Burford Designs

Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen

While I was watching Face Off the other night I saw a preview for another new SyFy reality series set to premiere in the coming weeks called Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen, starring Marcel Vigneron.  For those who watch Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning Top Chef or have been watching Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars you should be familiar with Marcel and his love of foam (and his techniques of molecular gastronomy).

Here’s Syfy’s description of Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen:

“The exciting new series will follow Marcel as he begins to explore the next phase of his career. In each episode, Marcel will be hired by a demanding client to produce and pull off extraordinary events and celebrations. Based on the client's requests, Marcel will have to dream up a menu for the affair, from a futuristic four-course meal for Chrysler executives to a new twist on a luau for one of the nations most renowned surfers.

He and his team of party planners and sous chefs will oversee the entire production, tapping the depths of their imagination, scientific experimentation, and culinary talent to dream up everything from the decor to a delicious menu that emphasizes Marcel's unparalleled brand of molecular gastronomy. Will Marcel continue to out-do himself? Tune in to find out.”

I wish Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen was going to focus more on the kitchen chemistry and be a series that explored and explained the amazing, and at times crazy, techniques, but, it seems like it will be more of a Dinner Impossible type reality series and I’m sure that will still be entertaining. 

 

However, I still long for even a special (are you reading this Food Network, Cooking Channel or especially Bravo since you’re the one who brought these awesome chef’s to the forefront)… to show us more of the techniques, the science of it all.  I thought it would be a perfect show for Richard Blais (also of Top Chef and Top Chef All Star fame).  I Googled him and was excited and disappointed to see that the Science Channel actually had a show that premiered in December called Blais Off that was a cooking show where Blais would go to restaurants and have a Bobby Flay Throwdown type competition where their traditional fare competes against Blais’ molecular gastronomy.  From what I was able to find, two shows aired (one with pizza and one with hamburgers) but I never watched either one and I couldn’t see if there were going to be any future airings (or even reruns).  I would have loved to have seen it.

 

I’ll probably watch at least the premiere episode of Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen just to see what Marcel is doing and be in awe of the techniques; hopefully there will be plenty of that shown.

 

Happy Sunday!!

Christmas, Christmas, Time is Here

Christmas Day was very pleasant.

 

I wrote that I would share some of the recipes and goodies that I made up for all of us to snack on throughout Christmas Day.  It was nice to have everything ready to go and all I had to do was put things into and onto the serving dishes once we were ready to eat.

 

Our main sustenance consisted of spinach dip and shrimp cocktail.  Then there was a bevy of desserts including mini cherry cheesecakes, oatmeal raisin cookies, snicker doodles, and triple chocolate chip cookies (Daddy made all three types of cookies, he’s turning into quite the little baker).

 

Here are some of the recipes:

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

2 pkgs. (8oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 package vanilla wafer cookies (you won’t use the entire box)
1 can cherry pie filling

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, scraping down the sides frequently. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Finally, add vanilla and lemon juice, and mix until just blended. 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cheesecakes completely. 

 

Garnish with cherries from canned cherry pie filling.  

 

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 48 mini cheesecakes.

 

Note: I made some with the cookies and some without.  If you omit the vanilla wafers then you get a more cheesecake but mine came out a little watery.  The ones with the wafers are perfect.

Spinach Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 package onion or leek dry soup mix

1 (1 pound) loaf round sourdough bread

 

Mix the sour cream, mayo, soup mix and spinach together.  Place in refrigerator to set up.

 

Just before you are ready to serve ( I usually do this about an hour or so before to allow the edges of the bread to harden just a bit) cut of the top of the bread loaf, tear it into pieces and scoop out the bread from the middle of the loaf to create a bowl.

 

Take spinach dip mixture from the fridge and scoop it into the bread bowl.

 

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Few splashes of hot sauce (I use Tabasco)

 

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

Enjoy!

Christmas Traditions

Apparently I have no problem keeping with some Christmas traditions such as finishing up gifts, wrapping presents and doing other activities while A Christmas Story plays in a continuous loop thanks to TBS.  It is now playing for my third listening/ viewing pleasure.  Regardless of what I am watching, I had to wait until just a couple hours so that I would have the living room all to myself.  Normally Mommy and Daddy go to a Christmas Eve party at my cousin's house in town but this year they decided to forgo that and instead have a nice dinner at home.

