Cardamom Pavlova with Pistachios and Lime Whip

You're looking at our Easter 2012 dessert -- which followed an impressive spread from Jake's dad Dave (fried risotto balls, garlic spaghetti, pancetta-wrapped pork loin... and so on).

Jake and I finally got around to trying Bachelor Farmer a couple weeks back, where we we thought we might run into our "neighbor" the governor (his two sons own the restaurant) but instead, almost brushed elbows with Sen. Al Franken (he was two tables over).

We had a dessert that was similar to this, and I knew I needed to learn how to make pavolova -- which is essentially a ginormous meringue.

I've had ground cardamom from Penzey's for a few months now that I haven't really found a good use for. I followed this recipe from Chow.com as a reference. I added 1 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom in the last step.

Having never really worked with meringue before, I decided to to a dry run the night before (as we were making our Easter pierogies):

Here's the dry run. I kept poking at this one every few minutes between 55 and 65 minutes of bake time to see how well done it was in the middle. In our Breville toaster/convection oven, 65 minutes at 250 F with convection on was perfect.

I didn't have enough heavy whipping cream to make two batches, so I just topped this version with some boozy berry sauce I threw together (1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup mixed frozen blackberries and raspberries, 1/2 cup sweet white wine, 1/4 cup sugar, combine over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently).

I mixed the zest of two limes, some powdered sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract into one cup of heavy whipping cream to make the whipped topping. I would have liked a little more whip, but this was the perfect amount to cover the 8-ish inch pavlova.

So, after the pavolva comes out of the oven, allow to cool slightly, spread the whipped cream, sprinkle with 2-3 good handfuls of shelled pistachios, then top with 1-2 cups of sliced strawberries.

RECIPE:
Adapted from chow.com

For the pavlova:
4 large egg whites with no traces of yolk, at room temperature
 Pinch fine salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

(use a stand mixer with wire whisk attachment)

* Beat egg whites and salt until bubbles start to disappear (1-2 minutes), then slowly stream in the sugar. Increase whipping to medium and beat for 3-4 more minutes until stiff peaks form. Your mixture will be glossy and sticky, like marshmallow fluff.
* Sprinkle cornstarch over the surface, then pour in vanilla, vinegar and cardamom. Fold in gently until combined.
* Turn the mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a rubber spatula to make a nice round shape and try to smooth it out as best you can.
* Bake at 250 F for 65 minutes if you have convection, about 75 if not.
* Cool slightly, then top with lime whipped cream, pistachios and berries.

Eggs In A Hole for April LetsLunch

Just in time for Easter, our Let's Lunch group chose to make egg dishes for our monthly "lunch date" today.

I just got back from a great week in Orlando covering the 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off and visiting some friends (including my first trip into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!). So, I knew I wouldn't have much time this week for prepping a fancy egg dish.

Since joining Pinterest a few months back, I've been amazed by the number of eggs-in-a-hole style dishes I've come across. Eggs baked into toast. Eggs in a potato. Eggs in half of an avocado. It became kind of a joke for me, and I dedicated an entire Pin board to Eggs-In-A-Hole.

So, I thought it would only be fitting for me to finally try my hand at a fried egg in a toast hole today.

The bread I have at home right now is on the smaller side so I first made the hole using a small biscuit cutter.

The method for this delicious breakfast treat is super easy: you cut a hole into each slice of bread, then butter each piece. Heat a non-stick skillet, place the bread butter-side down, then crack an egg into the hole.

The first attempt: you can see the egg white sort of overflowed here. So I went back and used the next size up on my second toast.

When the egg sets on the bottom (three to five minutes), flip the whole slice of toast gently. I only left it on the other side for about a minute to let the other side of the egg set. But I'm a fan of runny egg yolks.

The best part about Eggs-In-A-Hole? Saving the cutouts to make an itty-bitty grilled cheese sandwich. I also sprinkled the leftover shredded cheese over my egg toasts.

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LetsLunch is a monthly "meetup" of food bloggers from all over! Each month we choose a theme, set a date and post on the day (it's usually the first Friday of the month).

