Thursday, July 30, 2009
Food Allergies: Geographic Curiosities
Curious information about food allergies and their geographic distribution. Detailed article. Add your own data if you like.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tomato Flowers with Cottage Cheese Salad
When Miss Hauser taught us how to make these in high school cooking class, we peeled the tomatoes after rotating them over the flame on our gas stoves on a fork stuck in the stem end. You can also blanch tomatoes to remove the peels. I prefer to use a variety of tomato which is easy to peel while it is raw. This works best with fully-ripe tomatoes.
A fancy-looking dish from ordinary ingredients. I don't have Miss Hauser's exact recipe, but I do remember being surprised that MSG and a little extra salt were added to the cottage cheese. The MSG really does make a difference in flavor, but I don't use it anymore.
Cooking Science: In China and Japan, where the use of monosodium glutamate is commn, there is a theory that our tongues have receptors for a "meaty" flavor in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of an amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein), glutamic acid. I believe it is sometimes extracted commercially from sugar beets. It is also present in hydrolyzed protein products. If you react to it with a headache, flushing or other symptoms, don't use it. The higher the dose, the more likely a reaction is. A 5 mg dose reportedly causes a reaction in many people.
I have a cookbook from the 1950s, and era when exploration of the uses of processed foods was in full swing, in which almost every recipe with a savory flavor contained MSG. It is most familiar in the US under the brand name ACCENT. It is used in a variety of foods, especially soups and salad dressings (like Ranch). Some evidence suggests it increases weight gain (perhaps by making food tastier).
Ingredients
1 pint cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
1/8 teaspoon salt - optional
1/16 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (ACCENT) - optional
2 Tablespoons diced or chunked green bell pepper
1 - 2 Tablespoons minced scallions (white part, maybe with some of the tender inner green tops) and/or up to 2 Tablespoons chives
3 or 4 medium to large tomatoes
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Lettuce, if desired
Directions
Mix all ingredients except tomatoes and allow flavors to blend for a few minutes to overnight, refrigerated.
When ready to serve, peel tomatoes and remove a slice from the stem end so that they will sit flat on a plate. Remove the shallow white cores from the cut end and place cut side down on a cutting board. Carefully cut across tomatoes to make eight segments, stopping an inch or less from the bottom. Gently spread into "flowers", sprinkle with a little salt and fresh-ground pepper and allow to drain for a minute or two. Carefully transfer on a spatula to individual serving plates, over lettuce leaves or on a bed of shredded lettuce if desired.
Pile cottage cheese mixture into the center of the tomato flowers. Serve.
Variations:
1. I cut the peppers in chunks because I have trouble digesting them. They will flavor the salad, but I can push them aside when eating the salad. If your tummy REALLY can't take raw green peppers, substitute ripe red, orange or yellow bell peppers or canned diced mild chiles or pimento. Or add minced Italian parsley in place of peppers.
2. Use a different hearty salad mixture in tomato flowers - chicken, tuna, potato, etc. Let me know if you have other ideas.
A fancy-looking dish from ordinary ingredients. I don't have Miss Hauser's exact recipe, but I do remember being surprised that MSG and a little extra salt were added to the cottage cheese. The MSG really does make a difference in flavor, but I don't use it anymore.
Cooking Science: In China and Japan, where the use of monosodium glutamate is commn, there is a theory that our tongues have receptors for a "meaty" flavor in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of an amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein), glutamic acid. I believe it is sometimes extracted commercially from sugar beets. It is also present in hydrolyzed protein products. If you react to it with a headache, flushing or other symptoms, don't use it. The higher the dose, the more likely a reaction is. A 5 mg dose reportedly causes a reaction in many people.
I have a cookbook from the 1950s, and era when exploration of the uses of processed foods was in full swing, in which almost every recipe with a savory flavor contained MSG. It is most familiar in the US under the brand name ACCENT. It is used in a variety of foods, especially soups and salad dressings (like Ranch). Some evidence suggests it increases weight gain (perhaps by making food tastier).
Ingredients
1 pint cottage cheese, regular or low-fat
1/8 teaspoon salt - optional
1/16 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (ACCENT) - optional
2 Tablespoons diced or chunked green bell pepper
1 - 2 Tablespoons minced scallions (white part, maybe with some of the tender inner green tops) and/or up to 2 Tablespoons chives
3 or 4 medium to large tomatoes
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Lettuce, if desired
Directions
Mix all ingredients except tomatoes and allow flavors to blend for a few minutes to overnight, refrigerated.
When ready to serve, peel tomatoes and remove a slice from the stem end so that they will sit flat on a plate. Remove the shallow white cores from the cut end and place cut side down on a cutting board. Carefully cut across tomatoes to make eight segments, stopping an inch or less from the bottom. Gently spread into "flowers", sprinkle with a little salt and fresh-ground pepper and allow to drain for a minute or two. Carefully transfer on a spatula to individual serving plates, over lettuce leaves or on a bed of shredded lettuce if desired.
