November Dinner Party

Appetizer- Rattlesnake Empanadas (from Furnace Creek Inn in Death Valley National Park, CA, p.66)



So in the restaurant, these are made from rattlesnake. I did google it, to buy online, but 1 pound of rattlesnake is $45, so that really was not an option. The recipe did say that you could substitute ground chicken, so I did. The meat was sauteed with bell peppers, nopalitos (cactus pads) and cheese. All that was wrapped in a delicious bit of puff pastry. These were really fabulous, especially served with guacamole.

Soup- Palace Corn Chowder (from The Palace Bar in Prescott, AZ, p. 90)



This was a fantastic, fabulous, delicious soup. Roasted corn, bacon and potatoes in creamy yumminess. Really yummy with just a hint of heat at the end.

Entree- Autumn Chicken (from Sous Chef in Tucson, AZ, p. 123)
Side- Crispy Polenta with Gorgonzola Sauce (from Andiamoi Italina Trattoria in Santa Fe, NM p. 205)



This chicken was a pretty simple but great recipe. Browned the chicken in some butter, then made a sauce with garlic, pomegranate juice, and a hint of mustard. Poured the sauce on the chicken and baked until juicy and tender. Topped with cilantro and pomegranate seeds, which added a great pop of flavor and texture.

Loooooooved this polenta dish! Made the polenta (really just Italian for grits, and you know as a Southern girl I love grits!) with butter, Parmesan and rosemary, then let them cool and firm up. Those were cut into triangles and pan fried until crispy and fabulous. The sauce was just reduced cream with Gorgonzola and a little lemon juice. I want to make it clear- this was a delicious, over the top, wonderful dish.

Dessert- Pumpkin Flan (from Rancho De Chimayo in Chimayo, NM, p. 226)




Flan always makes me nervous- making the hard caramel and getting it into the cups before it hardens, making the custard, baking in a warm water bath... So many things could go wrong. This one did give me a little trouble. It did not slide out of the cup like it was supposed to, then there was no sauce pooled in the bottom like there is supposed to be. Another issue was one that I actually liked- it did not have that firm, somewhat gelatinous texture (that I really don't like). All in all, this tasted like pumpkin pie without the crust. Which is great if you like pumpkin pie!

A Treat from London

One of my favorite food discoveries in London was… Sticky Toffee Pudding!


Andrew and I split some at this adorable little pub where we had lunch one day. Great spongy cake in a puddle of creamy toffee sauce. It was like heaven. We were a little put off by the odd crunchy center, but we figured it was just a part of how it was supposed to be. Until… I was reading through cookbooks in a book store (I try to always buy a cookbook as a souvenir from our travels) and I read about traditional sticky toffee pudding. It said that many times restaurants buy mass produced pudding and microwave them and you can always tell because they have (you guessed it) a crunchy center! Gasp! The amazing pudding that I loved was not even a very good representation of what sticky toffee pudding should be! It also said that traditional sticky toffee pudding should be full of dates (ours wasn’t…)



So… I made a homemade recipe for the puddings (really little cakes baked in muffin tins) and toffee sauce. All I can say is- SIGH… and dreamy smile… YUM!!!! So, so, so fabulous! Really rich though- after the first bite I thought I was going to eat at least 2 more but by the end the sweetness really satisfied and any more would have been too much.

This recipe is from "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" an absolutley amazing and fantastic cookbook. Hannah is foaming at the mouth to make almost every recipe.



Sticky Toffee Pudding
(serves 12 dainty or 6 ravenous eaters)

Cake:
2 cups pitted dates, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Toffee Sauce:
2 sticks unsalted butter
3 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Vanilla Ice Cream, for serving

Lightly butter a standard 12 cup muffin tin with nonswtick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350.

To Make the Cake: Combine the dates and water in a heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until dates are softened and have absorped the water. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp of the baking soda. Let stand 20 minutes.

While the dates are soaking, sift together the flour, salt, remaining 1/4 tsp baking soda nad the baking powder into a bowl; set aside. In another bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, adn then beat in the vanilaa. Sir the dates and any soaking liquid into the batter. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet bater just until combined.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted int eh center of the cake comes out clean, 22-28 minutes.

Meanwhile make the toffe sauce: Combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; cook until the sugar and butter elt together. Add the cream, vanilla and salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, 6-8 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven ond poke the top of each a few times with a wooden skewer. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the warm toffee sauce over each cake and allow it to sink in completely.



To serve, spoon a little of the sauce onto a dessert plate and place a cake, top side down, in the sauce. Spoon more warm sauce over the top of the cake and serve immediatly, with a bg scoop of ice cream.

I'm still here!

Hello Y'all!

I just wanted you all to know that I am still here, and I am still cooking. I know I was a little absent in October... My grandmother passed away in the beginning of the month, so I went home for a while for that, and then Andrew and I spent the last 10 days of the month in Europe- London, Paris and Rome. It was an AMAZING trip, and I have so many ideas for things I want to blog about- we ate really well!

Also... I am pregnant, so I have had a lot of other things on my mind as well. Yay for a baby!

So, new recipes coming soon- keep an eye out!