Mothers Day

I decided that a wonderful way to celebrate Mothers Day would be to cook one of my Mom's favorite dinner party recipes. So, I will be making Chicken Divan served with a side of rice. To remember my Nana, an Irish soda bread will be part of breakfast and then served up again at dinner - you can't have too much soda bread.

I looked through my Mom's recipes but could not find her original Divan, so after searching online this one is the closest to what I remember.

Chicken Divan Casserole

serves 6 to 8

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 2 pounds)
2 heads of broccoli (approximately 2 1/2 - 3 pounds)
4 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 cups scalded milk
1 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1 cup grated Gruyère
3 tablespoons cream sherry
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Add chicken breasts to a large pot. Add water to cover, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Simmer until cooked through, and internal temperature has reached 160 °F. Remove chicken from pot, reserving broth. Cool and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Feel free to use 4 cups of rotisserie or leftover chicken, if desired.)

Stem broccoli and cut into 1 – 2 inch florets. Bring chicken broth back to a boil and add broccoli (adding water if necessary). Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until broccoli is bright and tender, about 2 – 3 minutes. Strain broccoli and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in a thick sauce pan on medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth (and flour taste is cooked out), about three minutes. Reduce heat to low. Pour in scalded milk and cook until thickened, approximately three to five minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup of Parmesan and one cup of Gruyère and stir until creamy. Add sherry, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Butter the bottom and sides of an oblong casserole dish. Layer half of the broccoli and chicken and cover with half of the cheese sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan on casserole and bake until bubbly and golden brown, approximately 35 - 40 minutes. Serve with white rice.

Soda Bread - Mary also has a good soda bread recipe -

This is the recipe I have always used - The New McCall's Cookbook - now out of print:

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour 
2 tbls sugar 
2 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
3 tbls butter, softened 
1 cup buttermilk 
1 tbls butter melted 
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In large bowl sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in softened butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add buttermilk; mix in with a fork only until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out on a lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Knead gently until smooth - about 1 minute. Shape into ball. Place on prepared cookie sheet; flatten into a 7-inch circle. (Dough will be 1-1/2 inches thick.) Press a large floured knife into center of loaf almost through too bottom. Repeat at right angle to divide loaf into quarters. Bake 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to wire rack to cool. Brush top with melted butter. Dust with flour. 

I add about 1 cup of raisins( not in recipe) which I add with the flour mixture at the beginning. Coating with flour blends them better. I don't add the melted butter on top. 

MOMMY'S PEARLS

When all the others were away at Mass
I was all hers as we peeled potatoes.
They broke the silence, let fall one by one
Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:
Cold comforts set between us, things to share
Gleaming in a bucket of clean water.
And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes
From each other's work would bring us to our senses.

So while the parish priest at her bedside
Went hammer and tongs at prayers for the dying
And some were responding and some crying
I remembered her head bent towards my head,
Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives --
Never closer the whole rest of our lives.

from "Clearances" 

Seamus Heaney 

circa 1961

I had two mothers...  

 

...Heaney has evoked the one with his powerful image of his mother and himself in the kitchen peeling potatoes for the evening meal.  "I was all hers..." My memories of cooking with mommy are also just of the two of us, though surely the rest of you must all have been around somewhere.  The bonds of love formed, not so much with words, but with food.  A sharing not so much of thoughts but of enticing smells and sounds of cooking...tomato sauce bubbling on the stove, meatballs sizzling in the pan... the heavenly aromas mingling with the steamy chocolate pudding slowly thickening on the back of the wooden cooking spoon.  "Here, Jeanne" she says as she hands me the spoon. "Keep stirring this while I get the salad ready."  She delighted in the anticipation of a home cooked meal as much as anyone.  As to how she maintained her enthusiasm for the effort over all those years...? ...well... One thing I do know is that now, when I cook in my own kitchen, I "feel her breath in mine..."

circa 1960

My other mother began to surface in the summer of 1986.  The cooking done, the children reared, the apron strings cut, oceans crossed, a mother transformed herself. Hungry to share her new life and fresh insights with a daughter who had once shunned her as a friend, she began to write.  If one of mommy's greatest gifts to me was her joy of cooking, the other was the joy of freedom, of self discovery, of power to fashion an identity true to herself, that emerged post '86. When I revisited her letters for this blog, I appreciated, even more than before, that the journey on which she embarked is a profound legacy for all of us... Here are some of her pearls...