Pile cottage cheese mixture into the center of the tomato flowers. Serve.
Variations:
1. I cut the peppers in chunks because I have trouble digesting them. They will flavor the salad, but I can push them aside when eating the salad. If your tummy REALLY can't take raw green peppers, substitute ripe red, orange or yellow bell peppers or canned diced mild chiles or pimento. Or add minced Italian parsley in place of peppers.
2. Use a different hearty salad mixture in tomato flowers - chicken, tuna, potato, etc. Let me know if you have other ideas.
Tomato Varieties for Peeling
Following are my assessments of the varieties of tomatoes I have in the garden by how easy they are to peel when fully ripe but not treated with heat. For difficult-to-peel tomatoes, you can blanch briefly in boiling water then plunge into cold water. This is the most common method used for home canned tomatoes. You can also stick a fork in the stem end of a tomato and rotate it through the flame on a gas stove so that you can peel it more easily.
I will be adding varieties to the following list as I try them individually. Assumes plants were labeled correctly.
Easy to Peel
Bush Early Girl Hybrid: Mostly medium-sized tomatoes, light red, medium-firm walls, juicy seed cavities.
Big Beef Hybrid: Medium to large tomatoes. Mostly large if thinned. May crack at stem if over-watered near ripeness. Deep red skin, meaty but tender walls, medium juicy seed cavities.
Mighty Tom Mostly large tomatoes. May crack deeply at stem if over-watered. Meaty but tender walls, juicy seed cavities. Maintains sweetness in hot weater.
Brandywine (strain unknown): Pink skin, squat, lumpy, prone to catfacing. Very easy to peel. Thick, tender walls. Not too juicy. Great flavor. Not very acid. On the sweet side.
Tomande hybrid Small to medium, squat tomatoes in the style of the green-shouldered Italian type. The one's I've picked have been fully ripe. Flavor not outstanding at that point. Will try with green shoulders.
Better Bush small to medium sized, round, slight cracking possible. Pretty good flavor in heat.
Harder to Peel
Better Boy Medium to medium-large tomatoes. Quite hard to peel unless dead-ripe, and still not the easiest then. Medium firm walls, juicy seed cavities. One of the best-flavored tomatoes in hot weather, on the sweet side. Occasional blossom end rot, but most fruits look very nice.
Champion Indeterminate sibling to Celebrity. Small to medium, salad sized tomatoes. Walls quite firm, seed cavities very juicy. Nice flavor in hot weather. Moderately hard to peel.
Cherokee Purple Dusky purplish-brownish-red tomatoes. Gel in seed cavities is a dark color. Flavor not good when soft-ripe. Best when firm with significant green on shoulders. Then flavor is very interesting. Sometimes called "smoky". Seems to fit. Flesh comes away with peel when you try to peel them. Prone to significant catfacing, some cracking. Early for an heirloom, vigorous, but I grafted a second rootstock onto it (Big Beef). Flavor of soft-ripe fruits is better after they have sat on the counter for a day. Also easier to peel. Good for cooking with squash.
I will be adding varieties to the following list as I try them individually. Assumes plants were labeled correctly.
Easy to Peel
Bush Early Girl Hybrid: Mostly medium-sized tomatoes, light red, medium-firm walls, juicy seed cavities.
Big Beef Hybrid: Medium to large tomatoes. Mostly large if thinned. May crack at stem if over-watered near ripeness. Deep red skin, meaty but tender walls, medium juicy seed cavities.
Mighty Tom Mostly large tomatoes. May crack deeply at stem if over-watered. Meaty but tender walls, juicy seed cavities. Maintains sweetness in hot weater.
Brandywine (strain unknown): Pink skin, squat, lumpy, prone to catfacing. Very easy to peel. Thick, tender walls. Not too juicy. Great flavor. Not very acid. On the sweet side.
Tomande hybrid Small to medium, squat tomatoes in the style of the green-shouldered Italian type. The one's I've picked have been fully ripe. Flavor not outstanding at that point. Will try with green shoulders.
Better Bush small to medium sized, round, slight cracking possible. Pretty good flavor in heat.
Harder to Peel
Better Boy Medium to medium-large tomatoes. Quite hard to peel unless dead-ripe, and still not the easiest then. Medium firm walls, juicy seed cavities. One of the best-flavored tomatoes in hot weather, on the sweet side. Occasional blossom end rot, but most fruits look very nice.
Champion Indeterminate sibling to Celebrity. Small to medium, salad sized tomatoes. Walls quite firm, seed cavities very juicy. Nice flavor in hot weather. Moderately hard to peel.
