I used to eat this salad at work in winter. It reminds me of Waldorf Salad.
APPLE AND COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
Core and chop an apple and add up to a cup of cottage cheese. Add two or three chopped dates. Add some chopped celery if you like. Mix and eat.
Allergy information: Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Waldorf Salad
According to the 1997 edition of the Joy of Cooking, the original Waldorf salad, invented in the 1890s by a chef at the Walforf-Astoria Hotel in New York, contained only equal parts of chopped celery and apples, dressed with mayonnaise. Later, walnuts and seeded grape halves were added later.
WALDORF SALAD
1 cup chopped firm apples
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup halved seedless or seeded (seeds removed) red grapes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Allergy information: Mayonnaise contains eggs. Nuts can be a serious problem for some people.
WALDORF SALAD
1 cup chopped firm apples
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup halved seedless or seeded (seeds removed) red grapes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Allergy information: Mayonnaise contains eggs. Nuts can be a serious problem for some people.
Barbara's Strawberry Flowers
When the big, local strawberries are on, it's time to make these for a party.
BARBARA'S STRAWBERRY FLOWERS
Large, fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
Place hulled strawberries on a plate with the large side down. Cut partway through berries from the top to form 4 to 6 "petals". Place cream cheese filling in a piping bag, place piping tip into each berry where cuts intersect and fill each berry, being careful not to break it. The cut sections of the berries will separate into "petals". Don't fill the berries too far in advance of serving.
CREAM CHEESE GARNISH OR FILLING
Cream cheese or reduced fat cream cheese
lemon juice and powdered sugar
Beat the cream cheese with a little lemon juice and with powdered sugar to taste (should be sweeter if filling tart berries).
Allergy information: Cream cheese garnish contains fermented milk products and cornstarch from the powdered sugar.
BARBARA'S STRAWBERRY FLOWERS
Large, fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
Place hulled strawberries on a plate with the large side down. Cut partway through berries from the top to form 4 to 6 "petals". Place cream cheese filling in a piping bag, place piping tip into each berry where cuts intersect and fill each berry, being careful not to break it. The cut sections of the berries will separate into "petals". Don't fill the berries too far in advance of serving.
CREAM CHEESE GARNISH OR FILLING
Cream cheese or reduced fat cream cheese
lemon juice and powdered sugar
Beat the cream cheese with a little lemon juice and with powdered sugar to taste (should be sweeter if filling tart berries).
Allergy information: Cream cheese garnish contains fermented milk products and cornstarch from the powdered sugar.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Early Bloom Observations, Early Fruit Hopes
Today, blossoms are dropping from the Royal Rosa apricot and Flavor Delight Aprium is just past mid-bloom. Both have bloomed during rainy weather and many blossoms are dropping without setting fruit. But there are some fruits here and there. There is scattered bloom on Royalty now. Harcot is starting to bloom. The Plumcot isn't blooming as heavily as normal. Maybe just an "off" year.
The little Geo Pride Pluot is in full bloom. Looks like a good companion for Flavor Supreme. The fruit gets great reviews from Fruitnut and others on the fruit forum at GardenWeb. I saw a bee in its flowers. Flavor Grenade is just starting to bloom. Burgundy plum is also blooming well. Bees like its bigger blossoms. It is the preferred pollenizer for Flavor Queen Pluot. Dapple Dandy is also blooming. The little Catalina plum tree (on Citation rootstock, like the Flavor Grenade and Geo Pride) is in full bloom. I think we killed the second Dapple Dandy tree, on the north side of the house. I planted these two as pollenizers for the Flavor Supreme.
Bees don't seem to like Flavor Supreme's blossoms much. Naturally, since it is such a wonderful early fruit. I put a big jar of Santa Rosa branchlets (blooming earlier than usual this year) and other varieties in the Flavor Supreme tree. It has attracted a few hover flies and house flies. (Trivia: Commercially-bred house flies are used to pollinate hybrid carrots). I also placed some vases of Burgundy blossoms and yellow-flowered weeds on the cross-post of the fence behind the tree. Hope to get a little more fruit set than last year. Last year, the rosemary started blooming before the fruit trees. This year, the rosemary is just starting to bloom now.
Arctic Star white nectarine is blooming, with the large, showy flowers typical of newer varieties of peaches and nectarines. This nectarine is the favorite early variety of stone fruit for Fruit Nut (nom de blog on Garden Web). He's a guy who moved from the Central Valley to the mountains of West Texas because of allergies. He built a big greenhouse to grow his favorite Valley fruits. He prefers very sweet, low acid, firm fruit as a general rule. Arctic Star was my most successful nectarine last year.
