There’s more than just food in the Ginger Kitchen! There’s love, family, nature, two big dopey dogs, service, and more… all captured through the lens of my iPhone and a handy app called Instagram. Browsing through my Instagram photos gives me a sense of joy about 2011. Though, I suffered the greatest loss I’ve ever known, through it I discovered true love and friendship. It was a good year. May 2012 bring equally life-altering gifts.
The Ginger Kitchen
We eat well. We play well. We live well.
Posted in December 2011 …
Our Year in Food
When I started this blog in late 2010 as They Call Me Amber, I never intended it to morph into a food blog, but morph it did. It didn’t take long for me to realize that above all else, we like food…searching for it, preparing it, eating it and reviewing it. This year, the blog got a new name and a new look thanks in large part to the Fort Wayne Twitter Community who helped me pick a name and provided tons of feedback as I refined the content and look of the blog. THANK YOU!
What a year! Looking back and reviewing the dishes we enjoyed, it’s no wonder my waist line has expanded. We hope you enjoyed our recipes as much as we did and will continue to do so in the new year!
Truffles make the world go ’round… at least these do!
Last week, a friend gave us some homemade truffles, and they blew us away, so Jon decided to try his hand at making some. Of course, as with most recipes, we can’t go with the status quo. We have to push the boundaries and think outside the box, so we settled on Pistachio Covered Lemon & Lavendar and Cardamon & Chili Chocolate. There truly are no words. These truffles rock!
Though a tad bit difficult to make, it sure was fun to see Jon standing in the kitchen with chocolate melting all over his hands wearing that “icky” face he makes (kind of like a kid who stuck his hand in mud and doesn’t know where to put it, so he stands there with a big frown, shaking his hands on the verge of tears)… yeah, that was the scene in the kitchen, but he powered through and the results were worth it.
The Lemon/Lavendar truffles are by far my favorite and received the best reviews from family and friends during the holidays, but the Cardamon Chili are nothing to scoff at. Both are rich, creamy, mouth-watering and downright delicious. If you have some patience and are looking for a treat to truly impress, this is it. And I promise, you can do it.
Pistachio Covered Lavender & Lemon Truffles
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chopped white chocolate
- 3 1/2 tbsp. cream (25%)
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp dried lavender flowers, crushed
- 2/3 cup finely chopped toasted pistachios
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
Preparation:
Heat the cream, butter, zest and lavender in a saucepan over hot water, until hot but not boiling. Add the chopped white chocolate and stir until it has melted completely and is smooth.
Pour into a container and freeze for 3-4 hours. When set hard, use a melon baller or scoop to scoop out 1 1/2 inch balls and roll it in your hands to form perfect round balls. Here, we did two different things. We rolled half of the balls in chopped pistachios and refrigerated. For the other half, we melted the semi-sweet chocolate, dipped the balls in it and then sprinkled them with chopped pistachio. This recipe makes about 15 truffles.
Cardamom & Chili Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 tbsp. butter
- 8 1/2 tbsp. cream (25% fat)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- 3/4 tsp powdered cardamom
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chilli powder (according to taste)
- semi sweet Cocoa powder for shaping truffles
- 11 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Preparation:
Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan, over hot water, until it is hot but not boiling. Take the pan off the heat and add the chocolate, cardamom and chilli powder. Stir everything till it is smooth. Pour the truffle mixture into a box and refrigerate till set well. Using a melon baller or scoop, scoop out 1 1/2″ balls and roll them in your hands (this will be messy). Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and dip the formed balls, sprinkle with chili powder. Refrigerate till ready to serve. This recipe makes about 25 truffles.
You will notice that we have some white chocolate covered truffles in the picture- we melted some white chocolate and dipped the Cardamon Chili recipe in white chocolate and sprinkled with chili powder.
Before attempting to melt chocolate, we recommend that you do some reading about tempering chocolate. This is the process for achieving optimal texture and involves heating up and cooling chocolate several times before dipping. Jon recommends this VIDEO.
Vegetarian Dish: Potato Pancakes with Chunky Vegetable Stew
Wednesday was the shortest day of the year, which means we are usually dealing with some pretty chilly temperatures, but it was unseasonably warm. That did not deter us from preparing this cold weather meal, and it will definitely go into the vault to be made again to warm our bones.
