'BLOW YOUR VALENTINE SWEETIE AWAY' ~ CHOCOLATE-CHERRY ICE CREAM BOMBE

"All I really need is love,

but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"

~ Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)

~Valentine Tulip

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CHOCOLATE-CHERRY ICE CREAM BOMBE

~Begin making this a day ahead. Chill the mold well before filling it. Allow several hours for the bombe to freeze and mellow before serving time. This easy recipe is from Bon Appetit (February 2000).

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1 16-oz. jar hot fudge sauce

(Sanders Bittersweet Fudge - the best)

1 12-oz. package semisweet chocolate chips

3 Tbsp. water

1/4 cup brandy

3 pints (slightly softened) cherry-vanilla ice cream with chocolate chunks or fudge flakes

1 1/2 (slightly softened) pints chocolate sorbet (or frozen yogurt)

or chocolate-cherry sorbet (or frozen yogurt)

1 9-oz. package chocolate wafer cookies

• Stir first 3 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in brandy. Cool.
• Line 10-inch diameter, 10-cup metal bowl with plastic wrap, extending over sides. Spread cherry-vanilla ice cream over inside of bowl to within 3/4-inch of top edge, leaving center 6-inch diameter hollow. Freeze 30 minutes.
• Fill hollow completely with sorbet (yogurt); smooth top. Overlap half of cookies (about 22) atop ice cream and sorbet, covering completely and pressing gently. Spread 1 cup fudge sauce over cookies. Overlap remaining cookies atop sauce. Cover; freeze bombe overnight. Cover and chill remaining sauce. (Can be make 3 days ahead. Keep bombe frozen).
• Rewarm remaining sauce over low heat, stirring often. Turn bombe out onto platter. Peel off plastic. Cut bombe into wedges. Serve with remaining sauce. (12-16 servings)

CELEBRATE NATIONAL CARROT CAKE DAY!

"There was an Old Person of Rheims,

Who was troubled with horrible dreams;
So, to keep him awake,
they fed him with cake,
Which amused that Old Person of Rheims."

~ Edward Lear

English artist, writer; known for his 'literary nonsense' & limericks (1812-1888)

WANING GIBBOUS MOON

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CARROT CAKE

~ Over 30 year old favorite (because of all the carrots) retro carrot cake recipe, clipped and adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

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2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 organic eggs

1 cup oil

4 cups grated raw carrots (about 8 medium)

1/2 - 1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 Tbsp. soft unsalted butter

2 3 oz. packages Philadelphia cream cheese

4 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. maple syrup

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Combine flour, sugar, soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat eggs till frothy; slowly beat in oil.
• Gradually add flour mixture. Beat smooth. Mix in carrots and nuts. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.
• Frosting: Blend soft butter and cream cheese. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat smooth. Stir in vanilla and maple syrup.
• Frost between layers; Continue and frost top & sides of cake.

MORNING SUNRISE

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"Vegetables are a must on a diet.

I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

~ Jim Davis

('Garfield')

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HISTORY of CARROT CAKE

(The Food Timeline)

Carrot cake

According to the food historians, our modern carrot cake most likely descended from Medieval carrot puddings enjoyed by people in this part of Europe. Carrots are an old world food. imported to the Americas by European settlers. In the 20th century carrot cake was re-introduced as a "healthy alternative" to traditional desserts. The first time was due to necessity; the second time was spurred by the popular [though oftimes misguided] wave of health foods. Is today's carrot cake healthy? It can be. It all depends upon the ingredients.

History notes here:

"In the Middle Ages in Europe, when sweeteners were scarce and expensive, carrots were used in sweet cakes and desserts. In Britain...carrot puddings...often appeared in recipe books in the 18th and 19th centuries. Such uses were revived in Britain during the second World War, when the Ministry of Food disseminated recipes for carrot Christmas pudding, carrot cake, and so on and survive in a small way to the present day. Indeed, carrot cakes have enjoyed a revival in Britain in the last quarter of the 20th century. They are perceived as 'healthy' cakes, a perception fortified by the use of brown sugar and wholemeal flour and the inclusion of chopped nuts, and only slightly compromised by the cream cheese and sugar icing which appears on some versions."