I also loved my old yellow variety "Independence", named for a gold mine like many nectarines and peaches developed at about the same time. Some other peaches and nectarines are showing a few blossoms, too. Yesterday, I saw a Panamint nectarine tree at Home Depot (named for the Panamint Mine). It may also be an early bloomer, as it has a low chill requirement. Don't know where to put another nectarine tree. Don't know what rootstock it's on. Same story for their Mariposa plum. I've tried planting Mariposa trees two times and they have failed. Probably the wrong rootstock for the sandy location.
The little Geo Pride Pluot is in full bloom. Looks like a good companion for Flavor Supreme. The fruit gets great reviews from Fruitnut and others on the fruit forum at GardenWeb. I saw a bee in its flowers. Flavor Grenade is just starting to bloom. Burgundy plum is also blooming well. Bees like its bigger blossoms. It is the preferred pollenizer for Flavor Queen Pluot. Dapple Dandy is also blooming. The little Catalina plum tree (on Citation rootstock, like the Flavor Grenade and Geo Pride) is in full bloom. I think we killed the second Dapple Dandy tree, on the north side of the house. I planted these two as pollenizers for the Flavor Supreme.
Bees don't seem to like Flavor Supreme's blossoms much. Naturally, since it is such a wonderful early fruit. I put a big jar of Santa Rosa branchlets (blooming earlier than usual this year) and other varieties in the Flavor Supreme tree. It has attracted a few hover flies and house flies. (Trivia: Commercially-bred house flies are used to pollinate hybrid carrots). I also placed some vases of Burgundy blossoms and yellow-flowered weeds on the cross-post of the fence behind the tree. Hope to get a little more fruit set than last year. Last year, the rosemary started blooming before the fruit trees. This year, the rosemary is just starting to bloom now.
Arctic Star white nectarine is blooming, with the large, showy flowers typical of newer varieties of peaches and nectarines. This nectarine is the favorite early variety of stone fruit for Fruit Nut (nom de blog on Garden Web). He's a guy who moved from the Central Valley to the mountains of West Texas because of allergies. He built a big greenhouse to grow his favorite Valley fruits. He prefers very sweet, low acid, firm fruit as a general rule. Arctic Star was my most successful nectarine last year.
I also loved my old yellow variety "Independence", named for a gold mine like many nectarines and peaches developed at about the same time. Some other peaches and nectarines are showing a few blossoms, too. Yesterday, I saw a Panamint nectarine tree at Home Depot (named for the Panamint Mine). It may also be an early bloomer, as it has a low chill requirement. Don't know where to put another nectarine tree. Don't know what rootstock it's on. Same story for their Mariposa plum. I've tried planting Mariposa trees two times and they have failed. Probably the wrong rootstock for the sandy location.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Rice Pilaf for a Crowd (corn-free)
Whether or not you are allergic to corn, this original Near East rice pilaf is a good choice for feeding a crowd. While it is one of the few prepared foods that doesn't contain corn products, it does contain wheat (pasta).
People love it - even KIDS. They served it for breakfast at our stake's girl's camp one year. But get the restaurant-size box from Smart & Final, Sam's Club or Costco. Makes 18 one-cup servings. The small boxes are much more expensive per serving.
Uses a cube (1/2 cup) of butter (more than a teaspoon per serving). That's one thing that makes it good. Add one large or two small grated carrots, some finely diced scallion tops and/or parsley partway through cooking if you want to add some color. Throw on top of rice mixture and stir in when fluffing rice after cooking. Some diced fresh or dried bell pepper will give a different flavor - nice with diced chicken or ham added.
To enhance the flavor further, brown the butter slightly in your heavy kettle before adding the water. To use oil instead of butter, consider caramelizing a big diced onion in the oil or in a mixture of oil and butter. Or sautee some mushrooms in part of the oil. Veggies should be added on top of the rice while cooking. Or lightly mix some diced, cooked meat into the prepared pilaf for a main dish, maybe with some cooked, frozen peas.
To make a substitute for HOLIDAY DRESSING, saute 2 or 3 big diced onions in oil or oil and butter until translucent, adding a generous amount of diced celery part way through cooking. Add minced celery leaves, parsley and a little minced fresh sage, dried sage or poultry seasoning. Season with fresh-ground black pepper. Use chicken or vegetable broth in place of part of the water (watch that you don't get your mixture too salty - the pilaf mix contains plenty of salt). Some of the new boxed "natural" brands of broth contain no corn products and come in reduced-sodium versions. Pile veggies on top of rice while cooking so they don't burn, like they might if they touched the bottom of the pan.