Check out the posts from the rest of our group today:

– Cheryl's Chai Poh Scramble at A Tiger In The Kitchen

– Denise‘s Beet Dye & Pink Deviled Eggs at Chez Us

– Felicia‘s Perfect Sandwich at Burnt-Out Baker

– Grace‘s Scrambled Eggs & Tomatoes at HapaMama

– Joe‘s Kim-Chi Deviled Eggs at Joe Yonan

– Linda‘s Home-made Cadbury Eggs (Maple Chocolate Eggs) at Free Range Cookies

– Linda‘s Taiwanese Tomato Eggs at Spicebox Travels

– Lisa‘s Legendary Egg & Onion at Monday Morning Cooking Club

– Lucy‘s Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing (& Chicken Salad) at A Cook And Her Books

– Rashda‘s Bombay Toasts (Spicy French Toasts) at Hot Curries And Cold Beer

Want to join us? Send us a tweet and introduce yourself using the hashtag #letslunch

What's your favorite egg dish?

Baking marathon: red velvet cake, funfetti cake, mocha cake and salted caramel cake.

Last week I embarked on my second largest baking project ever. My high school journalism program, ThreeSixty Journalism, asked me to donate a few cakes to their mid-winter fundraiser for people to win as prizes.

Last Saturday, I baked a red velvet cake, two batches of the chocolate cake I made for Karyn's wedding, and a funfetti cake, based on this recipe. I also baked a batch of red velvet cupcakes to bring along for volunteers or anyone else to nibble on. I wrapped the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and left them in the fridge until Wednesday.

Wednesday, I made three large batches of vanilla buttercream and a double batch of cream cheese frosting for the red velvet. I flavored two batches of the buttercream with espresso and salted caramel sauce (I doubled this recipe from Michael Ruhlman's blog). I was very impressed with both of these flavors. You can see all of my favorite cake gear here: the cake boards stacked in the back, our awesome cupcake carrier (a wedding gift from a great friend), lot and lots of plastic wrap to keep the cakes fresh and safe between baking and decorating, offset and flat spatulas for icing, my cheap but reliable cake turntable, and in that white plastic bin in the front, that's where I keep my decorating tips and pastry bags.

I was also testing a product for the Food Now! newsletter, a cake slicing kit. I was able to make the funfetti and red velvet cakes into four layer cakes (I thought they looked very nice), and the single 10-inch layer of mocha cake into a slim two layer. The kit worked really well - but definitely better with the funfetti cake, which was a butter cake and much more firm.

Here's the salted caramel getting the crumb layer of icing. I filled between the layers with the rest of the caramel sauce. I think it was a bit too thin though, it was hard to keep it from running out the sides.

My freezer is jam packed, but thankfully it was a chilly day outside. I used my porch as a freezer to help firm up the icing after the crumb coating. This is the 10-inch mocha cake and the 8-inch salted caramel.

Not surprisingly, I was in a rush on my way out the door, so I forgot to take photos of the finished and decorated cakes. I was worried about transporting them, but each finished cake sat outside for probably 30 minutes before driving, so the frosting was firm, and the dollop of frosting between the cake board and the cake carrier had time to set, which minimized sliding. 

Here are the cakes out for display with some of the others donated by volunteers and staff. On the far left, my four-layer red velvet, topped with cream cheese frosting, and decorated with strawberries and pecan halves. In the middle an M&Ms and KitKat bar cake baked by one of my former editors. On the far right, the 10-inch mocha cake, decorated with crushed Oreo pieces. 

Top left: the 8-inch salted caramel chocolate cake, with caramel sauce filling and salted caramel buttercream, decorated with a star pattern around the edge. Top right: a vanilla frog cake by one of the staff. Botton: the 8-inch vanilla funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream and topped with tons and tons of sprinkles. 

The fundraiser was a success and I had a ton of fun baking all of these cakes. 

Recipes: 

RED VELVET CAKE 

(adapted from Paula Deen's Food Network recipe) 

*Note: After baking this cake a few times per year, I can tell you purchasing red food color each time is a pain--also somewhat expensive. I finally purchased a large bottle (maybe 20-30 ounces) of red food color in bulk at my local Asian grocery (Twin Cities friends: I bought mine at the Shaung Her in Minneapolis) for $8, or the cost of 2 or 3 of those little bottles.

