All American Cranberry Sorbet
WHAT SCREAMS A-M-E-R-I-C-A like an Oxycoccus? The genus Vaccinium aka the CRANBERRY-
I ♥ experimenting with cranberries! In preparation for Thanksgiving I made this today;
Cranberry Sorbet with an Ojai “Pixie” Tangerine Reduction
For each step I strain the cranberry mixture- I like smooth sorbet.
Add strained cranberry puree mixture to the liquids & stir to mix.
15 minutes before serving.
Serve on top of a fresh basil leaf, or in a delicate dessert cup-
I don’t like pumpkin pie…
I’m in L-O-V-E with my new BBQ; Day #1
Main:
BBQ’d Chicken
1 package of hormone free, organic free range chicken pieces; with skin & bones, as you see above-
Savory Marinate-
In a big bowl mix together;
“Earls Gone Wilds” BBQ Rub
“Lea & Perrins” Worcestershire Sauce
“A1” Steak Sauce (I have always ♥’d A1, just don’t ♥ steak…)
Cayenne Pepper
1 T. “Tapatio” hot sauce + a splash of “Tabasco” Sauce
“Susie Q’s” Seasoning (Red label does not contain MSG)
il Fustino’s Jalapeño Olive Oil
Coarsely ground Black Pepper
Just a splash of beer (or wine)
Mix, toss, turn & let sit for an hour or so-
when you’re about ready to grill, toss the chicken pieces around as you toss a salad. Then let marinate drip off a bit before placing the chicken on the grill- You can pretty quickly get some pretty grill “marks” going on, but to keep the chicken real tasty & tender I HIGHLY recommend you switch the chicken over to water-soaked wood cooking planks for about 15 minutes- A moment before removing from heat, pour about 1 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly over each piece for a little extra “kick“.
Vegetables:
Organic Fresh Corn circles
Organic mini- “Yukon Gold” Potatoes
Fresh Corn on the Cob, cut into little discs-
While slowly BBQ-ing the corn, paint it occasionally with “Burnt Sage Butter”
In a microwaveable bowl place;
about 1/2 c. water
7-9 Yukon Gold Potatoes
Sprinkle with salt, pour olive oil over them & fresh coarsely ground black pepper-
Par-bake the potatoes in the microwave, then finish them up on the BBQ, occasionally turning.
& last but not least…
Dessert;
Berry Cobbler…
I BBQ’D dessert in a black “Brazilian” baking dish;
I added about;
2 c. frozen raspberries (because that’s what I had- most any berry will do-)
I threw in about 2 T. cornstarch
Over the berries, I poured about 1/2 c. of “E. Waldo Ward & Son” Apricot Syrup
& a squeeze of fresh “Meyers” Lemon juice.
I added this as the topping;
2 handfuls of “Bisquick”
1 handful of “Swans Down” cake flour
I added about a 1/3 c Organic “Horizon” Milk (2%)
about 1/3 c. melted butter
dash of vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon
I put it all on the BBQ with the lid closed & it thickened up & cooked beautifully-
It was delicious!
I hope you’ll try some of my BBQ recipes-
It’s enjoyable to be outside cooking + it’s been too hot to cook inside…
enjoy!
Zucchini Bread
This recipe is being Jelly Blogged today for my sweet “Insight” buddy Marc LaFont– he’s up to his ears in zucchini!
Good use of your abundant crop, but also helps keep it around throughout the year if
you freeze it.
If you friends & neighbors get a whiff of this tasty treat, that wont want your ‘extra’ zucchini anymore, but your zucchini bread instead!
This moist, sweet, nutty bread is very easy to make & it freezes well-
It’s good morning, noon & night!
Stash some in your freezer to last throughout the winter- pull it out in the morning & have in place of toast,
or as a midday snack, or an evening dessert-like treat.
It’s delicious plain, with a dab of butter, or a smear of cream cheese.
Just pop a piece in the toaster & enjoy with coffee or tea-
Preheat oven to 350. Grease & lightly flour bread pans.
Ingredients;
3 eggs
1 c. canola oil
2 c. “Turbinado” raw sugar (or 1 c. brown & 1 c. white)
2 c. fresh grown, organic zucchini squash
3 c. flour (I use 1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour & 1 1/2 c. “Swan’s Down” cake flour)
½ t. salt
½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
3 T. cinnamon
1½ c. walnuts (chopped)
¾ c. raisins
1 t. vanilla extract
In a large bowl;
Beat eggs till foamy, add oil, sugar & zucchini. Mix lightly.