If you're serving more than 18 people, you can stretch the mix by adding 2 cups of "converted" (parboiled) rice. Add an extra 4 cups water and celery salt/salt to taste or add 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth. Add converted rice to the boiling water/broth when you add the contents of the box. Or, cook brown rice separately according to package directions (it takes longer than white rice) and mix in when you fluff the pilaf. Add some veggies or caramelized onion as above.
For a FRIED RICE facsimile for a crowd, add 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce OR 1/3 cup shredded, peeled minced fresh ginger to water for the pilaf. Omit butter and add 1/4 cup oil. Stir-fry vegetables such as diced onion, carrot, celery, squash mushrooms, julienne water chestnuts or jicama and frozen peas in 1/4 cup oil. Add diced cooked chicken or ham if desired. When rice is cooked, lightly mix in stir-fried veggies and meat plus two or three bunches of finely sliced raw scallions and, if desired, egg scrambled, seasoned and cooked in a thin layer, then shredded. To stretch recipe, add parboiled or brown rice as above, using part soy sauce or chicken broth in place of part of the added water.
People love it - even KIDS. They served it for breakfast at our stake's girl's camp one year. But get the restaurant-size box from Smart & Final, Sam's Club or Costco. Makes 18 one-cup servings. The small boxes are much more expensive per serving.
Uses a cube (1/2 cup) of butter (more than a teaspoon per serving). That's one thing that makes it good. Add one large or two small grated carrots, some finely diced scallion tops and/or parsley partway through cooking if you want to add some color. Throw on top of rice mixture and stir in when fluffing rice after cooking. Some diced fresh or dried bell pepper will give a different flavor - nice with diced chicken or ham added.
To enhance the flavor further, brown the butter slightly in your heavy kettle before adding the water. To use oil instead of butter, consider caramelizing a big diced onion in the oil or in a mixture of oil and butter. Or sautee some mushrooms in part of the oil. Veggies should be added on top of the rice while cooking. Or lightly mix some diced, cooked meat into the prepared pilaf for a main dish, maybe with some cooked, frozen peas.
To make a substitute for HOLIDAY DRESSING, saute 2 or 3 big diced onions in oil or oil and butter until translucent, adding a generous amount of diced celery part way through cooking. Add minced celery leaves, parsley and a little minced fresh sage, dried sage or poultry seasoning. Season with fresh-ground black pepper. Use chicken or vegetable broth in place of part of the water (watch that you don't get your mixture too salty - the pilaf mix contains plenty of salt). Some of the new boxed "natural" brands of broth contain no corn products and come in reduced-sodium versions. Pile veggies on top of rice while cooking so they don't burn, like they might if they touched the bottom of the pan.
If you're serving more than 18 people, you can stretch the mix by adding 2 cups of "converted" (parboiled) rice. Add an extra 4 cups water and celery salt/salt to taste or add 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth. Add converted rice to the boiling water/broth when you add the contents of the box. Or, cook brown rice separately according to package directions (it takes longer than white rice) and mix in when you fluff the pilaf. Add some veggies or caramelized onion as above.
For a FRIED RICE facsimile for a crowd, add 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce OR 1/3 cup shredded, peeled minced fresh ginger to water for the pilaf. Omit butter and add 1/4 cup oil. Stir-fry vegetables such as diced onion, carrot, celery, squash mushrooms, julienne water chestnuts or jicama and frozen peas in 1/4 cup oil. Add diced cooked chicken or ham if desired. When rice is cooked, lightly mix in stir-fried veggies and meat plus two or three bunches of finely sliced raw scallions and, if desired, egg scrambled, seasoned and cooked in a thin layer, then shredded. To stretch recipe, add parboiled or brown rice as above, using part soy sauce or chicken broth in place of part of the added water.
Orange-Pineapple Jello Salad
Similar to this salad.
Orange-Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
Reduced Sugar, High-Protein
1 package (2 cup size) lemon Jello sugar-free gelatin
1 package (2 cup size) orange Jello sugar-free gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 1 cup
Juice of 1 orange and/or cold water and ice to make 1/2 cup
2 pounds (2 pints) cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
1/2 cup or more peeled and finely chopped carrots (optional)
or for "chewy" instead of "crunchy", shredded carrots and maybe some shredded coconut
Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander (preferably over a 4-cup glass measure), reserving juice. Chill pineapple while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the dish(es) in which you will chill the salad. Sprinkle Jello powder (both flavors) evenly over 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 quart stainless steel bowl, allow to soften for at least 5 minutes. Tilt bowl to wet all the powder, if necessary.
