Fiori Fritti
On June 6, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerEver since I was a child, summer meant; long days in the pool, big family gatherings, and fiori fritti. Squash blossoms picked before the dew dried, were gently washed, stemmed, stuffed, battered, and fried.
I picked my first flowers of the season this weekend, and filled them with fresh chevre, basil & parmesan. After dipping them in really cold batter, I simply fried in olive oil. Delicious.
Fiori Fritti Batter
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 cup sparkling water
2-3 ice cubes
more salt for sprinkling on the fried goodies when they come out of the oil
Whisk together the flour, egg, salt, pepper and sparkling water. add the ice cubes and place in the fridge while you heat the oil and prepare the flowers. the trick for a crispy batter is to have it very cold. Place about 6″ of vegetable oil in a sturdy pot—careful to leave another 3-4″ from the top of the oil to the top of the pan for safety. Dip the stuffed flowers in the batter and let the excess run off. Fry in the hot oil until begins to brown and is quite crispy.
Wedding + Cake
On May 31, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerAlthough I know how, I rarely make wedding cakes. Here’s the deal. Elaborate and fancy wedding cakes take time to build. This typically means that by the time you cut into that cake,it is old. Yes, there are tricks: soak it in syrup and it will seem moist (when really, it is just wet), freeze it and suspend the stale, or up the filling to cake ratio. These are all good ways to get the job done, but not my thing. I’m a bit of a jerk about it.
Wedding cakes are expensive and should be delicious. I think the only way to achieve this is to bake and assemble as the bride is donning her veil. That being said, there are times, when you can’t keep me from making a cake.
Last weekend was one of them.
My younger brother got married. Last of the lot. The bride requested lemon.
I made this.
Strawberry Lemonade
On May 21, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerWorking in the garden, pulling weeds and picking fruit, can make a girl glisten and parched. I like to wet my whistle with a talk iced glass of this.
Strawberry-Lemonade
5 large lemons-sliced
1 1/2 cups strawberries-sliced in half
2 1/2 cups sugar
6-6 1/2 cups water
ice to serve
Place lemons, Strawberries and sugar in a crock or bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes. After the wait time, use a potato masher or muddle to crush the berries and the lemons to extract juice from the fruit and the oil from the lemons. Really get in there and mash them up. Allow to sit for another 10 minutes and then give it another good mash. Leave all the bits in the crock (or bowl) and add water. Start with 6 cups and check for sweetness/flavor. add more water to your liking. Refrigerate until ready to drink. Serve over ice.
Creme Fraiche
On April 30, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerNo story. No fancy words. Just a simple plea. make.your.own. and use.it.liberally.
Creme Fraiche
3 cups heavy cream–room temperature
6 Tbs plain greek yogurt–room temperature
Stir the yogurt into the heavy cream. Put into a glass jar and cover with a bit of cheesecloth (to keep out bugs and dust, but allow for airflow). Let sit draft free at room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 36 hours. The longer you leave it out, the more tangy it will become. Give it a good stir, it will thicken right before your eyes. Tightly cover and pop in the fridge.
enjoy where you would otherwise enjoy cream or sour cream
mix with a bit of brown sugar and pour over berries
stir into warm soup
create a calvados cream sauce for roast pork
pour over warm peas, carrots
or
cold beets
just for starters….
Carrot Cake
On April 24, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI really like carrots. I like them raw dipped in a bit of sea salt, honey roasted with onion dip, and deep fat fried loaded into a feedbag. All good. But, best of all? Baked in cake
Carrot Cake
this recipe comes from my culinary school notebook, it is not my own–except the decor..that is all me
4 large eggs–room temperature
6 oz vegetable oil
14 oz granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
9 oz flour
1 Tbs cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 lb carrots–peeled and grated
2 1/2 oz walnuts-toasted and roughly chopped
Whisk together sugar, salt, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment whisk together the eggs and oil until the eggs are thick and pale yellow (about 10 minutes). Mix in the dry ingredients, just to fully incorporate. Fold in carrots and walnuts. Split evenly into 2 prepared* 9″ cake pans. Bake at 325 for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Preparing cake pans includes spraying with pan spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper
allow to cool and split each cake round into 2 layers. Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting** Decorate with marzipan carrots.
Cream Cheese Frosting
i’m not opposed to sharing my cream cheese frosting recipe, but truth be told…i don’t measure
1 part unsalted butter to 2 parts cream cheese, a pinch of salt a bit of vanilla and enough powdered sugar to reach your desired sweetness. Use the paddle attachment of a mixer and beat until creamy.
