The Blog

Julie Tilsner: Don't Fear the Quinoa: Southwest Quinoa Salad

2012-02-22T19:42:29Z

I didn't even know how to pronounce quinoa until a few years ago,

"KeeNoA," I said. "Isn't that like a super grain the indians used to eat or something?"

"It's pronounced "Keen-WA," said my friend, who watched me silently while I danced around doing my best Karate Kid imitation. "Keeeeen-WAAAAAAA!!!!"

When I was done she added, quite seriously, "It's a very important and very nutritious grain."

Well. That may be. But I was still very wary of our friend quinoa.

In my abject ignorance, it ranked up there with the sorts of vaguely frightening and definitely unpalatable foodstuffs like tempeh and spirulina that uber-healthy sorts eat. And since I've always felt like my love of rice and beans and lentils should adequately pay my rent in the healthy eating food space, I didn't have to go out there into the wild outback of unpronounceable grains.

But then I saw a recipe for something called southwest quinoa salad. And for some reason, maybe it was the lunch hour, maybe it was the photograph, or the mention of black beans... it stuck and plagued me until I broke down and resolved to give it a whirl. Quinoa and everything.

First, I procured a box of quinoa from Trader Joe's.

I riffed on this recipe I found on my latest favorite blog, My Kitchen Addiction:

Here's her recipe, with my changes:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained  (or about 2 cups cooked black beans)
• 3 ears of steamed corn, cut off the cob (yeah, right. It's Jan. I used one 15-ounce can of corn)  ... or 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Mixed greens (optional)
• Avocado slices (optional)

I rinsed the quinoa first. It's very small and light and a lot of it floats. So you have to strain it through a fine mesh.

Cook the quinoa in the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes.

While you're cooking the quinoa, chop the veggies and prepare the lime cilantro dressing:

Use the good chili powder, from Little India. Then:

• 1 lime (zest and juice)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup ( I used honey)

Mix all the veggies in a bowl, add the COOLED quinoa. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for a few hours. Serve over greens....

The Drama Teen inspected this. "Are you making fish eggs?" she asked. No, I said. It's quinoa.

She's gotta learn this from someone, right?

I dished this out and passed it around. it looked good to me, but who knows what it tasted like.

Verdict?

"Excellent," said the lovely ex. And then fixed me with a look. "Who are you and what have you done with Julie?"

Audrey, a kitchen goddess, also praised this salad. "I can't eat all that," she said, when I presented her with a plate. And then she finished it all. I was thrilled. Because Audge knows good eatin'.

I'm warming up to quinoa. I'm not so afraid. It's not so crunchy after all. I think I can work with it.

I think next time I'll try this recipe. It includes feta cheese, and cooks the quinoa in chicken broth. A sinful (and flavorful) way to counteract the holy righteousness of quinoa.

Keeeeen-WAAAA!!!"

Solmaz Wein: Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

2012-02-22T18:37:45Z

I love orange-flavored cake, and when I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen I knew I had to make it -- not only does it incorporate blood oranges, but it's an olive oil cake, which I had never made before.

We were invited to a housewarming party, and I decided to prepare a gift package including this cake, the suggested honey blood orange topping and a can of whipped cream for serving.

To begin, you will incorporate the zest of two oranges with a cup of sugar:

Use your hands to mix together:

Next, Supreme 2 of the 3 oranges per the recipe:

Juice the 3rd orange (should result in about 1/4 cup) & add to the sugar/zest mixture:

After incorporating the juice, add the 3 eggs and 2/3 cup of olive oil to the sugar mixture:

Once the mixture is well blended, gently add the flour mixture to the wet batter:

Now stir in the prepared blood oranges:

Pour the batter into buttered 9x5" baking dish:

Bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 50-55min until golden:

While the cake was baking, I prepared the honey blood orange topping by preparing 3 blood oranges as done above for inclusion in the cake. Place oranges in a bowl and top with a few teaspoons of honey, then allow to sit for 5 minutes before mixing together.

To gift this, I used a cleaned jar and tied parchment paper around the lid with twine:

I wrapped the cooled cake first in saran wrap, then parchment paper and a doily, all tied up with twine:

Ready to go!

p.s. - the cake was served at said party and was delicious! I will definitely be making this again...

