Cream of Tortilla Soup

I cannot go to Costco without buying a rotisserie chicken.  They are the best value around.  I often get four meals from one chicken.  Also, I can't make a chicken that moist and tender unless I do a beer can chicken on the grill.  Last night we had sliced chicken breast, homemade stuffing with sausage and pecans, tomato slices and more of the fantastic Costco asparagus roasted in the oven.  Today, I turned the legs and thighs into Cream of Tortilla Soup.  I used an old recipe from a 1991 issue of Bon Appitite Magazine.  As always, I made adaptations.  My adaptations are in bold.

Also, before the recipe sharing, I want to show you how I cook.  Some of you know that I am handicapped, some don't.  It's not just my hands that are shot, it starts with my shoulders, goes to my arms and then to the peripheral nerves of my hands.  I cannot lift my arms above my waist.  In order to cook, I hop up and down on a stool hundreds of times a day.  I must defy gravitional pull by getting higher than I need to raise my hands and arms.  This is an ugly photo.  I'm dressed in my "kitchen rags" and the photo makes me look fat, but I asked husband to take the photo so that you can see how I cope with my handicap and how I still indulge in my joy of cooking.  All the hopping up and down does give me great calves, though!  I have stools in every room, in the RV and even at my son's house.  The grandkids love it!  When I cook at son's home, they drag their own stools over to the counter and "help" me.  Don't ever let an infirmity take away the joy of something you love doing.  Joy is what separates us from the Beasties.  Or, at least I think so.

Cream of Tortilla Soup

 Ingredients:

• 2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth (I used 4 cups homemade stock)*

• 1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery  (I used 1 cup and used leaves and all)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (I used almost 1 cup of diced cilantro)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed unsalted tortilla chips
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour  (I used 3 tablespoons)
• I added 1 carrot, peeled and then done into ribbons with the peeler)

• 1/4 cup whipping cream (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Crushed unsalted tortilla chips
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring chicken broth to boil in small saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon chopped tomato and 2 tablespoon chives for garnish. Add remaining tomato, chives and 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips to saucepan and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over and stir mixture for 2 minutes.

Stir chicken broth into tortilla mixture. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat. Stir in whipping cream. Add grated Jack and cheddar cheese and stir mixture until cheese is melted and well blended. Add chili powder and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Rewarm soup over low heat, stirring frequently.) Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle each with some of reserved tomato and chives and crushed tortilla chips and serve.  Easily (using my quantities) serves six.

* I save chciken carcasses and also any bones from other chicken dishes, boil them up with chunks of carrot, celery, onion and bay leaves to make a robust chicken stock.  I strain it and freeze it in 2 cup portions and then use it as needed when broth is called for.  It's a great way to use up getting old carrots and celery and I can control the sodium etc..  Seems a no brainer to me.

Bakewell Tart

I've joined an online group called The Daring Cooks.  It's all a part of the Daring Kitchen.  One can join as a Daring Cook, A Daring Baker or both.  Each month a recipe is chosen in each category.  The category members make the recipe, using their own interpretation (within the stated rules) and then post the photo of their results on their own blog.  It's very interesting to see the different photos of results of the same basic recipe. 

I didn't join as a Daring Baker because of my hands.  Messing around with puff pastry and pie crust dough is frustrating for me.  But this month, when the Daring Bakers announced their newest challenge.  I was sucked in.  They were making a Bakewell Tart.  Bakewell Tarts are quintessentially English, just like my husband.  A Bakewell Tart has a layer of frangipane.  Say that word...fran-gee-pan-e...isn't it lucious, when you say it and the way it rolls off your tongue and rattles around on the roof of your mouth?  Also, it's comprised of confectioner's sugar, eggs, butter and almond extract.  Manna from heaven, each, in my book.  The tart was simple to make and the results divine.  Husband and I each had a slice warm from the oven.  Below is a slide show of my process and below that, the recipe.

The Challenge

Rough Durations: Please see individual recipe elements to see how much time you’ll need. You may pull it together in more time or less—it all depends upon your kitchen’s pace. You can complete the tart in an afternoon, or break it up into a couple of days by making the pastry one day in advance.