Add dry ingredients & mix.
Bake at 350 for about an hour.
This recipe makes a lot-
I always bake using my all time favorite “French” mini-loaf pan. After the loaves cool completely, I wrap each loaf individually with “Press ‘n Seal”, then put them all in freezer bags for my Winter Stash!
enjoy!
Lime Marmalade-Strawberry Cupcakes
Lime Marmalade-Strawberry Cupcake
♣ with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting ♣
makes 14-16 cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350•
In a bowl mix the dry ingredients then set aside;
1 1/2 c. Swan’s Down Cake Flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
pinch of salt
In a different bowl, cream;
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter (@ room temperature)
To the sugar & butter add;
1 egg yolk (save the egg white)
3/4 c. buttermilk
about 15 drops of Strawberry Oil
3 Organic Strawberries, topped & chopped
2/3 jar (3.5 ounces) “E. Waldo Ward & Son” Lime Marmalade
In a separate bowl;
Beat 3 egg whites until light & fluffy, not dry or stiff
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then fold in the egg whites gingerly.
Line & fill your cupcake tins.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Ready when toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on rack for about 10 minutes, then take cupcakes from tins & allow to fully cool on rack before frosting.
My favorite new kitchen tool is a “Batter Pen“- it makes filling cupcake tins fast, clean & easy.
I also recommend using cupcake paper liners that are made of special parchment paper, they don’t allow the cupcakes to stick. Company name will be blogged soon-
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
You’ll need 14-16 Organic Strawberries; wash, dry & leave the tops on.
With an electric mixer, cream;
4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 c. butter (room temperature)
Then add & mix well;
pinch of salt
about 10 drops “Strawberry Oil”
Blend in;
3/4 c. powdered sugar
Pipe;
frosting onto cupcakes & decorate with a fresh strawberry on each-
I suggest you don’t tell what’s in your cupcake. It’s fun to let your guests try & sort it out!
enjoy!
McGrath Farm Organic Strawberries
Chocolate Dipped Organic Strawberries with a little flava-
What you’ll need;
1 basket of McGrath Farm Organic Strawberries
1 Dark Chocolate Bar or about 1 1/2 c. Chocolate Chips
Ojai Jalapeño Jelly or Ojai Habanero Jelly
Flavor “Injector” Device (purchase at “Sur la Table“, or any well supplied kitchen store)
Wax paper or Parchment paper
What to do;
Clean strawberries, keep stems on- gently dry.
Melt chocolate over double boiler- let cool a little, but don’t let it harden up.
Slightly warm 3-5 T. Ojai Pepper Jelly on stove-top or in microwave oven.
Using the stem as a handle, dip strawberries in chocolate, swirl till covered.
Place on wax paper.
Fill injector with Ojai Pepper Jelly & carefully inject about 1/2 t. of Jelly into each strawberry.
enjoy!
Humboldt Fog & Endive
Yesterday was my dear friends birthday; Kathleen Nolan of Ojai, CA.
Every chance I get I like to experiment with new recipes on my friends- so I wandered through Whole Foods & bought some amazingly creamy & delicious, aged Cypress Grove “Humboldt Fog” Goat Cheese,
& 2 heads of Organic Endive- as a starting point for my dish-
Once home, I carefully pulled apart the endive, one layer at a time,
gently cutting as little as possible off the base to free up more leaves; (wash, spin & sit aside)
I placed a handful of “Mariani Cranberries” (sweetened, dried), in a small saucepan with:
1/2 c. “Absolut Vodka”
2-3 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly
dash of caper brine
4 sprigs of organic lemon thyme
I slowly simmered this mixture, I occasionally gave it a little jostle to mix. Once the liquid is mostly cooked off (about 10 minutes), set aside & cool.
Use a butter knife to transfer about 1/2 t. of the “Humboldt Fog” Goat Cheese onto the base end of the
endive (at this point, the cheese was almost room temperature & a bit gooey).
I placed the filled endive on a large, black serving plate & added:
1 cooled Vodka-Habanero-Cranberry
1 caper
& 1 tiny piece of a candied pecan
I had some left over “Humboldt Fog” Goat Cheese & cranberries, so I put them in a little bowl in the middle of the platter with a small serving spoon, for guests to apply more Heat & Sweet IF they so desired (& they did!).
enjoy!