 

Mommy had decided what she wanted to eat but it was up to me to actually plan how to cook everything.  We had a fabulous dinner of Herb Roasted Cornish Game Hens a medley of Roasted Root Vegetables, homemade French Bread Dressing, Braised Swiss Chard and Collard Greens and fresh dinner rolls Daddy made that morning.  Mommy decided at the last minute that she wanted "stuffing" (she continues to call it stuffing although she never has actually "stuffed" a bird, she's too afraid).  Luckily we had some stale French bread and I just figured that I would figure it all out as I went along.

 

It was all so delicious.  We have enough to have a light lunch tomorrow but not too much that we will be eating it for days.  I'm so happy that  we started making all of the little treats and snacks for our Christmas celebration early.  Now we can just get up in the morning and enjoy the day.

I know that Mommy won't be reading this until after we open presents so I can share part of her gift with you.  I wasn't sure that I would have anything handmade for Christmas this year, which would be odd, then I remembered that I had some UFOs (unfinished object) and knew exactly what I wanted to finish for her.  The photo above is a pendant I made with a photo of her as a little girl (the other side is a picture of Daddy right about the same age as her). 

 

Now, with everything wrapped, I'm about ready to rest my head and hope for visions of sugar plums to dance in my head.  I will be back later today to share some recipes of the treats we will be nibbling on later today.

 

Merry Christmas!

Rum Balls Revisited

Since it is the holiday season I decided that I would share, or rather re-share, another favorite holiday cookie recipe.  It is also another pretty simple recipe but eat at your own risk.  I originally shared this recipe May of 2008 for a Swashbuckling Pirate Blog Party because I thought it was fitting since it was for Rum Balls and it dealt with pirates.

You do have to be careful though, since they are made with alcohol, they can affect you.  I remember the first time Mommy had them; she took them to work and shared them with a co-worker.  They were both florists and spent the entire shift laughing and carrying on and having a grand old time making arrangements and eating rum balls.  Later in the day, after she was home, Mommy was recalling how great her day was and how the shift just flew by and they both had so much fun. 

 

Baby Boy and I both remarked how that was because they were both tipsy.  Mommy adamantly denied being sloshed; she NEVER drank so how could she have been even the slightest bit buzzed.  I asked her what she had while she was at work and she remarked that the only thing they had been the cookies.  So I further questioned “and what kind of cookies were they?”

 

She responded that they were Rum Balls as if it were commonplace.  I pressed on and asked her what she thought was in the cookie.  She said that she didn’t know.  I then asked if she thought that maybe, quite possibly, one of the ingredients would be rum, since that is not only in the name of the cookie but she was the one who actually purchase the bottle of rum.  Needless to say she never took Rum Balls to work again and decided to limit how many she had during any one time.

Rum Balls - makes 4 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 (12 ounce) packages vanilla wafers, crushed
• 3 cups chopped nuts (walnuts & pecans work well and almonds are great too)
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 cup light rum
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, chopped nuts, 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, and cocoa. Mix in rum and corn syrup. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in confectioners' sugar or cocoa.

Store rum balls in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days to develop flavor. Roll them again in confectioners' sugar, cocoa, or crushed nuts before serving.

Surprise Sugar Cookies

A couple of year’s ago I shared about a party that Mommy and I catered.  It was for her friend Marilyn and was our first catering job and a large event at that.  Today I wanted to share one of the cookie recipes we had at that party that was a huge hit.  They are called Surprise Sugar cookies.  The surprise is a chocolate mint embedded between two sugar cookies so you think that you are just getting a massive sugar cookie but when you bite into it, surprise, there’s a chocolate mint center.  They are wonderfully yummy and great whether you make them from scratch or go the super easy route with ready made items, I’ll share both ways with you.

Surprise Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate mints (I like Andes)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

 

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, slightly flatten the ball, place a mint (or part of a mint depending on the size of your cookie, then put another slightly flattened piece of dough on top.  Make sure the edges are sealed (pressed together) then place the cookie “sandwich” onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  I like to bake on parchment paper because I don’t have a silicone baking sheet yet.

 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

 

Super Easy Surprise Sugar Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Purchase your favorite sugar cookie dough, typically an 18 ounce roll, slice into ¼ inch disks. 

Package of chocolate mint wafers.