For the Red Velvet Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I like natural cocoa from Penzey's Spices)  
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 ounce (1-2 TBS) red food coloring*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 TBS white vinegar, at room temperature)

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 2 sticks butter at room temperature
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar (about 1 lb, or half a bag)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 TBS milk or cream, as needed.

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two cake pans with nonstick spray, flour and parchment paper. 

* In a medium sized bowl, sift together dry ingredients until completely combined. 

* In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix eggs, oil, color and buttermilk. 

* Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches. Drizzle in vinegar and vanilla and mix only until fully combined. 

* Split evenly among the cake pans then bake for 24-26 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. 

* Cool completely before frosting. 

>> To make cream cheese frosting: beat butter and cream cheese on medium high until fluffy and fully combined. Add the vanilla then lower mixer speed and add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Mix on medium 5-7 minutes, then test texture. If the frosting still feels grainy, mix another 3-5 minutes until smooth. 

CHOCOLATE CAKE

(Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake recipe)

Serves 12 or makes 24 cupcakes.

Note: This is a time to break out the really good cocoa powder. From "The Barefoot Contessa," by Ina Garten, who recommends extra-large eggs in her recipes, though large will work fine.

• Butter, for greasing the pans

• 13/4 c. flour, plus more for pans

• 2 c. sugar

• 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 c. buttermilk, shaken

• 1/2 c. vegetable oil

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 c. freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; mix on low speed until combined.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (If brushing with Raspberry Glaze, see directions at right.)

Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

(Source: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/recipes/131156498.html) 

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM (the starting point for 3 of my cakes): 6 sticks of butter (room temperature), one 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar, 1-2 tsp clear vanilla flavoring (you can use regular vanilla for the salted caramel and espresso batches), 1-2 TBS milk or cream as needed. 

> Mix the butter on medium high in a stand mixer for 7-10 minutes until shiny and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer on low 1/2 cup at a time. When desired consistency has been reached, turn the speed on the mixer up to medium again, and mix 5-7 minutes, then test for graininess. 

Variations: Mix 2-3 TBS very strong espresso (I used 4 TBS Cafe Bustelo coffee grounds with about 6 ounces of water, then strained.) with the butter on low before adding the powdered sugar OR mix 1 1/2 cups salted caramel sauce with the butter before adding the powdered sugar. 

Let's Lunch: Food Inspired by Music

The last few months when #LetsLunch came around, I really dropped the ball. This month, I actually took some time, thought up a recipe idea, and set time aside to test it and get it photographed ahead of LetsLunch publishing.

I was a little worried about the theme, Food Inspired by Music, at first. I even threw the question out on the Facebook page I manage for my new job at The Cooking Club, hoping our members would give me some inspiration. (They didn't.)

So, I give you: Put the Lime in the Coconut Macaroons. Ha, get it? (if not, refer to the video clip of the Muppets below!)

I was a little worried about how the flavors would turn out, but it's actually really nice.

So, start by zesting 4 limes. I know you see 6 limes in the basket above. I didn't end up using all of the zest, so it got thrown into the Corona/lime Superbowl Wings, along with the juice from the limes.

Then whip two egg whites with a pinch of salt, stir in one can of sweetened condensed milk and two teaspoons of vanilla. Add two bags (two!) of flaked or shredded coconut. Honestly, I should have used a bigger bowl. But really mix it around, make sure all of the coconut gets some of the egg whites/condensed milk goop on it.

Next, sprinkle in your lime zest and mix it around. Feel free to sing "Put the lime in the coconut" while you're doing it. If you're not afraid of raw egg whites, taste a little spoonful to make sure you have enough zest.

Bake the macaroons at 325 for about 22 minutes (rotate pans halfway). Definitely use parchment-lined cookie sheets for this. I found my small cookie scoop was the perfect size for making these. Cool completely.

In a double boiler, or a bowl set over some simmering water, melt about 1 1/2 cups of coarsely chopped  chocolate, or as much chocolate as you can find in your house. Mine was a mix of dark and extra dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's and some semi-sweet chocolate chips. As the chocolate melts, add 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream and stir until completely mixed in. You might need to add one or two more tablespoons of cream to get the ganache to the right consistency.

I did most of the macaroons dipping one half into the chocolate. I also experimented with doing some just chocolate on the flat bottoms. I like that too, because then you get a little chocolate in every bite. But, I think it takes longer to dip them that way. Allow the chocolate to cool overnight.