Tori Haschka: Oscars Recipe: 'Midnight In Paris' Coq Au Vin

2012-02-22T14:45:34Z

The film:

The reason:

Gil (Owen Wilson in the best interpretation of chicken-legged Woody Allen since the man himself) believes there is nowhere finer than Paris, at night, in the rain. He and his fiancée Inez thought they were just hitching along with her parents to the city of light. Instead, when the clock strikes midnight Gil gets whisked away to the Paris of writer's and artist's fantasies.

This Coq au Vin is exactly the kind of dish that could get me out of bed at midnight. The taste takes you straight to Paris. The flavors are soothing enough to heal if you can't scrounge up enough witty banter to play with Hemingway. The texture is as gentle as this plot. And frankly, it's a better use for a bottle of burgundy than bleating about its merits on a balcony with Michael Sheen.

Coq au Vin: Serves: 6 - 8

Equipment: one dutch oven, one fry pan.

Shopping/foraging

750ml Red Burgundy
25 g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken marylands (thighs and legs attached)
3 chicken legs
3 chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic, chopped
12 shallots/ small onions, peeled and left whole
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
250g button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
125 g lardons
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

The way

1. Heat the butter and oil in a dutch oven. Add the chicken in batches and brown for 8-10 minutes until brown.

2. Add the garlic, shallots, herbs, wine and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Remove the chicken pieces and check the sauce. You may have to skim off some of the fat (you can do this by letting it cool and scooping it from the top or by dabbing at the top of the sauce with paper towel). Depending on how tannic the wine was you may want to add a tablespoon of sugar. Then turn up the heat and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid.

4. In a separate fry pan, fry the mushrooms and the lardons in a tablespoon of olive oil until brown. Add the chicken pieces, mushrooms and lardons back to the the sauce and top with chopped parsley.

5. Serve over a puree of white beans, mashed potato or on its own with baguette pieces to dip in the sauce.

For illustrated step by step instructions go here

Tori Haschka: Oscars Recipe: 'The Descendants' Poke

2012-02-22T14:27:26Z

The dish:

The film:

The reason:

Matt King is just trying to keep his head above water, what with his tempestuous daughters and coma-bound wife. As he's keen to point out to us, it might look like heaven in Hawaii, but the tips and turns of life are just as rough as elsewhere. This archipelago of cucumber slices and diced fish gives us the taste of paradise, without having to get on a plane. It's a version of poke; the classic Hawaiian dish found in most pupus (snacks usually eaten while moonily looking at a sunset).

Like the emotions generated by "The Descendants," here the protein is raw. There's also plenty of salt from the soy sauce, a good stand in for the tears you'll shed while watching George Clooney ugly-run in boat shoes.

The way:

Poke: Makes 20, serves 8-10 as a canape

Equipment: 1 knife.

Shopping/foraging

1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into coins half a centimeter thick.
125 grams of sashimi grade fish
1 spring onion, finely diced
1/2 avocado, mashed
2 tsp of black sesame seeds
Red chili powder to taste

Here's how we roll

1. Cut the fish into as small a dice as you can manage (don't use a food processor, it will turn it to mush best fed to cats).

2. Cut the cucumber into slices 1 cm thick and then hollow out some of the center of each slice with a teaspoon.

3. Fill the well in the center of the cucumber slice with a dab of avocado mash.

4. Toss the fish pieces in a bowl with two teaspoons of soy sauce. Arrange a pinch of the soy dressed sashimi pieces on top of the avocado and cucumber.

5. Adorn each sashimi/avocado/cucumber round with sliced spring onion, black sesame seeds and chili powder to taste.

For step by step illustrated instructions go here.

Serve along with 'The Artist not-so-silent Martinis' and 'Moneyball truffled popcorn balls'.

Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Best Of The Oscars Cocktail Buffet

2012-02-21T22:43:38Z

Last year, our Oscar menu used the best picture nominees as jumping-off points for deliciously themed food -- whether puns of movie titles or directly related to the movie's scenes.

