AVOCADO-CORN-GREEN TOMATO SALSA

Although our tomato crop was disappointing this year, I'm happy to say we did harvest a few gems. In order to beat the birds, we pulled off some green tomatoes. Some of them got wrapped in newspaper to ripen slowly, and some were earmarked for a salsa. Since the salsa was mostly going to be green, I added some tomatillas and avocado. I would have used a jalapeno, except that we grew our own hot peppers this year -- that's what the little red specks in the salsa are. Cilantro, corn and green olives rounded out the flavors of this salsa, and it is really good. But I haven't found a salsa yet that I didn't like.



Avocado-Corn-Green Tomato Salsa
Rating: 9 out of 10
2 green onions with tops, chopped
2 tomatillos, chopped
3 green tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2-3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped
2 ears fresh corn, kernels and milk scraped off the cob (or 2 cups frozen or canned corn)
1-1/2 tsp. grated or minced fresh garlic
2 Tbsp. green olives, pitted, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to mix well. Refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 1 hour. Serve with crackers, chips or veggies. Yield: About 3 cups

THE CAKE DOCTOR'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE KAHLUA CAKE, ADAPTED

One of the neighborhoods in our development had a pig pickin', and we were invited. I was asked to bring a dessert and decided to use the Cake Doctor's website to find a recipe for a box of Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix. I first tasted this cake at the party, when it was room temperature, and didn't care for it much, although everyone who tried it raved over it. There was a little left over and I put in the fridge overnight. I tasted it after lunch today, cold, and was surprised to note that the texture and flavor had improved greatly. I think this would be a great make-ahead recipe -- something to make the day before a party, rather than the day of, so the flavors can mellow out in the fridge. Serve it cold for best flavor. It doesn't need ice cream or any enhancements, and the frosting (my recipe, not the Cake Doctor's) is perfect with it -- not too sweet.

The Cake Doctor's Double Chocolate Kahlua Cake, Adapted
Rating: 8 out of 10
1 package (18.25 oz.) plain devil's food cake mix
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's)
1/2 cup Kahlua (or generic coffee liqueur)
1/2 Tbsp. instant coffee powder (decaf is ok)
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x12 pan; set aside.

Place the cake mix, cocoa, Kahlua, buttermilk, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl; blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Pour the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven and bake till cake is barely done (when a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs), about 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of pan and invert onto a cooling rack; then invert again onto another rack so that the cake is right side up. Allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes - 1 hour. Return cake to baking pan and frost top with Mocha Cinnamon Frosting (see recipe below). Refrigerate overnight and serve cold for best flavor. Garnish top with chocolate shavings or broken cinnamon bark.

Mocha Cinnamon Frosting
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. coffee essence (see recipe below)
1 tsp. Mexican or regular vanilla
1/2 cup fat-free half and half
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) chocolate instant pudding
1-1/2 cups frozen and thawed non-fat whipped topping

In medium bowl, beat cheese till soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cinnamon, coffee essence, vanilla and half and half and beat til well combined and smooth. Add pudding and beat on medium speed 2 minutes, till smooth and well combined. Fold in whipped topping carefully. Refrigerate till cake is thoroughly cooled.

Coffee Essence
1/4 cup Kahlua or generic coffee liqueur
3 Tbsp. instant coffee powder

Combine ingredients in a small jar. Refrigerate and use as needed. A teaspoon added to chocolate chip cookie batter is a wonderful enhancement.

JASPER WHITE'S SHRIMP CHOWDER WITH FENNEL, ADAPTED

This recipe comes courtesy of epicurious.com, and it's good. The flavors are rich and bold, and go great with the shrimp. The only complaint that Guy had was that the shrimp were too big. A shrimp chowder is best with small shrimp (26-30/lb.). I agree. I was trying to use up the ton of shrimp that he's been catching. When he empties our crab traps, he throws a net over the side of the dock and in come gazillions of fresh shrimp. They are delicious, and our freezer is full of them. So in the soup some of the latest catch went.