RECIPE: Put the Lime in the Coconut Macaroons
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 bags flaked or shredded coconut
Zest from 4 good-sized limes
1 1/2 to 2 cups coarsely chopped chocolate (mix of dark and milk)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1. Line two cookie sheets with parchment and preheat the oven to 325** (Martha's recipe called for 20 minutes at 300. Mine looked sad and pale after 20 minutes, so I upped the temp to 325. Just be sure to rotate the pans so that the bottoms don't burn)

2. Whip the egg whites with salt in a large mixing bowl for about two minutes until foamy.

3. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Add the coconut and mix well, until completely combined.

4. Sprinkle in and stir the lime zest.

5. Drop tablespoon sized cookies onto the cookie sheets and bake 22 minutes, rotating the pans and switching top/bottom racks halfway.

6. Cool completely.

7. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (or similar), slowly stir in the cream. Add additional tablespoon or two if neccessary for dipping.

8. Dip each macaroon (either the bottom, or one side) in the chocolate mixture and set on parchment lined cookie sheets to cool.

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Lets Lunch is a monthly, online lunch date of food bloggers around the world. Want to join us? search the Twitter hashtag #letslunch and let us know you want in! I'm @emmacarew on Twitter.

Here's a roundup of all the other LetsLunch posts this month:
Smoked Brown Sugar Creme Brulee at Maria's Good Things
One Meatball at GeoFooding
Organ Recital and Donut Holes by Patrick Lee
Besame Mucho Banana Bread at Hot Curries and Cold Beer
Tiger Cakes at Cowgirl Chef
Jewish Vegetarian Kishke at GrongarBlog
Chicken and Dumplings Roxie Waller Style at Show Food Chef
Coconut Cake at Kitchen Trials
Gluten-Free Thin Mints at Free Range Cookie
Honey Mac Wafers with Coconut at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Tommy's Chili burger at Burnt-Out Baker
Frijoles, Plantanos y Mojitos at Spicebox Travels
Pear Frangipane Tart at Beyond The Plate

#letslunch: Dave's Chili Recipe

OK, so I really fell down on the clock for #letslunch this month. As usual, it snuck up on me, like, WHAM!

So, what I have to offer up this month, is not my own recipe, not even a dish I cooked this week, but it is the most recent bowl of chili I have eaten:

Dave is my very dear father-in-law and every year on New Year's Day he makes a big pot of his very excellent chili. I missed out on the day-of festivities this year, but Jake brought some home for me, and it was just as delicious as ever.

So, here's the recipe Dave emailed me a couple months ago. I think the key is mixing the beef and the pork. It adds a little something I can't quite put my finger on to describe, short of just calling it "general awesomeness."

I'll try to update Friday afternoon with other #LetsLunch posts from around the country and globe! Want to join our monthly lunch date? Send us a tweet on the hashtag! I'm @emmacarew

DAVE'S CHILI RECIPE

1. Cook two diced onions in oil until soft.
2. Add two pounds of ground beef and one pound of pork. Cook till no longer pink and browned well. 3. Add three large cans of tomato sauce
4. Add one can of dark red kidney beans (we never liked beans all that much. It is all about the meat!)
5. Stir in three packages of McCormick's Chili Seasoning. Us the regular seasoning, not the mild or spicy. (Sorry for cheating, but I think it turns out great and tastes the same time after time). Cover and cook at a very low simmer for about 1 hour. It is a good base and you can always add from there if you want. Such as more heat.

Dave's notes: I always liked to make it a day in advance, as I believe it tastes better the more times you reheat it. I also liked to serve with plenty of oyster crackers, cheese, sour cream and of course beer and chips..

Homemade char siu pork

I finally got around to checking out the Minneapolis-based counterpart to my local Asian market, Shuang Her, over the weekend.

It was a little disappointing to know how much better the Minneapolis store is in terms of meat selections -- there is a real butcher-type counter, rather than just a large fridge case of packaged meat.

So, I grabbed three pounds of skinless pork butt for about $9 and decided to try my hand at homemade char siu pork.

Char siu is one of those things that usually seems easier to buy, given how hard it seems to make at home.

