About Feast Everyday

Based in Corning, New York and the beautiful Finger Lakes. Started in 2009 by Barbara Blumer with her family and friends. Her husband, Tom, now regularly contributes, too.

Over 900 Recipes and still growing

From muffins to curries with step-by-step photos and how-to tips: see recipe index https://feasteveryday.blogspot.com/p/recipes-index.html

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Monday, March 26, 2018

Pork Tenderloin with Whisky-Marmalade Sauce



I have made this at least 3 times now and have added it to our list of "go-to" recipes because it uses ingredients we always have on hand.

Pork tenderloins have been part of our repertoire for a long time, but until now, I have never thought about slicing them into medallions to speed up the process.

I am becoming a fan of making sauces, and this is a good one.

Pork Medallions with Whiskey-Marmalade Sauce
(from Fine Cooking, Feb/March 2018)

Serves 4

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 t. fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 t. dry mustard
2 t.  vegetable oil
1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut cross-wise into 1 - inch - thick medallions
salt and pepper to taste
1 T. unsalted butter
2 T. finely chopped shallot
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3 T. Scotch whiskey (like Dewar's or Cutty Sark or Johnny Walker)
1/4 t. cornstarch
1 T. water
In a small bowl, combine the marmalade, orange juice, lemon juice and mustard, set aside.

I recommend that you chop your shallot, get your red pepper flakes ready, measure out the whiskey and make the cornstarch slurry ahead of time, i.e., now.

Also, I recommend that you remove the pork tenderloin from the grocery store packaging well in advance of cooking it, and pat it dry, and remove any silver skin.  The drier the meat the better for pan-frying.  Slice the pork into 1" medallions and season it just before pan-frying.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, then cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, and just barely cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate.  (I put my plate in the oven on 200 degrees to keep them warm.)

Add the butter, shallot, and pepper flakes to the skillet, and let cook, stirring, until the shallot is tender, about 1 minute.  Add the whiskey and cook, stirring, until nearly evaporated, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the marmalade mixture and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and 1 T. water in a small dish.  Stir this slurry into the sauce, and simmer until slightly thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if needed.
Stir in the pork juices that have collected on the plate into the sauce.  Put the medallions back into the sauce to coat them evenly, then serve, drizzled with the extra sauce.
This time we served it with rice and sauteed green beans.

B


Monday, March 12, 2018

Irish Brown Soda Bread (Cook's Illustrated) by Barbara


We were wowed by this recipe.  It was well worth the effort to find the wheat bran and wheat germ for the recipe.

This is the only recipe that I have found that comes close to the bread we had when traveling in Ireland.

---Barbara

Irish Brown Soda Bread
(Cook's Illustrated March-April 2018)

Makes one 8 inch loaf

2 cups (11 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 t. sugar
1.5 t. baking powder
1.5 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly grease an 8 inch round (I used a square) cake pan.
Whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Add buttermilk, and stir with a rubber spatula until all flour is moistened and dough forms soft, ragged mass.
(You can skip this step)
Transfer the dough to counter and gently shape into a 6 inch round (surface will be craggy.  Tom said mine looked like a mountain range.)
Transfer to prepared pan. Using serrated knife, cut 1/2 inch deep cross about 5 inches long on top of loaf.
Bake until loaf is lightly browned and center registers 185 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes, preferably rotating the pan halfway through.
Invert loaf onto wire rack.  Reinvert loaf and let cool for at least 1 hour.  Slice and serve.
Our bread lasted for several days, in a plastic bag, although it was the best on the first day.  On the last day, it was delicious toasted for breakfast.
B

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup

We loved this recipe.  Had it for dinner several times in a row and didn't get tired of it at all.
The spice mix is a great combination:  smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon, plus red pepper flakes for heat.  The soup has lots of texture from the chard, chickpeas, lentils, and orzo.  And we loved the tomato herb broth. Lemon adds brightness.

Plan plenty of time to prep your ingredients.  Once you have them ready, it will take another 45 minutes to an hour to complete the soup and have it ready to serve.
---Barbara

Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup
(from Cook's Illustrated March-April 2018)

Serves 6 to 8 generously

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground cinnamon (Ceylon)
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (divided in two)
4 cups chicken broth (I used 6 cups)
4 cups water (I used 2 cups)
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup lentils (they said brown, I used green), picked over and rinsed
1 (28 ounce ) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup orzo
4 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used a mix of chard and kale)
2 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  (Yes, it looks like too much oil! but go ahead) until shimmering.  Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and starting to brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.  (Do not let your garlic burn.) Stir in coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup parsley and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the broth, water, chickpeas, and lentils; increase heat to high and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium low, partially cover, and gently simmer until the lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and pasta and simmer, partially covered for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in chard and continue to cook, partially covered, until pasta is tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Off heat, stir in lemon juice, remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve.

