Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

If you can use Chex in a savory snack mix, why not Rice Krispies, too? This Indian chivra is lightly spiced with curry powder, and has that whole salty-sweet flavor sensation going on. It sounds a bit odd, but that's just 'cause it's unfamiliar.

Trust me - this crunchy snack is addictive!


Chivra (Indian Snack Mix)

3 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups chow mein noodles
3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts

1/4 cup light oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
generous pinch of kosher salt
generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine Rice Krispies, chow mein noodles, peanuts, and vermicelli.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat oil with curry powder, garam masala, salt, and cayenne pepper just until warm; mix well. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Pour onto a baking sheet

Bake for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Let cool, then serve.

Makes about 7 cups of chivra.

Raisin Streusel Pie and Going A.W.O.L. Again

On Facebook, there's been a shtick going 'round to be assigned a number and then come up with that many unknown tidbits about yourself. I was invited twice, and in the second round I noted this point:

My maternal grandmother was a wonderful home baker, and she used to make a fabulous raisin pie. The Amish call it "Funeral Pie," as they always have dried fruit on hand and the pies can then be made quickly when there's news of a death in the community. I haven't had raisin pie in probably more than 40 years … I should make one some time. I don't think any of my loved ones would eat it, which is just fine by me.

This tidbit got a lot of attention, as folks told me how unique the pie sounded; compared it to Japanese Fruit Pie (which I'd never heard of, but which apparently combines raisins, pecans, and coconut); and mentioned that they had relatives who loved raisin pie. So I offered a recipe from Marcia Adams, who included it in her classic cookbook Cooking From Quilt Country.

After the terrible windstorms that blew through the Midwest a couple of weeks ago (which, thankfully, didn't bring tornadoes to Michigan as they did in Illinois and Indiana), we had no power at work one day - a serendipitous day off! Well, needless to say, I spent it in the kitchen baking - you guessed it - Raisin Pie.

But I only had one pie crust on hand, so I prepared a streusel topping instead of the usual top crust. I didn't add rum, as my very dear friend Candace had brilliantly suggested, since there are folks 'round here whom I don't dare expose to alcohol when their sobriety is so seemingly solid now. But it's an inspired suggestion, so I highly recommend you try it and make a Rum Raisin Pie. How perfect would this treat be for Christmas???

I must say, though - as I twist my good arm to pat my own back - that this was absolutely wonderful even without the potent potable! It was sweet and spicy, with hints of crunch from the streusel. Not quite like the pie my grandmother made, but it certainly made me think of her again, which makes me happy ....

Update on my bad shoulder, whose illustrious history can be found in Cliff's Notes fashion here: I'm having outpatient surgery on Friday morning - yup, Friday the 13th! - to fix my shoulder. I'm definitely looking forward to ultimately feeling better and being able to move my arm properly again, though I'm hardly excited by the prospect of pain and of not being able to eat from midnight 'til whatever time I wake up and am semi-functional again.

So I've finished posts through January 1, and will come back in the new year whenever my discomfort, my mobility, my work and physical therapy schedules, and my ability to cook/bake/type make it possible to do so. I'm sufficiently optimistic that I'm already making post-surgery plans to try Thompson's Pizza, which recently won The Ann Arbor News' readers' poll for best pizza in the area; it's less than half-a-mile from the hospital where I'm having the procedure done, and I believe it's not unreasonable to pick up a take-out order on the way home ... :)


Raisin Streusel Pie
(adapted from the Raisin Pie recipe in Marcia Adams' Cooking From Quilt Country)

Pie:
1 pie crust for a 9" pie
2 cups raisins
2 cups water, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dark rum, optional

Streusel:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup quick-cook oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Make the pie: Preheat oven to 400F. Place the pie crust into a 9" pie pan and crimp the edges decoratively. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the raisins and 2/3 cup water to a boil; turn heat down to "low" and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; whisk in the remaining 1-1/3 cups water.

When the raisins are done cooking, stir in the sugar mixture and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. When the mixture starts to thicken, stir constantly until translucent and dark. Stir in the vinegar and butter until the butter melts; stir in the rum, if using. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. When the raisin mixture is cool, pour it into the pie crust.

Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Blend in the melted butter with a fork, then sprinkle streusel mixture over the top of the pie.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 350F and bake 15 more minutes until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles. Let cool completely, then slice and serve with generous helpings of whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings.

French Apple Tart

For Jeremy's recent birthday, Craig very sweetly gave a gift not only to Jeremy but also to me, since I played just a bit part in the reason for the festivities ... :)

He gave me a cookbook - one of my very favorite things, of course! Simca's Cuisine was written by Simone "Simca" Beck, who co-wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking with the beloved Julia Child. The book "gives us her own cuisine in delectable recipes ... arranged in menus for every occasion."

I selected a recipe from the section entitled "Un Diner à la Compagne" [uh dee-NAY ah lah cohm-PAHN-yuh] - A Dinner in the Country. The apple-almond tart Simca recommended serving for dessert was perfect for my Tu B'Shevat [TOO bay sheh-VAHT] dinner, celebrating the Jewish New Year of the Trees.

Trees are very important in Judaism, as is tikkun olam [tee-KOON oh-LAHM], which is "repairing the world." Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai even taught the following lesson: "If you have a sapling in your hand and someone tells you the Messiah has arrived, first plant the sapling and then go out to welcome the Messiah." Planting trees is a means to providing food, shelter, and many other benefits to both current and - especially - future generations.

And so, on the 15th day of the month of Shevat (on the Hebrew calendar), it is customary to eat fruits, particularly those which come from trees. Many people partake of a seder, a formal celebration, in which ritual foods are eaten; these include fruits with an inedible shell, those with an inedible inner pit, and fruits with no shell and no pit.

Thus, this beautiful French tart with almonds, apricots, and raisins, as well as apples, combines traditional representative foods in one lovely, sweet, delicious dessert. It was perfect for the holiday, and would be ideal at any time that a simple but sophisticated dessert is needed.

On a completely unrelated note: in the past I've mentioned my fixation upon the Bocuse d'Or, the bi-annual culinary "Olympics" which took place in France last week. Here are the final results, for those who weren't parked in front of their computer screens obsessively watching the streaming presentation of meat and fish platters while sipping their morning coffee before work!

Best Promotion: Guatemala
Best Poster: Hungary
Best Commis ([coh-MEE] = assistant): Kristian Curtis, United Kingdom
Best Fish Platter: Norway
Best Meat Platter: United Kingdom
Bronze: Japan (the commis was in tears ... it was so sweet!)
Silver: Denmark (gold medalists in 2011)
Gold: France (they almost feel it's their birthright to win this, so they're very happy!)


French Apple Tart
(slightly adapted from a recipe in Simca's Cuisine by Simone "Simca" Beck)

Crust:

• 1-1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/8 cup shortening, at room temperature
• 2-3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. With a fork, mix in butter and shortening until mixture resembles meal. Stir in 2 tablespoons water with the fork, until the dough starts to form a ball. Add water by the tablespoon if more is needed. Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Filling:

• 1/3 cup Solo Apricot pastry filling
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, ground fine
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 2 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, grated
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• ice cream, for serving (either vanilla or rum raisin would be ideal)

Roll dough out into a 12" circle and place into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom (or into a 9" pie pan). Press dough into the bottom of the pan and up against the sides, then trim dough even with edge of pan. Spread apricot filling over bottom of crust, then refrigerate while making filling.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir in the ground almonds and the raisins. Stir in the grated apples, then pour filling into the prepared crust.

Place the tart pan onto a larger baking sheet, to catch drips, then bake for 20 minutes.

Prick the tart all over with a fork, then pour butter over the top of the tart and let it seep into the filling. Raise oven temperature to 375F, then bake for 15 more minutes until tart is golden and set.

Let cool completely, then remove rim from tart pan. Place tart onto a platter and serve with ice cream.

Makes 12 servings.

 
Tomorrow, by the way, is World Nutella Day - yay!!! So here are some recipes to choose from, for your celebration:

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Tart

Peanut Butter Pancakes with Nutella Sauce

Banana Nutella Cake with Coffee Glaze

Krispy Kreme Peanut Butter Dream Sandwich

Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Raisin Cookies

Raisin Cookies.  Not oatmeal raisin cookies, but just "raisin cookies."