I adapted this recipe and technique that I found online, and I'm thrilled with the result. My two favorite ways to enjoy char siu is wrapped in fluffy white dimsum buns or mixed into a sticky rice recipe from my friend Wendy (though, this was so tasty, I found myself just munching on it).



Ingredients:
3 lbs of skinless pork butt and cut into pieces a little smaller than my fist

Sauce:
4 tablespoons light corn syrup (use maltose if you have it/can find it)
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) -- note, the original recipe calls for "Chinese Rose Wine" so again, if you have it on hand or can find it, go with it.
3 dashes white pepper powder
1 tsp red coloring (optional)
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:
Add all ingredients, except the pork, to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Marinate the pork butt pieces with 2/3 of the char siu sauce  overnight. Reserve the rest of the marinade for brushing during cooking.
At 400 degrees, roast the meat uncovered for 20 mins, flip and roast another 15 mins.
Then, on a flat baking pan covered in foil, brush the meat with half the remaining sauce, and broil for 5 minutes until it starts to smoke, and you get a few areas starting to turn black and crisp. Flip the meat, drain the sheet pan if there is too much liquid, and broil the other side.
* if you don't live in Minnesota in December, you could also grill the meat for the final steps over a high heat grill.




The pork after first round of roasting



The pork after broiling. I used our *awesome* new toaster oven for the roasting and the broiling.

#LetsLunch: festive sides/family sides edition

Another month, another late LetsLunch post...

Sadly, I worked nights most of this past week, so I didn't do much cooking of meals, much less than side dishes. With it being my second-to-last week on the job, I used my free mornings instead to meet up with my former team in one of our bureaus for lunch, ran errands and got a spa facial on Friday. :)

I am SUPER excited to get started at my new gig at the Cooking Club. Hopefully that means this blog will start to get a little more love (though, it's entirely possible it goes in the other direction for the first few months while I get settled).

But, I will still continue to meet up with my world-wide LetsLunch group for our virtual food date once a month. This month, we chose festive holiday sides and festive family side dishes (I think...).

I made this for a potluck last night and from the empty dish we brought home at the end of the night, it seems to have been a hit.

This is my mom's Hot Crab Dip. She usually only makes it at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every year, I think I end up single-handedly devouring at least half of it.




Mom's recipe calls for 1 block of cream cheese to 1 can of lump crab meat. This is a double batch and it fills a medium-sized round corning-ware dish.

Season the drained crab meat with two teaspoons of prepared horseradish (or more, to taste. I use heaping teaspoons). Also preheat your oven or toaster oven to 375.



Dried onion flakes, three teaspoons. You could probably use real onion (though a bit less, they're very strong) or some thinly sliced scallions if you're feeling extra fancy. Also sprinkle some salt and pepper at this point.



Mix in two blocks of cream cheese. This works a lot better when you leave the cream cheese out for a bit, maybe near a warm oven. These were right out of the fridge, and it was a pain to mix.


Finally add milk a spoonful at a time and continue mixing. Add no more than two tablespoons of milk (but usually ends up needing much less).

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until warmed through and slightly browned on top. Cool before serving or risk seriously burning the crap out of your mouth. Serve with crackers or bread.

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LetsLunch is a monthly virtual lunch date among food bloggers from around the world. Our fearless leader, Cheryl Tan can be found at www.atigerinthekitchen.com  Want to join us? Search the #LetsLunch hashtag on Twitter and ping any one of us with your info. I'm @emmacarew

Here's a round-up of what everyone else posted this week:
Charissa‘s Coconut Date Balls at Zest Bakery
Cheryl's Auntie Jane's Potato Gratin at A Tiger In the Kitchen
Eleanor‘s Easy Festive Stir-Fry at Wok Star
Ellise‘s Lime-Chipotle Carrots at Cowgirl Chef
Felicia‘s Chinese Butterfly Cookies at Burnt-Out Baker
Grace‘s Fruitcake at HapaMama
Joe‘s Maine Homestead Holiday Dishes at Joe Yonan
Linda‘s Baked Salad at Free Range Cookies
Linda‘s Trinidadian Baked Pastelles at Spicebox Travels
Lisa‘s Potato Latkes at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s “Not My Mama’s” Black-Eyed Peas & Greens at A Cook And Her Books
Maria‘s Grandma Dorothy’s Deviled Eggs at Maria’s Good Things
Patrick‘s Baby Pecan Pies at Patrick G. Lee
Rebecca‘s Grandmother Martha’s Potato Kugel at Grongar Blog
Steff‘s Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble at The Kitchen Trials
Victor‘s Roasted Parsnips, Carrots & Delicata Squash Tossed With Sauteed Mustard Greens at The Taste of Oregon

