The Cook's Corner! (well it is "The Kitchen") .

[yaralindi]

I guarantee you not only won't notice, you'll love what it does to the taste and texture of the soup!

[Primula]

I was just talking with my mom about what to bring for Thanksgiving - we're going to her place - and it made me remember some of the great recipes we've had here before.

Any autumn/holiday dishes you'd care to share?

[Onomir]

Soy (Tofu) Scrabble

Turmeric is accounted for staving off Alzheimer’s (sp?) and the brewer’s yeast is a great source for vit.B.

“Soy Scramble”
My daughter Fimbrithel (Melanie) thought this up and my wife makes it regularly;

A brick of plain tofu heated and crushed/crumbled in a canola oiled pan with about four tablespoons of brewers yeast, and two tablespoons of Turmeric, chopped dill, sweet onion, Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste, I add some chili sauce or salsa too. Like scrambled eggs only Vegan! We serve it with a potato pancake, or toast and a vegan "sausage" pattie.

[yaralindi]

Gruyère Cheese Puffs

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 tsp salt (or substitute)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Gruyère Cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets.
• Bring 1 cup water, butter, salt and pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flour; beat with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball.
• Transfer dough to a large bowl. With electric mixer on high speed, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat until mixture is smooth and has cooled. Beat in cheese.
• Drop spoonfuls of mixture 1 inch apart on baking sheets. With dampened fingers, smooth tops. Bake until puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on pans on wire racks.

To fill: Slice off top third; discard doughy centers. Fill and replace tops.


Crab Filling

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained and picked
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Let cool 10 minutes or to room temperature.
• Place crabmeat and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add cooled vegetables; gently toss to combine. Cover and chill.

[Ringwraith-Wife]

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

OMG! These sound unbelievable! ( I must admit that I was looking through the crab filling ' list of ingredients ' for the Old Bay. )

I like Old Bay so much that I make 'carrot coins' out of fresh carrots, shake them up in a paper bag of OB, and munch. Makes a nice snack. ( Ok, a little salty, but... )

[lindorie]

After living in Maryland as a kid and enjoying steamed blue crabs there lots of times....I must say that I have a very difficult job enjoying crab of any kind without Old Bay! I use it on crawfish and other shellfish as well and it makes a good substitute for Cajun seasoning or Jerk seasoning.

[yaralindi]

Oh, I've used Old Bay on lots of things - popcorn, celery, eggs, fried/baked chicken, french fries, tater tots, corn on the cob, potato chips, and even in tomato juice. It is a very versatile spice with a lot of uses.

[Primula]

Is Old Bay a type of seasoned salt? Or a spice blend?

What are some of the spices or blends you've found to be worth having?

I've lately taken to using ras el hanout (the good kind, with lots of dried rose petals in it) - makes an otherwise boring pan of veggies something wonderful.

[lindorie]

Is Old Bay a type of seasoned salt? Or a spice blend?

What are some of the spices or blends you've found to be worth having?

I've lately taken to using ras el hanout (the good kind, with lots of dried rose petals in it) - makes an otherwise boring pan of veggies something wonderful.

http://www.oldbay.com/

[yaralindi]

Dark Chocolate Vol-au-Vent with Raspberry Sauce

Dark Chocolate Pudding (make first)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 6 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 quart half and half
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound day-old brioche or another white bread, crusts removed, diced large
• 6 to 8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and use some of the melted butter to grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. With electric mixer (preferably the stand-up kind) fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, egg yolks and sugar until well-combined. Add butter (make sure it is cool), half and half and vanilla and beat in.
• Add bread to the bowl and use your hands to press bread into egg mixture and mix until bread is well-coated. Pour bread mixture into prepared dish and evenly scatter dark chocolate on top. Use your fingers to press some of the chocolate deep into bread mixture. Cover with aluminum foil (spray underside of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray to keep chocolate from sticking to it).
• Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until set. Set pan on wire rack, uncover and let cool for at least 15 minutes.

