On the 12th day of Christmas.....

OMG!! So here I am again!! It's been over a month since I was last able to write something and so much has happened since then!! I GRADUATED!!!! YAY!!! I am now officially a "Chef!!!"  Well...we didn't have the actual ceremony yet, and that's not until July...but...I'm finished!! Time went by soooo friggin fast!!!  So now I'm on Holiday Break in Columbus with Special K...(hahaha) and currently at the library blogging this right quick so that I can do other stuff before my time runs out....So I do have pics of what I've been doing since I've been here in the 614 but...they are not all that exciting...will post at another time!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Wow...three years have come and gone, and yet another New Year upon us...wonder what this one has in store for me?? ADVENTURE!!! WOOO HOO!!!!

FINALLY!!! PUMPKIN RISOTTO!!!!! YAY!!!!

Ok so, HAPPY 11.1.11!!! It's kinda ironic that it would be THIS day that I would finally get to make this dish! One that I created a recipe for because during my research, I found countless recipes for Butternut squash risotto, but nothing for Pumpkin. As a result of wanting to cook more with fresh pumpkin, and paying homage to Fall and the vegetables of the season, here it is...my PUMPKIN RISOTTO!!! WOOHOO!!!

Being a broke college student, I didn't have a way to go to the store to get a pumpkin. As luck would have it, our Student Development dept hosted a "Pumpkin Carving" event at one of the resident halls I work in. I wasn't at the event, but one of my beloved colleagues procured this gem of a pumpkin for me and saved it for me until I got to work the next day! Thank you Cody!!!

                                        I cleaned the pumpkin, <yuk> and pulled out the seeds....

Drizzled a bit of olive oil and a bit of Kosher salt and a pinch of sugar...(just to somewhat intensify its natural sweetness. Roasted in a 350F oven for about 35-40 minutes until it was tender.....

and VOILA!!! So I let this cool completely before I pureed it...but we'll get to that part in a moment. While this was roasting, I started on the seeds...

I removed all that yucky, slimy membrane from them and rinsed them thoroughly....

Then I spread them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven (along with the pumpkin, but on the higher rack) to allow them to dry out...about 25 minutes or so..

After they cooled, I put them in a bowl with some spices (you can use whatever herbs/spices you prefer, I wanted a deep, rustic spice mix) I added salt, cumin, cayenne, Cinnamon, garlic and onion powder, chili powder, and  bit of olive oil to coat the seeds-then put them BACK on the cookie sheet....

...and toast them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes more...

I put them in a container once cooled for snacking and presentation!

NOW...Back to the pumpkin!!

At this point, the pumpkin had cooled and I scooped it out of the skin and put it in the blender. I only added a bit of water to help it puree. I could have added stock, but I wanted to be able to use the puree for different things/dishes...so I just used water.

                                                                   <It's SO pretty!>

I divided the puree into zip lock bags and froze them until I got the rest of the ingredients that I needed..

Fast forward to today-I FINALLY have all the components of what I wanted to add into this dish:

1 cup Aborio rice

4oz Onion-small dice

1small Shallot-minced

1/4 cup Marscapone cheese

2 strips of bacon-minced

Chicken stock/broth

1 oz  Grand Marnier

1/2 cup fresh pumpkin puree

Butter-TT

Salt/Pepper/Cinnamon or Nutmeg-TT

Mince the onions, shallots and bacon-then "sweat" in saute pan until tender and bacon is rendered.

Add in the Aborio, toast for about a minute, then deglaze with the Grand Marnier. Now the reason why I wanted to use Grand Marnier- which is an orange liquor- rather than white wine, I felt that it would add some depth and warmth to the dish, and would compliment the pumpkin. OMG...was I RIGHT!!

Once the GM has evaporated, start adding stock in increments...once stock is absorbed, add another ladle-repeat until al dente, yet creamy...then...

add pumpkin puree.....

...and more stock, let cook down a bit...

add the butter and Marscapone to finish...correct seasoning...and...