Place pineapple juice in a 4-cup glass measure and add water to make 1 cup, if necessary. Bring juice and water to boil in a microwave, pour over softened gelatin and stir to dissolve completely. Place the bottom of the bowl in a larger bowl or pan of cold water to cool gelatin. Cool until warm (not hot), then add fresh orange juice and/or cold water.
Cool to about room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add some ice to the cold water in the bottom pan to speed this process if you like. Gelatin should be just a little thicker than egg white. Do not allow it to gel completely. If it gels too much, put it over warm water and whisk with a wire whisk, then wait a few minutes for the right consistency. This will produce a uniform, fluffy product.
Meanwhile, process 1 pound (2 cups) of cold cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth on the tongue. Whisk into the thickened gelatin until well-blended. Quickly fold in pineapple and the remaining 2 cups of cold cottage cheese (not processed). Add carrots if desired. Pour into an 8 x 8 or 9x13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual plastic containers. Cover and chill until firm. Keep refrigerated until served.
Basic recipe makes about 16 servings, 4 fluid ounces each. Basic salad may be made the day before serving. Best served the same day it is made if you add a lot of carrots to the salad (can become watery over time).
Nutrition information per 4 fl. oz. serving (approximate)
when made with low-fat cottage cheese, no carrots, orange juice, etc:
Calories 70
Calories from fat 7.5
Total fat 1 g
Saturated fat 0.75 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 190 mg
Total carbohydrate 7 g
Carbohydrate from sugar 6 g
Dietary fiber 0.25 g
Protein 7.5 g
Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.
Orange-Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
Reduced Sugar, High-Protein
1 package (2 cup size) lemon Jello sugar-free gelatin
1 package (2 cup size) orange Jello sugar-free gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 1 cup
Juice of 1 orange and/or cold water and ice to make 1/2 cup
2 pounds (2 pints) cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
1/2 cup or more peeled and finely chopped carrots (optional)
or for "chewy" instead of "crunchy", shredded carrots and maybe some shredded coconut
Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander (preferably over a 4-cup glass measure), reserving juice. Chill pineapple while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the dish(es) in which you will chill the salad. Sprinkle Jello powder (both flavors) evenly over 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 quart stainless steel bowl, allow to soften for at least 5 minutes. Tilt bowl to wet all the powder, if necessary.
Place pineapple juice in a 4-cup glass measure and add water to make 1 cup, if necessary. Bring juice and water to boil in a microwave, pour over softened gelatin and stir to dissolve completely. Place the bottom of the bowl in a larger bowl or pan of cold water to cool gelatin. Cool until warm (not hot), then add fresh orange juice and/or cold water.
Cool to about room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add some ice to the cold water in the bottom pan to speed this process if you like. Gelatin should be just a little thicker than egg white. Do not allow it to gel completely. If it gels too much, put it over warm water and whisk with a wire whisk, then wait a few minutes for the right consistency. This will produce a uniform, fluffy product.
Meanwhile, process 1 pound (2 cups) of cold cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth on the tongue. Whisk into the thickened gelatin until well-blended. Quickly fold in pineapple and the remaining 2 cups of cold cottage cheese (not processed). Add carrots if desired. Pour into an 8 x 8 or 9x13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual plastic containers. Cover and chill until firm. Keep refrigerated until served.
Basic recipe makes about 16 servings, 4 fluid ounces each. Basic salad may be made the day before serving. Best served the same day it is made if you add a lot of carrots to the salad (can become watery over time).
Nutrition information per 4 fl. oz. serving (approximate)
when made with low-fat cottage cheese, no carrots, orange juice, etc:
Calories 70
Calories from fat 7.5
Total fat 1 g
Saturated fat 0.75 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 190 mg
Total carbohydrate 7 g
Carbohydrate from sugar 6 g
Dietary fiber 0.25 g
Protein 7.5 g
Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.
High Protein Green Jello Salad
Processed cottage cheese replaces evaporated milk and mayonnaise in David's Mom's recipe, which he loves, but which is too rich to eat very often. The combination of lime and lemon jello in the original recipe is a little more balanced than all-lime Jello. But some people like the intensity of all-lime Jello in this recipe.
Adaptable - use as a sweet salad or a dessert. This salad makes a nice addition to a dessert table for buffets, as a choice for diabetic guests or those on low-fat diets. This recipe is easy to double, so you can make a large one (say, 9 x 13 inch) to take to a function and a smaller one (say, 8 x 8 inches) to leave home.
You can substitute apricot Jello for lime if you prefer. You might like to try a variation with orange Jello using pineapple and carrots, and maybe a little coconut. You could make either of these salads substituting regular Jello for one or both packages of sugar-free Jello.
