December 30, 2013

Bacon, Potato & Blue Cheese Tart

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Tarts bacon, blue cheese, potato, rosemary, savory, tart, thyme 0 Comments

A good friend of mine made this when we met up for a playdate at her house a while back. I say “a while back” because it feels like just a few months ago but I think it might have been over a year ago, which reminds me just how quickly a year goes by. I can’t believe it’s almost 2014.

Candace paired this rich and savory tart with a spinach salad loaded with berries, which made for a well balanced lunch. I’m still amazed that she fixed this lunch for us since she’d recently had a baby. My meal of choice when having people over for a playdate is Chick-fil-A…or goldfish and raisins.

The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen and is something I can definitely see myself making again, especially for a lunch or brunch. It’s impressive but not too time or skill intensive. It’s also fine served room temp, so you can make it hours ahead or even the day before and re-warm it. I added bacon to the original recipe because I don’t see anything wrong with adding bacon to pretty much everything. Maybe my new motto for 2014 will be, “Put some bacon on it!” inspired by Portlandia… But of course it’s amazing without the bacon and fits into a vegetarian diet that way.

Other than the bacon, the rest of the recipe is unchanged. You can use a tart pan or pie plate for this. I had planned to use a tart pan because it’s just prettier than a pie plate. Something about that fancy fluted edge. But the dough recipe provided wouldn’t fit in my 10 inch tart pan, so I used a 9-inch pie plate. Thankfully the lovely filling makes up for the unimpressive pie plate. The dough wasn’t impossible to work with, but it was a little crumbly so I had to do some patching up in places. It was delicious and not hard to whip up in the food processor, so I’d definitely recommend it over a store bought crust.

Ingredients

If you don’t like blue cheese you probably haven’t read to this point in the blog post, and if for some reason you have I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be a fan of this tart. Which makes me sad, because it’s delicious…if you like blue cheese. I think you could use goat cheese, but haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how that will effect the final product. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

A few tips:

Refrigerate your crust before filling to minimize shrinking during baking.
For making ahead, you can prep everything, store it in the fridge and assemble right before baking.
If using bacon, this cold oven method of cooking it has become my new favorite. No greasy pan to clean and your house won’t smell like bacon for days.
Make sure to let the tart cool or otherwise the filling won’t have time to thicken and could be runny.

photo 2 (22)

Pre-baked Tart

Bacon, Potato & Blue Cheese Tart

From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

Tart

1 Savory Tart Shell, recipe below, in a 9-inch tart or pie pan and ready to use
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4-8 slices of good bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg yolk
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoons finely chopped thyme and rosemary
Fine sea salt for sprinkling

Tart Shell

1 and 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
1 large egg

Directions

For Tart Shell

Combine flour, cornstarch and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
Add in butter chunks and pulse until butter is in pea sized pieces.
Add egg and pulse until dough comes together. It will still be slightly crumbly.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times so that it comes together. Flatten into a disk.
Roll out into a 12 inch circle then transfer to your 9-inch tart pan or pie plate. Press out any air bubbles and trim or crimp edges as desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before filling.

For Filling

Preheat oven to 350°F
Cook potatoes in a medium sized saucepan, just covered in water, over medium heat. Simmer until tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the water and drain. Lay the slices out on a clean dishtowel and gently pat dry with another clean towel or paper towels.
Arrange potatoes in concentric circles on the bottom of the crust, overlapping slightly, covering the crust entirely.
Sprinkle cheese over potatoes, followed by bacon and herbs.
Whisk egg and cream in small bowl and pour over everything.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake tart for 45 to 50 minutes until bubbly and browned. Cool on wire rack. Serve the tart warm, room temp or cold.

December 16, 2013

Chocolate Mint Marshmallows

Carrie Zinnecker candy, Christmas, Desserts, Food Gifts Christmas, Food gifts, hot chocolate, marshmallows, winter, york peppermint patties 2 Comments

There is something truly special about real, fresh, homemade marshmallows in your hot chocolate. Or hot cocoa. Did you know there is a difference beyond personal word choice? Me neither! But these marshmallows really do melt differently than the store bought kind. And the best part is, they’re not impossible to make at home!