B



Quick and Easy Fudge Brownies (King Arthur)

A Pan Full of Brownies Waiting to Cool Before Cutting

I was surprised to see a brownie recipe on the back of my King Arthur all-purpose flour.  They aren't in the business of selling cocoa.

I had just made a fancy-pants version of brownies from Fine Cooking and they were a total gooey-mess-fest, so I thought maybe simpler would be better.

I noticed that King Arthur's recipe used a combination of butter and oil, when most recipes use butter only.

These brownies are basic but that doesn't mean they aren't good!  They are.  They are chewy, moist and chocolaty.

They are on the thinner side.  If you want thicker brownies, you can make them in a smaller pan  Just increase the baking time to compensate.

Note:  These can be made with gluten-free flour substitute.

Quick and Easy Fudge Brownies
(King Arthur Flour)

1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cocoa (any kind)
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. espresso powder
3 large eggs (room temperature)
8 T. (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13" pan.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, and stir together until smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan.  Spread, if necessary to make the batter even throughout.

Bake for 25- 26 minutes or until a tester (toothpick) comes out clean.  Don't overbake.

Remove from the oven and let them cool completely in the pan.

Once completely cool, cut into squares.

Freezes well.

B


Saturday, March 10, 2018

Squirrel Chocolate Cookies


Squirrel and Nut Christmas Cookie Platters 

Looking back at the cookies we made over the holidays, Tom's chocolate squirrels were surprisingly good and worth making again. (I'll let Tom explain sometime why squirrels were appropriate.)  The recipe was on the card that came with the cookie cutter which I found at Wegman's.  You can see the full range of cookie cutters here at

www.annclarkcookiecutters.com

I enjoyed visiting their site.  They have over 2100 designs and you can order them online, too.   They have an extensive list of recipes which will come in handy in the future. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ann Clark started the cookie cutter company using her pig design.  The family run company is based in Vermont, and has become a big success!  They are the biggest cookie cutter manufacturer in the USA.

I wonder what Ben Clark, Ann's son, who runs the company, thinks of the proposed tariffs on steel.

Squirrel Chocolate Cookies
(from Ann Clark Cookie Cutters)

Makes about 12-14 squirrels

Cream together:
1 1/4 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

Beat in:
1 egg

Add:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 t. salt

Mix well.  Chill dough for three hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out 1/4" thick and cut into shapes.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.  Frost and decorate or eat just plain.  Enjoy!  Ann

Frosting:
3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 T. butter
1 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. lemon juice

Melt butter, combine all ingredients, and beat until smooth.  Add food coloring if desired.  Yield:  1/3 cup.

B


Friday, March 9, 2018

Coffee Shortbread Dipped In Chocolate by Colleen

UPDATED 2020
A friend has a cookie exchange party every year on her birthday. She serves baked potatoes and salad and drinks and everyone brings a couple dozen cookies. It is a good time and I just went to the 10th annual party! Which presents a small problem in that I’ve already brought all my “go-to” recipes in the past. So I decided to bring something new and I wanted the presentation to be good as she puts all the cookies out on display on her dining table. So I did a little research and came up with this recipe. 
—-Colleen

Coffee Shortbread Dipped in Chocolate

3 ¾ cups flour
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons espresso powder
2 cups butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch salt

Chocolate Glaze:
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
1 stick butter

Soften the 2 cups of butter.  Dissolve the espresso powder in the vanilla extract in a small bowl.  Add the sugar to the butter and cream and add in the espresso and vanilla mixture. Add in the flour and mix well.  If you are using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the dough.

Pat the dough into two flat disks, wrap and refrigerate.  When the dough is chilled, roll out on a Silpat using a sheet of plastic film or waxed paper on top so the dough doesn’t stick. Roll to about ½ inch thickness.  Cut out small circles with cookie cutter or any other shape you like.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes on parchment lined cookies sheets.   Check for doneness – they should feel “set” to the touch and be just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Glaze:

Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a large bowl.  Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate half way and place on wire rack to set.  

Note:

The cookies are not overly sweet, so you may want to use milk chocolate chips if you want a sweeter cookie, or you can cut back a bit on the espresso powder.


—-Colleen