Raclette

A swiss classic. They sell $200 raclette makers at Williams Sonoma, but honestly, I can't think of anyone who would make enough raclette to warrant one. When I was in France my host family used to put the cheese over boiled potatoes in a casserole dish and pop it in the oven, although my other French friend was horrified at the prospect, since (rightly) the cheese really should be melted beforehand and poured over the potatoes. A saucepan seemed to have worked just fine.

To be truly traditional, this should be served with cornichons (little pickles) and salami or ham. I like it just plain, thank you very much. This also goes great with wine (white, theoretically, but I think it's beautiful with a lighter red, like a Languedoc).

By the way, since certain philistines think that raclette "stinks" (oh, how wonderfully does it stink!) I mixed in a little cream cheese (a very little) so take some of the edge off. It mellowed it out a little but you couldn't taste it. By the way, said philistine will eat kokorec, which is just as disgusting as it sounds. Hypocrite.

Ingredients

6-8 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 lb. raclette
cream cheese (entirely optional)
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Dice potatoes into 1 inch cubes and boil on high heat until tender

2. Meanwhile, melt sliced raclette in a small saucepan on low heat (2-3 on a 10-point scale), stirring at least once every minute.

3. You'll know the cheese is ready when it begins to get a little bubbly, is a consistent color, and (most importantly), flows down the spoon like a thick waterfall; add cream cheese at the very end if you, too, think it stinks, and stir in until consistent

4. Place cooked potatoes on a serving dish, sprinkle a little salt on them, and pour the cheese over the potatoes. Top with pepper and serve! (Can layer if the serving dish is small).

Sweet Potato Fries

New and improved method! The cornstarch makes for crispier fries, although of course they will never be as crunchy as deep fried regular potatoes.

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
1-2 T. lime juice
1 T. cornstarch (approximate)
cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400

2. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into even-sized pieces.

3. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, being careful to spread them out so they don't pile on top of each other

4. Drizzle olive oil over sweet potatoes, then ground pepper, a few pinches of salt, and a couple dashes of cayenne. Drizzle lime juice over the potatoes, then sprinkle cornstarch on the potatoes.

5. Mix with your hands until consistent and the cornstarch "disappears"

6. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over and continue to bake for 10 minutes or so. Turn off the oven until they're the consistency you like!

Rosemary Garlic Bread

As you could probably tell from my blog, I think rosemary improves everything. Yes, everything. I would put it on my cereal if it were socially acceptable.

I didn't think this was worth putting up but my mother asked me to and she's the only person who reads this blog besides me :P

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread, sliced
2-3 T. butter, melted
2-3 T. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 large sprig rosemary, chopped

Directions

1. Place slices of bread on a cookie sheet and toast (I usually make this with something else so I just put it in with whatever temperature the oven happens to be on, but 350 is fine) until JUST beginning to harden, but not brown

2. Combine melted butter, olive oil, garlic, and chopped rosemary

3. Brush mixture on bread slices and continue to toast for another 5-10 minutes**

**If the toast doesn't toast on the bottom, toast one side first then turn over to brush on the mixture

Mango Sticky Rice

My mother introduced me to this wonderful Thai dessert, and at $6 a pop at our local Thai restaurant, I ventured to make it at home. I found a lot of different recipes that I boiled down to this one; it's new to me but I'm writing it as I made it, but I think some things are probably optional (cornstarch, brown sugar instead of white).

Anyway, being used to basmati rice, which is boiled, I had no idea how to work with sticky rice, which apparently needs to be steamed in a bamboo steamer. I was even all set to buy one, but before I did I thought I'd just try steaming it the way I steam regular vegetables and it worked BEAUTIFULLY! Boil some water at the bottom of a big pot, place a the steamer basket on top filled with rice and lined with 2 paper towels, cover, and cook! Who needs fancy rice cookers?

Ingredients

2 cups (thereabouts) Thai glutinous rice
1 can coconut milk
4 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
Toasted seseme seeds (can do without if unavailable)
A couple mangoes (preferably yellow ones!)