These are my father's favorites.  My family has been making them for more than 40 years, since we first found the recipe in a Highlights magazine at my dentist's office.  They're simple, but fragrant and flavorful with cinnamon and fruit.

My father suffered a small stroke recently, though he's doing well enough that he might be going home from the nursing home physical therapy rehab today (too soon for my liking, since he's still weak and has vision problems, even if his disposition and attitude are good).  And so I did what little I could to help him feel better: I baked cookies.

Sometimes you want a cookie with lots of goodies - chocolate chips, oats, nuts, candies, and all sorts of crispy, crunchy stuff.  This is not the cookie to satisfy that craving.

Instead, these are the cookies you seek when you just want the comfort of an old-fashioned snack with a glass of cold milk.   These are not the supermodels of the cookie world, sexy and glamorous; instead, they are the girl next door, wholesome and sweet.

You'll be surprised how they seduce you, how many you'll find yourself eating once you bake a batch ....

Raisin Cookies

3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Place the raisins and the water into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, then turn off heat.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and cinnamon.  Stir in the eggs.  Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the raisins with the water.

Drop batter onto the baking sheet in dollops the size of walnut shells, leaving room for the cookies to spread.  Bake for 12 minutes, til the cookies are golden.  Let cookies cool on a rack.

Makes about 48 cookies.

The Lunch Room's Pie Party

The Lunch Room, a vegan food cart that is part of the fabulous courtyard array at Mark's Carts here in Ann Arbor, held a pie party last Wednesday evening to share samples of eight new dessert offerings.  The owners and staff have been incredibly busy during the off-season, devising new treats and temptations for their customers to enjoy once the cart re-opens on April 1.

The moment I saw on Facebook that there was an opportunity to sign up for the event, I staked a claim to two spots - one for Jeremy and one for me.  Of course, I didn't tell Jeremy that I was going to feed him a vegan meal; I merely invited him to eat pie for dinner!

The festivities were held in the normally spacious kitchen where the Mark's Carts vendors prepare their food.  But 60 lucky revelers were crammed into the room, happy and hungry, so the space was a bit cramped.  People sat on a few chairs and benches, stood in corners, and even sat on the floor; two of our hosts very sweetly brought stools for Jeremy and me to sit on as they watched us trying to balance our trays on our knees.  Because these were good, kind people who wanted to support a local business and celebrate the beauty of pie, everyone was gracious and cooperative.  It was a truly festive and friendly atmosphere!

But you're ready for me to tell you how wonderful the goodies were - I know!  So let me give you the tour of my tray, clockwise from top left:

- Apple-Raisin Cream Pie: The generous pieces of tender apple were perfectly complemented by the raisins, whose sweetness shone through a very light custard.  The streusel topping infused each bite with a hint of spice.  Zehnder's of Frankenmuth holds an annual contest for the best apple pie in Michigan, and Jeremy stated without hesitation that he believes this one could win it all!

- Key Lime Pie: #2 on Jeremy's list of favorites, the sweet-tart custard was blissfully free - as one would expect of a vegan pie featuring wholesome ingredients - of artificial colors or flavors.  The brightness of the citrus was intense and refreshing.  It pains to me to say that Jeremy doesn't ordinarily like citrus desserts - including one of my very favorites, lemon meringue pie.  But he loved this!

- Strawberry and Kiwi Tart: Jeremy's favorite, featuring luscious fresh fruits, a perfect crumbly shortbread crust, and a rich almond-flavored custard.  The piece shown above does not, unfortunately, do justice to how gorgeous the dessert looks when first presented, with the colorful fruits arrayed like the stained glass in a cathedral's rose window.  One could say that the tart was too beautiful to cut, but it was even better to eat it than to admire its physical attributes!

- Cherry Pocket Pie: Featuring gorgeous bright red fruit and a beautifully flaky crust, this was a delicious sweet-tart treat showcasing the fabulous cherries that our state is so proudly known for.  This adorable square of pastry tied for first as one of my very favorites, and would be perfect packed in a lunch bag or a picnic basket.