Measurements: These recipes were developed using weight and not volume metrics, so for better results, pull out your scales. We’ve done our best with the Metric to Imperial conversions. A giant tart, medium tarts or little tartlettes: We’ll leave that to you. Mandatory and Optional Elements:

Mandatory element 1: Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Yes, it’s a pie pastry. Don’t look at us like that. It’s sweet and tender and it’s not scary…and we’re encouraging you to do it by hand and put the food processor away (but if you really want to pull out the gadget, go ahead).

Mandatory element 2: Frangipane We love onomatopoeia of frangipane: it’s rich, sweet and feels slightly luxurious, and can be used in several confections.

Optional element: Homemade jam or curd We know several amongst us are rather jammy with making their own jams and preserves. Go ahead get wild and creative or simply showcase whatever’s local and in season. If you haven’t jammed before and want some hints or recipes, take a look at Bernardin’s homecanning.ca. If you want to just make some jam for this challenge and not go through sterilizing jars and snap lids, you can try a pan jam, similar to Jasmine’s Blackberry Pan Jam. If you do use homemade jam, please include your recipe or the link to the one you used in your post.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding Makes one 23cm (9” tart) Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements) Resting time: 15 minutes Baking time: 30 minutes Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows) Bench flour 250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spread ability One quantity frangipane (recipe follows) One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatized for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

Frangipane Prep time: 10-15 minutes Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula 125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened 125g (4.5oz) icing sugar 3 (3) eggs 2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract 125g (4.5oz) ground almonds 30g (1oz) all purpose flour Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is light yellow in color and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish. When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

All's Quiet on the Eastern Front

Daughter and the boys flew out on Tuesday evening. It was POOF and they were gone, just as if they had never been here, as if we had imagined them. 

Their plane left PBI at 5:00 PM.  I had said to daughter, "Call me when you get home and let me know that you made it all right."  She said that it would be quite late east coast time.  I said, "I don't care.  I'll go to sleep and if I don't answer the phone I'll go right back to sleep because I'll know you are all safely home."  I went to bed early, around nine-thirty.  I was exhausted.  I couldn't fall asleep.  I tossed and turned and did both some more.  The last time I looked at the clock before dozing off it was midnight.  At one AM, the ringing phone jarred me awake.  I answered it, told daughter I loved her and was glad she was safely home with the boys.  Then, I rolled over and tossed and turned and turned and tossed until I finallyy gave up on sleep and watched TV until husband got up at seven-thirty AM.

When husband came out to the kitchen I was perusing my Indian cookbook, A Taste of India by Madhur Jaffrey.  I told him that I was really craving Indian food and was deciding what to make.  He said, "Don't cook.  You need a break.  Let's call Peter and Anita and see if they'll join us for dinner at that nice little restaurant on Okeechobee.  So we called.  And they did want to go.  It was wonderful, as always. 

John lived in India for five years when he was with the embassy.  Peter and Anita spent a month there a few years ago.  I was the only one who has not experienced India first hand, yet they were all fairly tentative about what to order.  The restaurant is immaculately clean. I am a fanatic about this. The owner and all staff were warm, welcoming and gracious. It was like entering someone's home as a guest. I know good food and I know what I like so I dove right in.  I ordered a Pakora Platter (deep fried vegetable patties) for a starter.  They all had Indian beers.  We have always had good luck by following owners' dinner suggestions and have never been disappointed.  We had the appetizers and four different dinners. Each meal was outstanding...a mild lamb shahi khorma, a lamb curry, lamb with palak (spinach) and boti kebab.  We also ordered a basket of mixed breads, Buttered Nan, Garlic Nan and Battura.  We had lots of laughs and lots of wonderful food. 

Tarte a la Oignon...Alsatian Onion Tart

I've never said this before BUT, this is absolutely the best thing I've ever made. It is an onion tart loosely based upon an old recipe from the northern Alsace region of France. (I made lots of changes).  This is a tart, not a quiche. The difference is that this contains only 1 egg, 1/2 cup of heavy cream and very little cheese, maybe 2/3 cup of cheese. It is not as eggy rich as a quiche. Also a lot easier than a quiche because the pate brisee is not blind baked as it would be  for quiche.  Because of this, the flavors of the onion take center stage. This is also not onion-y tasting. Because the onions are ever so slowly caramelized , they release all of their sweetness. Honestly, husband and I were oooohing and aaaaahing as we dug into the warm tart. Husband said, "I can't decide if this is sweet or savory tasting." Therein lies it's beauty. Serve it hot or warm accompanied by nothing else but a freshly made salad of soft Bibb lettuce with a light tasting vinaigrette.  I made my dressing using 3 parts extra virgin olive oil to one part freshly squeezed lemon juice, adding a pinch of salt, pepper, sugar and good dijon mustard, that's it.  What an incredible light summer dinner or lunch.  Please try this, it is soooooo easy.  And, the pastry is to die for, light and flakey.

