Maison McCauley

Fish and Chips

January 22, 2021

There are some childhood rules that just beg to broken, like “don’t play with your food.” The first person who uttered that phrase was surely not a cook. Over the years I have found being creative and playing with ingredients is one of the most exciting parts of cooking.

I love reading about what other cooks and chefs are thinking when they create a new dish. A while back I read a cookbook by Chicago chef Stephanie Izard. She was talking about how playing with certain ingredients had inspired new dishes. A pineapple panna cotta that she had dreamed up had flopped, but it got her thinking about pineapple juice. Which lead her to create an even better signature chili recipe. It turns out that the acidic juice that hadn’t worked in her dessert, was perfect for creating more tender chili meat. It’s amazing what a great chef can dream up from unexpected ingredients.

Recently, I decided to have a little fun in my own kitchen with an unlikely new ingredient-instant mashed potatoes. I had heard of cooks adding them to chicken fried steak or other breading mixtures. I decided that it might be fun to use them in a new recipe. As I thought about their light flakey texture, I began to wonder what they would taste like if I paired them with fish.

So, with a couple of cod fillets and my box of instant mashed potatoes I got to work. The end result was one of the lightest and crispiest pieces of fish I have ever eaten. It was so good that I decided they didn’t need a fancy sauce. They were remarkably crispy and so much simpler to pan fry than your ordinary battered fish that it made me rethink my old traditional fish and chips recipe. My family agreed the new fish was delicious. Even my pickiest eater and toughest critic was back in the kitchen looking for seconds. Which goes to show you sometimes it pays to play with your food.

Fish and Chips -serves 4

Fish

2 pounds cod fillets (about 2 medium sized fillets)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1½ cups flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 cups instant mashed potato flakes (I used Betty Crocker)
1½ cup canola or vegetable oil

Baked Chips

5 large red potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1 small sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped parsley (optional garnish)

First prepare and the chips and get them baking in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 6 thin wedges.

I like my chips to be crispy so I made fairly thin wedges. I cut each potato half into six slices.

Then in a medium sized bowl mix together the olive oil, salt pepper, garlic powder and rosemary. Add the potato slices and stir them to coat them in the seasoned olive oil. Place the potatoes on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil making sure that they are spread out in a single layer with one cut side down.

Bake the potatoes for 35 minutes. After 20 minutes flip the potatoes over to the other side so they brown and crisp up evenly.

Next while the chips are cooking get your fish prepared.

Place the cod on a cutting board and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Cut the fillets into smaller (about 2 x 4 inch) pieces.

Then prepare your breading bowls. In one bowl or on large plate place the flour. In a second bowl whisk together the dijon mustard and the eggs. Finally in a third bowl or plate have the potato flakes ready.

Dip the fish pieces into the flour and coat them evenly. Then dip the flour coated fish in the egg mixture allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Finally coat the fish evenly in the potato flakes. Repeat this process until all of the fish is breaded.

Then pour the canola or vegetable oil into a deep skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until it begins to bubble. To test the heat take a wooden spoon or spatula handle and stick it in the pan. If the oil quickly bubbles or sizzles around it then the oil is hot enough to begin cooking the fish.

Carefully place half of the fish in the pan leaving space between the pieces of fish. Since the cod fillets thickness can vary, I like to cook all the thicker pieces together first and then cook a second batch with the thinner tail cuts.

Cook the fish until it is golden brown on each side and cooked through turning it several times to ensure it cooks evenly. Cook the fish for 12 minutes (about 6 minutes a side) if it’s on the thicker side or for a thinner pieces let it cook for for a total of 6 to 8 minutes (about 3 to 4 minutes a side.)

The potato flakes create an amazing golden crust which holds up well in the frying pan. Traditional beer battered fish is tougher to pan fry because it sticks to everything. That’s what makes this potato crusted fish so great. You don’t have to have a commercial kitchen fryer or lots of oil to make a wonderful piece of fish.

If you want to keep your first batch of fish warm place it on a sheet pan with a raised wire rack and place it in the oven with the potatoes for a short time.

Baked chips keep this dish healthier that your usual pub or restaurant versions but just as delicious.