August 1986

on life in NYC..."I count my blessings, which are many, every day."

December 1987

on getting sober and giving up trying to control her children..."I wish I knew then, what I know now. My life would have been a lot easier." 

November 1988

on her new found independence..."Now, for me, life is so unpredictable and exciting it frightens me."

December 1988

on looking back..."It is very difficult to put into words exactly how I feel today.  It is all still very confusing to me but I do know that I don't want to go back to where I was two years ago.  Once we can accept where we are today, our lives become much more manageable and sweet."

December 1988

on disagreements..."We have to be able to discuss our differences with one another and not be afraid of confrontations."

February 1989

on communicating better with her children..."It is important to me to be able to give and take with all of my children today and to be able to recognise their humanness and tenderness." ..."I am able to day to look at life and accept it for what it is.  I'm not saying it's easy, but the results are so rewarding."

June 1989

on reaching out..."I'm never alone anymore.  It's great!"

January 1990

on trying (and failing) ..."Try to use your experiences as a learning process with the thought that someday you may be able to help someone else who is struggling with the sense of loss and incompleteness that you feel now...and remember, your feelings are all important, but they are not facts and as such you can face them squarely and then let them go....I know you will come through this trying time in your life a wonderful, loving and understanding person."

October 1990

on personal growth..."I'm happier than I've been in a long time.  Nothing has changed around me, but I have changed."

******

Lobster Newburg

From 

Joy of Cooking

This was a great favorite, served at dinner parties for the grown-ups when we lived in Somers.  It was often served with one of Dad's Pyromaniac Cookbook recipes like crepes or cherries jubilee.  Cooking it, smelling and tasting it was truly a blast from the past...so evocative of the wild dancing parties of their youth! It's super simple to prepare!

Here's the Newburg Sauce recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  I didn't bother with the lobster butter.  I bought uncooked shrimp and cooked it up in butter, then added the liquid to the sauce to get the shellfish flavor. It worked out fine like that.

Makes:1 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup (125 ml) lobster or shrimp butter*
1 tsp (5 ml) shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) sherry or Madeira
1 cup (225 ml) cream
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste (optional)
1 tbsp (15 ml) cognac or brandy (optional)

Lobster or Shrimp Butter:
shells from 1 lb (.5 kg). or shrimp or 1 large lobster
1/2 cup (125 ml) butter
2 tbsp (30 ml) water
ice water

Preparation

Lobster or Shrimp Butter:
Dry shells in a low oven for a short time.
Pound them om a morter or put them through a food grinder, so they are broken up as finely as possible.
Melt butter in double boiler over hot water.
Add shells and 2 tbsp (30 ml) water.
Simmer for 10 minutes-do not boil.
Line a sieve with cheesecloth and strain the hot butter into a bowl of ice water.
Refrigerate and skim off the butter when it hardens.

Newburg Sauce:
Melt lobster or shrimp butter in a double boiler.
Add shallots and cook until translucent.
Add sherry or Madeira and cook about 3 minutes.
Beat egg yolks into cream.
Add the two mixtures stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.
If you want add tomato paste and possibly brandy or cognac.
Use at once

Once the sauce is made, throw in the cooked lobster or shrimp and  serve over rice.   

Andrew's expertly executed photo shoot of the final result

This should be an interested series of postings. A time span of 15 years exists between the birth of the oldest child - me and our youngest brother Andy. The span of years and the different types of cooking during those years tells much about our family history. I especially loved the 60's when our dad would come home from work with tales of the delicious meals he had for lunch and how he then tried to get Mom to make the recipe. This was also the time when Julia Childs was starting the French Revolution in American kitchens. We all learned quite a few new words when Dad tried to make his "crepes suzette". Although he was eventually successful, we also found out that a crepe pan can be tossed across a room without seriously hurting the pan. Thankfully - none of the kids were in the way.