I’ve only made marshmallows once before, and I didn’t remember them being too terribly difficult, just time consuming. Not a lot of active time, but a good 6-18 hours of wait time between putting the marshmallow goo in the pan and then cutting and enjoying them. This time around was no different. These are really not difficult to make in your own kitchen. The only special equipment you need is a candy thermometer.

It’s kind of fun (especially if you’re a food nerd likes me who still finds beating egg whites to stiff peaks amazing) to watch such simple ingredients go from nothing impressive to a fluffy, sticky mound of marshmallow in just a few minutes. And again, marshmallows aren’t difficult at all to make! But you do need to plan ahead. And you do need a candy thermometer. You will be sad and lost without your candy thermometer!

I found this tutorial from The Kitchn to be extremely helpful in making marshmallows and used their recipe as my base. I’ve seen yummy variations including pretty pink peppermint marshmallows, toasted coconut marshmallows and even salted caramel marshmallows. All of which I thought about making. But I decided to try something a little different. My undying love of York peppermint patties led me to make these. They’re delicious on their own, but something really wonderful happens when the peppermint patties start to melt into your hot chocolate. It’s heavenly.

One of the little bits of advice I’d give is to be patient in waiting for the sugar syrup to get to temperature. It heats quickly to 200°F, but took a while to get to 250°F. Keep a close eye on it after it gets to 230 or so, because it seemed to speed up then. Also remember, no stirring. It all comes out fine in the end. Resist the urge.

These are another great gift idea for Christmas! Wrap up a few in a glassine or poly bag and pair with some fancy hot chocolate mix and a cute mug. Done.

Chocolate Mint Marshmallows

Marshmallow recipe from The Kitchn

Ingredients

1 batch marshmallow base (ingredients and recipe below)
1 bag mini York peppermint patties (about 27) unwrapped and roughly chopped

Marshmallow Base

For the gelatin bloom:

3 tablespoons (typically 3 packets) unflavored gelatin powder (See Recipe Notes)
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the marshmallows:

3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup sugar cane syrup or corn syrup
Pinch kosher salt

For the marshmallow coating:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch

Directions

Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray or shortening, making sure to cover every nook and cranny.
Spread/sprinkle/place the peppermint patty pieces onto the bottom of the pan, covering as evenly as possible. This will be hard since the candy will want to stick to everything but the pan.

For the Marshmallows

Put the gelatin into the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add 1/2 cup cold water and the vanilla to the gelatin and whisk with a fork. Continue stirring until the gelatin reaches the consistency of apple sauce and there are no lumps.
Pour 3/4 cup water into a heavy bottomed 4-quart saucepan. Pour the sugar, corn syrup, and salt on top and leave it. Do not stir.
Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot and place over medium-high heat. Bring it to a full boil. Do not stir. As the mixture comes to a boil, dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot to keep the sugar from crystallizing on the sides of the pot.
Continue boiling until the sugar mixture reaches 247°F to 250°F, brushing down the sides of the pot occasionally. Take the pan off the heat and remove the thermometer once it reached temperature.
Turn on your mixer to low speed. Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the gelatin, being very careful not to let the syrup spill on anyone, it is extremely hot.
After all the syrup has been added, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel (to keep you and your kitchen clean!) and increase the speed to high. The towel can be removed once the mixture begins to thicken.
Whip for about 10 minutes. No excuses. Set a timer and don’t turn the mixer off until the timer says so. You will have a beautiful bowl of white fluffy goodness.
Remove the whisk and scrape off as much of the marshmallow as you can. Use a spatula to scoop the marshmallow, which will be incredibly sticky, into the 9×13 pan lined with your peppermint patties. Try to spread it as smoothly as possible without moving the patties too much. Spray your hands with cooking oil and flatten and smooth the top of the marshmallow as much as possible.
Leave it alone now for 6-24 hours, uncovered. Away from toddler hands.
Whisk the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the top of the marshmallows with some of the powdered sugar mixture. Turn the pan over onto your work surface or large cutting board. This may require some coaxing from an offset spatula. The patties will stick somewhat, so be careful not to lose a chunk by being too rough in removing the marshmallow block. Once it is removed, sprinkle more powdered sugar onto the other side of the marshmallows, the peppermint patty side.
Use a pizza wheel, knife or cookie cutters to cut the marshmallows. Wet your utensil of choice between cuts to keep the marshmallow from sticking. (If you use cookie cutters, make sure they’re large and not too intricate. I tried a small frilly snowflake cutter with less than stellar results. The heart cutter was easier. Squares are easiest!
After cutting, toss the marshmallows in the powdered sugar and place on a platter, cookie sheet or in the container you plan to keep them. Repeat with the remaining marshmallows.
Keep marshmallows in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