Then you are ready for dinner. I like to serve mine with a traditional side of green peas. I also made a quick tartar sauce to serve on the side.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup good mayonnaise (like Hellman’s or Duke’s)
2 tablespoons sweet relish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl mix all the ingredient together and keep it chilled until serving.

These golden crispy fish and chips make a great dinner. If you are running short on time then substitute your favorite brand of oven fries and just make the fish. All rules aside, cooking and eating together should be delicious and fun.

Garden

W is for Wonderstruck: A Gardener’s Alphabet Part Two

January 14, 2021

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Wonderstruck is defined as suddenly being filled with wonder and delight. Looking at something so beautiful that you are left in awe. I often feel this way when I experience the presence of something bigger than myself. Nature in all of its splendor- autumn leaves, a starry sky, a summer garden in full bloom. The way a flower petal opens or seeing an iridescent humming bird in flight. The colors, the petals and the small creatures are what make gardening a sometimes spiritual experience.

I am an accidental gardener. I have always loved flowers and photography, but it wasn’t until I moved to Chicago that I really thought about gardening . After a long first winter I watched in wonder as suddenly everything began to wake from its snow covered slumber. The brilliant green buds and all the bulbs blooming. Everywhere I looked there were cheerful snowdrops and daffodils and lawns blanketed in blue glory of the snow. I watched in amazement as the symphony of spring color played before me.

One Chicago spring and I was smitten I had to find a way to plant my own spectacular garden. So after studying the flowers at the botanical gardens and in every beautiful yard I saw, I began to dream and plan. The next year I planted 150 bulbs mostly muscari and tulips but over the years that number has grown. Then came the dahlias, zinnias, hollyhocks and the vegetable garden. This year between my home and my daughters’ school I planted nearly 800 springs bulbs because I love the thrill of creating something beautiful.

As naturalist and botanist John Muir once said, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” This year I have been especially grateful for the gift of gardening and its power to lift my spirits. So here’s to the gardens and moments in nature that connect us, take our breath away and leave us wonderstruck.

N is for the Norway Maple Tree whose chameleon like color change brightens the cool crisp days of fall.

O is for Orchids and their outrageously beautiful flowers.

P is for the Peony whose alluring perfume and glamourous ruffled petals are some of the gardens most beguiling blooms.

Q is for the Quarantine Vegetable Gardens that sustain and feed our soul.

R is for Roses that crown a garden with their regal beauty.

This picture is from a small castle garden that I visited in Ireland. The rolling green hills and the summer flowers were so breathtakingly beautiful.

S is for the delicate Snowflake flowers that bloom each spring.

And for the tall Sunflowers that revel in the summer sun.

T is for Tulips because the anticipation of their spring color brings such joy on a cold winter day.

Tulips are one of my very favorite flowers. Every year I find myself planting more bulbs and different varieties. One the the things I love about gardens is that each season offers a different view.

U is for the Urns and unique stone statues that grace a stately garden.

This cherub adorned a staircase entrance in a beautiful garden I visited in Vienna.

V is for Violas who seem to laugh with color as they spill out of pots and garden beds.

W is for water lilies whose reflections and color dance across the pond.

X is for xerophyte plants. The succulents, cacti and in my alphabet gorgeous glass yucca plants that take little water to thrive.

Y is for Yew and the evergreen bushes and topiaries that create the architecture of a garden.

Z is for Zinnias whose blooms explode with color like little summer fireworks.

Their bold blossoms invite the happiest garden visitors: humming birds, bees and butterflies. They all come to delight and share in their dazzling beauty.

Garden

G is for Garden and Gratitude

January 7, 2021

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“Je vois la vie en rose.” Edith Piaf

On a whim I picked up a couple of pairs of pink crystal studded glasses. It was my daughter’s birthday last week and I thought they might be fun for our little dinner party. As we were decorating my daughters tried on the rose-colored glasses. Suddenly they were quiet as they looked out the window. “Mom, these are amazing you have got to try them.” Indeed, our snow-covered lawn looked more vibrant than ever. The branches on the trees shimmered with a lovely sort of purple and blue. What an unexpected and amazing gift it was to look out of those rose-colored glasses. A new year and a new perspective.