Cottage Cheese and Pineapple Green Jello Salad
Reduced Sugar, High-Protein
1 package each (2 cup size) lemon and lime Jello sugar-free gelatin
OR 1 package (4 cup size) lime Jello sugar-free gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice (in syrup for a sweeter salad)
Juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 1 cup
1/2 cup cold water (may include 2 or 3 ice cubes and/or 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
2 pounds (2 pints or 1 quart) cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander (preferably over a 4 cup measure or microwaveable bowl), reserving juice. Chill pineapple while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the dish(es) in which you will chill the salad (8 x 8, 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual-serving plastic containers).
Sprinkle Jello powder slowly and evenly over 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 quart stainless steel bowl, Tilt bowl to wet any dry powder near the edges of the water. Allow to soften for at least 5 minutes. (I like to soften sugar-free Jello in cold water before dissolving because the sweetener in it, Aspartame, is degraded by heat. Many recipes using unflavored gelatin also call for the gelatin to be softened in cold water before dissolving in hot liquid.)
While the gelatin softens, place pineapple juice in a 4-cup glass measure and add water to make 1 cup, if necessary. Bring juice and water to boil in a microwave, pour over softened gelatin and stir to dissolve completely. Place the bottom of the stainless steel bowl in a larger bowl or pan of cold water to cool gelatin. Add 1/2 cup cold water (or water and ice to speed cooling). You may also substitute 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for part of the cold water if you like.
Meanwhile, process 1 pound (2 cups)* of cold cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth on the tongue. Have the cold processed cottage cheese ready to add quickly to the gelatin as soon as it thickens to the correct consistency.
Cool gelatin to about room temperature over cold water, stirring occasionally. Add some ice to the cold water in the bottom pan to thicken gelatin, stirring the gelatin slowly but constantly with a wire whisk after adding ice. It should not take long to thicken. Gelatin should be just a little thicker than egg white. Do not allow it to gel completely. (If it gels too much, put it over warm water and whisk with a wire whisk, then place over cold water again and stir for a few minutes to get the right consistency.) Gelatin a little thicker than egg white will produce a uniform, fluffy product.
Immediately whisk the cold processed cottage cheese into the thickened gelatin until well-blended. Quickly fold in pineapple and the remaining two cups of cold cottage cheese (not processed). Add any additional ingredients. Pour into an 8 x 8 inch, 7 x 11 inch, 9 x 9 inch or 9x13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual plastic containers. A standard 8 x 8 dish will be filled to the top (if you want to top salad with sour cream or whipped cream in the dish, remove some salad to individual serving containers before salad sets). A 9 x 13 inch dish produces a rather flat salad.
Cover and chill until firm. "Frost" with sour cream if desired. Cover and keep refrigerated until served.
*OPTIONS: You can make this salad less sweet and firm by increasing the proportion of cottage cheese processed to 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 cups. For dessert, you can serve it with whipped cream and a cherry. Or, if you like a little crunch in your salad, add chopped apples, celery and/or walnuts or pecans with the pineapple and cottage cheese.
I really like this salad on a thick bed of chopped celery, but I haven't figured out how to make this into an elegant presentation. It's also good over equal amounts of chopped celery and apple dressed at serving time with just a small amount of mayonnaise - sort of a minimalist Waldorf Salad.
Yield: Basic recipe makes about 16 servings, 4 fluid ounces each (fewer if servings are larger). Basic salad can be made the day before serving. Best served the same day if you add significant amounts of apples and celery to the salad (can become watery over time). Preparation in individual containers may be the best option if you will not finish the salad in one day.
Nutrition information per 4 fl. oz. serving (approximate)
Basic recipe made with low-fat cottage cheese:
Calories 70
Calories from fat 7.5
Total fat 1 g
Saturated fat 0.75 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 190 mg
Total carbohydrate 7 g
Carbohydrate from sugar 6 g
Dietary fiber 0.25 g
Protein 7.5 g
Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.
Adaptable - use as a sweet salad or a dessert. This salad makes a nice addition to a dessert table for buffets, as a choice for diabetic guests or those on low-fat diets. This recipe is easy to double, so you can make a large one (say, 9 x 13 inch) to take to a function and a smaller one (say, 8 x 8 inches) to leave home.
You can substitute apricot Jello for lime if you prefer. You might like to try a variation with orange Jello using pineapple and carrots, and maybe a little coconut. You could make either of these salads substituting regular Jello for one or both packages of sugar-free Jello.