Directions

1. Steam the rice according to directions (again, if you don't have a bamboo pot, use the directions above). Be sure to soak the rice for at least two hours, then drain it, then steam for about 30 minutes.

2. In separate pot, add half of coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1-2 T. brown sugar (taste it so it suits your sweetness preference; keep in mind that it will be less sweet on the rice than it is in the pot)

3. Add the cooked rice the the coconut milk mixture and let sit, covered, for at least 20 minutes to let the rice soak it up.

4. In a small pot, mix the rest of the coconut milk with 1/4 tsp. salt, the cornstarch, and as much sugar as you like.

5. When it's ready, serve rice topped with warm sauce and seseme seeds beside a sliced mango.

Rosemary Olive Oil Loaf

They sell these at Harris Teeter, and without the foggiest notion of what I was doing I threw some ingredients together to see if I could imitate it and the result was much better. Really, really good stuff!

Ingredients

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour (313 - 375 g.)
1 cup warm (not hot) water
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 T. sugar
1+ tsp. salt
2 T. olive oil
Leaves from one sprig rosemary (10" tall), chopped

Directions

1. Mix yeast and sugar in a bowl, add water; let sit for 10-15 minutes

2. Add salt and olive oil and rosemary, mix

3. Add 2 cups of flour, then continue adding flour a bit at a time until a cohesive dough forms (you can add more as you knead)

4. Knead for 10 minutes

5. Form into a ball by slightly stretching dough around itself, lightly grease ball with olive oil, and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 50-60 minutes

6. Take dough out and flatten with your fingers; fold like you're folding a letter to go into an envelope, then again the other way so it forms a square. Place back in the bowl and let rise for 40 minutes.

7. Divide dough in 2, and for each loaf flatten with your finger tips, fold in half, then form into a final ball by stretching the tops and folding it into itself

8. Let sit on parchment paper for 40 minutes

9. Meanwhile, place a baking stone or upside down baking sheet in the oven and an empty pan below it while you preheat the oven at 400 (yes, leave it for a long time so the baking stone gets nice and hot).

10. Make a few slashes across the top of the dough and brush or spray with olive oil

11. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until dough is lightly browned

Raspberry Clafoutis

This elegant dish makes me look like a dessert genius who spent hours in the kitchen. Shhh...it's really easy.

This is traditionally made with cherries, and die-hard clafoutis makers will tell you that any other fruit is blasphemy, as is pitting the cherries. However, Murat, who is a philistine, hates cooked cherries, so raspberries it is. If I had put cherries in I would have probably added a little almond extract and taken out the nutmeg.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour (63 g.)
1 large pinch salt
3/8 cup sugar
a couple dashes of nutmeg
lemon zest (I also used a little lime zest)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 T. butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
4-8 oz. raspberries (depending on whether you want your clafoutis fruitier or custardier)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

1. Whisk flour, salt, sugar, and nutmeg

2. Whisk in lemon zest, eggs, vanilla, and butter, keep whisking for about 2 minutes

3. Whisk in half and half/milk and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes

4. Place raspberries (1 layer deep, with as few or as many raspberries as you care for) at the bottom of a buttered tart pan (the earthern kind, not the metal kind)

5. Pour mixture over raspberries and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes (the edges will start to turn golden and puffy and the center will set, which you will see when you move the pan around; a knife inserted in the center should come out clean).

6. Take out of oven and allow to cool. Sift powdered sugar over it for a more traditional look right before you serve it (can be served hot or cold!)

Rice Pudding

Murat wanted to make sutlac (Turkish rice pudding), but didn't have any cornstarch. This was my attempt. Doesn't look anything like sutlac, but it's really, really good anyway :) I'm thinking some cardammon would be good in it (just a touch) but I didn't have any on hand. You could also add raisins (towards the end to make them plump) if you felt like it.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked rice (cook about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry rice, cooked)
2 cups whole milk (I put half and half or cream in for some of the milk)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup honey/sugar (I use a 3:1 ratio, about; add about 1/8 cup of honey and increase sweetness to taste)

Directions

1. Heat rice, milk, and vanilla together over medium heat; once it starts to boil, lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken

2. Add sugar/honey, cinnamon, and salt and mix well (I topped with sliced almonds)

3. Pour into 4 small bowls and cool in the refridgerator (not when it's too hot, or you'll take the heat away from other things in your fridge!)