As I peered through those pink glasses, the melody of the timeless song, La Vie en Rose comes back to me. The song title when translated to English means “I see life through rose colored glasses.” My grandfather a Frenchman loved Edith Piaf. So, in a unique way her music became a part of the soundtrack of my childhood. Now with more life behind me I appreciate the power of that song even more because indeed love can color everyday words and places with unforeseen beauty and happiness.

Reflecting on the past year I realize that in many ways my garden and time outdoors with family has been the rose coloring to this year. It’s the place where I find beauty, joy and strength. All those flowers and amazing little creatures make me grateful. Thus, as I plan and think about the flowers to come, I thought I might share an A to Z garden of gratitude photography project that I worked on this past year. There may be snow on the ground now but the rose colored blooms will be here soon.

A is for Apple Blossoms whose lovely petals fall like the confetti of spring

These apple trees belong to my neighbors. I always stop a moment when I pass them in the spring because the robins love to fly in and and out of them.

B is for Butterflies who flit and fly about with their stunning colored wings

The monarchs, swallowtails and white cabbage butterflies put on quite the show this summer.

C is for the green and purple cabbages that dot the garden beds each spring and fall.

D is for Dahlias whose full petaled blooms dazzle all summer and into the fall

D is also for the delightful Daffodils that trumpet spring’s arrival.

E is for Elephant Ears whose leaves tower above the rest.

F is for Foxglove with their clever tower of colorful blooms.

G is for Gardena whose sweet scent fills the gardens they grace

H is for Hollyhocks whose flowers climb to great heights.

I is for Impatiens who add a vibrant color to a shady garden spot

J is for Juniper with their evergreen branches and festive bright blue berries.

K is for Katydids and all the small creatures that cause us to stop and wonder about the beauty of something so small.

L is for Lilies and their lovely colorful flowers.

These orange double bloom daylilies were a beautiful surprise to find in my yard after my first Winter in Chicago.

M is for Magnolia one of the most elegant trees.

The pink saucer magnolia that blooms in my yard each spring leaves me grateful for all of nature’s wondrous beauty. Come back for the rest of the garden alphabet next week.

Family

Distance Can’t Dim the Light of a Christmas Queen

December 24, 2020

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For as long as I can remember my mom has been the queen of Christmas. Perhaps your family has its own Christmas queen or king? Someone whose love for the holidays is so effervescent that it brings happiness to everyone around them.

Each year well before December, my mom is already thinking about Christmas. Her unbridled joy for the holiday season has her planning new decorations, recipes and special handmade gifts. She spends months on end hand-stitching beautiful needlepoint ornaments as presents for everyone in our family. However, the ornament tradition is only one small part of the Christmas love she shares each year.

The picture at the top of the post is my Mom’s beautiful tree with ornaments she and grandmother made. My Christmas tree is filled with star ornaments including so many pretty needlepoint ornaments that my mom has given me.

A couple of years ago on a November trip to Chicago my mom transformed our kitchen table into a mini-Christmas workshop. She had decided that it was time to share some Christmas creativity and decorating joy with her granddaughters. My mom had come prepared. She had packed an entire suitcase full of crafts supplies. Over the course of a day, she taught her young granddaughters how to create their own tree full of ornaments, angels and paper chains. Starting a new tradition of ornament making.

This year it was my youngest daughter, Alyssa who wanted to make sure that the ornament party continued. Concerned that her Abuela couldn’t travel to Chicago, she suggested that they set a date for a Facetime crafting party. My mom mailed us a big box of art supplies: pinecones, ribbons, wooden beads and colored sequins. They spent a couple of hours on the phone creating ornaments together. This tradition of decorating together felt more important than ever this year, because for the first time we won’t be traveling to Texas to spend Christmas with our family.

Handmade ornaments on my daughters’ Christmas tree. The new additions this year were cotton boll angels and clothes pin people

Right about the time of Abuela’s annual ornament party, Alyssa came to tell me about her “big Christmas problem.” I wondered what my six-year-old could be so concerned about. Could it be Santa or a tradition we couldn’t keep? She then explained, she was worried that with COVID she wouldn’t be able to go to the store. Furthermore, she wasn’t sure her piggy bank had enough money to cover the gifts she wanted to give. I then shared with her my mom’s great Christmas wisdom. Sometimes the best presents aren’t things that come from a store. It’s the gifts that are made and given with great love that people treasure most. So, she colored stained-glass bookmarks with ribbon tassels to share as gifts. She also made special Christmas pictures to help decorate her grandmother’s refrigerator.