---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 141)

"In her New York Cookbook (1992), Molly O'Neill says that George Washington was served a carrot tea cake at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The date: November 25, 1783. The occasion: British Evacuation Day. She offers an adaptation of that early recipe, which was printed in The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook (1975) by Mary Donovan, Amy Hatrack, and Frances Schull. It isn't so very different from the carrot cakes of today. Yet strangely, carrot cakes are noticeably absent from American cookbooks right through the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth. Before developing a new pudding-included carrot and spice cake mix, Pillsbury researched carrot cake in depth, even staged a nation-wide contest to locate America's first-published carrot cake recipe. Their finding: A carrot cake in The Twentieth Century Bride's Cookbook published in 1929 by a Wichita, Kansas, woman's club. Running a close second was a carrot cake printed in a 1930 Chicago Daily News Cookbook...Several carrot cake contestants also sent Pillsbury a complicated, two-day affair that Peg Bracken had included in one of her magazine columns sometime in the late '60s or early '70s...Whatever its origin, carrot cake didn't enter mainstream America until the second half of this century."

---The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century, Jean Anderson [Clarkson Potter:New York] 1997 (p. 435)

A survey of carrot cake (& precessor recipes) confirms these items took many forms:

• baked in pastry, like pumpkin pie
• steamed and served with sauce, like plum pudding
• baked in pans and served with icing, like cake

Tracing the evolution of Carrot Cake through recipes:

[1699]

"26. Pudding of Carrot. Pare off some of the Crust of Manchet-Bread, and grate of half as much of the rest as there is of the Root, which must also be grated: Then take half a Pint of fresh Cream or New Milk, half a Pound of fresh Butter, six new laid Eggs (taking out three of the Whites) mash and mingle them well with the Cream and Butter: Then put in the grated Bread and Carrot, with near half a Pound of Sugar; and a little Salt; some grated Nutmeg and beaten Spice; and pour all into a convenient Dish or Pan, butter'd, to keep the Ingredients from sticking and burning; set it in a quick Oven for about an Hour, and so have you a Composition for any Root-Pudding."

---Acetaria: Discourse of Sallets, John Evelyn

[1747]

"A Carrot Pudding

Take a raw Carrot, scrape it very clean, then grate it, take half a Pound of the grated Carrot, and a Pound of grateed Bread, beat up eight Eggs, leave out half the Whites, mix the Eggs with half a Pint of Cream, then stir in the Bread and Carrot, and half a Pound of fresh Butter melted, half a Pint of Sack, and three Spoonfuls of Orange-flower Water, a Nutmeg grated, sweeten to your Palate. Mix all well together; and if it is not thin enough, stir in a little new Milk or Cream. Let it be of a moderate Thickness, lay a Puff-paste all over the Dish, and pour in the Ingredients. Bake it, it will take an Hour's baking, or you may boil it; but then you must melt Butter, and put in White Wine and Sugar."

---The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, Hannah Glasse, facsimile 1747 London reprint [Prospect Books:Devon] 1995(p.107)

[1914]

Carrot Cake, Neighborhood Cookbook, Council of Jewish Women

[1930]

"Carrot Cake

Sugar 1 1/3 cups

Seeded raisins 1 cup

Carrots (grated) 1 1/2 cups

Cloves 1 teaspoon

Water (cold) 1 1/3 cups

Butter 2 tablespoons

Cinamon 1 teaspoon

Nutmeg 1 teaspoon

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil very slowly for about 5 minutes. Remove from fire and allow mixture to become perfectly cold (never use while warm) and then add

Walnut meats 1 cup

Pinch of salt

Flour 2 cups

Baking soda 2 teaspoons

Mix well and put in loaf oan and bake for 1 1/4 hours in oven 350 degrees.--Mrs. William Inman"

---Chicago Daily News Cook Book, Edith G. Shuck and Dr. Herman N. Bundesen [Chicago Daily News:Chicago IL] 1930 (p. 47)

[1936]

"Carrot Torte

1 lb almonds

1 lb carrots

2 cups sugar

8 eggs, separated

Rind of one large orange

1 tablespoon orange juice

Cook the carrots, chill, and grate. Blanch the almonds and chop fine. Beat the egg yolks until light and thick. Add sugar gradually, then orange rind and juice, carrots, nuts, combining all ingredeints well, lastly fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Bake in a greased torte pan in a moderately slow oven (325 degrees F.), 45 to 50 minutes. When cool cover with sweetened Whipped Cream...Place in ice-box for several hours and serve."

---The Settlement Cook Book, Mrs. Simon Kander, Twenty-first Edition Enlarged and Revised [Settlement Cook Book Co.:Milwaukee WI] 1936 (p. 459)

[1939]

"Ohio Pudding or Steamed Carrot Pudding

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup finely grated, raw potato

1 cup grated, raw carrot (3 small)

1 cup currants of seedless raisins

1 cup seeded raisins

Mix and sift sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and soda. Add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Steam...2 hours in small molds or 3 hours in large mold. Serve with Ohio Sauce."

---Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, Fannie Merritt Farmer [Little, Brown and Company:Boston] 1939 (p.550)

[NOTE: Ohio sauce is made with cream, chopped nut meats, chopped dates and lemon extract (p.610).]

[1939]

"Carrot Cake

Temperature 300F. Time 1 hour. Serving 1 loaf, 9 inches

Part I

2 2/3 cups hot water

2 2/3 cups sugar

2 cups ground carrots

2 cups raisins

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons cloves

2 teaspoons nutmeg

Part II

3 3 tablespoons shortening

4 cups sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspooon salt

2 cups chopped nuts

Method:

1. Cook Part I together for 20 minutes.

2. Remove from fire; add shortening, cool to lukewarm.

3. Add flour, soda, baking powder, and salt sifted together.

4. Add nuts.

5. Bake in a well-greased loaf pan at 300 degrees for 1 hour."

---Prudence Penny's Cookbook, Prudence Penny [Prentice-Hall:New York] 1939 (p. 217)

When did the cream cheese icing appear?

The earliest American print references we find to frosting carrot cake with cream cheese are from 1960's:

[1963]

"Cheese Frosting

Another reader recommends a cream cheese frosting for carrot cakes: "Use 4 ounces cream cheese and mix with 1/4 stick margarine. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and half a box of confectioners' sugar. Mix into smooth frosting. Mrs F.F.E. Edgewood Arsenal, Md."

---"Reader Exchange: Carrot Cake Encore," Washington Post, Times Herald, September 10, 1964 (p. D4)

[1968]

"Carrot-Pineapple Cake

Oven 350 degrees F

Sift together into large mixing bowl 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 2/3 cup salad oil, 2 eggs, 1 cup finely shredded carrot, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (with syrup), and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix till moistened; beat 2 minutes at medium speed on electric mixer. Bake in greased and lightly floured 9 X 9 X 2-inch pan in moderate oven (350 degress F) about 35 minutes or till done. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting (see page 86)."

---The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book [Meredith Corporation:Dew Moines IA] 1968 (p. 69)

"Cream Cheese Frosting

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In small mixing bowl , combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat at low speed on electric mixer till light. Gradually add sugar, beating till fluffy. If necessary, add milk to make of spreading consistency. Stir in chopped nuts, if desired. Frosts one 8- or 9-inch square cake."

---ibid (p. 86)

It is very likely other recipes predate this one. If you are a culinary student? Visit your school's library and study the old cookbooks. Also...old magazines/newspaper s can be excellent sources for *first instance.* Your school's librarian will help you access these.

About carrots

Carrots are an "Old World" vegetable. They adapted readily to "New World" soil. Notes here:

"Carrot. A root vegetable of the Umbelliferae family--and thus related to parsley, dill, and celery...although originally native to Afghanistan, is now found all over the world in many shapes, sizes, and colors."

---Cambridge World History of Food, Kennth F. Kiple & Kriemhild Conee Ornelas [Cambridge University Press:Cambridge] 2001, Volume Two (p. 1746)

"The wild carrot, which grows in much of W. Asia and Europe, has a tiny and acrid tasting root. However, when it is cultivated in favourable conditions the roots of successive generations enlarge quickly. So the evolution of cultivars with enlarged roots is easily explained; indeed, what is puzzling is that it seems to have taken a very long time for D. Carota var sativa , as the modern cultivated carrot is know, to appear. The puzzle is all the greater because archaeologists have found traces of carrot seed at prehistoric lake dwellings in Switzerland. Also, the plant is included in a list of vegetables grown in the royal garden of Babylon in the 8th century BC. Here there is a clue: the plant is not in the list of ordinary vegetalbes but in that or aromatic herbs. It was probably being grown for its leaves or seeds, both of which have a pleasant carrot fragrance. It seems likely that this had also been the purpose of carrot cultivation in classical times, for there is little or no evidence to suggest that the Greeks and Romans enjoyed eating the roots. Many writers state that the carrot in something like its modern form was brought westwards, at least as far as the Arab Afghanistan, where the very dark red, even purple, carrots of antiquity are still grown. The introduction is variously dated at the 8th or 10th century AD, ie the period of Arab expansion in to the Middle East and C. Asia. This fits well enough with the fact that the earliest surviving clear description of the carrot dates from the first half of the 12th century, and was by an Arab writer...The first sign of truly orange carrots is in Dutch paintings of the 17th century...Cultivated carrots of the European type were brought to the New World before 1565..."

