Chicken Cacciatore

This is one of those old-fashioned easy peasy recipes, that's super tasty and very quick to put together. It's adapted from the Fanny Farmer cookbook which is one of my favorites!

1 oz dried mushrooms
4 Tsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs chicken, skinned and chopped into 1 1/2" chunks
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3  cloves garlic, chopped and crushed
1 Tsp tomato paste
14 oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
freshly ground black pepper
grated zest of one lemon
chopped parsley

Soak the mushrooms in just enough warm water to cover them, for about half an hour. Saute the chicken in olive oil until lightly browned on all sides.
Add the onion and saute for a few more minutes, and then pour on the wine and let it bubble up.
Lower the heat, add the crushed garlic, paste, tomatoes, the mushrooms and their juice, and the seasonings.
Cover and cook on a low heat for about 45 minutes until done. Remove the bay leaves and check the seasoning. Stir in the lemon zest and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Chocolate Soufflé

This is my Granny Alice's recipe. She used to love to make puddings, especially ones cooked in a water bath. It's the perfect comfort food, and just the thing when you need some of your Granny's loving.
1/3 c seed pearl tapioca
1/2 c sugar 
1/4 tsp salt 
1/4 c unsweetened Dutch cocoa 
2 c milk 
2 Tsp butter, unsalted 
3 egg yolks, well-beaten 
3 egg whites, whisked

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Boil the tapioca, sugar, salt, cocoa and milk for about 10 minutes or
so, stirring constantly. 
Stir in the butter and allow the mixture to cool slightly. 
Add the egg yolks, and stir well, and then fold in the egg whites.
Carefully pour the chocolate mixture into a buttered casserole dish,
and place in a water bath.
Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes.

Swedish Welsh Bread (Walesbrod)

This is a delicious pastry that is surprisingly easy to make. I’ve also heard this recipe called Danish Puff or Scandinavian Coffee Bread. It’s basically a cream puff pastry (Choux Pastry) baked on top of a flaky pastry base, then drizzled with an almond topping. The funny thing is that I had a Welsh (maternal) and a Swedish American (paternal) grandmother—and neither of them ever made this dessert! They did make all kinds of other desserts though, puddings, pies and fresh fruit tarts. If only I could sit down with them now and have a nice cup of tea by the fire—wouldn't that be lovely? I do miss them so.

This recipe makes 2 pastries, approximately 12” x 4”

Flaky Pastry Base

1 C flour

6 Tsp chilled butter, sliced

2-3 Tsp ice water

*small can of marzipan or almond paste (optional)

Choux Pastry

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

Topping

3/4 C powdered sugar 

1 tsp almond extract

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted (spread in a thin layer on a cookie sheet, and bake at 300° for about 5 minutes)

Measure the flour into a food processor, using the steel blade. Add the butter to the flour and pulse until the mixture takes on a crumbly texture. Add the ice water and gently mix until the flour is moistened. Press pastry into a ball and divide into two parts. Roll out each half to make a 12” x 4” rectangle and place on an ungreased baking sheet. 

*I like to add a thin layer of marzipan about 1/4” thick to the pastry base, before spooning on the choux pastry mixture. This really adds to the intensity of the almond flavor, but the pastry is perfectly delicious without the added marzipan! 

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a saucepan bring the cup of water and butter to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir until smooth and stiff. Remove from heat and add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until dough is smooth and glossy. Add the almond extract. Gently spoon the egg mixture over the two pastries.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

Mix the powdered sugar, softened cream cheese to make a smooth topping. Mix in the almond extract and drizzle the topping over the pastries. Sprinkle with the toasted slivered almonds.

Cottage Cheese Pie

This is adapted from a Fannie Farmer recipe. It has the texture and taste of cheesecake, but it’s super healthy and quite low in calories. I only use a 1/3 cup of sugar, so it’s quite sharp and zingy!

One graham cracker pie shell

Filling:

1 lb cottage cheese (2 cups)

1/3 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c light cream

3 eggs, well beaten

2 T melted butter

Grated zest and juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve, and then add the rest of theingredients. Mix well, and pour into the prepared pie shell. Bake for an hour and allow to cool before serving.

I like to serve this pie with a twist of lemon, and I think I nice big dollop of whipped cream would go with it beautifully! I must try serving it with fresh raspberries in the summer, that would be heavenly!

Let me know if you like it.

Maple Sugar Season in New England

One of the best things about living in New England is maple syrup season. I love seeing the sugar houses in full swing this time of year, when they boil down the sap to create delicious syrup!
Did you know that approximately forty gallons of sap must be boiled down to make one gallon of syrup!

Shelburne, MA

Goulds Sugar-House Restaurant, 570 Mohawk Trail, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 (413) 625-6170

Can you believe you can buy a maple soft-serve for 25 cents?! I tried one and it was lovely. It seemed to vanish into thin air....I wonder what happened?