Homemade Limoncello and Smoked Salmon with Caramelized Onions

by Krista | Apr 19, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday

I’ve been a huge fan of Limoncello since “Memo The Beautiful” served icy glasses to me and my friends on a sun-warmed terrace in a tiny mountain village in Italy last spring.

I never thought of making it myself until I stumbled across Mary’s One Perfect Bite post a couple of weeks ago. It looked so fresh and inviting in that lovely glass that I immediately sent it to some of my CEC friends to see if they’d like to make it with me. Much to my delight, they said yes!! 🙂

So we got together and hunched over cutting boards with knives, oh so carefully separating lemon peel and lime peel (we decided to try Key lime-cello while we were at it!) from the bitter pith.

We slipped the pieces of peel into big glass jars, covered them with vodka and let them steep.

Four days later we got together again to complete the process. The vodka was no longer, but vivid yellow and pale green.

While Darren prepped the simple syrup and washed the bottles, Cameron fired up the smoker and I made Smoked Salmon with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Potatoes with Dill for dinner.

After eating our fill, we knuckled down and got to work. Mike and I strained out the citrus peel, Darren mixed in the vodka with the simple syrup, and we took turns pouring the mixture into bottles. We were SO proud to see the bottles glistening and full. 🙂

We finished it so quickly that we also had time to bottle the mead we made several weeks ago. It should be ready in time for our medieval feast this summer. 🙂

 
Mary’s Limoncello

Salmon with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
 
1/2 wild salmon
2-3 large onions, sliced
1/4 -1/2 cup butter
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
Few drops liquid smoke

Directions:

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat and add onions. Cook, stirring regularly until onions are brown and caramelized. 
2. Add brown sugar and stir until melted and onions are coated.
3. Add liquid smoke and stir. 
4. Place salmon skin side down on a tray made of aluminum foil. Cover with onions. 
5. Smoke or grill to desired doneness.

Roasted Potatoes with Dill

Ingredients:

3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp dried dill

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spread on cookie sheet. 
2. Roast or smoke until potatoes are crispy and browned.

Lotsa Rest and a Mocha Cinnamon Tart

by Krista | Apr 12, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday

I was minding my own business, stirring a rather yummy pot of curry when suddenly I realized my prosciutto was on fire. I stared in amazement at my oven, two pillars of fire burning away merrily from the two slices of prosciutto I had been toasting. Thankfully the sink was nearby and teacups of water hastily thrown doused the flames and sent clouds of smoky steam wafting through my apartment.

Happily the rest of my weekend was not so dramatic. 🙂

I got to have lunch with Mums and dear friends, and Johanna made us this scrumptious strawberry shortcake.

My boss’s adorable Dutch grandmother popped into the office and surprised me with a bouquet of daffodils from her garden, wrapped in paper towel and tucked in a yogurt container. 🙂

I did a lot of resting this weekend – how glorious that was!! – reading good books, taking naps. But I also wanted to be outside so I made myself a cozy little nest on a rickety wood and cast iron bench on my patio. I draped it with blankets and a shiny gold pillow and lay back to journal and watch the sun set through the trees. Bliss. 🙂

I also cooked. 🙂 I haven’t made dessert in a while and simply had to have something sweet on hand this week. 🙂 One of my favorite tarts is Mocha with a buttery cinnamon crust. This weekend I decided to try a gluten-free version and it turned out beautifully! Perhaps because the crust is more akin to shortbread than pastry, the gluten-free flour easily replaces more traditional flours.

The recipe comes from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet, one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. I love this tart crust recipe because there is no tedious cutting in of shortening required, no rolling out or chilling of dough. It literally takes less than five minutes from measuring ingredients to pressing the dough into the pan. The secret is melted butter. It makes a wonderfully crisp tart shell with loads of buttery flavor. The best part is its versatility. Simply add garlic and parsley or onion and rosemary to make a savory crust, or add almond or maple flavoring to make unique bases for sweet fillings.