Cherokee Purple Dusky purplish-brownish-red tomatoes. Gel in seed cavities is a dark color. Flavor not good when soft-ripe. Best when firm with significant green on shoulders. Then flavor is very interesting. Sometimes called "smoky". Seems to fit. Flesh comes away with peel when you try to peel them. Prone to significant catfacing, some cracking. Early for an heirloom, vigorous, but I grafted a second rootstock onto it (Big Beef). Flavor of soft-ripe fruits is better after they have sat on the counter for a day. Also easier to peel. Good for cooking with squash.
Fruit Cobbler or Clafouti (egg-free)
When Miss Hauser taught us to make this cobbler in high school cooking class, she told us to remember the recipe in case there was a war and eggs were rationed. It has become a favorite in our family. True heaven is a square of this cobbler made with boysenberries, still warm from the oven, with homemade Vanilla Custard ice cream (or egg-free vanilla ice cream if you're allergic to eggs). It is also great with whipped cream, custard sauce, a fresh fruit sauce or plain. At a relaxed breakfast or brunch, it can stand in for high-labor waffles topped with fruit. It's best served soon after baking.
Today, I found out that our homey cobbler is actually a form of the more exotic-sounding French Clafouti or Clafoutis. Clafouti or Clafoutis is "A baked dessert composed of a layer of fresh fruit topped with a thick batter." The fruit layer has a custard-like quality where it intersects the cake. The fruit becomes thickened during baking and no thickener is added to the fruit beforehand. It resembles those lemon or chocolate pudding cakes where the filling and cake switch positions during baking. The Joy of Cooking has a recipe for Clafouti made with dark cherries, cognac and a thin batter rich in eggs with no other leavening. Probably comes out somewhat crepe-like in texture.
Our homey American version is not a deep-dish cobbler. It is excellent for boysenberries, blackberries, blueberries and other precious fruits because it "stretches" the fruit between several servings. Peaches, apricots or pie cherries are also wonderful choices. Add some raspberries or blueberries to the peaches or pineapple to the apricots or cherries if you like.
For cobblers topped with biscuits, butter cookie dough or pie dough, The Best Recipe, 1999 edition, has an elaborate work-up of recipes for thickened fillings and toppings. There are also directions for "Dowdy", Brown Betty and crisps. Can't vouch for the newer editions. I may post an example with the butter cookie dough if I get a chance to try it soon. Sounds great. But the recipe below is one you can really "cobble together" quickly. Even if it might not be what some people normally think of as a cobbler.
Cooking lesson - Sifting Flour: This recipe calls for sifted flour. Miss Hauser was a stickler for sifting flour before measuring, then spooning lightly into the measuring cup and leveling with a knife. We then sifted the flour together with the leavening, salt and any spices once or twice more. This type of sifting is still used by championship bakers who want perfect results. But for most modern recipes which do not call for sifted flour, stir the flour, spoon lightly into a cup and level with the flat back of a knife.
As an experiment, I used the "stir and spoon" method to measure a cup of flour, then sifted it through a fairly fine sieve (I don't even have a flour sifter) and measured it again after spooning into the cup and leveling. I had about 2 Tablespoons extra flour. So if you're too pressed for time to sift the flour in this recipe, reduce the amount of flour to 1 3/4 cups. I still sift leavening with part of the flour through a fine seive when I bake (unless I can mix the leavening with abrasive sugar) then whisk well into the remaining flour. I hate lumps of baking soda in baked goods. Sifting the leavening with the flour produces a finer-grained crumb.
Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. If using bare aluminum, grease bottom and sides well, flour the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fruit Mixture:
Cake Batter
Serve warm or at room temperature from the pan or cool, cover and refrigerated for later serving - individual servings may be warmed in the microwave.
Today, I found out that our homey cobbler is actually a form of the more exotic-sounding French Clafouti or Clafoutis. Clafouti or Clafoutis is "A baked dessert composed of a layer of fresh fruit topped with a thick batter." The fruit layer has a custard-like quality where it intersects the cake. The fruit becomes thickened during baking and no thickener is added to the fruit beforehand. It resembles those lemon or chocolate pudding cakes where the filling and cake switch positions during baking. The Joy of Cooking has a recipe for Clafouti made with dark cherries, cognac and a thin batter rich in eggs with no other leavening. Probably comes out somewhat crepe-like in texture.
Our homey American version is not a deep-dish cobbler. It is excellent for boysenberries, blackberries, blueberries and other precious fruits because it "stretches" the fruit between several servings. Peaches, apricots or pie cherries are also wonderful choices. Add some raspberries or blueberries to the peaches or pineapple to the apricots or cherries if you like.