Bagels...no joke!

Found this online; it was AMAZING. I'm putting it here for safekeeping. I cut this in half and used one package of yeast, so the two packets of yeast of a guess. I'll have to try it and see.

Also, I made plain ones so I didn't "waste seseme seeds" (anonymous quotation...ahem). If you want to add seeds of some sort, place bagels on seeds right after it boils (only one side!) and cook that side first.

Ingredients

3 cups of flour (375 g.)
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups water
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 packets rapid rise yeast
1 T. oil (I used olive)
1/2 tsp. baking soda (apparently optional, but theoretically makes crust thicker)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except baking soda into a large bowl (I proof the yeast in water separately, but the recipe said it wasn't necessary)

2. Knead for 10 minutes (important!)

3. Divide into 8 equal-sized pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Let sit for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes are up, roll each ball into a rope about as wide as your two hands, and wrap it around your non-dominant hand and pinch the ends shut so it forms a ring

5. Begin to boil water, adding baking soda, and preheating oven to 425 (just so they'll be ready when you need them)

6. Let the shaped bagels sit for 20 minutes

7. After 20 minutes, when the bagels are nice and puffy, place bagels (as many as can fit, don't crowd!) on the water for 1 minute; turn and boil for another minute

8. Take bagels out to let them dry for about a minute, then place on parchment paper (or a lightly-greased baking sheet)

9. Cook for 10 minutes; flip over and cook for another 10 minutes

10. Let cool before eating (or don't :)

Feta and Gruyere Mac N Cheese

Ingredients

1/2 lb. pasta (I prefer tubular pasta of any kind)
4 oz. gruyere
5. oz feta
2 T. flour (30 g.)
3 T. butter
1 bunch dill, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk
lemon zest from one lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400

1. Cook pasta according to directions; when ready, drain and set aside

2. In a small bowl, mash 1/2 T. butter, a little bit of the feta, a little bit of the dill and one pinch of lemon zest, and mash together with a fork; set aside

3. Over medium heat, melt the rest of the butter; once it's melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes

4. Add the milk to the butter/flour mixture, and let sit and cook until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes)

5. When it's ready, stir in remaining lemon zest, gruyere, feta, and dill; stir until uniform

6. Pour over the pasta and mix with a wooden spoon until pasta is coated

7. Put into a casserole dish; sprikle top with feta/dill/lemon zest mixture that you had set aside

8. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes

Pita Bread

Mmmmm...

Ingredients

3 cups flour (more for kneading) (375 g.)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar
1 packet instant yeast
1 1/2 cups water, slightly warm
2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Proof the yeast in the water

2. Mix flour, salt, and sugar

3. Add the olive oil and the yeast and water to the flour mixture; blend until dough forms (too wet, add more flour, too dry, add more water)

4. Knead for 10 minutes

5. Place ball of dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 90 minutes

6. Roll the dough out into a long rope and divide into 8 pieces

7. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a damp cloth; let sit for 20 minutes

8. Roll out each piece into a 6x6 inch disc; place on parchment paper or a lightly greased baking sheet and allow to rise, uncovered, for about 30-40 minutes

9. Place an upside-down baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees (make sure the baking sheet gets really hot!)

10. Place the pita (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated baking sheet and cook for about 3 minutes; you'll notice when it's ready because the dough gets really puffy!

11. You can stop here if you intend to eat it later; otherwise, cook slightly longer until it's crispy and maybe turn it over for a minute or two.

Pumpkin Pie

CRUST

6 T. butter
1/3 cup crisco
2 cups flour (250 g.)
1 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup ice cold water


1. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl

2. Cut butter and shortening into the mixture

3. Add ice cold water a couple tablespoons at a time until crust just holds together

4. Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-30 minutes

5. Roll dough out on a floured surface and put in a pie pan!


Pumpkin Filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Mix all ingredients and put into uncooked pie crust.

3. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for another 40-50 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.