I didn't change much in this recipe. I added an ear of fresh corn. Instead of making my own shrimp stock (a nifty idea, but I had thrown out the shells already), I subbed with Clamato juice. It's part clam juice, part tomato juice. It worked very well. I left out the fennel seed because I didn't have any. Because I added corn, I reduced the potatoes. (Oh, and Guy said he doesn't like his potatoes sliced, he likes them cubed.) The only other change was that we didn't add cream or half and half. The soup didn't need it. It was fabulous by itself. What a rich broth -- really, really yummy. Give it a try. Not too hard and really, really good.

Jasper White's Shrimp Chowder with Fennel, Adapted Half Recipe
Rating: 10 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. (approx. 2 strips) bacon, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 of a small fennel bulb, quartered, then sliced thinly (4 oz.)
4 oz. thinly sliced onion
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups Clamato juice
1/4 lb. thinly sliced potatoes
1/4 lb. cubed potatoes
1 ear of corn, kernels sliced, cob scraped (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1/2 cup tomatoes
1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) small shrimp, peeled
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

In a 3-quart heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon; reserve for garnish. Remove all but 1 Tbsp. of the bacon fat. Add oil and garlic and cook 30 seconds over medium heat. Add fennel, onion and red pepper flakes and saute`, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for about 3-5 minutes, till vegetables begin to soften. Cover the pot, lower the heat and let the vegetables cook till they are very soft, about 10 more minutes.

Add the Clamato juice and the thinly sliced potatoes; turn up the heat and bring to a boil. (Juice should cover the vegetables; if not, add a little more.) Cover the pot and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. You may need to reduce the heat during this time, but not to low. The mixture should maintain a slow boil.

Add the cubed potatoes and cook, covered for about 5 minutes, or till potatoes are almost cooked through. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper as needed.

Add corn, tomatoes and broth and simmer for about 5 more minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, or till shrimp are barely cooked. Remove from heat and let the soup sit for about 10 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Serve soup with the reserved bacon as a garnish.

Yield: 4 large servings Deelish!

BANANA PUMPKIN ZUCCHINI WHOLE-GRAIN MUFFINS

Katrina blogged about these muffins recently, and got me interested. She found the recipe on allrecipes.com and adapted it to muffins. I love reading Katrina's blog to see what creative idea she comes up with next and also to see the photos of her adorable boys.

It took me a while to make these muffins. First I had to buy a banana. I never did buy the wheat bran, so I subbed quick oats. The banana got ripe, then I had to freeze it because I wasn't ready. By then I had used up most of my zucchini and had to go buy more just so I could make these. I was going to make a half batch, but I was sure they would be good, so I made the full batch. I should have made the half batch. Not that these weren't good. It's just that I need to make them again. The flavor is outstanding, not too spicy at all, just very well rounded and flavorful. The problem is that the muffins are very dense, and the edges are tougher, or harder, than my normal muffins, and I need to make these again, adjusting the baking temperature, to see if that helps. The batter of these muffins is unlike any batter that I have ever worked with. There is no liquid, so the batter is very thick and stiff. I really think the batter needs some liquid: yogurt?My addition of butterscotch and white chocolate chips really takes these over the top. I will definitely make these again, but I will be baking them at 350F from the start --or maybe even 325F (instead of starting them at 400F and reducing the oven temp right away to 350F, like I usually do) and will possibly add some yogurt. But next time I will make a half batch.
Update: After reading the original recipe on allrecipes.com, I saw that it calls for 1 cup of maple syrup. I used 1/2 cup, so there is 1/2 cup of syruppy liquid missing. That probably accounts for some of the density of the muffin. I'm adding 1/2 cup liquid below.

UPDATE: See my revised recipe.

Banana Pumpkin Zucchini Whole-Grain Muffins
Rating: withheld for further testing
INGREDIENTS:
Crumb-Nut Topping: 3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. oats
3 Tbsp. chopped toasted walnuts
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon, fork or spatula. Set aside.