---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 140)

"Adding to the confusion of early carrot history is the wold white carrot...that is native to Europe and was subsequently naturalized in America. Now popularly known as Queen Anne's lace, the most famous for its ornamental flower, the woody root has been used interchageably with its visually similar cousin, the parsnip...The late-fourth-century Roman cookery book of Apicius lists recipes suitable for either carrots (presumably wild and cultivated) or parsnips, advice repeated nearly fifteen hundred years later in Lettice Bryan's The Kentucky Housewife (1839) that "carrots may be cooked in every respect like parsnips." English carrots were the first to be introduced into the colonies, accompanying colonists to Jamestown in 1609 and early Pilgrims to Massachusetts no later than 1629, where they grew "biger and sweeter" than anything found in Engalnd. Dutch Menonnites brought orange and scarlet carrots with them into Pennsylvania, from whence they spread through the rest of the colonies."

---Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxford University Press:New York] 2004, Volume 1 (p. 191)

About carrots/National Geographic

The Carrot Museum (all sorts of interesting facts & trivia!)

IN THE GOOD OL' SUMMERTIME ~ (PORTABLE PICNIC) PEPPERED ROAST BEEF SANDWICHES with DILL HORSERADISH SAUCE/MITCH'S GREEK SALAD/CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

"In summer, the song sings itself. "

~William Carlos Williams

Alpine Poppy

(Papaver alpinum)

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PEPPERED ROAST BEEF SANDWICH

with DILL HORSERADISH SAUCE

~ Travels well and always a hit ... adapted from The Totally Picnic Cookbook

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3 lb. tied roast beef

1 Tbsp. cracked freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika

2 Tbsp. butter

good rolls

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Pat roast dry.
• Combine pepper, salt, garlic powder mustard seeds, and paprika. Press mixture over roast.
• Melt butter in roasting pan in hot oven. Add beef, rolling to coat evenly and return to oven. Roast 45 minutes for rare, up to 1 hour for well-done. Set aside to cool. Thinly slice. Serve on good rolls with Dill Horseradish Sauce (Combine 1/2 cup fresh grated horseradish, 1/2 sour cream, 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, pinch coarse salt and 1 tsp. dill weed).

Alpine Poppy & Gerbera Daisy

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MITCH'S GREEK SALAD

~ Those living near remember this classic salad since the 50s from Mitch's Tavern on Cass Lake ... thanks for the memories Tony (Detroit Free Press -Jan 8, 1997)

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Vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

5 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. dried oregano or 1 Tbsp. fresh

1 tsp. dried basil or 1 Tbsp. fresh

1 tsp. dried tarragon or 1 Tbsp. fresh

1 clove minced garlic

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup good-quality olive oil

Salad:

16 cups mixed greens (iceberg, leaf & romaine lettuces), washed, patted dry, torn into bite-size pieces

12 Greek olives

12 beet slices

1 small to medium thinly sliced red onion

12 cucumber slices

2 cored tomatoes cut in wedges

3/4 cup (about 4 oz.) chunks or crumbled feta cheese in brine (or more to taste)

• To prepare vinaigrette: In food processor or blender, place lemon juice, cider, oregano, basil, tarragon, garlic and Dijon mustard. Process for 10-15 seconds. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream. Process another 20-30 seconds until all ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.
• To assemble salad: In large salad bowl, place mixed greens. Add vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Top salad with olives, beet slices, red onion, cucumber and tomatoes. Sprinkle with chunks or crumbled feta cheese and serve.

Gerber/Gerbera Daisy

(Gerbera jamesonii)

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CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

~ Treasured retro-recipe from Detroit's Bob Talbert ...

1 1/2 cups butter

5 eggs

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups sugar

3 cups AP flour

1 cup milk (buttermilk)

• Preheat oven to 320 degrees.
• Cream butter and sugar. (Food processor works great). Add eggs on at a time. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Beat after each addition. Add vanilla.
• Bake in greased tube pan for 90 minutes.

Alpine Poppy

PRIMROSE ... A PROMISE OF SPRING ~ MUSSEL and CORN CHOWDER / MICHIGAN CHERRY MUFFINS

"Winter is on my head,

but eternal spring is in my heart."