The potato pancakes were a lot of fun. Jon added Parmesan, salt and pepper to the original recipe and cooked them up on our counter-top electric griddle, which makes it seem like camping or grilling indoors. The hearty vegetable stew could have stood alone, but piled over the potato pancakes made for an extra special treat. By the way, you should know, I would put olives in everything if I could, but they are especially delightful in this stew.
Ingredients
Vegetable stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 12 ounces 1/2-inch cubes zucchini
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 1/2-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained
- 12 Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
Potato Pancakes
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, coarsely grated, squeezed dry in towel
- 1/3 cup grated onion
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
For vegetable stew:
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add next 4 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add zucchini and tomatoes with juices; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add garbanzos and olives; simmer 3 minutes.
For potato pancakes:
Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; add 1 teaspoon oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add potato mixture by 1/3 cupfuls, spreading each to 3-inch round. Cook until pancakes are brown, about 5 minutes per side.
Place pancakes on plates. Spoon stew over and serve.
Split pea soup with smoked sausage and greens
Seriously folks, Jon is a genius. He is constantly pushing me to love things I have previously vowed not to eat. Split pea soup being one of those things. But leave it to him to develop a recipe that not only makes the soup tolerable, but exceptional. I know what you are thinking: “You love everything he cooks.” And you’d be right, save the one disaster that was the apricots stuffed with pistachio paste (blech), he’s pretty much always spot on in the kitchen.
What really makes this recipe is the addition of the spicy sausage and the garlic Parmesan croutons. I kept going back to add more croutons because I wanted one with each bite. This recipe also makes the house smell fantastic; of course, I realize, that could be because Jon sauteed the veggies in bacon fat. Enjoy!
Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage and Greens
Ingredients:
- 1 16-ounce bag dried green split peas (2 1/3 cups)
- 12 ounces (4 links) fully cooked andouille sausages
- 8 cups (or more) low-salt organic chicken broth
- 5 Turkish bay leaves
- 3 to 4 cups coarsely chopped kale
- 2 Russet potatoes
- 5 carrots
- 1 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 celery stalks
Preparation:
Combine split peas, whole sausages, 8 cups broth, and bay leaves in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, 30 to 35 minutes.
Chop potatoes, carrots, onion and celery stalk and sauté in bacon fat and black pepper until softened.
Transfer sausages to cutting board. Cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick half-rounds.
Puree soup (including bay leaves) 3 cups at a time in blender until smooth- puree 1/3 of the sauteed veggies in the first batch; return to same pot. Add sausages, greens and remaining veggies. Thin with more broth if necessary. Simmer soup until veggies soften, 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garlic Parmesan Croutons
Ingredients:
- 1/4 loaf Sesame Semolina, cubed
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- garlic powder to taste
- Parmesan to taste
- 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Preparation:
Melt the butter and mix with olive oil, garlic, parsley and Parmesan. Toss cubed bread with mixture until coated, spread them out on a pan, and bake in oven at 420 degrees, stirring occasionally until browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
Dark Chocolate Apricot and Roasted Walnut Clusters
After his success with the White Chocolate Clusters, Jon tried the same technique with Dark Chocolate and they turned out even better. He sprinkled them with some raw cane sugar, adding a bit of crunch. These are so easy to make and come packed with complex flavors and textures.
Ingredients:
- 9 oz. Dark Chocolate
- 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1 cup roasted walnuts
- raw cane sugar
Preparation:
Using a double broiler technique, melt the chocolate. Mix in remaining ingredients and spoon onto parchment paper. Place in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes until hardened.
Cranberry and Apricot White Chocolate Clusters
He’d never say this himself, but sometimes Jon comes up with brilliant recipes. This is one of them; completely brilliant in its simplicity.
It was “Secret Santa” week last week at work. I was having a hard time coming up with gift ideas for the co-worker I had drawn, so to help me out, just as he did last year, Jon whipped up some Cranberry and Apricot White Chocolate Clusters to share the first day. Of course, we had to sample them the night before and I was glad they were leaving the house the next day, or surely I would have eaten all of them. Sweet, but not too sweet. Chewy, but not too chewy… just the perfect blend of fruit and chocolate and texture. And extremely easy to make.
Ingredients:
- 9 oz of white chocolate
- 1 cup apricots, chopped
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 cup roasted walnuts
Preparation:
Jon uses a double boiler method to melt the chocolate- a glass bowl suspended over a little bit of water in a pot. Once chocolate is melted, mix in remaining ingredients, and spoon into heaps on parchment paper. Place in refrigerator for 1-15 minutes until hardened.