Cottage Cheese and Pineapple Green Jello Salad
Reduced Sugar, High-Protein
1 package each (2 cup size) lemon and lime Jello sugar-free gelatin
OR 1 package (4 cup size) lime Jello sugar-free gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice (in syrup for a sweeter salad)
Juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 1 cup
1/2 cup cold water (may include 2 or 3 ice cubes and/or 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
2 pounds (2 pints or 1 quart) cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander (preferably over a 4 cup measure or microwaveable bowl), reserving juice. Chill pineapple while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the dish(es) in which you will chill the salad (8 x 8, 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual-serving plastic containers).
Sprinkle Jello powder slowly and evenly over 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 quart stainless steel bowl, Tilt bowl to wet any dry powder near the edges of the water. Allow to soften for at least 5 minutes. (I like to soften sugar-free Jello in cold water before dissolving because the sweetener in it, Aspartame, is degraded by heat. Many recipes using unflavored gelatin also call for the gelatin to be softened in cold water before dissolving in hot liquid.)
While the gelatin softens, place pineapple juice in a 4-cup glass measure and add water to make 1 cup, if necessary. Bring juice and water to boil in a microwave, pour over softened gelatin and stir to dissolve completely. Place the bottom of the stainless steel bowl in a larger bowl or pan of cold water to cool gelatin. Add 1/2 cup cold water (or water and ice to speed cooling). You may also substitute 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for part of the cold water if you like.
Meanwhile, process 1 pound (2 cups)* of cold cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth on the tongue. Have the cold processed cottage cheese ready to add quickly to the gelatin as soon as it thickens to the correct consistency.
Cool gelatin to about room temperature over cold water, stirring occasionally. Add some ice to the cold water in the bottom pan to thicken gelatin, stirring the gelatin slowly but constantly with a wire whisk after adding ice. It should not take long to thicken. Gelatin should be just a little thicker than egg white. Do not allow it to gel completely. (If it gels too much, put it over warm water and whisk with a wire whisk, then place over cold water again and stir for a few minutes to get the right consistency.) Gelatin a little thicker than egg white will produce a uniform, fluffy product.
Immediately whisk the cold processed cottage cheese into the thickened gelatin until well-blended. Quickly fold in pineapple and the remaining two cups of cold cottage cheese (not processed). Add any additional ingredients. Pour into an 8 x 8 inch, 7 x 11 inch, 9 x 9 inch or 9x13 inch glass baking dish, custard cups, dessert dishes or individual plastic containers. A standard 8 x 8 dish will be filled to the top (if you want to top salad with sour cream or whipped cream in the dish, remove some salad to individual serving containers before salad sets). A 9 x 13 inch dish produces a rather flat salad.
Cover and chill until firm. "Frost" with sour cream if desired. Cover and keep refrigerated until served.
*OPTIONS: You can make this salad less sweet and firm by increasing the proportion of cottage cheese processed to 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 cups. For dessert, you can serve it with whipped cream and a cherry. Or, if you like a little crunch in your salad, add chopped apples, celery and/or walnuts or pecans with the pineapple and cottage cheese.
I really like this salad on a thick bed of chopped celery, but I haven't figured out how to make this into an elegant presentation. It's also good over equal amounts of chopped celery and apple dressed at serving time with just a small amount of mayonnaise - sort of a minimalist Waldorf Salad.
Yield: Basic recipe makes about 16 servings, 4 fluid ounces each (fewer if servings are larger). Basic salad can be made the day before serving. Best served the same day if you add significant amounts of apples and celery to the salad (can become watery over time). Preparation in individual containers may be the best option if you will not finish the salad in one day.
Nutrition information per 4 fl. oz. serving (approximate)
Basic recipe made with low-fat cottage cheese:
Calories 70
Calories from fat 7.5
Total fat 1 g
Saturated fat 0.75 g
Cholesterol 2.5 mg
Sodium 190 mg
Total carbohydrate 7 g
Carbohydrate from sugar 6 g
Dietary fiber 0.25 g
Protein 7.5 g
Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Check cottage cheese carton for corn products.
Barbara's Fancy Green Jello Salad
My mother-in-law is a wonderful cook who can organize a great meal even for a very large crowd. But she especially likes this recipe for book clubs, Relief Society meetings and other less-massive groups. She likes to add a special touch by piping some cream cheese topping onto each serving. The topping is similar to, but less sweet than the filling for these.
David loves his Mom's fancy salad. I have modified it (recipes here) so he can eat something similar on a more regular basis.