- Sweet Potato Pocket Pie: Sweet and spicy, with a filling that was mostly smooth but still offered texture from tidbits of perfectly tender sweet potato, this hand-held pie was substantial and filling and delicious.

- Berry-Ginger Pocket Pie with Lemon Glaze: My other favorite, showcasing intensely colored fruits that were perfectly enhanced by the brightness of the lemon glaze.  The flavors were so vivid!  And one thing I particularly liked about the pocket pies was the charm of their rustic beauty, as the generous fillings seeped out of the tender crust and teased with just a hint of the delicious promise within.

- Chocolate Banana Cheesecake: Dense and rich, the banana flavor shone through and was ideally complemented by the chocolate.  As a native New Yorker, I prefer my cheesecake to be drier rather than pudding-like; The Lunch Room got the texture just right.

- Chocolate Raspberry Tart: Sultry and seductive, with a sharpness from the raspberry flavor shining through the richness of the chocolate custard, this tart was creamy and decadent.

Our charming hosts for the evening were The Lunch Room's owners Bill Shea and Phillis Englebert, who had worked tirelessly with their staff to prepare for the party and yet were vivacious and enthusiastic all evening.  They offered warm welcomes, huge smiles and big hugs for everyone.

I offer rounds of applause to Bill, Phillis, The Lunch Room staff, and everyone who played a part in the pie party.  Jeremy and I can't thank you enough for welcoming us to eat pie for dinner ... and wonderfully delicious pies, too, which had clearly been made with great care and love.

Until April 1, when we can indulge in all of your wonderful dishes and baked goods again!

Soft 'n' Chewy Oatmeal Cookies for Alpha House

Last week, it was my congregation's scheduled shift to support Alpha House, an exceptional organization which offers "temporary shelter, food and support services (to those without homes) in a caring atmosphere of dignity and safety. More than providing just a bed and a roof for families, our goal ... is to support the families in securing and maintaining their own home."

Volunteers from the congregation can be hosts, serving dinner and sharing a meal with the residents; they can stay overnight and be a friendly face and resource if needed in an emergency; or they can provide the entrees, side dishes, salads and desserts that comprise a home-cooked meal for people who've lost their own homes.

Alpha House is one of my very favorite charities, and I'm always happy to contribute to the meals. This time, I was assigned to make a dessert; healthier options are preferred, rather than junk food.

Well, let's just say I compromised between the two extremes! I made cookies, which are hardly considered healthy; and yet, I added oats and dried fruit to them, in order to boost the nutritional value. The raisins, I already had on hand. But the apricots were a lovely marketing gift from Peeled Snacks. (And I also need to thank Tom for delivering the treats while I was at work!)

Whether served at dinner or packed in a lunch if there are leftovers for the next day, I hope these soft, cinnamony treats provide comfort to those who've lost so much and are working so hard to regain stability for their families.

(Click on this link to find ways you can support Alpha House and its residents.)

Soft 'n' Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups flour
1-3/4 cups quick-cook oats
1 1.5-ounce packet instant Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

lace the raisins and the apricots into a small saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let rest.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the flour, then stir in the oats and oatmeal.

Drain the dried fruit, then add it to the bowl and combine well.

With damp hands, roll ping pong-sized balls of dough and place them 2" apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until cookies are lightly browned and still slightly soft when pressed in the middle. Continue until all of the batter is used up.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin ... Nope -- Not Cookies!

On Sunday morning, I was in the mood to bake. This is a fairly frequent occurrence on Sunday mornings, while I'm still in my jammies and waiting for my coffee to brew. And now that the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are over, I didn't even have to go in to work ... whew!

Of course, tonight begins yet another major Jewish holiday: Sukkot [sooh-KOTE], a harvest and pilgrimage festival. The tradition is to build a sukkah [SOO-kuh], a temporary structure with 3 sides and a roof made of natural materials, which is reminiscent of the flimsy housing the Israelites relied upon during their wandering in the desert. Sukkot (not just the name of the holiday, but also the plural of "sukkah") are decorated, and it is customary to spend as much time as possible -- particularly eating meals -- in them during the course of the 8-day holiday.