This year, we're skipping the uncertainty of cooking for mere nominees and creating a "best of" buffet that features finger food from movies that have taken home the golden statuette in the past. In the interest of fun, this buffet is more over-the-top than our usual, manageable offerings. Feel free to simplify the menu, highlighting only your favorite dishes (or movies).

Arrange your Oscar-buffet with little flags so guests know what movie they relate to (we like these gumdrop flags for identification purposes). Or, make 'em guess.

Then fill up your plates with vintage movie-inspired food, then turn on the TV, get settled and come back to 2012 to toast this year's winners.

--Cara Eisenpress is the author of In the Small Kitchen and runs the website Big Girls, Small Kitchen.

EatingWell: 7 Unexpected Uses For Your Microwave

2012-02-21T22:40:35Z

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Chances are you have a microwave sitting somewhere in your kitchen. They've gotten smaller over the years, but even the most svelte version takes up precious real estate. It's time to put that baby to work.

Here are seven unexpected uses for your microwave (and scroll below slideshow for homemade potato chip recipe):

Microwave Potato Chips
Active time: 30 minutes | Total: 30 minutes | To make ahead: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

You don't need a deep fryer to make crispy potato chips. We toss thinly sliced potatoes with just a touch of olive oil, pop them in the microwave and voila! Crispy, crunchy homemade potato chips with eight grams less fat per serving than regular chips.

1 1/3 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Slice potatoes into thin (1/8-inch) rounds. Toss the slices in a medium bowl with oil and salt to coat evenly.

2. Coat a large microwave-proof plate with cooking spray. Arrange some potato slices in a single layer on the plate. Microwave, uncovered, on High until some slices start to brown, 2 to 3 minutes (depending on potato thickness and microwave power). Turn the slices over and continue microwaving until they start to crisp and brown around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes more. Check frequently and rearrange slices as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer the chips to another plate and allow to cool completely. (They will crisp more as they cool.) Repeat with the remaining potato slices.

Makes 4 servings, 12-14 chips each.
Per serving: 141 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 291 mg sodium; 807 mg potassium.

How do you use your microwave?

By Hilary Meyer, EatingWell Associate Food Editor

EatingWell Associate Food Editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.

More from EatingWell:

Tyler Florence: Cod And Fish Stew With Garlic Bread

2012-02-21T22:16:14Z

Get the recipe for Cod And Fish Stew With Garlic Bread

Small Kitchen College: Homemade Larabars

2012-02-21T21:59:44Z

Photo Credit: Small Kitchen College

The one winter tradition that always melts my heart is my mom's yearly fruitcake-making extravaganza. Dried fruit bits and drops of brandy go flying; it's really quite fun. (PS: What is a fruitcake?) I know a lot of people don't, but I love fruitcake. It got me thinking that I also, for similar reasons, love Larabars. They are delicious, dense and high in fiber and nutrients like potassium. Their downside, however, is painful, because their price tag breaks the bank (perhaps more aptly named Ralph-Lauren Bars?). I am here to offer you a solution.

Did you know you could have just as much unpredictable fun making Larabars as my mom does making fruitcake? Larabars are a gluten-free, dairy-free, whole-food product, which means you don't need a laboratory to recreate the taste (or a gluten and dairy insensitivity to enjoy them)—you can make an exact replica in your house!

**Recipe**

Homemade Larabars: The Formula
Makes 3 bars
Ingredients
1/4 cup dates
1/4 cup dried fruit*
1/3 cup nuts*

Note: you can use any kind of fruit and nut combination -- see below for my favorites!

Pit the dates, and then put the dates and dried fruit into a food processor. The dried fruit should become a paste in the food processor, and then it will coalesce into a lump. Take it out of the food processor, and put it in a medium-sized bowl.

Next, separately blend the nuts in the food processor. When they become a paste, add them to the bowl with the dried fruit.

With your clean hands, mix together the dried fruit and the nuts.

To make bars, shape the mixture and then wrap in wax paper. If you want to be Christmas-y, you can tie ribbons around them, or make cute little cards to explain their significance to your favorite Larabar lovers!