C

Mocha Tart with Gluten Free Cinnamon Crust
(Adapted from Bittersweet)

Ingredients for Crust:

8 Tbsp (1 stick) melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Ingredients for Filling:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup heavy cream (I used coconut milk)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions for Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix butter, sugar, salt and vanilla in medium bowl. Add flour and cinnamon and mix until just blended. Don’t worry if dough seems too soft. 
3. Press all of the dough evenly into bottom and sides of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown.

Directions for Filling:

1. While crust is baking, place butter, sugar, cocoa powder and cream in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture is blended, smooth and begins to simmer around edges. 
2. Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder and vanilla. 
3. Just before crust is ready, whisk egg thoroughly into hot chocolate mixture.

Directions for Tart:

1. Pour filling into hot crust and return to oven. Turn off heat. 
2. Leave tart in oven until it quivers like tender Jell-O in the center when the pan is nudged, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on a rack. 
3. Serve the tart warm or at room temperature.

Bliss, Rellies and Danish Citronfromage Uden Flødeskum

by Krista | Apr 5, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday

How was your weekend, dear ones? 🙂 Mine was beautiful, spent making great memories with all sorts of beloved Canadian rellies. 🙂

Sunday dawned dark and blustery, but I had these oh-so-pretty eggs to make me smile. 🙂

So I turned some of them into scrambled eggs with salmon, chevre, scallions, and tomato. A splendid way to start off a stormy day. 🙂

I had so many grand times with my rellies this weekend. 🙂 Saturday we went to the beach (which I’ll tell you about later), poked around our favorite discount stores and found all sorts of treasures, had coffee and visits at one of our favorite coffee shops, and braved the rain for a trek through the woods to Whatcom Falls Park.

My cousins introduced me to the wonders of sous-vide cooking, and made us amazingly juicy and tender chicken in a cheesy, garlicky butter sauce. Delish!!!

Sunday afternoon before our big family Easter dinner, we puttered around Mum and Dad’s house, talking, napping and …

…helping Mums make a big batch of her delicious Danish Citronfromage Uden Flødeskum. It is a wonderful spring dessert, a light and airy concoction that translates “lemon mousse without whipping cream.” I juiced and zested lemons as she stirred and whipped and beat and simmered.

Citronfromage Uden Flødeskum 
(Lemon Mousse without Whipped Cream)
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
Grated rind of 1 1/2 lemons
6 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until white.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice, water and rind, and let stand for 5 minutes. 
3. Melt gelatin over boiling water until completely dissolved. Stir into egg mixture.
4. Beat egg whites to a peak, add rest of sugar and beat until stiff. 
5. Fold into egg/lemon mixture when it begins to set. 
6. Pour into glass bowl, chill for 2 hours and serve.

Sunshine, Ocean and Strawberries, Potato Soup, and Challah with Basil Butter

by Krista | Mar 29, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday

 I arrived home late last night after a beautiful weekend near Seattle with dear family and friends. 🙂 We all congregated at my brother and sis-in-laws house, pleased as punch for a gloriously sunny day so the grown ups could visit outside while the younguns tore around hollering, playing games and took turns pushing us on the swing. 🙂

 It felt so good to soak up sunshine and have such great visits and laughter with kindred spirits. There was much hilarity around the game tables as we played Speed Uno and Mexican Train, particularly since half of us didn’t have a clue what we were doing. 🙂 It was grand fun! 🙂

For lunch we gathered on the porch with steaming bowls of Mum’s fabulous potato soup laced with cream, studded with farmer’s sausage and flavored with onions and thyme. Sprinkled with sharp cheddar cheese, it was cozy and comforting. 🙂

 Tara brought wonderful challah rolls that were so fragrant, tender and delicious, especially spread with Rachel’s Basil Butter.