~ Victor Hugo

Primrose

(February Flower of the Month)

The American Primrose Society

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MUSSEL and CORN CHOWDER

~ A treasured recipe from chef Milos Cihelka (The Golden Mushroom)

18 mussels

1/2 cup white wine

few parsley stems

15 cruised peppercorns

1/2 sprig thyme

4 minced shallots

1 crushed garlic clove

3 ears of corn, kernels cut off, set aside

1/3 cup sliced leeks

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced onion

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken broth

mussel juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. chopped chives

• Soak mussels in cold water for 1 hour, drain and rinse in fresh water.
• In stainless steel saucepan, bring to boil the wine, parsley, shallots, garlic and herbs. Add mussels, cover tightly and, over high heat, steam just until mussels open. Remove from hear, drain juice and reserve. Allow mussels to cool, remove from shells, beard them and cut in halves.
• In heavy saucepan, melt butter, add vegetables and saute until transparent; dust with flour, stir for 2 minutes, add broth and mussel juice, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, place in blender and puree.
• Put back on heat, add corn and bring to a boil; add cream and mussels, reheat. Sprinkle with chives before serving. (6 servings)

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MICHIGAN CHERRY MUFFINS

~ Old favorite clipped from Detroit Free Press

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup sugar

1 beaten egg

1/3 cup melted butter cooled to room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 1/2 cups pitted and halved Michigan cherries

(or defrosted and drained frozen)

• Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Spray muffin cups with non-stick vegetable spray.
• In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In second medium bowl, stir together egg, butter, sour cream and milk. Mix wet and dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold cherries into batter. Fill muffin tins.
• Bake 20-25 minutes. (10-12 muffins)

'BREAK - FAST' ~ BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST

“The best of all medicines is resting and fasting."

~ Benjamin Franklin

~ Michigan Sunrise

(Leelanau Peninsla)

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BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST

~ Treasured retro-recipe compliments of chef/owner Keith Famie (past Les Auteurs Restaurant -Royal Oak, MI)

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Banana bread:

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup room temp unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (about 2) mashed ripe bananas

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped pecans

French Toast:

4 large eggs

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 Tbsp. butter

Michigan Maple syrup

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• Banana Bread: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Generously butter 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Sift first 3 ingredients into small bowl. Cream butter in large bowl until light. Gradually beat in sugar then adding eggs, 1 at a time. Add mashed bananas and lemon juice and beat until well blended. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out and cool. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead, wrap tightly and refrigerate.) Cut bread into 3/4-inch slices.
• French Toast: Preheat oven to low. Whisk eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla and spices in large bowl until blended. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Place sliced bread in batter and turn to coat thoroughly. Add bread to skillet, cooking until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer slices to cookie sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining bread slices and batter in batches, adding more butter to skillet as necessary. Serve French toast, passing warm maple syrup. (6 servings)

'SMALL MIRACLES' (BLOOMING FRIDAY) ~ JARLSBERG TARTS

"Miracles never cease to amaze me.

I expect them, but their consistent arrival is always delightful to experience."

~ Mark Victor Hansen

~ Small miracle

(Reblooming cymbidium)

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JARLSBERG TARTS

~ Rich custardy appetizer or delightful compliment to fresh green/fruit luncheon salad

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2 packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 lb. crisp & crumbled bacon

1 lb. shredded Jarlsberg cheese

1 cup whipping cream

3 eggs

1 bunch chopped fine green onions

Lawry's Seasoned Pepper

• Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
• Butter small muffin tins. Cut each crescent into 3 pieces and press each 1/3 into bottom and sides of muffin cup. Sprinkle each with bacon & shredded cheese.
• Beat eggs & whipping cream. Add seasoned pepper and divide filling over each muffin cup. Sprinkle with chopped onion.
• Bake until puffy and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. (24 small tarts)

'COMFORT' IN A DAY ~ BEEF CARBONNADE

"Things are beautiful if you love them."