Coconut
Ingredients
1/4 cup dates
1/4 cup coconut
1/3 cup cashews/almonds

Apple and Peanut Butter
Ingredients
1/4 cup dates
1/4 cup dried apples
1/3 cup peanuts

Banana Bread
Ingredients
1/4 cup dates
1/4 cup dried banana
1/3 cup cashews and/or almonds

—Sarah Trautman for Small Kitchen College. Sarah Trautman attends Carleton College in Minnesota, but has spent time canvassing for environmental issues and being a camp counselor in Maine. @sarah_trautman

Meg Wolff: Plant-Based Meals: Vegan For Mardi Gras (NAS)

2012-02-21T20:02:21Z

Do you eat vegan, but still want to celebrate Mardi Gras? Well, this tasty traditional Mardi Gras dish of red beans and rice given to me by my friend, Crazy Dick (Rich Curole) will let you stay with your plant-based plan, instead of letting it go out the window!

Being from the Northeast, Mardi Gras is not a tradition I have experienced like my good friend Rich who was "born on the bayou." Rich told me about Mardi Gras from his experience of growing up in New Orleans:

"Mardi Gras for as log as I can remember, has always been celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Lenten Season for that year. The Lenten Season lasts until Easter Sunday, a period of 46 days. Practicing Catholics are supposed to give something up for the entirety of the Lenten Season and Mardi Gras day is the last blow out day before Catholics begin to sacrifice. Directly translated, Mardi Gras means 'Fat Tuesday.'"

Because the specific date of Easter Sunday fluctuates, so does the date of Ash Wednesday and Mardi Gras day. This year, ash Wednesday falls on February 20-second, though the Mardi Gras season actually kicks off several weeks before Mardi Gras day. Throughout the Mardi Gras season parades, balls and other occurrences are held in celebration.

To my knowledge, Mardi Gras (or the idea of Carnival) started as an exercise of appeasement for the masses, orchestrated and financed by the royals and gentry of long gone oligarchies. How better to appease your loyal subjects and exercise your excessive habits than to throw a weeks long party offering shiny trinkets for your best peasants? Not to mention the license given subjects to be publicly intoxicated during the whole thing!

It is the most affluent that finance the most beautiful and most generous modern Mardi Gras parades and celebrations, whether in New Orleans or other areas of Louisiana. Many of these organizations also require good 'ol fashion connections to belong. Many of the trinkets thrown from floats in modern Mardi Gras parades are decedents of the trinkets offered during the earliest days of Carnival. Doubloons, which look like large shiny coins, and beads thrown from modern parade floats have no real cash value. But you get to pretend you're rich while putting doubloons in your pocket and wearing the new costume jewelry thrown to you from today's parade!

Red Beans and Rice is a dish traditionally served on Monday's in New Orleans. I can't tell you how this tradition started, but I would not be surprised to find restaurants in New Orleans still serving red beans and rice on Mondays as a lunch special. The Monday before Mardi Gras day is known as Lundi Gras or "Fat Monday."

Rich mentioned that traditionally, "Red beans and rice is made with meat and the dish is slow cooked after having soaked the beans overnight. Many use ham in the slow cooking process. Smoked or Andouille sausage would typically be involved too. I might also expect butter to be used while cooking down the onions. There are many variations, but the smooth and creamy nature is a constant in Cajun/Creole style beans. This dish would almost always be served over white rice."

Crazy Dick's recipe is a much shortened, plant-based, nutritious version changed to save time, animals and your health! First of all he avoided using meat. He use brown Basmati instead of white rice, and substitute olive oil for butter. Rich really likes his Smokey Cajun Seasoning in this dish because it reminds him of red beans and rice made with smoked sausage that he had as a child.

Crazy Dick's Red Beans & Rice
3 cups uncooked organic brown Basmati rice
5 cups of spring or filtered water
2-3 teaspoons organic olive oil
1 large organic Vidalia (or other) sweet onion, chopped
Crazy Dick's Smokey Cajun Seasoning (or non-smokey)
2-3 cloves organic garlic, minced
4 cans organic kidney (red) beans (no salt added)
1 12-ounce package Field Roast Apple Sage Veggie Sausage

To cook brown rice: Add water to separate pot and bring to boil. Add rice and decrease heat so rice begins to simmer. Brown Basmati will take around 50 minutes to cook, so best to complete this step first.