For cobblers topped with biscuits, butter cookie dough or pie dough, The Best Recipe, 1999 edition, has an elaborate work-up of recipes for thickened fillings and toppings. There are also directions for "Dowdy", Brown Betty and crisps. Can't vouch for the newer editions. I may post an example with the butter cookie dough if I get a chance to try it soon. Sounds great. But the recipe below is one you can really "cobble together" quickly. Even if it might not be what some people normally think of as a cobbler.
Cooking lesson - Sifting Flour: This recipe calls for sifted flour. Miss Hauser was a stickler for sifting flour before measuring, then spooning lightly into the measuring cup and leveling with a knife. We then sifted the flour together with the leavening, salt and any spices once or twice more. This type of sifting is still used by championship bakers who want perfect results. But for most modern recipes which do not call for sifted flour, stir the flour, spoon lightly into a cup and level with the flat back of a knife.
As an experiment, I used the "stir and spoon" method to measure a cup of flour, then sifted it through a fairly fine sieve (I don't even have a flour sifter) and measured it again after spooning into the cup and leveling. I had about 2 Tablespoons extra flour. So if you're too pressed for time to sift the flour in this recipe, reduce the amount of flour to 1 3/4 cups. I still sift leavening with part of the flour through a fine seive when I bake (unless I can mix the leavening with abrasive sugar) then whisk well into the remaining flour. I hate lumps of baking soda in baked goods. Sifting the leavening with the flour produces a finer-grained crumb.
Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. If using bare aluminum, grease bottom and sides well, flour the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fruit Mixture:
2 to 3 cups fresh or frozen fruit, peeled and sliced if necessary.Bring fruit, water, sugar and butter to a boil, stirring occasionally, to soften fruit slightly and dissolve sugar. Set aside.
1 cup water or juice, more or less depending on juiciness of the fruit
Up to 1 cup sugar (depending on tartness of the fruit)
1 Tablespoon butter
Cake Batter
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) softened (not melted)Cream butter and sugar together well. Beat in flavoring, if desired. Mix and sift dry ingredients together well. Stir about 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture, then 1/3 of the milk. Continue by thirds, stirring lightly after each addition, until smooth. Do not over-stir. Spread batter evenly in baking pan with a rubber spatula. Spoon hot fruit mixture gently over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the lightly browned cake springs back when touched lightly near the center.
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest or other flavoring (optional)
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
1 cup milk
Serve warm or at room temperature from the pan or cool, cover and refrigerated for later serving - individual servings may be warmed in the microwave.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sarah's Favorite Twisty Pasta
We had Sarah, age 3, over to visit not long ago during a stressful time for her, and she wanted this pasta at every meal. Definitely kid comfort food. No onion, pepper or other strong flavors added. Slightly more palatable to adults than the canned kid stuff. A nice way to incorporate some vegetables for veggie-resistant kids. Divide and freeze some of the sauce if you like.
Ingredients
about 1 pound ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef
about 2 medium or 3 small grey zucchini (Mexican or Lebanese type), finely shredded. Sarah will pick it out if she can see it. You could use dark green zucchini for less-picky kids. You could also try adding shredded carrot, skipping the sugar in the recipe.
1 jar spaghetti sauce (about 26 ounces)
1 tsp. sugar or to taste (optional)
salt to taste
Cooked rotini or other twisty pasta
Shredded or diced medium cheddar cheese (or cheddar and mozarella, etc.)
Directions
Thaw meat if frozen. Frozen 1-pound chubs of ground turkey are convenient for this recipe, and the fats are more healthful than those in ground beef.
Cooking Lesson Adapted from a recipe for Sloppy Joes by the obsessive people who produce books like this:
Boil twisty pasta until done. Drain and mix with hot sauce and a little cheese and serve.
Leftovers keep refrigerated for a couple of days, though some of the moisture may be absorbed into the pasta. Microwave individual servings topped with a little extra sauce and/or cheese if you like.
Sloppy Joes: Use the same principle of partially cooking meat before adding zucchini. You could probably work up a nice recipe using undiluted condensed chicken gumbo soup, tomato sauce or paste and ketchup. Aunt Elizabeth prepared Sloppy Joes once for a family party using condensed chicken gumbo soup when I was a teenager, and they were wonderful. I can't eat it now. Corn products. Let me know how it works.
Allergy Information: You can find commercial spaghetti sauce with no corn sweeteners if you look hard. Many Classico varieties contain no corn sweetener.
Ingredients
about 1 pound ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef
about 2 medium or 3 small grey zucchini (Mexican or Lebanese type), finely shredded. Sarah will pick it out if she can see it. You could use dark green zucchini for less-picky kids. You could also try adding shredded carrot, skipping the sugar in the recipe.