 

Sandwich a chocolate mint between two slices of cut sugar cookie dough.  Make sure all edges are sealed and place on cookie sheet.

 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

 

Enjoy!

Grocery Shopping and Raw Pad Thai

I get a lot of stares and remarks whenever I go grocery shopping.  Luckily I am not a shy person, otherwise it would be very off-putting for so many people to comment on or ask questions about what is in my grocery cart.  I have gotten used to it, since it happens every single time I go shopping, and look forward to hopefully helping someone else out when they ask for recipes, tips and tricks.

 

Here is a portion of what I bring home on the kitchen counter.

This picture was my first attempt at Raw Pad Thai, I’ve made it two more times since then and it has improved.  I started using kelp noodles, so awesome, and played with the flavors.  It is one of Mommy’s favorite meals and it chock full of goodness.

 

I love the mix of spiciness, tanginess and crunch in this meal.  In one bite I get a burn of spice that’s followed by a coolness that chills the entire mouth.  This is a quick and easy dish that can be made on a whim and is really satisfying to eat.   Have fun!

Raw Pad Thai

Serves 2 – 3 people

1 carrot, cut into ribbons with a peeler
1/2 a red pepper, cut julienne
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 large zucchini, cut into ribbons with a peeler or spiraled into ‘noodles’ in a spiral slicer
1/4 cup snap peas, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 of a shallot, sliced thin
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
5 basil leaves, cut chiffonade
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
10 mint leaves, cut chiffonade

- Mix all ingredients in a bowl by hand and set aside.

1 cup kelp noodles
3 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon agave nectar
4 sun-dried tomato halves
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari
1/4 in cube ginger
1/2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 a chipotle chili, soaked until soft
2 tablespoons chipotle chili soak water

- Blend all ingredients except kelp noodles in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth.

- Place a few tablespoons of the mixture and mix in a bowl with the kelp noodles. Marinate for 1 hour or preferably overnight.  (This helps to soften the noodles.)

- Transfer the marinated noodles to a bowl with the remaining sauce and the prepared ingredients from the first section. Mix well by hand.

- Serve with lime wedge, sliced chili, chopped almonds and your favorite greens.

More Raw Yumminess

It feels good to get back to eating some really healthy and yummy food.  I never impose my diet or eating habits on anyone else, so while we had guests I put several things aside and just went with the flow.  In doing so, however, my body is now craving certain foods like these delectable stuffed mushroom caps.

They are pretty simple to make so I’ll include the directions.

 

Clean and de-stem mushroom caps (as many as you plan on making)

Marinate caps in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) for about 30 minutes (I stir them around… filling up the caps a bit with the marinade to help break down the mushroom like they would be if they were cooked).

 

I choose to stuff these with a sun-dried tomato sunflower seed pâté.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked at least 1 hour
1/3 cup soaked sun-dried tomatoes

1 teaspoon nama shoyu
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons fresh basil or parsley, minced

1 tablespoon red or green onion, minced

1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash fresh ground black pepper or cayenne

 

Directions:

Mix the first seven ingredients plus two tablespoons of water in a food processor until it begins to break down and form a paste. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Drizzle in more water until it reaches a consistency you like. It should resemble a hummus or any other spread. Add only enough water to get the consistency you like.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

The pâté will keep for several days if kept in a separate air tight container.  I like to use it with cut up veggies or served wrapped up in lettuce leaves or bell pepper boats.

Another go to dish, of course, is a great salad.  It is always easy to whip up a lovely green salad and throw in whatever I have fresh in the refrigerator or from the garden like mini bell peppers, mixed lettuces, carrots, red cabbage, radishes, etc.

And it’s even easier to concoct a delicious dressing with a little Dijon mustard, some honey, apple cider vinegar, a little extra virgin olive oil and then add salt and black pepper to taste… I just eyeball it and it turns out great every time. 

 

Enjoy!

Raw Living: It's Not Just Salads

As you can probably tell, I haven’t been motivated to write or post a lot here lately.  I’ve actually been staying away from my computer as much as possible.  I think it has been a combination of spending a lot of time using the computer at work (year end stuff for the district) and I have been making a lot of new things for shows when I am home.

 

In addition to not being motivated to write or take pictures of things, although I will be doing that soon, I’ve backslid regarding my eating raw.