ENJOY!!! This turned out better than I expected! The fresh pumpkin was light and fresh, and the Grand Marnier's fruitiness just married so well with the savory components of the shallots and the smokiness of the bacon.  The "drizzle" on the plate is a spice oil that came from Spicy Chicken Thighs I made to go with. It. Was. DELICIOUS!!!

Thank you sweeties for stopping by and taking a look at my latest creation! TRY IT!! If you like experimenting with pumpkin, <and it is plentiful right now> give this one a spin! Tell me what you think, I'd love to hear your comments!!! Until next time!!!

 Love, Butter

I"m Still Here!!!

Hey sweeties!!

Working on a new recipe!! Pumpkin Risotto!! Pumpkin has been cleaned/fabricated/roasted and pureed-just need to get the rest of the ingredients and make it! I couldn't find any recipes for a pumpkin risotto, there are many for Butternut squash tho. So this will be entirely MY recipe!! I think it will be absolutely delicious!! So STAY TUNED!! Will be blogging soon!!! YAY!!

Love,
Butter

Caramelized Onion and Peppers w/ Pesto Focaccia!!

Not quite sure what's gotten into me lately! *giggles* I mean, Cheesecake, then Focaccia, I baked a box cake last night <don't judge me!> and I have all the fixin's to bake Banana Nut Muffins today! It may be how I love the smell of things baking....Fall is upon us and I can remember as a child how my mother used to can and bake during this time of year. She would make Zucchini Bread and Pumpkin bread and bake them in coffee cans! They would smell so good and look so pretty....ahhhh...those were the days! I don't think they even make metal coffee cans anymore! lol. Maybe it's because I'm missing her and home so much that I'm doing all this baking, trying to re-create fond memories of her and home at "1313."

I digress...(smile) so anyhoo..let's talk about this Focaccia; I had another friend over for lunch on Thursday and made this awesome soup. It was sooo good and had split peas and bacon, chicken, orzo, roasted veggies and a plethora of other wonderful elements and I wanted something good to go with. I had saved some things from class here and there and I just thought it would be a great idea if I just made some fresh baked bread and put all these elements on top! Day after day I thought about what I would put on top, but it all came together as I started to make it. So first things first...I started the bread...here's the recipe:

Dough

• 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  

First, in a bowl, mix (whisk til foamy) the garlic,yeast,  water, sugar and oil. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

In another, bigger bowl, put the flour and salt...

After about 10 minutes or so, the yeast mixture should look something like this...

Add this to the dry ingredients.....

Then mix together, being careful not to "overwork" the dough as it will be "tough" once baked....

You can use a mixer with a dough hook til it pulls away from the bowl and forms a ball, but I just used my hands! It's very relaxing!

Now that you've got the ball-<thatswhatshesaid> you'll want to oil your bowl, put the dough in the bowl, cover it with plastic or a warm, damp towel and put in a dry, warm place to allow to rest/rise for about 1-1/2 hours at least or until doubled in size.

While that's doin its thang...I started to prepare what I wanted to put on top. Got some onions, yellow/red/orange bell peppers and started to caramelize them in a skillet over a low heat. With equal parts of butter and olive oil. I use both to get the flavor of the butter, and the oil keeps the butter from burning.

I know this seems very labor intensive, but it's BAKING...lol it does take time, but when all is said and done, it will be well worth the time you spent! NOW...PESTO!!

The great thing about Pesto is- you can use ANY type of green herb you like! Cilantro, Parsley, Basil (most commonly used) and any kind of nut! Walnuts, Macadamias, Cashews, Pine nuts (also most commonly used)-most any kind of hard cheese, Parmesan, Pecorino , Romano...well you get the idea. I used what I had. I had just a tiny bit of fresh Basil, but supplemented parsley as well. Toasted Pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan Cheese, a wedge of preserved lemon (or fresh) some Red Pepper flakes and salt and black pepper to taste.

Put it all in your blender and then "stream" in the olive oil until you get something that looks like this...

Taste and correct whatever it needs and set aside. Dough should be ready now!