Recker-mendation: Dash In Saturday Brunch
This summer, we discovered the Dash In’s Saturday brunch and it quickly became a favorite. I’ve been meaning to blog about it since then, but I’ve either forgotten my camera or forgotten the name of our dishes before I had a chance to write them down. After a very lazy Saturday morning, we ventured out to partake of the brunch and it was just as good as always. Not only is the ambiance at the Dash one you’d be hard pressed to duplicate in Fort Wayne, but the food is fresh and tasty, too. If you haven’t been down for brunch, I encourage you to do so soon.
Smoke Salmon Eggs Benedict topped with Onions and Capers with Herbed Cream Cheese and Potatoes
Eddy's Slop- Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes, Onions, Sausage, Bacon, Green Pepper, Red Pepper
whatzup Dining In- A Holiday treat & a side dish
It’s holiday time, and chances are you’ll be invited to a handful of parties and asked to bring a side dish or dessert. On our never-ending quest to push our family and friends out of their comfort zones, my husband and I discovered two mouthwatering recipes that make perfect pot luck guests.
First: Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies. The complex flavors of this cookie, combined with the crunchy texture of the natural cane sugar, make for a very grown-up snack. Though the recipe is a bit labor intensive, the result is worth it.
Second: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers, Walnuts and Anchovies. Before you say, “I don’t like Brussels sprouts,” hear me out. I didn’t think I liked them either, but one bite of this dish and I was hooked. The richness of the mustard dressing and the crunch of the walnuts take Brussels sprouts to a whole new level. Add in the tangy capers and salty anchovies, and you’ve got a dish that is sure to impress even your snobbiest of foodie friends.
Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
- ½ cup shelled pistachios (2 ¼ oz; not dyed red)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 ¼ oz)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ natural cane sugar (preferably coarse)
Make dough: Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as
an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 2 hours.
Slice and bake cookies: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends).
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers, Walnuts and Anchovies
(adapted from Food & Wine)
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. Brussels sprouts, quartered
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- One 2 oz tin of anchovies, drained and minced
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with ¼ cup of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the Brussels sprouts on 2 large baking sheets and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and charred in spots. Shift the pans halfway through roasting.
Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and then coarsely chop.
In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard and honey. Whisk the remaining ½ cup of oil until emulsified. Add the capers, garlic, shallots and anchovies. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Brussels sprouts and walnuts and toss well.
(appeared in the 12/15/11 issue of whatzup)
Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon… yes, Bacon!
In a rare burst of hospitality, we had company over on Saturday night. It’s not that we don’t like people… quite the contrary, we love people; we especially love our friends. We just don’t invite people over often. I think, mostly, because we don’t want to have to clean the house. And it’s not that our house isn’t clean, but we do exist with a certain amount of dust and cobwebs… and we have those two gigantic dogs living and breathing and shedding and slobbering…and for us, that’s okay, but when you invite people over, you gotta get rid of that dust and cobwebs; you gotta scrub all the dog spit from the walls and sometimes the ceilings, and that can be a lot of work.
So we spent the day cleaning and then welcomed several good friends in for game night and cocktails. But what would game night and cocktails be without a mouth-watering treat from the Ginger Kitchen? We talked about it that week and I threw ideas out like a slow pitch soft ball player… lobbed them up for Jon to swing at and he finally connected with Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon. I don’t know where the idea came from. I was trying to think of something fancy, but simple that would appeal to everyone (hence the bacon). After a bit of research, Jon found a couple of recipes to combine (details below). Watching him through the process was a bit painful. The dates are sticky, as is the Blue Cheese, so the act of stuffing wasn’t easy, but once they were stuffed, rolling them in bacon was a breeze and “made up for the rest of it,” Jon says. Pop them in the oven and 20 minutes later we had the perfect appetizer- salty and sweet, crunchy and gooey… I can’t wait to make these again and in a larger quantity- 3 just wasn’t enough for me! I am not very good at sharing.
Ingredients:
- 16 large dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 8 slices of bacon, halved crosswise
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut a lengthwise slit in the dates. Stuff each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of the blue cheese. Pinch the dates closed. Wrap each date securely in a piece of bacon and arrange the dates, seam side down, on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.
Bake the stuffed dates for about 20 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and crisp; turn each date after 10 minutes. Serve the stuffed dates warm or at room temperature.
MAKE AHEAD The stuffed dates can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated for 1 day.