One of my favorite meals was the breaded chicken cutlet. Not fancy, but I could eat the leftovers (were there ever any leftovers???) and still do for breakfast - cold from the refrig.

Such a simple and quick meal - it is still one of my favorites. I usually serve it with a crispy red skinned  potato and roasted cauliflower.

Here is a version.

Enjoy!!!

CRISP BREADED CHICKEN CUTLETS

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Parmesan Cutlets

4 chicken breast cutlets

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

3 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese - you can add more if you like a more cheesy taste
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

2 eggs
2 tbsp water

butter and olive oil - enough to sauté the cutlets

Pound out the chicken breasts so that they are 1/2 inch thick. Salt and pepper both sides. 

In a shallow dish, mix flour, salt, pepper. 

In another shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. 

In another shallow dish whisk the eggs with the water.

Heat butter and olive oil in a pan until hot . Dip the chicken cutlets into the flour, then the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs...pressing to make the crumbs stick to the chicken. Saute for several minutes on each side. When golden brown and crisp, remove from pan onto a paper towel lined baking dish. Keep hot in a 200 degree oven until all chicken is cooked. Do not crowd the chicken in the pan and wipe out the pan after each batch of cutlets. BE sure chicken is cooked thoroughly unless you are going to use it in another recipe.

You can now serve it or continue on to make chicken parmesan.  If you are going to continue - here is the rest.

Increase oven temp to 425. When chicken is cooked, put into a greased baking dish and spoon marinara sauce over the cutlets. Top with mozzarella cheese. Put back into oven and bake 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned. Serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce on the side.

Our Latest Challenge

OK - I know that you are all cooking. It's time to blog about it again. Mary C had her first experience making real - yes... from scratch... ravioli pasta. Hopefully Greg took some pictures. Maybe we can convince her to describe her efforts and post the recipe.

Here is my latest challenge - One of the reasons we all love to cook delicious meals for our families is because our Mom set the bar for us early on.... I mean the "cooking bar".  She was into the whole 60's dinner party scene and with Dad's encouragement tried lots of new things. Cherries Jubilee anyone???? I think Dad almost burned the house down with that one.

Anyway - lets choose a memorable dish, or just one of your favorites and post the recipe and your pictures here. It doesn't have to be a full meal. It could be an appetizer, dessert, side dish or whatever you choose. It can also be your modern or adapted version of the dish.

Lets post it sometime before March 10th in memory of our beautiful mother.

BTW - If the brothers or in-laws want to contribute here - we would love it. I know that cooking in this family is not just a "sister" thing.

A Delicious Autumn Meal

Apple, Bacon, Sage and Fontina Stuffed Pork Chops
(print recipe) 

6 bacon slices
2 Gala Smith apples, peeled and diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 cup fontina cheese, cubed
4 boneless pork chops
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
Sauté the chopped apples, shallots, and ginger in hot drippings 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in sage.
Stir together apple mixture, bacon, and cheese in a bowl. Do not clean the pan.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop, cutting to, but not through, other side to form a pocket. Sprinkle both sides and pocket of each pork chop with salt and pepper. Spoon apple mixture into pockets.  Reserve any extra "stuffing".
Sear pork chops,in same skillet apple mixture was sauteed in over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden. (You may need to add some additional olive oil).  Surround with cubed potatoes, sprinkle with some salt and pepper and  drop the extra "stuffing" over potatoes
Bake at 425° for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.