Strawberry Balsamic Shrub
On April 5, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerMy childhood summers had one constant; my grandparents. Although maybe not the true reality, I remember our last day of school coincided with their arrival; The Grandparents, all 4 of them (yes, both sets) ready to take on the summer in California. My Grandma Grace, oh how fitting that name was for this amazing woman; each and every summer night wandered into the kitchen with pin curls in her hair in a perfectly pressed house dress, and served herself a tablespoon of vinegar. She drank it with the flair
of pouring herself a nightcap. She passed a few years ago and was well into her 90s. Healthy as an ox until the day she died. Sturdy and strong with peaches and cream, wrinkle-free, skin. She ate fresh food all of her life. It was all that she could afford. I believe her nightly vinegar shooter, was her secret weapon.
I.
Really.
Do.
I like vinegar, but I take mine moderated in a shrub. A shrub marries the sweetness of fruit and sugar with the acidity and brightness of vinegar; in a way that makes that little shot every night, very palatable. A shrub is typically meant to be mixed with soda water, but
it is great in cocktails too.
Strawberry-Balsamic Shrub
2 cups ripe strawberries-cleaned, hulled & sliced
1 tsp fennel pollen (optional)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
10 black peppercorns-slightly crushed
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Place strawberries, sugar, fennel pollen (if using), and peppercorns into a glass crock or wide-mouth jar. Allow to sit for about an hour, then macerate to break up the strawberries. Cover and allow to sit 24 hours. (i let mine sit at room temperature, but if you are concerned, it is okay to put it in the fridge). After 24 hours macerate the mixture again, aiming to crush the strawberries. You can move on to the next step, or allow to sit another 24 hours at this point. Add to the mixture the balsamic vinegar and the cider vinegar and stir well. Allow this to sit 7-9 days at room temperature, stirring daily. The sugar should eventually “melt” into the liquid. It is important that you tend to the mixture daily. After 7-9 days. Strain the mixture using a fine-mesh strainer (if you don’t mind a few bits in it) or a strainer with cheesecloth (if you do) and bottle for use. For longer shelf life, I recommend storing in the refrigerator.
Chocolate Easter Eggs with a Surprise
On March 30, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI have always loved those giant chocolate eggs from Italy. This time of year they line the shelves of my local Italian market. Large and hollow, a handful of small candies tossed in the cavernous hole, and wrapped in bright mylar paper. Easter basket ready. The real joy is breaking through the chocolate shell to see what goodies lay within. This year, i am giving the Easter Bunny a helping hand. Extra special chocolate filled with toys and jewels; hand chosen for each recipient.
Imagine the joy and surprise when these beautiful eggs are cracked open.
trinkets
toys
and
jewels
tumbling out
A happy easter indeed.
If you want more details on how to make these leave a comment or drop me a line at sixtyacrebaker(at)gmail(dot)com
Antelope Guisado
On March 27, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerOnce a year Mike indulges in a good ol’ fashioned boys on the hunt, Hunt. The kind where they pack in meals, stoke a fire for warmth, group lug fresh kill, and walk for hours, in wet woods. Apparently it is a bonding experience. I am happy my husband hunts. What makes me more happy? He doesn’t care to have me by his side. We have a deal. He field dresses whatever he takes down and i will butcher & cook it. I find antelope to be mild, extremely lean and quite delicious. It is perfect for this spicy chili-esque stew.
Antelope Guisado
1 Tbs olive oil
2lbs antelope meat–in 1″ cubes
1 small white onion–chopped
1 red jalapeno–finely chopped
1 green jalapeno–finely chopped
1 pasilla chile–chopped
3 cloves garlic–coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 bottle lager (or your favorite beer)
14oz can whole peeled tomatoes
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions. Cook onions until they begin to brown on the edges. Add the meat and saute until beginning to brown. Toss in the green jalapeno, red jalapeno, pasilla, and garlic. Give it a good stir. Add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the beer and tomatoes, give another good stir. Cover, remove from heat and place in the oven for about 2 hours. Take a look at about 1 1/2 hours to make sure all the liquid has not evaporated. If it has, add a bit of water. You want the guisado to be a bit loose, but not soupy.
Serve with tortillas, a bit of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro
*this would be equally good with lamb, beef or pork
Roasted Radish and Bacon Tartine
On March 22, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerNot so long ago, I roasted radish for a delicious salad. I loved it, but Mike did not. I wondered how a veggie lovin’ girl and a meat lovin’ guy could agree on radish. A radish referendum, if you will. Here it is. Radish mellowed by roasting; spiced with a sauce of its greens, layered on a toasted whole-grain raft and joined by bacon and soft goat cheese.
Shamrock Vase
On February 26, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerThis is a simple little craft using bottles, glue & baker’s twine
(about 50 yards per bottle)
Paint a bit of glue on a clean bottle and wind green baker’s twine
around
and
around
and
around
until you can’t go around any more
I mostly did mine in one layer, pushing the twine together to eliminate gaps. I added a bit of felt for a touch of whimsy and to make it st. paddy’s day-ish.