YEP! It's READY!! "Punch" it down and then take it out of the bowl and right onto a oiled baking sheet...making "dimples" with your fingertips as you press in into the pan...

Now spread on the Pesto...

...add the peppers and onions....

And top it off with just a bit of shredded Mozzarella cheese...(or whatever kind of cheese you prefer!)

Bake for about 30-35 minutes in a preheated 325F oven and...

YUM!!!!

It was absolutely fabulous! And with the soup, it was the PERFECT accompaniment!!

Don't let baking intimidate you, this is the best time of year to do so! It takes a little more time to execute, but you can just "get in the zone" of what you are doing and just lose yourself! A little music, a little "vino" and flour everywhere!! What a better way to end a stressful day?!

ENJOY!!

Cheesecake!!

Sour Cream topped Cheesecake w/ Strawberry/Moscato Dessert Sauce

I'm BACK!!!! Whew!! It's been a really long time since I've had the chance to post something! School is now over for the quarter (as of yesterday WOO HOO!!) and will free up some extra time for the next two weeks until I go BACK to class/kitchen for my FINAL quarter before I graduate in December! It's been one heck of a journey....but...we'll touch on that another time. Now is the time to talk about CHEESECAKE!!


Ok, so a few weeks ago-I made dinner for a friend of mine and because they had never experienced The Culinary Goddess "cuisine," I decided to go all out. They told me that they didn't care for "sweets" but loved Cheesecake, which was a good thing because I love it as well. It's been a while since I've actually made a "real" one-so I thought if I were going to do it, I may as well as do it right and buy a spring form pan. I did and well, the rest is history! My friend LOVED it!! Here's the recipe and photos!! You can make it with any topping/sauce you desire. It's really easy and your friends/family will be sooo impressed! So here we go!!


Recipe:


1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 TBL sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted


4-8oz packages Cream Cheese (softened)
4 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup sugar




Preheat oven to 325F. Mix cracker crumbs, butter and sugar (I added a bit of cinnamon) until all ingredients are incorporated. Press mixture into the bottom/side of spring form pan, and bake for 7-8 minutes. Take out and let cool.
Mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs (adding one at a time) until smooth and creamy. I added a bit of fresh lemon juice and zest just to "brighten" up the flavor a bit. At this point you can add any type of flavoring you desire! (even chocolate!) 
When  mixed, pour into the cooled crust.

Bake 55 min. or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours before adding your topping.

Now while the cheesecake was baking, it was time to make the sauce. I had a pint of Fresh strawberries, (I save a few of the bigger, redder ones for presentation), and cleaned and removed the tops-then pureed them in the blender. Pour the puree in a sauce pot, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of Moscato, and about 1tsp of lemon zest and bring to a boil....

You then want to turn this down on a med-low heat and let reduce until a nice shiny, thickened sauce. Also taste it along the way...it may need more sugar, or zest...just depends on your taste buds!

Once finished, let cool for a few hours or overnight. As it cools, it will thicken more. So now once the cake is cooled, take it out of the spring form pan and get ready to top it.

I, for one-am not a big fan of canned pie filling on cheesecake...YES I will eat it (duh! lol) but not my fav. So when I have the opportunity to make a cheesecake, I always top it with a Sour Cream topping. 


1 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Sugar ( add/subtract as you see fit)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Lemon zest (optional)


Mix all together, correct sweetness as desired-refrigerate until ready to spread onto cake

For garnish, I took the larger strawberries and make cuts underneath the green tops, just enough to be able to "fan" them out a bit. I macerated them in a bit of sugar and Mosacto and just right before served, topped each piece of cake with 1 strawberry.

<This was the "demo" piece the night before...I couldn't wait to try it! lol! The first pic is the piece I served to my friend!>


And that's it!! Simple, easy and oh so elegant!! LOVED IT!!


I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've caught the "baking bug!" Next blog about this amazing Focaccia I made last night soon to come!! Until then sweeties, EAT CAKE and LIVE LIFE!! <3