The Christmas queens working on building a Lego tower together a few years ago.

As we packed Christmas boxes to mail to our family, there was a familiar twinkle of Christmas joy in my daughter’s eye. One that belongs to a Christmas queen, whose holiday spirit shines so brightly that it touches everyone around them. So, here’s to the Christmas queens and kings who fill our hearts with an extra measure of holiday sparkle, light and love that even distance and a global pandemic can’t dim.

Baking

The Sweet Smell of Gingerbread

December 19, 2020

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The smell of ginger, cinnamon and cloves fills the air as I opened the door. My girls quickly drop their school bags and coats as they scrambled in the house. Joyful grins spread across their faces as they get a whiff of the sweet smells from the kitchen. “It’s gingerbread day!” My daughters have been begging to bake our annual gingerbread houses for days.

Homemade gingerbread houses have become quite a tradition in our house, but this year I had thought for a moment that there might not be enough time for it all. Hybrid school lessons and holiday deadlines had me behind and wondering how I was going to get it all done. However, their insistence and enthusiasm made me realize how important this tradition has become to our family. A baking project I took up on a whim when I was in high school has now become one of the things that my daughters look forward to most each year.

So while they were at school I roll and cut the dough. I bake batch after batch of gingerbread. Then when my daughters come home they eagerly watch as my red mixer whirs forming stiff peaks of royal icing. They cut open bags of candy as they excitedly make decorating plans. They can’t wait to get a pastry bag in their hands to start creating their own houses.

Our gingerbread village nestled safely amongst my cookbook collection.

After she finishes hers, my youngest daughter watches as I began to create one of my own. She helps me cut gelatin sheet windows and looks on as the little house begins to come together. This year I decided to create a smaller gardener’s cottage with cereal treat boxwoods and sugar cone Christmas trees.

If you look closely you can see a little Christmas tree inside my gardener’s cottage.

As I pipe and create each detail a familiar feeling of joy comes rushing back and I remember once again why I love doing this each year.

Even the back of the house gets some piped window details and gingerbread wreaths. You can see the cord from the little battery powered lights that I place inside the house.

Every surface of my kitchen might be dusted with powdered sugar but there is something magical about baking little gingerbread houses that always makes it worth it. The smell, the feel of the piping bag in my hands, and the sweet sounds of my daughters in the kitchen remind me why I love it so.

For Recipes and Tips see my post on Baking Gingerbread Houses with Kids

Baking/Food

A Few of My Favorite Things: Bourbon Balls

December 10, 2020

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This holiday season I have been sharing some of my favorites. The things my family loves to bake and share year after year. These bourbon balls are a holiday classic. Their small size, and delightfully boozy flavor makes them the perfect dessert for a holiday party. They also make a delicious gift for friends and family. However, the best part is they are a simple and fun to make.

This recipe comes from another favorite of mine, Julia Reed in her cookbook Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High Style Fun All Year Long. Reed was a quite the entertainer and writer. I adored her writing on food, old houses, and all things Southern. Reed was a unique storyteller and cook who’s witty writing always had me laughing out loud and savoring every word. She passed away from cancer this past August. As a tribute to her Southern Living featured her gorgeous Mississippi home all decked out for the holidays in the December issue of Southern Living. Reed loved Christmas and over the top entertaining fun. So, here is a Southern classic that is one of my all time favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season.

Julia Reed’s Bourbon Balls -makes 16

1 (12oz) box Nabisco Vanilla Wafers
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling
1 cup fine chopped pecans, plus more for rolling (6oz package is enough)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup bourbon (I like Maker’s Mark)

Place the vanilla wafers in a food processor. Then pulse the wafers until they become crumbled into to a fine crumb. Then place the crumbs in a large bowl and set aside. Next pulse the pecans in the food processor until they are finely chopped.

Next in a large bowl mix together the wafer crumbs, pecan pieces, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, corn syrup and bourbon. Mix well with a rubber spatula and then form them into 1 inch balls.

I used a 2 tablespoon or 1 ¾ inch cookie scoop to keep the balls even in size.