~ Jean Anouilh

~ Hubbard Lake Winter

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BEEF CARBONNADE
(Favorite hearty and rich Belgian beef stew with sweet caramelized onions and dark beer, perfect company fare by the fire after a long day skiing or snowshoeing.)
~ The Silver Plate Cookbook

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1/4 lb.bacon
2 very large yellow onions (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 lbs. (1-in. cubed) beef stew meat (chuck is best)
vegetable oil (optional)
2 cups imported dark beer
chopped parsley (garnish)

• Coarsely dice bacon and saute in large skillet until crisp and brown. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve.
• Add onions to skillet and cook, covered, in rendered bacon fat until tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover skillet, raise heat, and sprinkle onions with sugar. Toss and stir until well browned. Transfer onions to strainer set over a bowl and let stand while you prepare the beef.
• Stir flour, thyme, salt, and pepper together on plate and roll cubes of meat around in mixture until well coated. Shake off excess and set cubes on another plate.
• Press onions gently with back of spoon to extract as much cooking fat as possible. Transfer fat to a kettle. Add in vegetable oil if not enough for proper browning of beef. (Be sparing or carbonnade will be greasy).
• Set kettle over high heat; when very hot, add 6-8 cubes at a time to brown properly. Turn heat down slightly and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer with slotted spoon to clean plate and proceed with the browning until all meat is done.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Pour beer into kettle and stir browned bits on bottom with spoon. Return beef cubes to kettle along with bacon and sauteed onions. Bring to simmer on stove. Cover and set on middle rack of oven.
• Cook 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until stew is thick and meat tender.
  Taste and correct seasoning.
• Turn into heated serving dish, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately. (6 portions)
  Note: Serve carbonnade with buttered egg noodles tossed and poppy seeds, sauteed apples, black bread and good dark beer.

~ Comfort in a day

(Late January sunset)

__________________

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."

- Edith Sitwell

'NO WINTER LASTS FOREVER ...' ~ SAVORY SAUERBRATEN with POTATO DUMPLINGS

“No winter lasts forever;

no spring skips its turn.”

~ Hal Borland

~ Icy Fingers

__________________________

SAVORY SAUERBRATEN

~ Perfect comfort food for a cold winter day ... but plan ahead since the key to great flavor depends on a long marinade.

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4 lbs. thick round or rump roast

coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

2 cups dry red wine

1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

4 bay leaves

8 cloves

1 Tbsp. coarsely crushed peppercorns

1 Tbsp. coarsely crushed juniper berries*

1 Tbsp. mustard seeds

1/4 tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated best)

3 thinly sliced onions

1 cup chopped celery leaves

1 bunch chopped parsley

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced carrots

2 Tbsp. flour

4 tsp. sugar

3 cups strained cooking liquid

3/4 cup crushed gingersnaps

8 dried slivered pitted prunes (optional)

coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

*(Penzeys Spices carries a wonderful variety of herbs and spices)

• Rub meat well with salt & pepper. Combine wine, vinegar, water, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, juniper berries, mustard seeds, nutmeg, onions, celery leaves & parsley in saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, remove and let cool.
• Place beef in deep glass or ceramic bowl. Pour cooled marinade over beef, tightly cover and refrigerate for 2-3 days, turning at least twice each day.
• When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade (strain through fine sieve and reserve, discarding spices & onions) and pat dry.
• Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown evenly on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onions, celery and carrots in same pan and cook until soft and lightly browned. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly until flour begins to lightly brown. Pour in reserved strained marinade and bring to boil. Return meat to pot, cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours or until fork-tender. (Or bake in 350-degree oven for 2-3 hours until fork-tender).
• Transfer meat to warmed platter. Strain cooking liquid through sieve and force vegetables through with wooden spoon. Skim off fat.
• Melt sugar in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until golden brown. Gradually stir in warm marinade and bring to boil. Reduce heat and stir in crushed gingersnaps, a little at at a time, and cook long enough for crumbs to dissolve and thicken the sauce (if too thick, add any remaining juices or water). Add prunes and season with salt & pepper. Stir in sour cream. Ladle part of gravy over thinly sliced meat and pass remainder in gravy boat. Great with braised red cabbage, spaetzle or potato dumplings. (8 servings)

Note: Can make ahead, cover and chill. Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Pour a bit of warmed gravy over sliced meat and bake for 15 minutes or until heated. Serve with additional warmed gravy.

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POTATO DUMPLINGS

3 lbs. medium potatoes

coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

2 organic eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• Cook unpeeled potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool slightly and peel.
• Put potatoes through ricer and spread on paper towels to dry well.
• Turn potatoes in large bowl. Lightly toss with salt & pepper. Make a well in center and break eggs into it.
• Sift 3/4 flour over eggs, add bread crumbs, nutmeg and parsley. Work with hands, blending until mixture is smooth and holds together.
• Shape into approximately 18 egg-size balls. Roll in remaining flour.
• Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat and drop in one dumpling at a time to fit comfortably in pan. Boil gently, uncovered, 2 minutes after rising to surface. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel. Serve hot with Sauerbrauten.