Cocoa-Hazelnut and Vanilla-Hazelnut Spreads

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Earlier this year, I thought nothing could beat my old favorite stuff, but making my own convinced me otherwise. I absolutely love this gianduja (chocolate hazelnut spread) recipe and use it often; as a basis for the recipes, I used similar ratios and the same process, but the results are more to my taste. I have a few simple changes: powdered sugar instead of sometimes-hard-to-find demerara sugar, which is grainy in a good way, but a little crunchy in a spread. I also think a lot less chocolate makes the hazelnut flavor shine through, so I use a 3.5-ounce milk chocolate bar or a little cocoa powder instead. And why not also make a plainer hazelnut cream while you're at it? It tastes really pure and subtle, and we may just trot it out this week for a holiday cookie filling.

Cocoa-Hazelnut Spread

1 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup powdered sugar (Whole Foods 365 brand)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt2 tablespoons cocoa powder OR a 3.5-ounce milk chocolate bar (Whole Foods 365 Organic brand)1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toast hazelnuts for about 7 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool. Put powdered sugar, salt, and cocoa or chocolate into the food processor. Rub hazelnuts with a kitchen towel to remove some of the thin, dark skins. Add cooled hazelnuts to the mixture and run the food processor until mixture is a fine crumb. While it is still running, slowly drizzle in oil and let machine run until spread is fairly smooth. Store it on the counter in a jar or in the fridge if you want it to be less runny.

Vanilla-Hazelnut Spread

1 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup powdered sugar (Whole Foods 365 brand)1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toast hazelnuts for about 7 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool. Put powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla into the food processor. Rub hazelnuts with a kitchen towel to remove some of the thin, dark skins. Add cooled hazelnuts to the mixture and run the food processor until mixture is a fine crumb. While it is still running, slowly drizzle in oil and let machine run until spread is fairly smooth. Store it on the counter in a jar or in the fridge if you want it to be less runny. 

French Onion Grilled Cheese

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French onion soup has ruined more than one article of clothing since its invention. You can't wait to dig in, and as soon as you press the spoon into the gooey cheese, the hot broth jumps out. I specifically remember a white shirt from U.S. Male that I got for 8th grade graduation that got the french onion treatment at Harry T.'s in Destin, Florida. (Why was I eating French onion soup at the beach during the summer? I really don't know, to tell you the truth.)

Well, put your bibs away! We have invented a safer, cuter french onion grilled cheese. It's a mix of the soup you remember and the grilled cheese you always loved.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

4 large white or yellow onions (thinly sliced, about 7 cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
1 cup red wine
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetarian worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 quart vegetable broth (like Whole Foods 365 Brand)
8 ounces gruyere (shredded)
8 slices bread

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, layer in the onions and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cover and set the heat to low for about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and raise the heat to medium. Continue to cook and occasionally stir until the onions are deeply browned, which will take another 20 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine; make sure to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom. Increase the heat and reduce the wine by half. Now add the pepper, worcestershire, vinegar, thyme, granulated garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to incorporate, bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat. Allow mixture to cook for 20 to 30 minutes so the flavors can meld.

Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve and fish out the bay leaves and thyme stems. Return the broth to the soup pot in order to keep it warm.

Assemble the grilled cheese sandwiches by adding 1/3 cup of grated gruyere and 1/3 cup of the onion mixture each to 4 slices of bread. Top with remaining bread slices. Add the remaining tablespoon on butter to a large frying pan and melt the butter over medium heat. Grill the sandwiches for about 3 minutes per side or until bread is golden brown and the cheese has meted. Serve grilled cheese with a cup of warm broth for dipping. (Makes 4 servings.)

Vegetarian Orange Beef with Portobellos and Satsumas

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Many people don't realize that satsumas and clementines are fall fruits. They are at their peak right when it's starting to get cold outside. I'm not sure why, but this year's crop seems especially delicious -- particularly the satsumas. 

We wanted to do a simple, savory dish with this in-season  fruit that usually only sees the dessert table. Our take on the Chinese take-out classic orange beef will make you wonder why anyone would relegate this shapeshifter to a life as only dessert.  