Labels: apple, fontina, pork chops

Read more: http://www.thesaucygourmet.net/2011/11/apple-bacon-sage-and-fontina-stuffed.html#ixzz28j8lzyS8

I loved all the components of this recipe. Really...can anything with bacon not taste great! The only thing I left out was the ginger. Of course I left a garden full of sage back in CT and the supermarket here in AZ was out of fresh sage which meant I had to buy jarred sage. :(

I also opted not to make a dessert. I used the pumpkin ingredient to make a soup. In spite of the fact that I did not use fresh pumpkin, it was very good and I would make it again. I used one can of pureed pumpkin and made some minor adjustments with the other ingredients to get the consistency right. It would be a nice starter to a Thanksgiving meal. Here is the pumpkin soup recipe. BTW I did not serve it in the cute little pumpkins.  Bowls were just fine for Bob and I. 

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/pumpkin-soup-2/?print=1/#size3x5

Prep Time 5 Minutes Cook Time 1 Hour

Servings 8

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 2 whole Pie Pumpkins
• 1 quart Vegetable Or Chicken Stock
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• ⅓ cups Maple Syrup
• Dash Of Nutmeg
• Salt To Taste
• Extra Cream, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pumpkins on a cookie sheet and roast them until slightly shriveled and soft. Allow to cool slightly, then slice in half and carefully scoop out seeds and pulp. Scoop yummy flesh into a bowl. Set aside.

In a pot, heat up the pumpkin flesh with the stock and maple syrup until simmering. Mash out the big chunks, the transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender) and puree until velvety smooth. Add cream and nutmeg, then blend again.

Reheat if you need to, or just go ahead and serve in a hollowed-out pumpkin of whatever size you’d like.

Overall, I would encourage you to try these recipes.

It's Time To Get Cooking Again

Greetings from Candlewood Lake!

Nothing like a nice fire at the beach on a cool fall evening.

Time to say goodbye to summer and hello to our cooking blog. We are going to change the "rules" for coming up with a menu. Instead of posting recipes we must all follow, we will post ingredients that you have to incorporate in some manner into the Sunday dinner. Then each sister - or anyone else who is interested- will post the recipes and comments about how their dinner went. It's always nice to share some pictures of the finished products and event. 

BTW - you can use favorite recipes for these menus. 

Ingredients: pork, pumpkin, sage and apples. 

(sounds like one of the boxes they open on Master Chef)

Time Frame: Now through November 18th

Enjoy - Be Creative

Happy Easter

I could write a sonnet
about your Easter bonnet...
Irving Berlin

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

Something's going on...During holidays I am normally totally obsessed with cleaning my house and cooking up a storm...but it's been a week already and I'm only just getting around to spring cleaning and thinking about our menu for this month. So, I've put together this quick and easy three course meal. I was given some raspberry vinegar for Christmas and have taken a liking to the mixture of sweet and sour salads. The mix of pear and fresh greens with just about any dressing is delightful, but I've made something similar to this one and love the combination of nuts, pears and raspberry. A sure sign of spring here is the appearance of fresh asparagus in the shops. Sage is a favorite seasoning of ours, so thought this pasta dish might be worth a try. Pavlova, an Australian delicacy, is a luscious dessert, named after the famous Russian ballerina. Since the meringue and fruit can be prepared beforehand, all you have to do at dinner is whip up the cream and dessert is ready. I like to make six or so individual meringues, rather than one large one....either way, it's quite a versatile sweet. The recipe I've provided here is traditional. However, the link below will lead you to pages of mouthwatering variations on this theme if you're in the mood for a more imaginative take on it. As the Aussies would say, it's a rip snorter so bog in!

http://www.tastespotting.com/search/pavlova/1

Pear Salad with Raspberry Dressing

• 3 Tbs sugar
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 8 cups assorted fresh greens/Romaine
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola, bleu, or feta cheese
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 3 or 4 pears (D’Anjou) peeled, cored, sliced into wedges
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Dressing:

• 4 Tbs raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 cup canola/vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
• 4 Tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs dried parsley

In nonstick pan, heat 3 tablespoons sugar over medium heat until liquid; add pecans, stirring to coat. Turn out onto a plate. When cool, break pecans apart. Combine dressing ingredients and mix well.