Thanksgiving 2011, version 2.0 (Roasted, braised turkey)

Thanksgiving this year was a quiet affair. Having used up most of my vacation time for our wedding and honeymoon, I volunteered to work a half day at the paper, then we went to a good friend's house for a potluck.

The potluck was wonderful -- my first Thanksgiving with egg rolls. I think I may never go back!

But, that left us in the curious position of not having any Thanksgiving leftovers, except for a few slices of pie.


So, Friday night, we hit up Cub Foods and bought the smallest non-frozen turkey we could find (12 pounds) and a few other provisions for Thanksgiving 2.0.

I spent most of Saturday cooking our very first married Thanksgiving. Jake also points out that Michigan, his favorite college football team had a miraculous win on our wedding day, then had another big win on the day of our first married Thanksgiving. This appears to reaffirm that our marriage was, indeed, the right choice.

Having never actually roasted a turkey before, I did some internet research. I decided to follow Michael Ruhlman's Roast/Braise method, as the idea of keeping the turkey really moist seemed to be the biggest challenge.  Basically, you stuff the turkey with all the good stuff: onions, herbs, citrus, then fill your pan with stock making goodies: more herbs, more onion, some carrots, celery (I used fennel, it was grand), a little tomato paste, a little alcohol (I used half a bottle of Riesling, but beer, whiskey, probably anything would do), then add water until the dark meat is resting in it.

When the white meat is cooked to 160 at the fattest part, you remove the turkey (this is harder than it sounds...), slice off the dark meat, and put the dark meat back into the braising liquid for a bit, while you cover the white meat to keep it juicy, tender and awesome.

So, aside from probably using too much tomato paste (so the broth was redder than I would have liked), I think it turned out really well.

In Carey family tradition, I removed and devoured the turkey neck.


Here's the turkey after the initial "roast" stage. This was the maiden voyage for the roasting pan we received from our wedding, as well as the baster (which was metal, so hard to see how much liquid you've pulled into it) and the meat thermometer. What Ruhlman's recipe doesn't mention is that one half of the turkey may cook faster than the other, so on one of your basting times, pull the turkey out, get the temp on each breast, and rotate accordingly. He also fails to account for the 12 lb turkey and 2/3 a roasting pan full of liquid being REALLY FREAKING HEAVY. Use adult supervision accordingly for the lifting, turning, whatever.When the cooler breast has reached 160, that's when I declared it done.


So, while the turkey was roasting, then the dark meat braising (seriously, the meat on this thing was so tender, and stayed so moist even through the week of leftovers), I got to work on the other aspects: mashed red potatoes with roasted shallots, Wendy's pecan sweet potatoes, and stuffing.

Although I have grown to appreciate real, gourmet stuffing, I still love the Pepperidge Farm stuff my mom used to make from the bag. We made two bags (yes, for two people... deal with it). This year I branched out a little and crumbled in a little cooked "all natural" sausage (about 1 1/2 packages for the two bags), but truly, that's as fancy as I'll get.

Here's the finished plate: Clockwise from top left: mashed red, turkey, stuffing, mashed sweet with pecans, and bread (which I picked up from Diamond City Bread in Elk River, after reading a colleague's profile of the place)


At some point, I also decided on a whim to use up the rest of my buttery pie dough and make another pie. I had already brought two pecan pies to the potluck (one with a homemade crust, one with a store-bought crust, which happened during my frustrating with my sticky homemade crust), and two chocolate pudding pies (again, tribute to my mother. They're simple, but she made them, and I love them). This was my fifth and final Thanksgiving 2011 pie: and yes, I'm still using that damn Pioneer Woman recipe from last year


So, all in all, I would call Thanksgiving 2.0 a success. You can see Jake smiling as he piles up his plate here. Happy husband, happy wife, happy Thanksgiving. :)

Fancy-pants grilled cheese

So, I have some wonderful news to share! I recently accepted a job as the digital editor for a magazine called The Cooking Club. I am definitely sad to leave my job at the Strib but this is an amazing opportunity for me to combine my passions: digital journalism and cooking. Can't wait to get started, more details to come.