Chop the sweet onion and deposit the pieces into a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Add just enough olive oil to cook and caramelize the onions. Set heat to medium low and adjust as necessary while onions are cooking.

Add Crazy Dick's Smokey Cajun Seasoning to the cooking onions. Start with 2-3 level teaspoons. You should witness a definitive color change in the onions. If the color change is too faint you may need to add more. If the color change is too great, be prepared to eat some pretty spicy beans!

Peel garlic and place in garlic press. Press garlic into the Dutch oven full of onions and spices. Stir thoroughly until garlic is evenly distributed. (Take a moment to sample the aroma.)

Remove sausages from their casings (Filed Roast casings are plastic and must be removed before cooking) and slice into ¼ inch thick pieces. Add sausages to the cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, and stir thoroughly into mixture. Avoid stirring sausages too vigorously as not to break them into small pieces.

Open four cans of bean and drain the liquid from two of the cans.

Add the remaining two cans that still have their liquid to the onion mixture after the onions appear fully cooked.

Add the one can of drained beans to a food processor or blender along with about one tablespoon olive oil. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add them to the mixture in the Dutch oven.

If satisfied with the consistency of your dish, simply add the fourth can of whole drained beans to the Dutch oven. If you desire a thicker, smoother red bean experience, blend as much of the remaining can as necessary to achieve the desired result.

Any whole beans remaining from the fourth can? Simply add them to the dish and bring beans up to desired temperature for serving.

Ladle beans on top of generous portion of brown rice.

Makes eight servings.

Now you're eating Cajun! Enjoy!

For more quick and delicious plant-based recipes and tips, please sign up for my free newsletter.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Ash Wednesday as a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation.

Liquor.com: How To Make The Perfect Gimlet

2012-02-21T19:16:16Z

Ever wonder why British sailors are called "limeys"? A couple hundred years ago, the Royal Navy began stocking its ships with limes on long voyages to ward off scurvy (a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency).

But who wants to eat a plain lime? The ever-resourceful Brits instead combined the fruits' juice with a little sugar and the English national spirit—gin—to create this classic drink. (One theory says the concoction is named for Sir Thomas D. Gimlette, a naval surgeon in the late 1800s).

While you don't need to worry about scurvy anymore, the refreshing Gimlet is still quite popular and is delicious on a warm afternoon. Watch our video below, featuring all-star mixologist and Liquor.com advisory board member Simon Ford, to learn how to fix one. Cheers!

Click here for the full Gimlet recipe.

Rose Reisman: "Liquid Candy" -- Calories Add Up in Beverages

2012-02-21T18:48:16Z

When we think about extra calories and fat, we never believe that "liquid food" -- the beverages we consume -- can be a hidden culprit in the battle of the bulge, as well as a precursor to chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart and stroke disease and certain cancers. I'm talking about anything you drink except for good old H2O! Juices, including pure ones and those sweetened chemically or with added sugar; coffee beverages with cream, higher fat milk, sugar, sweet syrups and whipped cream; soft drinks with loads of sugar or sweeteners; smoothies; sports drinks; energy drinks or vitamin waters and any form of alcohol. That's a lot of food, or shall I say beverages, to keep control of. Most days we all consume beverages of some sort.

Marlith / Wikimedia Commons

Now I'm not saying to stay "dry" all your life, but definitely try to be more particular and treat your body better.

In the morning there's nothing wrong with a coffee, cappuccino or café latte. But ordering it with cream, extra sugar, whipped cream, chocolate or sweet syrups will greatly increase the calories, fat and sugar. You're no longer just having a coffee, you're having a dessert for breakfast. For example the White Mocha at Second Cup comes in at 460 calories, 24 grams of fat and 43 grams of sugar, which equals over 10 tsp of sugar! That's one-third of your daily calories and fat. If you like your coffee beverages. then enjoy them, but order with lower fat milk and "sans" whipped cream! You've just cut out 100 calories right there.

BGSK

Juices, even if pure without added sugar, also pack on the calories. A glass of orange, apple or grape juice is over 100 calories. Have a couple of those daily and by the end of a year you could have just added an extra 21 pounds to your body!