1 jar spaghetti sauce (about 26 ounces)
1 tsp. sugar or to taste (optional)
salt to taste
Cooked rotini or other twisty pasta
Shredded or diced medium cheddar cheese (or cheddar and mozarella, etc.)
Directions
Thaw meat if frozen. Frozen 1-pound chubs of ground turkey are convenient for this recipe, and the fats are more healthful than those in ground beef.
Cooking Lesson Adapted from a recipe for Sloppy Joes by the obsessive people who produce books like this:
For some recipes, we want ground beef to "give" easily when chewed. This result can be accomplished by not browning the meat too much before liquids (or moist vegetables, etc.) are added. For this recipe, saute meat in a lightly oiled skillet just until it starts to lose its pink color, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. We don't want the meat to turn firm. We're feeding kids. (For adults, you can start with some chopped onion sauteed until it becomes translucent, or until it starts to caramelize.) Mix in zucchini (and/or carrots), stir and cook until vegetables are limp. Mix in spaghetti sauce.Simmer for at least 10 minutes. Add sugar and salt to taste. You can cool and freeze part of the sauce at this point.
Boil twisty pasta until done. Drain and mix with hot sauce and a little cheese and serve.
Leftovers keep refrigerated for a couple of days, though some of the moisture may be absorbed into the pasta. Microwave individual servings topped with a little extra sauce and/or cheese if you like.
Sloppy Joes: Use the same principle of partially cooking meat before adding zucchini. You could probably work up a nice recipe using undiluted condensed chicken gumbo soup, tomato sauce or paste and ketchup. Aunt Elizabeth prepared Sloppy Joes once for a family party using condensed chicken gumbo soup when I was a teenager, and they were wonderful. I can't eat it now. Corn products. Let me know how it works.
Allergy Information: You can find commercial spaghetti sauce with no corn sweeteners if you look hard. Many Classico varieties contain no corn sweetener.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
4th of July Garden Update
Happy Fourth of July. Our weather cooled down to the high 80s for Father's Day, then heated up again. It got up to around 107 on a couple of days. While it was cool, we got some good Blenheim apricots with no pit burn. Also a few Canadian White Blenheim apricots, some of which were exceptional. Very sweet. Recommended for areas with just a little more winter chilling than ours. There were some split pits. Probably not suitable for a commercial crop,
Some of the Golden Amber/Peachcot (?) fruits were also wonderful. Arctic Star white necterines are now done. They were great. So were the Flavor Supreme nectarines. Now we have Santa Rosa and Burgundy plums. Santa Rosas are an enlivinging experience when at their peak. Their peak doesn't last long. Burgundy holds longer on the tree, but it also loses quality after a while. Burgundy is sweeter and milder. I think I prefer Santa Rosa's zing. I peeled and ate the first July Elberta peach, a windfall, right in the garden. Got juice all over my chin and had sticky fingers afterward. It was great. The new supersweet fruits are great, but the old-fashioned juicy peaches with melting flesh when fully ripe have a different character that shouldn't be missed. Peaches are easier to grow right than nectarines.
I got a batch of Romanette and Romano Gold beans. They must have set around Father's Day. They were not tough or hollow despite the heat. Seems like a little miracle.
The volunteer summer squash plants have mostly died. The row we planted has been bearing heavily. Took some down to Emergency Aid. Magda and Zephyr have been great. Magda stays tender at a larger size. Johnny's promotes Magda as being similar in quality to its Zephyr. But Zephyr is a firmer squash with some winter squash parentage.
Sweet Zuke is hard to pick without breaking the end of the fruit. I bought the seeds in hopes of a darker companion for Magda. They're not as club-shaped as Magda this year, and some of the fruits are curved.
One of the yellow crookneck varieties has that "greening" virus. Not sure which. Still makes a lot of squash. Scallops and round zucchinis (Eight Ball and Cue Ball) doing fine. I've decided I don't like the round ones as well as the others. Not as convenient to cook. But they're fun to look at.
Tomatoes have been coming on heavy for a couple of weeks. A few have had blossom end rot, but most of them are beautiful.
Found a young black widow spider with white spots on its back in one tomato which had a small hole in it. We have a lot of widow spiders around here. I found a big tomato hornworm recently in Linda's tomato plants. Maybe the black widows have been eating ours.
The first summer we were in this house, I found most of the color variations of widow spiders noted for California: brown widows, black widows with the typical red hourglass, black widows with no hourglass (usually very large) and black widows with white spots on their backs. An juveniles of variable color. Have to watch for them in the creases under patio chairs, in corners, in tomato vines and under squashes. Our friend Geri was bitten as a child. No fun. On the other hand, I used to have phobias and fantasies about black widows. I had some secret little rituals for going down stairs in ways I imagined would protect me from them. A little magical thinking. There was often one at the bottom of our stairwell. If I had maintained my fears of black widows into adulthood, I'd be in a pickle now.