Roll the ball in powdered sugar or alternatively roll part of the bourbon balls in some finely chopped pecan pieces. This will give you a pretty black and white combination.

Note: the bourbon balls will keep for up to two weeks in airtight container in your fridge.

Reed was always good at creating her own fun. As she once explained growing up in a small town in Mississippi meant that by necessity you had to learn to entertain and cook because there were “only a handful of places to go out.” Thus, in a year where we have all had to cook up our own fun at home I am treasuring all the small traditions we can keep and still share with others.

Food

Holiday Chex Mix

December 3, 2020

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There is nothing like homemade Holiday Chex Mix. That irresistibly crispy and savory mix has over the years become a Christmas tradition. Just after Thanksgiving my mom starts making big batches of her Chex mix to share. It’s what we all love to eat when we watch holiday movies together. My mom always has a fresh batch or two made when we come to visit. Even after the holidays it’s the snack we happily took back with us to college and I still take it home with me when I travel.

This retro favorite first appeared on boxes of Chex cereal in 1952. Curious about the history of this mix, I found that the wife of Chex Cereal Company executive Ralston Purina is the one who is credited with making this holiday party mix. Her “Party Chex Mix” was such a hit that in the late 1980s the company started making and selling the mix. However, if you ask me there is nothing like eating a warm homemade batch.

Over the years my mom has made a few changes to her recipe, including making a quicker version using the microwave. Her traditional mix uses a bugles corn chips which are delicious, but I had a hard time finding them at my local stores. I substituted Gardettos garlic rye bagel bites. You can could also use goldfish crackers as a substitute as well. My mom has added those in years past and it makes a tasty and fun addition too. So here is another one of my holiday favorites:

Holiday Chex Mix

Snack mix

2½ cups corn Chex
2½ cups rice Chex
1½ cups wheat Chex
1½ cups bite sized pretzels
1½ cups garlic bagel chips, broken into bite sized pieces
2 cups of Bugles chips or rye bagel chips
½ cup dry roasted peanuts (optional)

Seasoning mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

In a large, microwave safe bowl mix together the snack mix ingredients.

Next, in a glass measuring cup or small bowl melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

Pour 1/4 cup of the seasoned butter over the Chex mix and mix well. Then pour another 1/4 cup of the seasoned butter and mix. Then do same with the remaining 1/4 cup of the butter. Adding it in thirds helps make sure that the Chex mix gets evenly coated and seasoned.

Next, microwave the mix for 2 minutes. Let it cool for a minute or two and then mix it and microwave it for another 2 minutes. Cool the Chex mix again and then stir. Then microwave it one last time for 2 minutes. The cooling time keeps it from over cooking and makes it easier to stir.

Finally place the Chex mix on a large cookie sheet lined with paper towels to allow it to cool before serving or storing it in an airtight container.

So make a bowl of my mom’s Holiday Chex Mix. Gather around the fireplace and turn on a Christmas movie or two. My daughters and I watched a double feature of Home Alone and Home Alone 2. Those movies still make me laugh. Or if you are like my husband cue up a few classic James Bond movies for some movie night fun. Holiday Chex mix its definitely one of my favorite recipes this time of year.

Another tradition that we love in our house is holiday music. My husband and I both love to sing and normally the holidays are happily filled with rehearsals and concerts. However, this year through the magic of technology one of the Christmas concert has gone virtual. My husband is part of a group called The Tower Chorale which is sharing their holiday concert online beginning this Sunday December 6th at 3pm. The concert will be available for free for the month of December. So if you are looking for some beautiful and uplifting music then here is a link to the Tower Chorale Virtual Christmas.

Baking

A Few of My Favorite Things: Chocolate Cake Truffles

November 27, 2020

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It’s my favorite time of year so I wanted to share the recipes and traditions that my family loves most. This year more than ever I have been looking forward to seeing all the twinkly lights and enjoying the small things that make this season so special.

So let the holiday baking season begin. This week my daughters and I decided to turn on some holiday music and have a little fun in the kitchen. We made a batch of our favorite holiday treat-chocolate cake truffles. These gorgeous bite sized chocolates are filled with cinnamon chocolate cake and a touch of buttercream. They are so irresistibly good that they make wonderful gift make to share.