Vol-au-Vent
(French for "flying in the wind")

Ingredients

• Puff Pastry - I make my own, but you can also use thawed premade ones
• egg yolks mixed with water

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• If using the premade ones, pull out the whole stack.
• Sprinkle flour underneath and on top of it
• Sprinkle flour on a rolling pin and roll pastry to about 1/2 inch thick
• Use large, round cutter (about 3" in diameter) dipped in flour, cut out pastry circles
• With a smaller cutter, (about 2 1/2" diameter) dipped in flour, cut down into the vol-au-vent about halfway to the bottom.
• Arrange on parchment covered baking sheet and refrigerate about 30 minutes
• Remove from fridge and brush with egg wash
• Bake until they start to turn a golden brown
• Remove from oven and lift out the middles with cheese or butter knife
• Return to oven to allow inside to cook. If they are getting too dark, reduce heat to 375.
• Allow to cool while making sauce

Added: Peppridge Farms supposedly packages and sells frozen vol-au-vent shells. Just thaw, bake, and fill. There are 6 to a package. This recipe would use 4 of those packages. WOW! How easy is that?

Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries (can also use cherries or strawberries)
• 1/4 cup sugar or more to taste
• 1 tsp corn starch

Preparation

• Place berries in a blender or food processor and puree. Press raspberries through a thin sieve to remove seeds. Pour berry mixture into medium-sized saucepan and over medium heat. Quickly add sugar and cornstarch and cook, stirring often, until thickened.

Assembly

• Take one vol-au-vent
• Spoon pudding into center until doming out of the top
• Spoon sauce over the top and allow to slide down the side
• Repeat

My pastry recipe makes about 2 dozen of these and the filling and sauce are just enough. I'm not sure how much one of the frozen puff pastry packages will make. You may end up with a lot of pudding left over. It is very good all by itself, however.

This is easy, very elegant and can be garnished in a number of ways. I've set these in a mint cream-cheese base, for example

[HobbitNaga]

Made a great smore pie today that I cobbled together from a couple of recipes and substitutions...

Smore Pie
Graham cracker crust
7 oz of 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate (I used 1 overflowing cup of milk chocolate chips)
1 cup heavy cream (3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, and 1 tbsp flour is a good substitute)
1 egg
Pinch of salt
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbsp sugar

Put chocolate in large bowl. In saucepan, heat cream just until boiling (or, over low heat, melt butter, add milk and flour and stir until just boiling). Pour over chocolate, and wait a minute before whisking until smooth. Add egg and salt and whisk until combined. Pour into crust and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool for an hour so center sets/firms. (I forgot to let it cool and it came out fine.)

For meringue: Beat egg whites and tartar until frothy. Add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time and beat til stiff and glossy. Spread over pie, covering edges, and bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Very rich and tastes just like a smore! Nom nom nom

[yaralindi]

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli 60% cacao)
• 1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
• Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
• In a large mixing bowl, beat melted butter and sugars together until fluffy.
• Beat in the egg substitute and vanilla extract. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and rolled oats.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until well combined.
• Fold in the chocolate chips, strawberries and chopped walnuts.
• Drop about 2 tablespoons of cookie batter per cookie onto prepared cookie sheets. (I double or triple this for large cookies with softer middles)
• Bake cookies 14-16 minutes until crisp around the edges and just set in the middle. Be careful: Don't let the cookies get too brown.

Allow cookies to cool about 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheets.

Approximate yield: 100 cookies

Per cookie: 41 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrate, .5 g fiber, 3/4 g protein

[Ringwraith-Wife]

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... s%3Disch:1

This URL is longer than the recipe... A Hong Kong Spam Soup, that sounds pretty tasty. ( I found it while looking up Tatsoi, which is a kind of Baby Bok Choy)

[Primula]

Or, if you like, here it is after a trip through "tinyurl.com" -

http://tinyurl.com/2732hyg

Actually, it looks weirdly good, like something you might have for breakfast.

[yaralindi]

Dark Chocolate French Toast

Ingredients

• 1/3 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Karo syrup
• Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup thinly shaved dark chocolate
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 6 pieces Texas Toast or thick French Bread

Preparation

1. Mix melted butter and syrup and spread evenly on bottom of 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Lay bread in pan.

2. Spread chocolate over top of bread. Whisk egg and milk. Pour egg/milk mixture over top of bread. Refrigerate overnite.

3. Preheat oven to 350. Bake french toast for 45 minutes. If top is getting too dark, cover with aluminum foil for last 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes to set up.


Raspberry Sauce

While toast is baking, puree 1-2 pints raspberries in a blender; strain. Discard seeds. Stir raspberry puree into 1/3 cup Karo syrup.


Presentation

1) Heat raspberry sauce

2) Drizzle a little of the sauce on a warmed plate

3) Place one or two french toast on the warmed plate over the raspberry sauce

4) Drizzle sauce over the toast in thin lines

5) Garnish with mint leaves

6) Serve