Mom remembers fascinating black widows and other spiders in the corniers above her head as she slept in a sleeping porch as a child. I'm not quite that relaxed about them, though I usually don't worry much about other garden spiders.
Some of the Golden Amber/Peachcot (?) fruits were also wonderful. Arctic Star white necterines are now done. They were great. So were the Flavor Supreme nectarines. Now we have Santa Rosa and Burgundy plums. Santa Rosas are an enlivinging experience when at their peak. Their peak doesn't last long. Burgundy holds longer on the tree, but it also loses quality after a while. Burgundy is sweeter and milder. I think I prefer Santa Rosa's zing. I peeled and ate the first July Elberta peach, a windfall, right in the garden. Got juice all over my chin and had sticky fingers afterward. It was great. The new supersweet fruits are great, but the old-fashioned juicy peaches with melting flesh when fully ripe have a different character that shouldn't be missed. Peaches are easier to grow right than nectarines.
I got a batch of Romanette and Romano Gold beans. They must have set around Father's Day. They were not tough or hollow despite the heat. Seems like a little miracle.
The volunteer summer squash plants have mostly died. The row we planted has been bearing heavily. Took some down to Emergency Aid. Magda and Zephyr have been great. Magda stays tender at a larger size. Johnny's promotes Magda as being similar in quality to its Zephyr. But Zephyr is a firmer squash with some winter squash parentage.
Sweet Zuke is hard to pick without breaking the end of the fruit. I bought the seeds in hopes of a darker companion for Magda. They're not as club-shaped as Magda this year, and some of the fruits are curved.
One of the yellow crookneck varieties has that "greening" virus. Not sure which. Still makes a lot of squash. Scallops and round zucchinis (Eight Ball and Cue Ball) doing fine. I've decided I don't like the round ones as well as the others. Not as convenient to cook. But they're fun to look at.
Tomatoes have been coming on heavy for a couple of weeks. A few have had blossom end rot, but most of them are beautiful.
Found a young black widow spider with white spots on its back in one tomato which had a small hole in it. We have a lot of widow spiders around here. I found a big tomato hornworm recently in Linda's tomato plants. Maybe the black widows have been eating ours.
The first summer we were in this house, I found most of the color variations of widow spiders noted for California: brown widows, black widows with the typical red hourglass, black widows with no hourglass (usually very large) and black widows with white spots on their backs. An juveniles of variable color. Have to watch for them in the creases under patio chairs, in corners, in tomato vines and under squashes. Our friend Geri was bitten as a child. No fun. On the other hand, I used to have phobias and fantasies about black widows. I had some secret little rituals for going down stairs in ways I imagined would protect me from them. A little magical thinking. There was often one at the bottom of our stairwell. If I had maintained my fears of black widows into adulthood, I'd be in a pickle now.
Mom remembers fascinating black widows and other spiders in the corniers above her head as she slept in a sleeping porch as a child. I'm not quite that relaxed about them, though I usually don't worry much about other garden spiders.
Lemon Bars
I can't eat these because of the cornstarch in the powdered sugar. But people still expect me to make them for parties and big gatherings. This is due to the cooking reputations of David's mother and his sister.
Cookie Layer:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus a little finely grated lemon zest if desired
(lemon zent not included in original recipe)
Powdered sugar for dusting
Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and preheat oven to 350ยบ. Spray the inside of a light-colored, shiny metal or glass 9 x 13 inch baking pan (not a flat cookie sheet) with non-stick cooking spray and spread to a thin layer (including where bars meet the sides of the pan).
For the cookie layer, beat together powdered sugar and butter. Stir and knead in flour, avoid overmixing. Pat evenly into the 9 x 13 inch pan. Form a slightly higher rim of dough, about 3/8 inch, around the edge. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Meanwhile, prepare filling. Lightly beat eggs, mix flour into some of the sugar, then add sugar and flour to eggs along with the lemon juice. Beat until frothy.
After cookie layer has baked for up to 20 minutes, remove from oven. Quickly pour filling over hot cookie layer and return to oven. Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar, using a fine sieve or sifter. Cut carefully with a sharp knife and remove from pan with a flat spatula. Makes 2 or 3 dozen small bars.
Big Batch:
Double all ingredients. Bake in a 1/2 hotel sheet pan or 1/2 size sheet cake pan, about 12 x 17 inches. Bars will be slightly thicker than those made with the single recipe, and may need to be baked a minute or two longer at each step. Note: Smart & Final or other restaurant suppliers sell 1/2 hotel sheet pans and foil sheet cake pans, which have higher sides. The 1/2 size sheet cake pan will fit inside the hotel sheet pan, which will give it added stability while cooking and removing from the oven, if you wish to bake the bars in a disposable pan. Be sure to grease the pan well to prevent an interaction between the filling and the aluminum pan. You may also slide the foil pan onto a cool, flat cookie sheet as you remove it from the oven to transfer it to a wire rack or racks.