Chocolate Cake Truffles -makes 40

1 9×13 chocolate sheet cake (recipe follows)
chocolate icing (recipe follows)
4 (12oz) bags dark or milk chocolate candy melts (I use Wilton brand)
1 (12oz) bag of chocolate for the piped chocolate zigzags on top
1 bag or bottle of holiday sprinkles
40 colorful cupcake liners (optional)

Chocolate Sheet Cake

1 stick of butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cake pan by lining it in parchment paper and greasing and flouring the sides or spraying them with Baker’s Joy.

Then in a heavy saucepan combine the butter, water and canola oil and set over medium heat until the butter is just melted. Meanwhile in a large bowl of your mixer add together the sugar, cocoa and flour. Then pour the butter mixture into the sugar and flour mixture and beat until smooth. Mix in the eggs one at a time then mix in the buttermilk. Next add the baking soda, salt and vanilla all at once and mix one final time.

Pour your cake batter into your prepared pan and bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool and prepare the chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Icing

4 tablespoons butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the softened butter in the bowl of a mixer. Beat it for 30 seconds on medium speed. Then add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, milk, vanilla. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and well mixed.

Next create the chocolate cake ball center.

In a large mixing bowl crumble the chocolate cake. Then mix in all of the chocolate icing until the icing is evenly incorporated and it sticks together well.

Then use a small cookie scoop (1¾ inch diameter or 2 tablespoon size) to make even sized balls. Roll the scoop in your hands to make sure that it is smooth and round. Then chill the cake balls in the fridge for a least an hour or if you are in a hurry you can also chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Next it’s time to cover the cake truffles in chocolate.

I find it is easier to work in small batches of 10. One 12 oz bag of chocolate candy melts is enough to cover about 10 cake truffles. So take one bag of the chocolate melts and microwave them in a a medium sized bowl for 1 minute. Then stir well. Microwave them for 30 seconds more stirring again until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

If you would like to add a drizzle of chocolate on top then you can melt 3 oz of additional chocolate in a small bowl and then pour that melted chocolate into a small pastry bag and have it ready to decorate the truffle.

Now it’s time to create and decorate the truffles. Carefully place one cake ball at a time into to chocolate bowl and spoon the melted chocolate over it until the cake ball is evenly coated. Place the chocolate cake truffle on a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper.

Finally, before the chocolate hardens decorate the cake truffle with a drizzle of chocolate and some holiday sprinkles.

Then once you make the first batch repeat the same processes with a second bag of chocolate candy melts. Working in smaller batches ensures that the chocolate stays warm and easy to work with.

Want to see how to make these chocolate cake truffles? I had my daughters help me make a short video clip that gives you easy step by step instructions.

Note: these cake balls freeze well so if you don’t want to make all 40 of these chocolate truffles at once you can store the cake balls without the chocolate coating in the freezer for up to three weeks. Just seal them well in a freezer safe zip top bag and pull them out to make small batches to share with family and friends this holiday season.

Chocolate cake truffles are a delightfully delicious holiday treat. So let the sprinkles fly and have a little fun in your kitchen.

Baking

Chocolate Cream Pie Saves the Day

November 19, 2020

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“I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say ‘nothing’ I mean nothing, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It’s such a comfort.”

Julie and Julia

The happy frenzy of the holiday cooking season is here. It would seem that Thanksgiving is all about the traditional turkey, but in our house I know better. Everything I make is just a lead-in to arguably the best part of our holiday meal… pie! Every year I make multiple pies for just four people, because choosing one pie is far too difficult. It’s a delicious dilemma because there are so many wonderful possibilities: pumpkin, pecan, apple, berry, cherry and chocolate.

Last year, our usual holiday plans were suddenly upended by a pre-Thanksgiving windstorm. The wind knocked over a tree near our house which caused the electricity to go out for the day. I had just begun the marathon of holiday cooking when it happened. Thankfully, I had started making dessert first so in my mind Thanksgiving was saved. Sometimes a slice of pie and a good laugh are all you really need to celebrate.

This year as luck would have it, I am facing a new kitchen challenge, my two large stovetop burners suddenly went out this week. Unfortunately, the repair service can’t get to me until December. So I am planning ahead and making a few changes to my holiday meal. However, my husband’s beloved chocolate cream pie will still get the top spot on my list.

