opportunities with George. Left about 4 and drove 2 hours to PMB’s to drop off Phillip-Emanuel, then drove back to Strasbourg to pick up Jean-Baptiste from the train station. We walked around the city before he arrived and I was glad we were staying in the country rather than the city.

We left Strasbourg about 8 and drove the hour + to Klinganthal, dropped off Jean-Baptiste and went back into the village to eat dinner.

At this time it was about 9:30 pm, and the Bientot a Barr Les Hortensias was still servicing traditional Alsatian food. We had a salad, which in that area was a layer of thinly sliced cabbage with mache on top and a vinaigrette of very light olive oil and shallots. PMB suggested the Croute charchatieur. I chose the one for a single person, but when it arrived I could not imagine how big it would be for the plate for 2 people. There was a mound of sauerkraut surrounded by a smoked sausage, fresh sausage, fresh ham slices, and a pork cutlet. It was too much to eat, but I tasted everything and the sauerkraut was not too acidic, with a slight taste of juniper. A local white wine in a pitcher, with espresso and we were ready for bed again!