Cookie Layer:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus a little finely grated lemon zest if desired
(lemon zent not included in original recipe)
Powdered sugar for dusting
Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and preheat oven to 350ยบ. Spray the inside of a light-colored, shiny metal or glass 9 x 13 inch baking pan (not a flat cookie sheet) with non-stick cooking spray and spread to a thin layer (including where bars meet the sides of the pan).
For the cookie layer, beat together powdered sugar and butter. Stir and knead in flour, avoid overmixing. Pat evenly into the 9 x 13 inch pan. Form a slightly higher rim of dough, about 3/8 inch, around the edge. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Meanwhile, prepare filling. Lightly beat eggs, mix flour into some of the sugar, then add sugar and flour to eggs along with the lemon juice. Beat until frothy.
After cookie layer has baked for up to 20 minutes, remove from oven. Quickly pour filling over hot cookie layer and return to oven. Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar, using a fine sieve or sifter. Cut carefully with a sharp knife and remove from pan with a flat spatula. Makes 2 or 3 dozen small bars.
Big Batch:
Double all ingredients. Bake in a 1/2 hotel sheet pan or 1/2 size sheet cake pan, about 12 x 17 inches. Bars will be slightly thicker than those made with the single recipe, and may need to be baked a minute or two longer at each step. Note: Smart & Final or other restaurant suppliers sell 1/2 hotel sheet pans and foil sheet cake pans, which have higher sides. The 1/2 size sheet cake pan will fit inside the hotel sheet pan, which will give it added stability while cooking and removing from the oven, if you wish to bake the bars in a disposable pan. Be sure to grease the pan well to prevent an interaction between the filling and the aluminum pan. You may also slide the foil pan onto a cool, flat cookie sheet as you remove it from the oven to transfer it to a wire rack or racks.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Cream Cheese Marble Brownies
I often make a 10 x 15 inch pan of these brownies, using a brownie mix for a 9 x 13 inch pan, plus the cream cheese filling.
A double recipe (two brownie mixes) in a 1/2 sheet cake pan is shown in the photo below. It was baked in a shallow, 1-rack oven, so it shows a little more browning than brownies baked in a big oven. This pan of brownies was made with two Pillsbury mixes and baked for about 34 minutes at 350 degrees. The cream cheese filling was made with 3 packages of cream cheese (see directions).
9 x 13 inch Pan or 10 x 15 inch pan of Brownies: Try these with either "Pillsbury Brownie Classics - Traditional Fudge" or "Duncan Hines Family-Style Brownies". Both these mixes make a 9 x 13 inch pan of brownies. Directions call for the addition of 2 eggs, oil and water. Once I accidentally left one egg out of the brownie batter and the brownies were very dense and gooey. People loved them.
Two 8 oz. package cream cheese, low fat or Neufchatel cheese, softened (room temperature - microwave at low power if you are in a hurry.)
½ cup sugar (scant)
¾ to 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 egg or two egg yolks
One fudge brownie mix (9 x 13 inch pan) plus eggs, water and oil per package directions
Prepare filling by beating softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth - no lumps of cream cheese. Do not add egg until sugar and cream cheese are thoroughly mixed. Beat in vanilla and egg. Cover and chill filling until ready to finish brownies.
Preheat oven and prepare pan per directions on brownie mix. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and spread in pan. Spoon filling onto brownie mix in 3 or 4 longitudinal stripes. Using a circular motion with a fork, fold some of brownie batter over the filling, working along each stripe. Then lightly move the fork across the stripes crosswise, back and forth in a large wave pattern, to create swirls. Don't overdo it. Bake according to package directions for a 9 x 13 inch pan of plain brownies if you are using a 10 x 15 inch pan. Thicker brownies in a 9 x 13 inch pan may take two to four minutes longer.
Pale filling will be very slightly browned at the edges when brownies are done if baked in the middle of a big oven and may show no browning if baked on a rack under a second batch of brownies.
Notes: Feel free to experiment with 1 package of fat-free cream cheese and 1 package of low fat.
You may also use only 1 package of cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and one egg yolk for the filling. One package of cream cheese for the filling is also suitable for a smaller (8x8 or 9x9 inch pan) brownie mix like the Betty Crocker mix that comes in a bag instead of a box.
Photos below show cream cheese "stripes" on a double recipe, folded stripes (my fork fell in the batter) and swirled stripes. The finished product is at the top of this post.