 We finished off lunch with luscious strawberries dipped in Tara’s ridiculously good fruit dip made of cream cheese and marshmallow creme. Yowza!! We ate that stuff on everything! Strawberries, rolls, and Matt and Dana even frosted Rachel’s Toffee Chocolate Chip with it!! 🙂

 Later this week I’ll tell you about the fantastic dinner Rachel made us that night. Oooeee! 🙂

After the fun and hoopla of Saturday, we had a blissfully relaxing Sunday in our pjs resting, visiting and eating leftovers. 🙂 Then we hugged and waved good bye, and Mums and I headed for the ferry. We laughed at  how ridiculously excited we get about taking a ferry. 🙂 It feels like a REAL vacation somehow, like we’ve left reality far behind and are bobbing along the waves, watching the coast go by from our warm perch inside. I love it. 🙂

How was your weekend? 🙂

Basil Butter
(From Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 pound butter, softened
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor, chop basil.
2. Add butter, lemon juice and pepper and garlic salt; blend until smooth.
3. Store in container in fridge until ready to serve.
4. OR – Drop by half-tablespoons onto a baking sheet; freeze.
5. Remove from baking sheet and store in freezer bags. Use to flavor chicken, fish or vegetables.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
(From Cooks)

Ingredients:

(32 oz.) jar marshmallow creme
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

Directions:

1. Combine the marshmallow creme and cream cheese in medium bowl.
2. Blend with a mixer until it is smooth and creamy.

Mum’s Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
1 carrot coarsely grated or julienned
2 leaves kale chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
1-2 John Morrell smoked sausage, halved and sliced
1 quart water
1/2 cup real bacon bits
4 large red or gold potatoes, cubed
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. dry thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Melt butter in soup pot. Saute onion, celery, carrot and kale.
2. In separate pan, fry smoked sausage. With slotted spoon transfer to soup pot.
3. Add 1 quart water, real bacon bits, potatoes, dill, thyme,
4. parsley, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, simmer ’til potatoes are tender.
5. Add 1 can evaporated milk.
6. Lightly mash potatoes , just to thicken as desired.
7. Serve with grated sharp cheddar cheese. 

Peaceful Days and Roasted Green Bean Salad with Shredded Chicken, Lime and Cilantro

by Krista | Mar 15, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday

It was one of those weekends where all my plans went topsy-turvy, but ended up being beautiful anyhow. 🙂 I spent two peaceful days at home trying to stave off a bad cold with fresh juices and cup after cup of hot tea.

It turned out to be just what I needed, and all sorts of lovely things happened. 🙂

Every day since I moved here, one of the tenants has motored past my window on his electric wheelchair into the trees overlooking the creek. Various friends would join him there and they’d just hang out by the creek chit-chatting and enjoying the view. A couple of times he knocked on my door to let me know that he’d be using the garden hose outside my door, but I had no idea what he was up to. Until today. 🙂 I was sitting, looking out my window when I noticed that the usual green swath of meadow under the trees was now punctuated with spots of bright color. When I saw that no one was about, I strolled over to see what had transpired. I found this. 🙂

And this. 🙂

How I smiled. 🙂

Saturday I was a homebody and thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful respite. I listened to Jeeves and Wooster while I puttered, grinning at lines such as: “Young ladies, Jeeves? Fiends! Fiends, I say!” 🙂

I had a wonderful nap in the sunshine streaming through the sliding glass door…

…then decided I’d better start cooking my meals for the week.

My fridge was stocked with a bag of fresh green beans, a bundle of new asparagus and a bowl of shredded chicken, so I pulled them out and set to cooking.

With the green beans…

…I made Roasted Green Bean Salad with Shredded Chicken, Lime and Cilantro.

With the asparagus…

…I made Roasted Asparagus with Toasted Parmesan. How I love those crispy, salty ends!

And with the rest of the shredded chicken? Well, I’ll tell you about that in a couple of days. 🙂


Roasted Green Bean Salad with Shredded Chicken, Lime and Cilantro

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans, washed, trimmed and cut in bite-sized pieces
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded chicken
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Toss green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes to prevent burning. When done, set aside to cool.
3. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper and cilantro. Add chicken. 
4. Mix everything together with green beans and serve.