Toss together the greens, crumbled cheese, dried cranberries or cherries, prepared pecans, and onions with the dressing. Divide among the salad plates, and arrange the pear wedges on top. Serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

http://www.mysisterskitchenonline.com/2007/11/21/pear-salad-with-raspberry-vinaigrette/

Recipe: Penne with Asparagus, Sage and Peas

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound penne
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. 3 garlic cloves, minced
4. 1 pound thick asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths
5. 2 cups chicken stock
6. 2 cups (10 ounces) shelled English peas or frozen baby peas, thawed
7. 1/4 cup heavy cream
8. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
9. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
10. 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
11. Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and asparagus and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the stock and boil over high heat until reduced by half and the asparagus are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the peas and cream to the skillet and boil over high heat until the sauce has thickened, 3 minutes. Stir in the penne and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, sage and the 1/2 cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to bowls and serve right away, passing additional cheese at the table.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/penne-with-asparagus-sage-and-peas

Easy Pavlova

By: Rosina

"To keep your meringue from being flat and grainy, try beating egg whites until stiff but not dry. Overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Also, when beating in sugar, beat in about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition. Then beat until meringue is thick, white and glossy. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites."

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 6 kiwis or your favorite fruit topping- Traditionally fresh strawberries are spooned on top, but really, any fruit will do. If the fruit is frozen, simply thaw it in a pot over a low flame with a little bit of sugar...not too much as the tartness of the fruit contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the meringue and the cream.
  

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.
3. Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
5. In a small bowl beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, sweetened if desired. Top whipped cream with kiwifruit slices.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-pavlova/

March Dessert

THE ULTIMATE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Serves 12 to 16.   Published March 1, 1998.  

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

For our ultimate flourless chocolate cake recipe, we wanted a texture somewhere between a substantial marquise au chocolat—that dense, buttery, and just slightly aerated chocolate mousse with a characteristic dry but creamy texture—and a heavy New York-style cheesecake, which requires the mouth to work for just a second before the stuff melts and dissolves with sublime flavor. To achieve this texture in our flourless chocolate cake recipe, we beat whole eggs into a foam and gently folded in bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and strong coffee or liqueur. Then we baked our cake in a water bath at a low temperature, and removed the cake from the oven when it reached 140 degrees.

Even though the cake may not look done, pull it from the oven when an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees. (Make sure not to let tip of thermometer hit the bottom of the pan.) It will continue to firm up as it cools. If you use a 9-inch springform pan instead of the preferred 8-inch, reduce the baking time to 18 to 20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 8large eggs , cold
• 1pound bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/4cup strong coffee or liqueur (optional)
• Confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder for decoration

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line bottom of 8-inch springform pan with parchment and grease pan sides. Cover pan underneath and along sides with sheet of heavy-duty foil and set in large roasting pan. Bring kettle of water to boil.
2. 2. Beat eggs with hand-held mixer at high speed until volume doubles to approximately 1 quart, about 5 minutes. Alternately, beat in bowl of electric mixer fitted with wire whip attachment at medium speed (speed 6 on a KitchenAid) to achieve same result, about 5 minutes.
3. 3. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and butter (adding coffee or liqueur, if using) in large heat-proof bowl set over pan of almost simmering water, until smooth and very warm (about 115 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), stirring once or twice. (For the microwave, melt chocolate and butter together at 50 percent power until smooth and warm, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring once or twice.) Fold 1/3 of egg foam into chocolate mixture using large rubber spatula until only a few streaks of egg are visible; fold in half of remaining foam, then last of remaining foam, until mixture is totally homogenous.
4. 4. Scrape batter into prepared springform pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until cake has risen slightly, edges are just beginning to set, a thin glazed crust (like a brownie) has formed on surface, and an instant read thermometer inserted halfway through center of cake registers 140 degrees, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from water bath and set on wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight to mellow (can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days).
5. 5. About 30 minutes before serving, remove springform pan sides, invert cake on sheet of waxed paper, peel off parchment pan liner, and turn cake right side up on serving platter. Sieve light sprinkling of Confectioners’ sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder over cake to decorate, if desired.