December 9, 2013

Caramel Pecan Turtles with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

Carrie Zinnecker candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Food Gifts candy, Caramel, Chocolate, Christmas, Food gifts, Ghirardelli melting wafers, pecans, sea salt 2 Comments

There is a story behind these tasty treats. This was my second batch. Not because the first was so delicious that it was eaten up before I could take any photos, though. The first batch was an “Eat at your own risk” kind of candy thanks to an overcooked caramel that could probably have taken a tooth out. I pride myself in being pretty good in the kitchen. I’m not afraid of recipes that require some skill because I think that I have pretty good kitchen skills. I know fancy cooking words and know the science behind some baking do’s and don’ts. My first time making this caramel was a humbling experience, to say the least. And we all need those experiences from time to time to keep us from thinking that we’re real good at something.

Some things to know before making these candies.

Lesson 1: Do not overcook your caramel! Be patient and attentive, watch it like a hawk! Candy is not forgiving.

Lesson 2: Go buy yourself a decent candy thermometer if you have any intention of ever making candy. It is a necessity.

Lesson 2: Use a heat proof spoon to avoid losing half of the plastic part of your spatula in the hot caramel.

Lesson 3: Use parchment on your pans to make removing the finished caramels a breeze.

Lesson 4: Have everything you need ready to go so that making the caramel and assembling the candies is quick and easy.

I found this recipe on a blog called Alaska from Scratch. It was my first time stumbling upon the site and it’s one I’ve now added to my blog reader. The only thing I did differently was to use a different chocolate. I was fortunate enough to come across Ghirardelli melting wafers at Target. I think I might have audibly gasped as I saw them on the shelf. It was a Christmas miracle! It is way better than candy bark. It hardens nicely, is easy to work with and actually tastes like chocolate. They have white chocolate too! Stock up. I know I’m going to.

Giving handmade gifts at Christmas is something I really love doing. Sometimes you know someone well enough to know they need a particular item, but other times you’re not sure what to get for someone and you don’t want to get them something they’re not going to use or that they’re going to throw out. Food is almost never a bad gift idea. It only takes up space for a short time, and the recipient is guaranteed to enjoy it. These candies are a great gift to give. Pack them into normal sized mason jars or cute baby ones if you’re giving them with something else or in a basket of other goodies. You could easily use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans. You could also make some with white chocolate and pack a few of each together.

The caramel recipe is fairly simple, but be sure to keep a watchful eye on it and stir is constantly. Make sure to have your pecans toasted and set up for topping before you even start the caramel. Getting the chocolate melted before you start the caramel is also a great way to make the process fast and smooth once the caramel is done. If you have another set of hands, set up a little assembly line. The caramel does begin to thicken up and harden after you remove it from the heat so it’s important to work quickly. If it does get too thick to drizzle onto the pecans, you can warm it (stirring constantly) over low heat until it thins a bit. I had extra caramel that I spread onto some parchment, let cool and cut into little pieces. The consistency was much different than the caramel on the candies since I’d warmed it again a couple times. Another example of how finicky candy can be even with just a little more cooking. It still tasted great, but wasn’t gooey like it should be.

The pecans are crunchy and delicious, the caramel is sweet, rich and gooey, the chocolate is nice and smooth and the little bit of salt on top is perfection. These are wonderful little treats. Enjoy!

Caramel Pecan Turtles with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

From Alaska from Scratch

Ingredients

For the Caramel:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup honey
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

You also need:

2-3 cups whole pecan halves, toasted
Dark chocolate candy coating
Flaked sea salt

Directions

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or nonstick silicone mats.
Arrange pecans in clusters of 3, 2 next to each other and one on top, on the parchment. They shouldn’t be too close so that the caramel does not run together.
In a heavy saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter, sugar, honey, salt and condensed milk together, stirring occasionally.
You can begin to melt the chocolate in the microwave according to the package instructions while the caramel starts to cook.
Once everything has melted together increase the heat to medium high and attach your candy thermometer to the pan. Do not let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan, you will not get a correct temperature reading. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a heat proof spoon.
The moment the temperature reaches 234°F, remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla.
Spoon the caramel onto each pecan cluster, just enough to coat, a little more than a teaspoon. If at first the caramel seems too runny, just stir and let it cool and thicken slightly. Resit the urge to cook it any longer!
Finish melting the chocolate (or maybe someone was doing this for you while you did the caramel!) then spoon the melted chocolate on top of the caramel. Sprinkle each with a little sea salt and allow to set completely before eating or packaging up to give as gifts.