Vegetarian Orange Beef with Portobellos and Satsumas

2 medium portobello (large dice, about 3 cups)
1/4 cup corn starch (plus 1 teaspoon)
1 cup canola oil (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 medium satsumas (segments and zest)
1 2-inch piece ginger (peeled, microplaned)
1 cup vegetable broth (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (like Bragg's)
1 tablespoon sambal
1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon cane sugar (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cooked white or brown rice

Toss the diced portobello mushrooms with the cornstarch to coat. In a separate bowl, combine the zest, ginger, broth, mirin, soy sauce, sambal, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil, granulated garlic, and sugar. In a wok or large frying pan, bring the canola oil up to 350 degrees over medium-high heat. Fry the cornstarch-coated mushrooms in the canola oil until golden brown (about 7 minutes). Remove mushrooms from the oil and drain them on paper towels. Pour off all of the oil from the wok into a heatproof bowl. Add the broth to the hot wok and bring it to a boil and whisk in the reserved teaspoon of cornstarch. Once it starts to thicken, add the broccoli florets and the satsuma segments, cut the heat off, and cover for 5 minutes. Add the fried mushrooms and toss to coat. Serve over rice. (Makes 2 servings.)

Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Quiche

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While jumping way far ahead and skipping Christmas supper (don't worry, we'll come back to it!), we have to tell you that we decided that this Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Quiche would be the perfect dish to serve on New Year's Day whether you are just bumming around the house or hosting friends and welcoming in the new year. You see, we Southerners always have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day because they bring both good luck and money. How's that, you ask? In the dead of winter, as a new year begins, having a peas is a symbol of plenty, and the greens represent money, cash, smack-a-roos. It's an old Southern tradition that I've never strayed from. But most of all, we eat black-eyed peas and greens on New Year's Day because our grandmothers told us to, and I for one ain't arguing!

You can make this a day or two ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a relaxing first day of 2013. Serve this alongside some of our freshly made Jalapeño and Smoked Cheddar Cornbread and a simple salad. Everyone will want to be at your house next year.

Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Quiche

Basic Pie Crust
1/2 cup blanched collard greens (about 1 bunch)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1 1/2 cups diced shiitake mushrooms
1 small white onion (about 1 1/2 cups, diced)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
4 large eggs (beaten)
1 cup prepared black-eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
sea salt (to taste)


Make the pie crust dough according to the recipe and set it in the fridge to rest for 20  minutes -- or use a prepared pie crust to save time. Trim the leaves of the collard greens away from the tough stem. Toss the stems in the compost pile. Blanch the remaining green leafy parts in super-salty water for about 2 minutes until they turn bright green. Remove greens from the pot and run cold water over them to cool them down. Squeeze all of the liquid from the collards. (Be diligent! You don't want soggy greens to weigh down your quiche.) Using a food processor or a sharp knife, mince the greens until very finely chopped.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out your pie crust and fit it into a 10-inch pie plate. Cut off the excess using kitchen shears, mark the edges with a fork, and dock the bottom of the crust with the tines of the fork. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Then remove crust and set aside to cool until ready to fill.

Heat a 12-inch skillet on high heat. Add butter; immediately after it's melted, add the mushrooms and onion. Continue to cook on high heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened and are starting to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, liquid smoke, and brown sugar. Allow mixture to cool.

In a large bowl combine the cream, milk, and eggs. Add to that the greens, mushroom and onion mixture, black-eyed peas, pepper, and salt. Pour mixture into the par-baked pie crust and bake for 40 minutes or until the center puffs us. Allow quiche to cool. Slice and serve. (Makes 8 pieces. Serves 4-6 people.)

Clementine Pizzelle Cannoli

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Our good buddy Aaron makes a huge batch of pizzelles, traditional Italian Christmas cookies, every year. We look forward to his cookies as a favorite holiday tradition. Last year, after he had finished making the cookies, we borrowed his pizzelle iron, a Brame family heirloom, along with his aunt's handwritten recipe for pizzelles. We had every intention of getting right on it. We had that thing for nearly a year before we struck out on our own and made some pizzelles, but we're glad we finally did! Now we are considering buying a pizzelle iron of our very own.

These make great cookies on their own, but as usual, we like to carry things way too far in the kitchen. So, we stuffed these delicious cookies cannoli-style with two sweetened Italian cheeses. Serve them with hot tea or espresso and watch the The Snowman with some people you like.

Clementine Pizzelle Cannoli

Pizzelles

2 eggs (beaten)
2/3 cup cane sugar
2/3 cup soy or olive oil margarine (melted)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 tablespoon anise powder
2/3 tablespoon vanilla
zest of 1 clementine
Clementine Cannoli Filling (recipe follows)
Chocolate shavings, supremed clementines, and powdered sugar (optional, to garnish) 

Preheat the pizzelle iron. Mix the eggs, sugar, margarine, flour, anise, vanilla, and zest together in a large bowl. (The result sould look like a loose cookie dough.) Drop dough by the tablespoon into pizzelle iron and close, wait 30-45 seconds, and retrieve the pizzelle using kitchen tongs. While the cookie is still hot, curl it into a tube shape and place it seam-side-down to keep it from unfurling. 