TECHNIQUE

Propping the Mixer

By setting the hand held mixer on a crock, pile of books, or some other prop, you can avoid having to hold the mixer for five minutes as you are beating the eggs to a froth.

America’s Test Kitchen is a 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and is the workday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television.

March 2012 Menu

Even though we are heading towards Spring, I still like the idea of a good braised meal. March can be a month where we are teased by the flowers peeking through the hard ground but still have many days to go before those in the colder sections of the country start to see the big warm-up. That’s why we wait till May to head back to Connecticut. Even here in AZ I can appreciate and love the smells of a good braised dish in March.

I have chosen a braised pork ragu for this month. It will be served over pasta (I will buy my pasta), but you can check out the website for this recipe and try his homemade pasta recipe. I will probably choose a wide pappardelle noodle.

This should be served with a simple tossed salad of your choice and of course a great loaf of warm Italian bread.

Wine - any nice Italian red. 

For dessert, the chocolate lover in me chose a flourless chocolate cake. This can be made a few days in advance and just refrigerated.


The comments and pictures below are from the website:


http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/09/pork-ragu-plus-pasta-night/

Pork Ragu

Yield: Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds boneless pork butt
8 ounces bacon or pancetta
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 Cups water
1 cup white wine (you could use red, but I used white for this and really liked it)
2 bay leaves
1 Teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon (trust me)
Salt and pepper
Basic Pasta Recipe (From How to Cook Everything)
2 Cups flour (all-purpose flour, Semolina flour, etc.)
3 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/2 Teaspoon salt (or 1 Teaspoon kosher salt)
Helpful Equipment:
Pasta Maker (Attachment or the stand-alone variety)

The Ragu

I don’t make a lot of slow-cooked meat sauces here on Macheesmo but sometimes there’s nothing better. The thing that I don’t normally do is just toss a bunch of ground meat in with tomato sauce and call it good. We can do better.
So much better.
This is one of those recipes of love that requires a bit of time but is very flexible ingredient-wise and very low maintenance actually.
Start with a boneless pork butt and chop it into about 1 inch chunks. I like leaving on most of the fat because it melts down as it simmer and makes the sauce really flavorful. You could trim it off though if it bothers you.

You could trim off some of that fat... but WHY?

Get a large heavy pot (cast iron works great if you have one but you can use anything really) going over high heat and once it’s hot, add your pork pieces in batches. Brown them evenly on each side. Don’t be afraid if a little smoke happens.
This is probably the most important part of the recipe. Making sure all the pork is nice and browned is pretty key. As the pieces brown, pull them out onto a plate until they are all done.

The start of something wonderful.

This is important because the meat caramelizes a bit but also because you end up with what some people consider garbage but I consider to be liquid deliciousness.

Liquid flavor.

You would have to be insane to throw this stuff away.
Instead what you want to do is add some bacon to it and let it brown over medium-high heat and then add the carrots, onions, celery, and garlic and a pinch of salt.
This will start to smell really really good.

Bacon and veggies...

Once the veggies are soft, add the wine and it will hiss and steam. Use the wine to scrape up any little bits of food stuck to the bottom.
Then add all your pork pieces back into the pot along with the stewed tomatoes, water, and spices.
Simmer this, covered, for about 3 hours.
We’re not done.
Then simmer it for about 2 more hours with the lid off to get the liquid reducing.
Next, take out a piece of pork and try to pull it apart. If it doesn’t fall apart then cook it longer. It’s almost impossible to overcook this so don’t worry about that. Once the pork is tender just kind of mush up the pieces so they shred apart some.
This was mine after about 3 hours of simmering covered.

Liz and Bob's Feb. Meal Pics

Here are a few pictures of our Feb. meal. I'm going to have to take lessons from Gregory on how to take yummy looking food pics. Once again I would encourage you to try cooking your next chicken this way. Very easy and very delicious. The chocolate dessert - well let's just say that I had it for breakfast a few days in a row (minus the ice-cream). Wonderful with morning coffee - then I had the whole day to work it off....
Hugs to all - I'll be picking the meal for next month - thinking about a nice Irish Lamb stew.