Now on to the food... 

Jake and I have been meaning to get to our neighborhood bar for their fancy grilled cheese and veggies sandwiches for a while now. The place is a little pricey, and we tend to frequent it for brunch, so a few weeks ago, we decided to have date night in and try to figure them out ourselves.



I started by slicing up a red bell pepper, drizzling with a 1/2 tsp olive oil and some salt in one giant ramekin and slicing a red onion with a little red wine vinegar in the other. I roasted at 450 for about 30 minutes while I got the other stuff ready. I also broiled for 3-5 minutes to finish them.

We put our double cast irons to work to toast the buns we bought. I brushed them with truffle oil on each side before grilling.




We used four kinds of cheese: Brie (spread on the bottom), smoked gouda, mozzarella, and fontina. I also sauteed some portobello mushrooms in a little red wine and black pepper. We grilled them with just the cheese, covered for a few minutes to get the cheese melting, then piled on the toppings.


 
The finished product. I used the heated top cast iron again to press down and heat the sandwiches from both sides.  We plated over baby arugula (which we both ended up stuffing into the sandwiches anyway) and a drizzle of truffle oil and salt.

#LetsLunch November: Food for seduction

This month my LetsLunch group decided to choose sexy or seductive foods in honor of our friend Rashda's book debut, The Djinn's Dilemma. I'm a bit late to the party, as I've been sick, but here's my post.

Others in our group picked smoky soups, stews, donuts and jellies. Food for love, food for romance, all to fit the theme of Rashda's new romance novel!

Me? I went back to the place where I first learned how to cook. I started cooking in college and when I started, I began with a lot of Rachael Ray dishes.

I remember reading a quote she had in Good Housekeeping:
""I knew my boyfriend was the man to marry when I asked him what he would like for his birthday dinner," Rachael Ray writes in her cookbook Cooking 'Round the Clock. "I offered up lobster, steak, fine foods of all nationalities, to which he replied: 'Can I just have some of your carbonara?' Whoa! I was right about him.... 

Read more: Rachael Ray Recipes - Carbonara Recipe by Rachel Ray - Good Housekeeping

I had never heard of carbonara, but I knew I wanted to try it. Now I'm a newly-wed myself, and my husband absolutely loves when I make this dish. It's one of our favorites!

So, for November's LetsLunch, raise a glass to our dear friend Rashda for her book release, and dig in to some lovely, creamy carbonara.

Carbonara starts with bacon or pancetta. I only had turkey bacon in the house, so use a little extra olive oil when cooking. Once the bacon is cooked through, add 3 cloves minced garlic and lower the heat. Then add one small palmful of red chile flakes and 1/3 cup white wine (only use something you would actually drink! And if you're cooking for seduction, you ought to have an open bottle of wine on hand). While this is all going on, cook 3/4 a pound of pasta to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

In a separate bowl, beat 2 egg yolks and 1 egg. While whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to temper the eggs. Add salt and pepper and a big handful of shredded cheese. If you're using fresh herbs (parsley, basil, etc) chop and mix into the egg. If you want a creamier carbonara, add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup half and half or milk here. This will give the pasta a shiny, glossier finish and add a little decadence (as if pasta with bacon and tons of cheese isn't decadent enough).

Toss the pasta with the bacon mixture and mix well to coat, then pour the egg mixture over. Remove from heat and stir to combine. Let stand for 5-8 minutes and allow sauce to thicken. Serve with more cheese and freshly cracked pepper.

LetsLunch is a monthly meeting of food bloggers from around the globe. Send us a note on the hashtag #Letslunch if you'd like to join us! I'm @emmacarew

See what others have posted this month:

Rashda's Spicy Seafood Soup

Linda's West African Groundnut Stew

Joe's Overnight-Marinated Swordfish Stew

Grace's Pasta Puttanesca

Cathy's Roasted Pepper Jelly

Leigh's Apple Cider Donuts

Steff's Flirty Italian Snack


See you next month for festive sides!