I haven’t been eating completely raw for the last month or so but I am still eating a lot of raw foods and a few meals and have been drinking my green juice.  Yay for victories, no matter how big or small.

 

I have included some pictures of raw nut meat tacos that are so yummy.

 

 

I have mine on lettuce leaves because I’m allergic to green cabbage, it’s the darndest thing, one day I could enjoy coleslaw and the next I was swelling and itching and couldn’t take a nibble the same thing happened with celery, luckily I can still eat red cabbage so I occasionally partake of coleslaw with that… it usually ends up a pink coleslaw, but yummy nonetheless.

Now I’m off to begin tonight’s raw dinner… stay tuned.

 

Happy Tuesday

The Spice of Life

The other day I sent this link to my younger brother, Baby Boy with this message “I think this is brilliant, though I don't know if I have 76 different spices.  But a girl can dream can't she?”  This led to a discussion about spice storage and cleaning jars and our desires for kitchens with butler pantries … which just leads me back to thinking about 76 spices.

 

Then I begin counting, in my head, how many different spices, dried herbs, and powders I use on a semi-regular basis and then those that I have for baking, holidays, etc.  I’m pretty good about using up my spices, dried herbs and powers in a timely manner (since it all really has a shelf life for full flavor, meaning that although spices don’t necessarily spoil, they do lose their strength).  While looking into this, I found this article from O Chef called “When Do Herbs & Spices Give Up the Ghost?”

· Agar Agar · Allspice · Alum · Arrowroot · Basil · Bay Leaf · Brown Mustard · Cardamom · Cayenne Pepper · Celery Seed · Chili pepper · Chives · Cinnamon, ground · Cinnamon, sticks · Clove, ground · Clove, whole · Cocoa, powdered · Coriander · Cream of Tartar · Cumin · Curry (my mixture) · Dill seed · Emeril’s BAM! · Fenugreek · Garam Masala · Garlic, granulated · Garlic, powdered · Garlic Salt · Ginger · Green Bell Pepper, powdered · Lavender · Mace · Marjoram · Nutmeg · Onion, dehydrated · Onion, powdered · Oregano, Italian · Oregano, Mexican · Paprika · Parsley · Pepper, black · Pepper, white · Peppercorns · Poppy Seeds · Red Bell Pepper, powdered · Red Pepper Flakes · Rosemary · Sage · Sea Salt · Sea Salt, Celtic · Sesame Seeds · Star Anise · Tarragon · Thyme · Tomato, powdered · Turmeric · Vanilla · Wasabi · Yellow Mustard

 

This isn’t a complete list, but it will be helpful for me when I need to replace something … and I’ll probably print it out and put in inside the cupboard door where they are kept.  And after actually typing it all out I see that I probably have close to seventy six items (since I know that I am missing a few items), wowza!

 

This of course makes me wonder how you store spices and what’s on your spice shelf?

Springing into Change: My So Called Raw Life

I have been remiss in most areas of my life recently because I decided that if I was going to change certain aspects of said life then I needed to devote a lot of time in the beginning to focus on the specifics.  This year I resolved to get my health and fitness in check.  Now I don’t necessarily have health issues, and I don’t want them, but I know that I am not at my optimum in those areas and I’m tired of that goal being dropped to the bottom of the list. 

 

About three weeks ago I resolved to adopt a raw vegan diet for at least a month (Mommy and Daddy are pretty much following it too).  I have quite a few food allergies and intolerances and before this program I still ate many of those foods because it was “too difficult” to choose to eat or make something else.  Dairy and wheat were commonplace in my diet and those are two of my biggest problems. 

 

We decided on a Saturday start date and with that I began scouring my recipe books, websites, blogs, and forums to get some recipes and starting points.  From that I created a week-long menu and grocery list.  Our first few meals were salads and green juice… I hadn’t gone grocery shopping yet and needed to clear out the fridge, freezer and cupboards putting away what we wouldn’t be eating/ using for the next month or so and allowing room for our new food to be stored.

The first lunch consisted of a sunflower seed pâté and large mixed green salad with carrot pulp and a green juice.

This green juice consisted of kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, ginger, lemon and apple.

I really like the green juice now, however initially it did take getting used to.

 

There’s a lot more to all of this and I’ll be sharing it in more posts that I have laid out so stay tuned.