Ripe Peach Balsamic Chopped Salad
My daughter & I love going to the “Paseo Nuevo“ mall in Santa Barbara-
Shopping for shoes & clothes- great! Wandering State Street- fun!
But when there’s a specialty food store in the mix- even better!
Paseo Nuevo is home to “Viva Oliva” & we love their “Ripe Peach Balsamic” Vinegar.
Try this salad, it’s refreshing, delicious, healthy & easy to put together-
In a small frying pan over low flame, add;
1 “Dorot” cube of frozen garlic (or 1 large clove of garlic, chopped fine)
1/4 c. Ripe Peach Balsamic Vinegar (drizzle over the garlic)
add about 2 t. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
add:
3 broccoli florets (washed, spun & chopped small)
7 asparagus spears (washed, spun & chopped small)
1/2 c. fresh fennel root (washed, spun & chopped small)
Heat through, allowing the garlic to defrost, then add the vinegar-
Cover with a lid for about 1 minute.
Remove lid, toss briefly, then put in a salad bowl
Don’t overcook, you want it al dente, not limp-
Let the greens cool a bit, but you want it just a tad warm-
Now ready 1 head of organic romaine lettuce (washed, spun & chopped small, but not pulverized small)
then add lettuce to the salad bowl, but don’t mix yet-
Pour on about 2 T. EVOO
2 T. black sesame seeds
& sprinkle 1 T. ‘Yuzu‘ (or 1/2 fresh lemon juice over the greens)
Toss and garnish with finely grated, fresh Parmesan cheese.
Place a couple of capers on top, and sesame seeds around the edges of your plate-
Darot Frozen Herbs can be found in the freezer section @ Trader Joe’s & Lassen’s Markets.
I especially LOVE the garlic because it makes my life so much simpler,
& I don’t have hands that smell of garlic all the time!
This salad serves about 2
enjoy!
Chocolate Covered Strawberries filled with Jalapeño Jelly
Just when I thought I’d tried just about EVERYTHING with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly on it or in it…
Then I melted some dark chocolate that my son got for me @ Trader Joes- OMG!!! Crazy delicious.
You can buy the injecting ‘tool’ @ Sur la Table or Williams Sanoma.
2 Trader Joes Dark Chocolate Bars, melted (73% super dark)
10 large, fresh, organic strawberries (washed, dried off a little so the chocolate will stick)
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, unless your flame is very low and steady.
Let the chocolate cool for a few minutes, then, using the stem as a handle, dip the strawberries in the chocolate.
Twirl until strawberries are covered evenly.
Fill an injector tool with Ojai Jalapeño Jelly, put Jelly in the berries, then place in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden the chocolate.
enjoy!
Lemon Drops with Candied Myers Lemon Peel
My Meyers lemon tree has been more plentiful than any other year- just chocked full of beautiful, colorful fruit-
In honor of Spring, & the dinner party I’m going to this evening- I’m creating a new cocktail, a special Lemon Drop Martini!
What you’ll need:
2 saucepans
1 fresh organic lemon- washed and peeled, careful not to get any pith, just the yellow zest
2 c. cold water
2 1/2 c. organic raw sugar
Put cold water & zest in a saucepan & bring to a boil. Pour off water and repeat this process 3 times. Drain & set aside.
In another saucepan add:
2 c. organic raw sugar
1 c. water
Whisking to help dissolve sugar & add the lemon zest, bring to a boil over medium heat.
Lower the heat & simmer until the peels get tender & translucent- this will take about 15 minutes.
Pour off liquid & save. Let candied zest cool. Set aside. In a separate bowl toss the lemon zest with the remaining 1/2 c. organic raw sugar. Shake off excess sugar.
Store zest in an airtight container until you garnish the Lemon Drop with it.
This will store well for a few weeks- NOT! If you’re at all like me you’ll eat it all!
Meyers Lemon Drop…
6 lemons, juiced
4 T. sugar syrup (saved from recipe above)
7 fresh basil leaves
4 shots Kettle One Vodka (or your favorite)
Ice
Martini Shaker
sugar rimmed glasses
twist of Candied Myers Lemon Peel
Mix lemon juice, sugar syrup & vodka & basil in the martini shaker filled with ice.
Shake 7 times to mix & bruise the basil. Pour into sugar rimmed martini glass & float a candied lemon peel
& a small sprig of basil to garnish-
*I also like to use Jalapeño or fresh mint in place of the basil for this cocktail-
-enjoy!
Recent Comments