DOUBLE RECIPE: You can prepare a double recipe in a 1/2 size sheet cake pan (about 12 x 17 inches). Make sure the pan fits in your oven with a little room to spare first. I like to use a foil ½ sheet cake pan on a sturdy ½ size hotel sheet (from Smart & Final or another restaurant supply). Allow a few minutes extra baking time for the larger recipe.
For the double recipe, use 3 packages cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar (scant), 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and one egg OR 4 packages cream cheese, 1 cup sugar (scant), 1 ½ to 2 tsp. vanilla and two eggs. If you like, you can add a little almond, coconut or orange flavoring with the vanilla (to taste -- before adding egg).
For a BIG crowd, two kinds of brownies at once: If you need to bake a lot of brownies in a hurry for a party or buffet, you can bake nut brownies or plain brownies on the upper shelf of the oven and the marble brownies on the lower shelf. Press a few pieces of nuts into the top of nut brownies so people can tell they contain nuts. The marble brownies take a little longer to bake. With two ½ sheet cake pans, you can make a very large number of brownies at one time. Frost plain brownies if you like.
Allergy information: Brownie mixes generally contain corn products and may contain traces of nuts. Check ingredients. There are now a few gluten-free brownie mixes out.
A double recipe (two brownie mixes) in a 1/2 sheet cake pan is shown in the photo below. It was baked in a shallow, 1-rack oven, so it shows a little more browning than brownies baked in a big oven. This pan of brownies was made with two Pillsbury mixes and baked for about 34 minutes at 350 degrees. The cream cheese filling was made with 3 packages of cream cheese (see directions).
9 x 13 inch Pan or 10 x 15 inch pan of Brownies: Try these with either "Pillsbury Brownie Classics - Traditional Fudge" or "Duncan Hines Family-Style Brownies". Both these mixes make a 9 x 13 inch pan of brownies. Directions call for the addition of 2 eggs, oil and water. Once I accidentally left one egg out of the brownie batter and the brownies were very dense and gooey. People loved them.
Two 8 oz. package cream cheese, low fat or Neufchatel cheese, softened (room temperature - microwave at low power if you are in a hurry.)
½ cup sugar (scant)
¾ to 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 egg or two egg yolks
One fudge brownie mix (9 x 13 inch pan) plus eggs, water and oil per package directions
Prepare filling by beating softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth - no lumps of cream cheese. Do not add egg until sugar and cream cheese are thoroughly mixed. Beat in vanilla and egg. Cover and chill filling until ready to finish brownies.
Preheat oven and prepare pan per directions on brownie mix. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and spread in pan. Spoon filling onto brownie mix in 3 or 4 longitudinal stripes. Using a circular motion with a fork, fold some of brownie batter over the filling, working along each stripe. Then lightly move the fork across the stripes crosswise, back and forth in a large wave pattern, to create swirls. Don't overdo it. Bake according to package directions for a 9 x 13 inch pan of plain brownies if you are using a 10 x 15 inch pan. Thicker brownies in a 9 x 13 inch pan may take two to four minutes longer.
Pale filling will be very slightly browned at the edges when brownies are done if baked in the middle of a big oven and may show no browning if baked on a rack under a second batch of brownies.
Notes: Feel free to experiment with 1 package of fat-free cream cheese and 1 package of low fat.
You may also use only 1 package of cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and one egg yolk for the filling. One package of cream cheese for the filling is also suitable for a smaller (8x8 or 9x9 inch pan) brownie mix like the Betty Crocker mix that comes in a bag instead of a box.
Photos below show cream cheese "stripes" on a double recipe, folded stripes (my fork fell in the batter) and swirled stripes. The finished product is at the top of this post.
DOUBLE RECIPE: You can prepare a double recipe in a 1/2 size sheet cake pan (about 12 x 17 inches). Make sure the pan fits in your oven with a little room to spare first. I like to use a foil ½ sheet cake pan on a sturdy ½ size hotel sheet (from Smart & Final or another restaurant supply). Allow a few minutes extra baking time for the larger recipe.
For the double recipe, use 3 packages cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar (scant), 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and one egg OR 4 packages cream cheese, 1 cup sugar (scant), 1 ½ to 2 tsp. vanilla and two eggs. If you like, you can add a little almond, coconut or orange flavoring with the vanilla (to taste -- before adding egg).
For a BIG crowd, two kinds of brownies at once: If you need to bake a lot of brownies in a hurry for a party or buffet, you can bake nut brownies or plain brownies on the upper shelf of the oven and the marble brownies on the lower shelf. Press a few pieces of nuts into the top of nut brownies so people can tell they contain nuts. The marble brownies take a little longer to bake. With two ½ sheet cake pans, you can make a very large number of brownies at one time. Frost plain brownies if you like.
Allergy information: Brownie mixes generally contain corn products and may contain traces of nuts. Check ingredients. There are now a few gluten-free brownie mixes out.
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