Barbara's Fancy Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Green Jello Salad
1 package each (2 cup size) lemon and lime Jello gelatin
Regular or sugar-free
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
Juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 2 cups
or try the instructions below for sugar-free Jello*
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander, reserving juice. Chill the pineapple and evaporated milk while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the 9 x 13 inch baking dish in which you will chill the salad.
Add water to the pineapple juice to make 2 cups. Bring the juice and water to a boil, pour into a stainless steel bowl large enough to contain all ingredients of the salad, and sprinkle the lemon and lime Jello powders into the water. Stir to dissolve the gelatin completely. Place the bottom of the bowl in a larger bowl or pan of ice water to cool gelatin. Or place the bowl in the freezer or refrigerator to cool. Stir occasionally while gelatin cools, as thickening will start around the edges. When the gelatin is thickened but not set, beat in the evaporated milk, cottage cheese and mayonnaise. Fold in the nuts.
Pour into a chilled 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Cover and chill until salad is set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To serve, cut into squares and garnish as desired.
For parties, garnish this salad with a mixture of cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese beaten with a little lemon juice, slightly sweetened with powdered sugar. This mixture should have the consistency of a thick frosting. Pipe a little of this mixture onto each serving of salad. Use a little less sugar than the piped cream cheese filling for strawberry flowers.
* Because Aspartame, a sweetener in sugar-free Jello, is degraded by heat, I like to sprinkle the sugar-free Jello powder evenly over 1/2 cup cold water before adding boiling water. Tilt bowl to wet any dry powder near the edges of the water and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before adding 1 cup boiling water and/or (canned or bottled) fruit juice. The gelatin dissolves very quickly even if you use only one cup of boiling juice and water. You can then add 1/2 cup of cold water including a little ice to speed up cooling of the gelatin. You could also add a touch of fresh citrus juice to the cold water for zippy flavor.
Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Mayonnaise contains eggs. The cream cheese garnish contains cornstarch from the powdered sugar.
David loves his Mom's fancy salad. I have modified it (recipes here) so he can eat something similar on a more regular basis.
Barbara's Fancy Pineapple and Cottage Cheese Green Jello Salad
1 package each (2 cup size) lemon and lime Jello gelatin
Regular or sugar-free
20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
Juice drained from pineapple plus water to make 2 cups
or try the instructions below for sugar-free Jello*
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions: Drain pineapple well in a sieve or colander, reserving juice. Chill the pineapple and evaporated milk while preparing the Jello mixture. Also chill the 9 x 13 inch baking dish in which you will chill the salad.
Add water to the pineapple juice to make 2 cups. Bring the juice and water to a boil, pour into a stainless steel bowl large enough to contain all ingredients of the salad, and sprinkle the lemon and lime Jello powders into the water. Stir to dissolve the gelatin completely. Place the bottom of the bowl in a larger bowl or pan of ice water to cool gelatin. Or place the bowl in the freezer or refrigerator to cool. Stir occasionally while gelatin cools, as thickening will start around the edges. When the gelatin is thickened but not set, beat in the evaporated milk, cottage cheese and mayonnaise. Fold in the nuts.
Pour into a chilled 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Cover and chill until salad is set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To serve, cut into squares and garnish as desired.
For parties, garnish this salad with a mixture of cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese beaten with a little lemon juice, slightly sweetened with powdered sugar. This mixture should have the consistency of a thick frosting. Pipe a little of this mixture onto each serving of salad. Use a little less sugar than the piped cream cheese filling for strawberry flowers.
* Because Aspartame, a sweetener in sugar-free Jello, is degraded by heat, I like to sprinkle the sugar-free Jello powder evenly over 1/2 cup cold water before adding boiling water. Tilt bowl to wet any dry powder near the edges of the water and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before adding 1 cup boiling water and/or (canned or bottled) fruit juice. The gelatin dissolves very quickly even if you use only one cup of boiling juice and water. You can then add 1/2 cup of cold water including a little ice to speed up cooling of the gelatin. You could also add a touch of fresh citrus juice to the cold water for zippy flavor.
Allergy information: Contains fermented milk products, pineapple and citrus. Mayonnaise contains eggs. The cream cheese garnish contains cornstarch from the powdered sugar.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Popcorn Popping on the Aprium Tree
The Royal Rosa Apricot and Flavor Delight Aprium are blooming in pale pink - not really a typical popcorn color. Today was sunny, after a long string of variable weather. There's snow in the foothills, we've had some pretty good rain and there was a multi-car pile-up last Friday near Lemoore because of slush and hail on the roads. It snowed in Stockton. Unusual for February in California.