Chocolate Cream Pie (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

1 unbaked 10 inch deep pie crust (you can use store bought dough or see my favorite pie dough recipe)

Chocolate Filling

9 ounces good quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I like to use Scharffen Berger or Ghirardelli)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
4 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature or slightly warmed
3 tablespoons of butter, cut in small pieces
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Topping

1 cup well chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
fresh mint sprigs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Then make and blind bake the crust.

The key to blind baking a crust is to make the outside edge of your crust thick so it sticks well to the side of the pie plate.

Cut a large circle out of parchment paper. Then place it inside of the pie plate and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Dock or prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork to keep it from puffing up.

Finally put the crust back in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and cooked through. Set the pie crust aside to cool.

Now make the chocolate filling.

Place the chopped chocolate pieces in a medium sized glass or microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate for 1 minute then stir and continue to microwave it for 20 second intervals stirring in-between, until the chocolate is just melted. Set the melted chocolate aside.

Next in a heavy medium sized sauce pan whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks.

Heat the mixture over medium heat and slowly stream in the milk while whisking. Then bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Keep whisking until the mixture in thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and has a custard or pastry cream like consistency.

It took me about 6 minutes of whisking between the time when I poured in the last of the milk and when it thickened.

Then take the custard off the heat and force it through a fine metal sieve into a medium sized bowl.

The sieve will give it a smooth consistency so don’t skip this step.

Whisk in the melted chocolate, butter pieces and vanilla. The chocolate pastry cream filling is divinely good! Put plastic wrap over the top of filling surface to keep the top from from setting and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes to let it cool down. Then pour your cooled chocolate cream into the baked pie crust. Let your pie set and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight

Finally, time to decorate the pie.

Make the sweetened whipped cream. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream on high speed till it just begins to form soft peaks then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until it forms stiff peaks. Pipe or spoon on the whipped cream on top. Then for a pretty finish, decorate it with clusters of raspberries, blackberries and mint springs.

“I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say “nothing” I mean nothing, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It’s such a comfort.” This bit of brilliant dialog by Nora Ephron in the movie Julie and Julia describes it perfectly.

Chocolate cream pie is so unbelievably delicious that making and sharing it is such a joy. In a season where the world feels a bit upside down there is nothing like chocolate cream pie to save the day.

Food

Christmas Cranberry Margaritas

November 12, 2020

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“Haul out the holly. Put up the tree before my spirit falls again….For we need a little Christmas right this very minute.”

This year more than ever I am channeling the classic song from the musical Mame. Tired of the stuck at home blahs, our family decided that we all needed a little Christmas. So this weekend we decorated our Christmas tree and began hanging up the garlands and twinkly lights. I also decided amongst all the decorating zaniness that it might be time for a holiday cocktail too. So I whipped up a round of my favorite holiday drink, cranberry margaritas.

Cranberry Margaritas – makes 2 margaritas

3/4 cup good quality limeade
1 cup cranberry juice
1/3 cup silver tequila
3 tablespoons triple sec or another orange liquor like cintronage or grand marnier
fresh lime wedges
1/4 granulated sugar or coarse salt if you prefer for rimming the glasses
fresh cranberry as a garnish

First mix the drinks. In a small pitcher or large glass measuring cup mix together the limeade, cranberry juice, tequila and triple sec.

Next for a festive touch rim your glasses. Take a lime wedge and run in across the top of the glasses so the juice sticks to the rim. Then have a shallow dish or plate with the sugar or salt. Turn the glass over and dip it in the sugar or salt until the rim is well coated. The cranberry juice makes the margaritas a little sweet so I used sugar, but I could also see how the traditional salt rim would be good too.

Then it’s time to serve them. Pour your drinks and add a lime wedge and a fresh cranberry or two.

Note: for a mocktail version leave out the tequila and increase the limeade amount to 1 cup. Then replace the orange liquor with 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice.

These cranberry margaritas are a fun holiday cocktail. The combination of the cranberry, lime and tequila is always a hit. It may be a bit early but sometimes there is just nothing like a little holiday cheer!