Recipes for the pate' brisee (pastry) and tart appear below.

Pate Brisee

2.5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) well chilled butter cut into small pieces

1/4 plus 2 T ice water

In food processor pulse dry ingredients.  Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.  With machine running slowly pour in water in stream and process only until dough holds together.  Do not process more than 30 seconds.  Divide dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a disk.  Wrap in plastic.  Put one in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.  Freeze the other for a later use.

Onion Tart (original recipe, my changes are in bold)

Roll out pate brisee and fit it into a 9 inch quiche pan or pie plate.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. 

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbs olive oil (I used 1/3 lb bacon finely diced)

1 - 1.5 lbs (2 large) yellow onions peeled and very thinly sliced (I used 2 huge onions and 1 very large shallot)

1 large egg

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 3/4 cup because I added the shallot)

salt

freshly ground pepper

nutmeg, maybe 2 tsp (iInever measure)

(I also threw in about 3/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese because it was "use it or throw it out time for the cheese and I do not throw out food...ever)

Heat oil in large skillet. (Or, if you're me, sautee bacon until it's barely browned). Add onions and autee onions very slowly over hmmmm lowish heat stirring every so often until they turn a lovely brown color and just begin to caramelize and become tender.  Take your time, the whole trick is to slowly caramelize the onions.  Remove skillet from heat.

In small bowl, whisk egg with cream, add pich of salt and freshly ground pepper (if using bacon do not add the salt) add nutmeg.  Add this to the onion mixture, add cheese if using and stir to combine.

Remove tart shell from refrigerator and fill with onion mixture.  Bake tart for 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until filling is golden brown and set.

When Life Gives You Blueberries

When I saw these organic blueberries on sale at 2 boxes for five dollars what could I do but buy them?  I'm not even a huge blueberry fan, but rather a more recent convert to them for their antioxident qualities.  I slather them on top of my Special K in the morning and pat myself on the back for at least trying for a healthy breakfast.  I don't think I even tried tasting a blueberry until I was at least forty.  To me, they ranked down low on the fresh eating scale right above rhubarb.  I'm much more a strawberry or  bing cherry kind of gal.  But today these huge blueberries almost the size of my thumb seductively whispered "Buy Me...I'm gorgeous...You know you want me...Just close your eyes and do it."  So, I did.  Then What?  Well, when life hands you blueberries, make muffins.  Okie Dokie then...away I go.

I decided to take a look at the King Arthur Flour website to see if I could find a recipe that looked like it might do the trick.  I buy a lot of King Arthur flours and other baking products.  The company is located in Vermont and is one hundred percent employee owned.  Some years ago when I was forced to carry malted seven grain flour back from England because I needed it for bread making and couldn't locate it anywhere, I ended up phoning King Arthur company on their 800-number.  Imagine my surprise when I was connected to one of their bakers.  We had a lengthy discussion about European wheats vs North American wheat, flour "heaviness" and milling processes.  Malting is a process not used in North America unless one has flour custom milled and buys in fifty pound bags.  For a Foodie, getting that phone connection to an honest to goodness King Arthur baker was akin to getting a direct line to God.  Another thing King Arthur company does is guarantee certain recipes they publish either in hard print or on the web.  If one of their guaranteed recipes flops, they will send you a check to defray the costs of ingredients.  How cool is that?   Here is a direct link to the recipe I used.  I used vanilla yogurt rather than sour cream and I kicked the vanilla extract up to 2 tsps. 

The muffins were the absolute best I have ever made or eaten.  I love the sparkling sugar on the top (I ordered mine long ago from the K.A. catalog) because not only am I a sweetaholic, but that sparkling sugar makes the muffins look gorgeous.  Husband and I each ate two muffins warm from the oven.  Were they scrumptious!  As soon  as the rest cooled, I took six of them, bagged them and hid them in the freezer before we overdosed on their awesome goodness and left two out for a later treat.  If you love yourself, you'll try these muffins as soon as you can get your hands on some fresh blueberries.  The photos below chronicle my efforts (place your cursor over each square to see the full-sized photo)...