Muffins: 1/4 cup pumpkin
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup + 1/2 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt (or 1 cup maple syrup)
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour, if preferred), lightly spooned & swept
1 cup quick oats (or unprocessed wheat bran, if preferred)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. powdered cloves
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/16 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup white chocolate clips
2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, banana, sugar and eggs; whisk till well combined. Add syrup, yogurt and vanilla, whisking again till smooth and well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, nuts and chips and whisk or stir till everything is mixed well. Add zucchini and stir with spatula till zucchini is well distributed throughout and coated with dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to wet and stir with spatula just until moistened. Batter will be very thick and stiff. Scoop into muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top each muffin with about 1 Tbsp. crumb-nut topping, pressing in slightly so it sticks. Bake about 20 minutes, or till muffins test done: when a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 standard size muffins.

SUNSET'S ROASTED RED PEPPER-TOMATO SOUP, ADAPTED

I love it when produce is on a fire sale. Our local Harris Teeter had large red peppers for 99 cents last week. Thanks to Debbie Meyer green bags, six red peppers will last me for several weeks. I roasted 2 of them yesterday so I could make this soup and have some left over for sandwiches. This recipe comes courtesy of Sunset magazine, and was posted on myrecipes.com with stellar reviews. I followed the recipe pretty closely, just reducing the tomatoes a bit, increasing the peppers and topping off my soup with a drizzle of fat-free half and half; Guy said he wanted his soup straight up. We both enjoyed this soup. It's not my favorite roasted red pepper soup recipe, but it was very enjoyable and I might make it again sometime; that is, if I run out of other recipes to try.






Sunset's Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup, Adapted one-third recipe
Rating: 8 out of 10
INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 roasted red pepper (homemade or jarred)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
heaping 1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp. coarsely chopped garlic
1 cup tomatoes with their juice (canned or fresh)
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste
Toppings: creme fraiche, sour cream, yogurt or just a drizzle of fat-free half and half;
chopped parsley

To roast the red peppers: preheat broiler or charcoal grill. Cut the peppers in half. Place in a baking pan and broil, skin side up, 4-5" from heat (or place directly on grill, skin side down) until skins are black and blistered, about 5-8 minutes. Place peppers in a paper bag or in a bowl with plastic wrap over it. Let cool 10-15 minutes. Peel the peppers and chop coarsely, reserving juices.

In a medium pan over medium heat, add the oil and onion; stir often until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add peppers, tomatoes, juices, and paprika. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Return to pan and stir in broth and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until hot. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into cups or bowls and garnish as desired. (Can be made up to 3 days ahead. Store airtight in fridge. Reheat before serving.) Yield: 2 large servings or 4 smaller servings

PEACH FRANGIPANE TART

Since our last visit to New Jersey, where I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal flour for $9.99 (a full $5.00 cheaper than the price in New Bern), I've been wanting to try my hand at a frangipane tart. With a handful of peaches left in my fridge, I thought it was time. I was a little nervous. A frangipane tart is a bit of work, and it never really sounded that good to me. Almond paste and fruit? What a strange combination, or so I thought. I should have realized that, as a French dessert, it would have to be good. Bob was nice enough to print a frangipane recipe on the back of his almond meal bag. But his recipe uses puff pastry, and I wanted to make my own. So I decided to use the standard gallette dough recipe for the pastry. I had my own idea on how to put the peaches together, so instead of using someone else's recipe, I made my own.

I must now give my eternal thanks to the Marquis Muzio Frangipani for creating a perfume, made of bitter almonds, to scent the gloves of Louis XII. It's supposedly what inspired local patisseries to create the cream (made with milk, sugar, flour, eggs, butter and ground almonds) that we know as frangipane (or at least that's the story that's circulating on the internet). Frangipane beautifully complements fruit, especially stone fruits -- apples, peaches, plums, cherries and pears; and I am a born-again convert to frangipane. This dessert is rich and delicious, especially served with ice cream. There was a little bit left over from our dinner and I ate it the next day, cold, with just as much gusto as when it was freshly baked. I highly recommend this recipe.

One word of caution: always use the best quality fresh fruit available. If the fruit doesn't taste good when it's fresh, it won't taste good when it's baked.