Remove the filling bag from the fridge and snip off one of the corners using kitchen shears. Using it like a pastry bag, fill each cannoli-shaped pizzelle from both ends. Garnish and serve. Once filled, the shells will stay crispy for a few hours. Overnight, the shells will soften just a bit which is still delicious. (Makes 15-18 cannoli.)

Clementine Cannoli Filling

1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta (put into a mesh strainer over a bowl and allowed to drain overnight)
1 8-ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 2 medium clementines
1/2 cup almond flour (toasted in the microwave for 1 minute)

In the work bowl of your food processor, blend the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, salt, vanilla, zest, and almond flour until smooth. Place mixture into a gallon-size food storage bag and place in the fridge to chill.  

You're The Bee's Knees!

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You may have heard about Small Business Saturday in between your pie and your Cyber Monday.

This past Saturday was a day where you were encouraged to shop at the very heart of American business - the sole proprietors, the mom and pop shops - the people who took big risks to try to to make it on their own instead of slaving away in a cubicle.

I'm lucky enough to call one such small business owner a good friend - Korin Sutherland.

I never get tired of the stories of people who started a business literally in their living rooms. Korin did just that when she started Sweet 'n Sassy stamps five years ago and she's been a huge success.

As much time as I spend BUYING and PLAYING with stamps, I honestly don't know how she has the energy to DESIGN and MAKE stamps, but she does, and I'm so thankful that because she does, I have a sweet friend.

Korin and I met through Splitcoast, when she became a member company, and I just love her to death. She is sweet, and she is sassy :), so her marketing skills are obviously on point!

Anyway, today we're having a little birthday party for Korin and Sweet 'n Sassy, so I really hope you'll hop around and see all the cards her friends have designed for her birthday party. Here's mine, for a girl I think really is the bee's knees.




Stamps: Bee Happy Rhubarb Paper: Crumb Cake, Polka Dot Party, Chevron treat bagAccessories: Sizzix Westminster Hexagon Dies (2")
So happy birthday, friend! Thank you for making the world sweeter and sassier! Y'all hop along now!

It's The End Of The World As We Know It

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So in 1999, we knew what we were in for with the whole Y2K thing.

All the power would go out at once, we'd be plunged into darkness and have to drink out of the toilet. I knew a LOT of people who bought generators and stockpiled Snickers.

But it was a known quantity. No power.

With the Mayan apocalypse bearing down on us, I'm amazed at how poorly defined it is.

Will yetis or zombies come barreling out of the Barton Creek Greenbelt to eat us? Will an asteroid hit us? Will we spontaneously combust?

I think the Mayans must have been very unorganized people to have such a poorly defined apocalyptic prediction. Had crafters been in charge of the apocalypse, we would have organized a themed blog hop, had custom digital downloads for the pinhole sunglasses you'd need when the sun and all the stars exploded, and strategically pre-staged glitter and die cutting machines for those in harm's way.

It's embarrassing, really, to see what a shoddy apocalypse this is. So we just have to carry on and guess.

Since I just organized my glue collection, I'm actually feeling pretty confident that I can face whatever is coming.

In the meantime, I think it's very important that we don't stop recycling. Because if it ends up being a huge fizzle like 1999 we don't want to be surrounded by mounds of trash. And generators. And zombie bullets.

So I have three reanimations for you today.

I went to retail church yesterday - Whole Foods - and I worshiped some Hail Merry Tarts and the precise number of Telicherry peppercorns I needed for my insanely awesome carne guisada - I love the bulk section.

Since I didn't bring a bag, I got paper bags for my holy goods. And man, are they gorgeous - all year. You may remember my last Whole Foods bag project. I loved those saturated greens.

But the holidays are upon us and the bags have kept up. So, in order to procrastinate cleaning and prepping for my classes, I sat down and did a little recycling.

Supplies: Whole Foods paper bag, Poppy Parade Ink, Whisper White Cardstock & Seam Binding

Turns out their ink is a dead on match for Poppy Parade Ink, so I used Word Play to finish it off.

BUT - there are even CUTER holiday versions over at Project Reanimate - and all three of these cards were made with a single bag.

Recycling gives you good Mayan karma, I promise. And if it does come to pass, please head to the designated glitter pickup station for supplies. I'll be the one in the cute apron.

Loveyameanitbye.