Roasted Asparagus with Toasted Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 – 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (pre-grated cheese will not melt properly)

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler. 
2. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roll gently with hands to coat evenly. 
3. Broil for 3-5 minutes until asparagus turn bright green, then remove. 
4. Nestle asparagus close side by side, sprinkle with Parmesan and return to broiler. 
5. Broil 3-5 minutes longer until cheese is toasted and asparagus ends are crispy. Serve immediately.

Moving, Resting and Finding Lost Recipes

by Krista | Mar 9, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday

It’s been a dizzying yet wonderful weekend and I am smiling but oh so ready for a nap. 🙂

Thanks to the hustle of my lovely rellies – parents, aunt and uncle – I am officially out of the old apartment and into the new. 🙂 It felt so good to close the door for the last time, content with happy memories and hope for healing and renewal.

Saturday dawned brilliantly sunny and gorgeous, and my aunt and uncle treated us all to breakfast at The Rusty Wagon. 🙂 Doesn’t that just sound like the perfect place for scrambled eggs, sizzling bacon and pancakes drenched in syrup? 🙂

Thus fortified we drove into town to track down the necessities I needed for my new place. Things like a broom, potato peeler, toilet paper and pepper. We had such fun scouring our favorite best deal places and finding nearly everything on the list. Hooray! 🙂

By early afternoon we were ravenous, so I treated my fabulous helpers to coffee and goodies at the local Dutch bakery. There’s something so splendid about sitting down in a bustling bakery, drinking coffee out of sturdy chipped mugs, visiting amiably whilst nibbling on Nanaimo Bars, Latte Mocha Bars and chewy Mocha-filled Florentines dipped in dark chocolate.

I arrived home in time to bask in the setting sun streaming through the trees in my back yard. I still can’t believe I get to live here. 🙂 I feel like I’m on vacation in a cabin somewhere. I can’t stop looking out my windows at the gigantic cedars and tangled blackberry vines, across the creek to the trees covered in moss and bright green buds. When I open my windows I hear the sighing of the wind in the branches and the cheerful gurgle of the creek. There are some darling black squirrels that frolic about, their feathery charcoal tails twitching nervously as they nibble on various treasures. I love it here. 🙂

After all my rellies departed, I got down to business, hauling boxes, sorting, arranging, organizing, until I collapsed into bed sometime after 11 p.m. As usual, I overdid it, and Sunday morning I was hobbling about like an old woman. 🙂 I decided then and there that I was taking a holiday, so I did. 🙂

It was a glorious Sunday, stormy, rainy, blustery and cold, perfect for resting achy bodies and disappearing into good books and movies. As the storm raged I read “Mossflower” by Brian Jacques and “A Sunburned Country” by Bill Bryson, sipped Vanilla Caramel tea and nibbled Thin Mints, frozen York mint patties and a German Chocolate cookie. 🙂 It was wonderful. 🙂

I also found the cookbook I was looking for, so I can finally share a picture AND the recipe for the Chickpea Stew with Kale, Tomatoes and Green Chilies I mentioned on Friday. 🙂

 It was a good weekend. 🙂

Chickpea Stew with Kale, Tomatoes and Green Chilies

1 large bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped

Directions:

1. Boil or steam greens until wilted, then chop coarsely and set aside.
2. Cover chickpeas with cold water and gently rub between hands to loosen skins. Tip bowl so skins flow off. Drain.
3. Pound garlic in a mortar with 1/2 tsp salt until smooth, or mince with knife. Add dried spices, 1 tsp oil and 2 Tbsp each of cilantro and parsley. Pound until rough paste is formed. (I threw the whole lot in food processor and blended until smooth.)
4. Heat remaining oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, chilies, thyme and dried chili. Cook for 7 minutes then stir in garlic paste, chickpeas and 1/2 cup water or broth.
5. When onion is soft, add tomatoes, greens, 1/2 tsp salt and another 1/2 cup broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and lemon and serve.