And so, how does this all relate??? On Sunday morning I baked Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, which would be perfect treats to enjoy in the sukkah -- as a light breakfast with coffee, as a snack with tea or cocoa, as an offering to friends who come to visit and share the holiday with you ... or even if you're just sitting in your jammies on a Sunday morning, whether you're celebrating Sukkot or not.

Hag Sameach! [HAHG sah-MAY-ack] = Happy Holiday!

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/3 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Place the oats into a skillet and toast them, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat just until they're fragrant and slightly golden; place into a large mixing bowl.

Add whole wheat flour, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large measuring cup, combine buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla; pour over oat mixture and stir to mix. Stir in raisins.

Divide batter among the muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

St. Paddy's Day Feasting

I tend to be a traditionalist, but one who likes to play with the tradition as well.  So yes, I cooked Corned Beef 'n' Cabbage for St. Paddy's Day; but I didn't boil my cabbage along with the meat, and I didn't add carrots, and I didn't serve spuds.  For the sake of convenience -- since Tom was coming over for dinner, and Jeremy and his friend Mitch were headed to an evening party soon after I got home from work -- I plopped the corned beast into my Mama Bear crockpot (vs. the Baby Bear one for dips or the Papa Bear one for feeding crowds) and let it simmer all day long.  Ideally, it would have cooked in a good beer; but that was not an option with this group (Anonymous rules prevent my sharing specifics), so I immersed the main course in water.  I was told by the resident expert-in-all-things-corned-beast, Jeremy, that it was the best one I've made; so clearly, my new technique and boring choice of liquid balanced each other out.

Jeremy and Mitch didn't even bother eating a sample of each item offered; they went straight to making Reubens.  Jeremy had diligently bought the ingredients himself, and prepared the sandwiches to his own specifications.  I'd show you photos of what I'm told were phenomenal specimens ... of course, that would have required someone other than 19-year-old males being involved in this venture, because no signs of these Yeti-like Reubens can be found.  But I'm told they were amazing!

I ate only one bite of the meat because sodium nitrite gives me migraines, and I wasn't going to pay extortionist prices for chemical-free slabs; ours came from Kroger, personally chosen by Jeremy, which was just fine.  Instead, what captures my heart every St. Paddy's Day -- and which, truly, is incredibly seductive -- is my handmade/home-baked Brown Soda Bread with ... sigh ... Dubliner cheese.  If I had to pick a favorite cheese -- which, of course, would be such a taxing job that my brain would explode -- it might just have to be Dubliner.  It's dry like an aged Cheddar, not too strong, with hints of Parmigiano as well ... familiar in some ways, and yet absolutely its own distinctive and delicious entity.  It is sublime eaten simply on its own or with a lovely selection of fruit (fruit and cheese being among my many food-related weaknesses, and virtually a perfect meal -- breakfast, light lunch, tea-time treat, bedtime snack, whatever); but one might almost think it had been specifically created to be served with my soda bread, because the pairing is so astoundingly "right."  My soda bread is made with King Arthur whole wheat flour, oats, rich buttermilk from Calder Dairy, and raisins (Jeremy's preference) or dried cranberries (my own choice) -- it is hearty, almost scone-like in its crumbliness, not sweet, and absolutely addictive.  Slather some good butter on a slice of bread, add Dubliner cheese ... and find bliss.  If this might ever be my last meal, I could die grinning.

I also served the traditional cabbage with my corned beast, although Tom and I were the only ones who ate it; Jeremy will eat cabbage, but only if it's been transformed into either sauerkraut or cole slaw.  I can eat boiled cabbage, but prefer to do more interesting things with my vegetables than merely soak them in water.  So I melted a bit of bacon fat -- because bacon makes everything better, and is proof that there is a God! -- in a frying pan and cooked sliced cabbage and red onion until they were softened and caramelized ... probably over-cooked to most people's tastes, but perfect for mine.

I didn't drink any green beer or Guinness, not being a) a beer drinker, b) a stout drinker, or c) much of a drinker at all.  St. Paddy's Day isn't about being a lush (and am I the only one who thought A2.com's front-page touting of a contributor's day-long attempts at drunkenness was utterly inappropriate and revolting???) -- it's about celebrating one's Irish heritage (I'm 1/4 Irish) ... and, as always, feasting!