The bees were especially happy around the little Royal Rosa tree today. It is packed with showy bloom. I took a few blossoms over to the Flavor Delight tree in a vase, although I'm pretty confident at this point that the latter doesn't need cross-pollination. Royal Rosa isn't the best-tasting apricot in the world, but I'm keeping the tree as a pollenizer in case I ever get a Flavorella plumcot (fickle bearer, not available commercially, but one of Zaiger's favorites - from France) or one of the newer Apriums. Goldkist apricot is the best-known pollenizer in the U.S. for precious Flavorella, and FloraGold also blooms in the same season. My FloraGold tree died.
The USDA and others are also reportedly working on a new generation of very sweet apricots, crossing our standard varieties with Asian cultivars. Some of the very sweet white apricots, in particular, are not self-fruitful, so maybe Royal Rosa could help out with one of them. It would be nice if we could move beyond some of the mediocre commercial apricot varieties, like Patterson, which we usually see here. Blenheim is the classic, but works best in the coastal valleys of Northern California - it's susceptible to sunburn and pitburn in our hot summer weather and brown rot anywhere there's humidity. The Fresno Bee once had an article which lauded an heirloom Valley apricot with a name which included "sugar". I've never run across it. Probably not tough enough to ship.
Bloom is just starting on our Flavor Supreme, Dapple Dandy, Flavor Queen and Geo Pride Pluots, plus the Burgundy plum. Wish bees liked plum blossoms as well as apricot blossoms. Last year, I think Flavor Supreme started before the other varieties. Variable weather during the winter season makes some difference in relative bloom times of various cultivars. The differences in bloom appearance between cultivars is interesting. "Japanese" plums are really complex crosses of several species of plums. You would think that the Pluots would tend toward bigger blooms from some apricot parentage, but that doesn't usually seem to be the case. Burgundy plum has big blooms (for a plum) in small, lax clusters. Flavor Supreme is packed (at full bloom) with smaller blossoms on shorter stems. But Burgundy generally sets more fruit than Flavor Supreme. Of course, it's self-pollenizing, while none of the Pluots are.
On my Pluot wish list: Emerald Drop and Splash. Wonder what a Nectaplum is like? More on my wish list for plums, etc., later. Fabulous stone fruit varieties are one of the consolations for living in this valley when the summer heat gets wicked. But the best gardens are always in our dreams, I think.
The bees were especially happy around the little Royal Rosa tree today. It is packed with showy bloom. I took a few blossoms over to the Flavor Delight tree in a vase, although I'm pretty confident at this point that the latter doesn't need cross-pollination. Royal Rosa isn't the best-tasting apricot in the world, but I'm keeping the tree as a pollenizer in case I ever get a Flavorella plumcot (fickle bearer, not available commercially, but one of Zaiger's favorites - from France) or one of the newer Apriums. Goldkist apricot is the best-known pollenizer in the U.S. for precious Flavorella, and FloraGold also blooms in the same season. My FloraGold tree died.
The USDA and others are also reportedly working on a new generation of very sweet apricots, crossing our standard varieties with Asian cultivars. Some of the very sweet white apricots, in particular, are not self-fruitful, so maybe Royal Rosa could help out with one of them. It would be nice if we could move beyond some of the mediocre commercial apricot varieties, like Patterson, which we usually see here. Blenheim is the classic, but works best in the coastal valleys of Northern California - it's susceptible to sunburn and pitburn in our hot summer weather and brown rot anywhere there's humidity. The Fresno Bee once had an article which lauded an heirloom Valley apricot with a name which included "sugar". I've never run across it. Probably not tough enough to ship.
Bloom is just starting on our Flavor Supreme, Dapple Dandy, Flavor Queen and Geo Pride Pluots, plus the Burgundy plum. Wish bees liked plum blossoms as well as apricot blossoms. Last year, I think Flavor Supreme started before the other varieties. Variable weather during the winter season makes some difference in relative bloom times of various cultivars. The differences in bloom appearance between cultivars is interesting. "Japanese" plums are really complex crosses of several species of plums. You would think that the Pluots would tend toward bigger blooms from some apricot parentage, but that doesn't usually seem to be the case. Burgundy plum has big blooms (for a plum) in small, lax clusters. Flavor Supreme is packed (at full bloom) with smaller blossoms on shorter stems. But Burgundy generally sets more fruit than Flavor Supreme. Of course, it's self-pollenizing, while none of the Pluots are.
On my Pluot wish list: Emerald Drop and Splash. Wonder what a Nectaplum is like? More on my wish list for plums, etc., later. Fabulous stone fruit varieties are one of the consolations for living in this valley when the summer heat gets wicked. But the best gardens are always in our dreams, I think.
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