Or think of how easy it would be to lose 21 pounds if you eliminated the juices! If weight is not the issue, you're better off eating your food rather than drinking. An apple, orange or bunch of grapes not only fills you longer than the juice but contains more nutrients.

How about those nutritious smoothies made from fruit, juice or frozen yogurt? At Orange Julius, the Cool Mocha Julius consists of a coffee concentrate, chocolate drink base, non-fat dried milk powder and smoothie booster ice sweetener, whatever that is! Not so cool coming in at 880 calories, 18 grams of fat and 131 grams of sugar, which equals 33 tsp of sugar! You're almost done for the day! You'd be better off with the premium fruit smoothies consisting of a blend of real fruits and some low-fat frozen yogurt.

Next time you're going to indulge in some liquid calories. Keep this in mind.

Beverages don't fill you the same as food.
Avoid those drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup which increases obesity more than sugar. You'll find them in many soft drinks, fruit juice cocktails and sports drinks.
Avoid sugar sweeteners, which are now being linked to increased obesity. They can increase your desire for more sugar-based foods.

www.rosereisman.com
www.facebook.com/rosereisman

Trina Sargalski: Video Bite: Cardamom Masala Chai

2012-02-21T17:44:36Z

Ayesha D'Mello demonstrates how to make Indian tea (masala chai) at home. There are many wonderful varieties of chai -- this version is made with cardamom. Enjoy chai with your breakfast in the morning, after lunch when you need a pick-me-up or on a rainy day. Recipe below.

Other Video Bites with Ayesha D'Mello:
Winter squash with coconut sauce

Cardamom Masala Chai
Indian tea
Serves 3-4
Recipe by Ayesha D'Mello of Ayesha's Kitchen

TIME
5-7 minutes, depending on fast water boils on your stove

INGREDIENTS
3 ½ cups water
2 tsp. loose black tea leaves (about ½ tsp. per cup)
2 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
½ cup half and half
¼ tsp. cardamom pods or seeds

TOOLS
Tea kettle
Coffee grinder

Heat the water in the kettle. Meanwhile, add the loose tea leaves, sugar, half and half--yes this is a one pot creation. Then grind the cardamom seeds in a coffee grinder -- it's best to use a grinder you dedicate to your Indian spices as the aromas can linger. Fresh ground cardamom yields a much more distinct taste than the powdered spice. Put the cardamom in the kettle and cover it. After about two minutes, the chai will start to boil and froth and the tea leaves will come up. Take the kettle off the heat -- you don't want to let the tea leaves sit in the chai too long as the tea will become bitter. Strain out the tea leaves as you pour the chai into your cup and enjoy!

D'Mello teaches Indian cooking classes through Ayesha's Kitchen. Be sure to sign up early if you're interested in a class-they tend to fill up early. Read about my experience in her class -- the best part is enjoying all of the food afterward.

Originally posted at Miami Dish.

Tori Haschka: Oscars Recipe: 'Tree Of Life' Chicken Scotch Eggs

2012-02-21T17:19:18Z

The dish:

The film:

The reason:

Where does life begin and end? Where is mercy? Are they eating mince for dinner again? These are some of the questions that dog Terrence Malick's loosely plotted family drama/examination of our place in the universe. For some, the appeal lies in the early cameos of supernova's and dinosaurs. For others, it's how fetchingly Brad Pitt's profile is lit. And for a few of us disbelievers, the true appeal in the film lies in the fact that its natural food pairing is a Scotch Egg.

Not just any Scotch eggs, but a metaphoric one to boot. An enigma and a riddle bound together; this is a chicken-wrapped egg. Nobody's really sure in the grand scheme of things which one came first, but when making these you need to tend to the eggs first; soft boiling to maintain the innocence of the yolk. They're then coated in a thyme speckled, pulverized mix of chicken. Then like many things you'll find in the film's setting of suburban Texas, they're breaded and fried.

If you've got the timing right the yolk should ooze like a star burst across the plate when cleaved open. If not, you're still going to be eating a delicious snack -- and unlike the film, consuming this won't chew up 139 minutes of your life.