Peach Frangipane Tart
Rating: 10 out of 10
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Gallette Dough: 
1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, very cold or frozen, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. ice water

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt, pulsing briefly till mixed. Add butter and pulse at intervals until mixture is like coarse meal, with the butter in tiny pieces no bigger than small peas. Add 1/4 cup ice water and pulse till mixture forms into a ball. If needed, add the extra Tbsp. water, but be sure you really need it. If you add too much the mixture will be too sticky. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.  Roll out about 3/4 of the dough to an 11" circle on a floured board.  (Use remaining dough for an individual tart.)  Fit into a removable-bottom tart pan, pressing dough up the sides of the pan. Let the dough hang over the edges just slightly, and crimp the edges over the outside of the pan so that the dough will not shrink when baked. Refrigerate.

Frangipane: (enough for 2 tarts -- you can freeze one half for later)
1/4 cup butter, very soft
1/2 cup confectioner's (10X) sugar
1/8 tsp. almond extract
3/4 cup almond meal flour
1 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 large egg

Beat together the butter and sugar till fluffy and light in a medium bowl. Add extract, almond meal, and AP flour and beat till smooth. Beat in the egg till everything is mixed well. Set aside.

Peach Filling:
1 Tbsp. butter
3 cups fresh or frozen peaches
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. almond liqueur
1/4 cup apricot spreadable fruit or preserves (or peach jam)

Melt butter in large heavy skillet. Add peaches and sugar and cook over medium heat till peaches are just barely soft, about 5 minutes. Remove peaches to a 9" pie plate in a single row to cool. Add almond liqueur, lemon juice and fruit preserves to skillet with remaining juices and cook till thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Assembly:  Preheat oven to 400F. Spread 1/2 of the frangipane over the bottom of the refrigerated pastry crust. Lay the peaches in a concentric circle over the top of the frangipane. Spoon the cooled syrup over the peaches evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes or till filling is bubbly and crust is browned. (If crust browns too quickly on edges, cover with foil.) Trim edges of pastry that were crimped over the outside of the pan. Serve with creme fraiche, ice cream or whipped cream. Yield: 8 servings

CRANBERRY MUFFINS WITH WALNUT CRUMB TOPPING

I'm so proud of myself. Raspberries were on sale again this week, and I resisted the urge to buy more. My freezer is loaded with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and yes, even cranberries left from last year. Today's recipe used the last of the cranberries. The last 2 cups. Until they come in season again, which will be very soon. This is an excellent muffin recipe from Food & Wine, March 2001 issue. The walnut crumb topping is so very good. I made my usual changes: subbed some whole wheat flour, made them lower fat by subbing applesauce for some of the butter, and subbed some Stevia for some of the sugar. But I also added some flavorings, because the recipe was a little bland. Orange and lemon zests really accent the fruit and vanilla brings it all together. 1 cup of grated fresh apple added some moisture and flavor; and the end result is a moist, flavorful muffin that will please the most discriminating eater. The list of ingredients is long, but worth the effort, because these muffins are very special. I guarantee you will not only like them, but you will make them again and again. Blueberries would work well here also.

































Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumb Topping
Rating: 10 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
Topping:
1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. molasses
1/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of sea salt
2-1/2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
Muffin:
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp., divided use
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of sea salt
2 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups cranberries
1 cup grated tart apple

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease cups and top of a 12-cup muffin pan; set aside.

Make the crumb topping: Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl; mix with fork or fingers; pinch the topping mixture into clumps; set aside.

Make the muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange and lemon zests, mixing till well combined. In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, egg, butter, vanilla and applesauce, mixing till well combined and smooth. Rinse and drain the cranberries; pat dry with paper towels; stir the remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar into the cranberries; add the apple. Stir the cranberries and apple into the dry ingredients, mixing well to distribute ingredients. Add the wet ingredients all at once and stir only until barely combined, using a spatula. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each of the 12 cups and cover with the crumb topping. Gently press the topping onto the muffins so it adheres. Place muffins in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350F. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the muffins test done when a toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 muffins