December 8, 2013

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Carrie Zinnecker Beef, Kid Friendly, Main Dishes beef, itialian sausage, meatballs, mozzarella cheese, stuffed meatballs 0 Comments

Balls of meat stuffed with cheese and covered in a chunky marinara sauce?! I am all in. And I’m not sure if it’s being pregnant or the change in the seasons, or maybe both, but this kind of meal is right up my alley right now.

These meatballs are total comfort food and will leave you full and happy. Just like food should when it’s cold out. Who in their right mind is eating salad right now, anyway? I guess maybe I should be…but instead I’m eating meatballs, pasta and rosemary rolls. And I’m ok with that.

Like most meatballs you will end up with a mess in your kitchen. BUT you can form the meatballs ahead of time, refrigerate them, clean up that round of dishes, then fry and bake them for dinner that night, or even the next day. You can probably get away with not frying them at all and just putting them straight into the oven. Maybe just add 10-15 extra minutes, especially if you’ve refrigerated them. Regardless of the mess you make though, they are definitely worth it!

You have a few options with these meatballs. Pair with some spaghetti or other pasta (I made this spaghetti with simple garlic sauce and thought it was a nice combination) or load them onto some substantial crusty bread for meatball subs or sandwiches. One of the greatest things about these meatballs is that both of my kids LOVED them! So not only did Ben and I eat 2 dinners with them, but the kids had at least 4 meals of meatballs and ate them up. Carson asked for more! Rarely do they eat the food we do and enjoy it. This is definitely going into my kid friendly meal file.

One tool I use for cookies and meatballs and to get them to be uniform in size is a scoop like this. I have a small one (about 1 inch in diameter) and a larger one that is closer to 2 inches. It’s something I’d recommend you have in your kitchen if you do much cooking and baking. Get a sturdy one. It will be worth the money, work better and last longer than the cheaper ones will.

The original recipe simmers the meatballs in the sauce in the same pan they are cooked in. I finished them off in the oven and the only thing that wasn’t great about that was that some of the cheese escaped, which in the end was not a big deal. There was still plenty of cheese inside the meatballs! No need to worry. Enjoy!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Adapted slightly from Just a Pinch

Makes 24-30 meatballs depending on size

Ingredients

1 pound ground sirloin (90/10)
1 pound ground sweet Italian turkey sausage (or mild or hot)
1 1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 27 cubes (or how ever many meat balls you get)
olive oil
flour
1 jar simple marinara sauce

Directions

Mix meat, breadcrumbs, seasonings, onion, garlic, eggs and milk. Clean hands are the best tool for the job, but a spoon or spatula is fine. Mix until everything is combined but not overly mixed.
Divide into balls of equal size, 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Place on a foil lined baking sheet, then take each meatball and press one cube of cheese into the center and form the meat around the cheese so that it is sealed. Place back on the foil lined baking sheet. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the meatballs for later.
Preheat oven to 350°F and heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Put 1/2 cup of flour into a bowl. Dredge each meatball lightly in flour, then place in the pan. Repeat until pan is full but not overly crowded. Cook for a minute or so on each side (I know this is hard to do with a round shape, but it’s not super important to get every bit of it cooked just the same. Just make sure the majority of the meatball is browned.) Be careful not to burn them. If they’re browning too much, turn down the heat. As the meatballs finish, move them to a 9×13 inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Repeat with the remaining meatballs until they’ve all been browned, adding more oil if needed.
Pour the entire jar of marinara sauce over the meatballs. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the jar, screw on the cap, shake it up and pour it over the meatballs also. Spread it out as evenly as you can. Put into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (a little longer is you did not fry the meatballs or if they were refrigerated). Cut open a meatball to be sure they’re cooked thoroughly, there shouldn’t be much if any pink.
Enjoy on top of pasta, or on some nice crusty bread.