The way:

Chicken and Thyme Scotch Eggs: Makes 8 Scotch Eggs

Equipment: Two saucepans, 3 bowls, 1 stopwatch, 1 baking tray with a roasting tray/ cooling rack, slotted spoon, ice, clingfilm and baking paper.

Shopping/foraging

10 medium eggs
1 tbsp bi carb soda
450grams/ 1 pound minced chicken (or contents of chicken sausages, skinned)
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon thyme leaves.
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of mint, chopped
1 tsp parsley, chopped
4 tbsp plain flour
50ml milk
125g/ 4.4 ounces breadcrumbs
oil, for frying

Here's how we roll

1. Preheat the oven to 190C, 375 F, gas mark 5.

2. Bring a pan of water to the boil with one tablespoon of bicarb soda. As soon as the water boils, place eight of the eggs in and cook for five minutes and 10 seconds. While the eggs are cooking, fill a bowl with cold water and ice and after the exact time has elapsed, fish the eggs out of the saucepan and plunge them into the iced water to cool.

3. In a bowl combine the minced chicken, thyme, mint, mustard and two tablespoons of water. Mix and form eight patties with your hands. Chill the patties on a tray lined with baking paper in the fridge for 20 minutes.

4. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, very, very, carefully remove the shells by tapping the top and the bottom against a hard surface. It helps to peel off the shells under a gentle stream of running water. Don't break the yolk.

5. Dust the eggs in a little plain flour (this will help the sausage meat adhere to the egg).

6. Lay out a square of cling film and flatten a chicken patty into a circle at least 10 cm in diameter. Place a peeled, flour dusted egg in the centre. Use the clingfilm to help wrap the sausage meat around the egg, pressing the edges in order to seal it -- be careful not to press too hard (you don't want to break the yolk) .

7. Get three small bowls and create a production line. Put the flour into a small bowl. In the second bowl, add the two remaining eggs and beat them and the milk together with a fork. In the third bowl, place the breadcrumbs.

8. Roll each mince coated egg in the flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.

9. Heat enough oil to cover the eggs in a saucepan (or in a deep fryer) to 190 C/ 375F. Fry two eggs at a time for two minutes.

10. Pluck the eggs from the oil with a slotted spoon and arrange on a drying rack over a baking tray. Fry the remainder of the eggs and then bake all in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

For step by step illustrated instructions go here

Tori Haschka: Oscars Recipe: 'War Horse' Carrot, Oat And Apple Cake

2012-02-21T17:05:22Z

The film:

The reason:

To be sure, there wasn't a lot of cake in the trenches of World War 1. And there certainly weren't many treats for the horses. This cake celebrates the highs and the lows of Stephen Spielberg's War Horse. In it you'll find the apple which Albert (human) first uses to befriend Joey (horse). There's carrot, which may proved a better motivating tool to get beasts to lug artillery through mud than a big stick. There are oats for fortitude and rosemary for remembrance (though its visual resemblance to the tangles of barbed wire that dogged No Man's Land is hardly coincidental). The cake itself is as orange as the Gone with the Wind hued skies that streak the frames of the film, and the icing is as white as the well loved bands down Joey's nose and shins.

If there aren't any strapping 16 hand bays around to eat this cake beside, feel free to consume it all yourself (or buy a novelty miniature one to adorn your serving plate). I know not all of us were blessed with drunk dads who irresponsibly brought home a thoroughbred when we were kids -- certainly my little pony was a wee bit different -- (and very, very plastic).

Carrot, oat and apple cake: Makes one two layered cake

Equipment: Two 9 inch/ 23 cm cake tins (or 1 that you use twice). Baking paper. Electric mixer/beaters. One box grater/microplane. Vegetable peeler. One heat proof bowl. One mixing bowl.

Shopping/foraging

3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup/115 grams unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon of dark rum
1-3/4 cups self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1cm cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about two cups)
1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary leaves, finely diced (optional, but does add a nice flavor note against the sweetness of the apple)

Icing, filling and garnish

3/4 cup of walnuts
375 grams cream cheese
3/4 cup of powdered sugar/icing sugar
1 tsp dark rum
1 stem of rosemary

Here's how we roll

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180 C.

2) Grease two 9"/ 23 cm round cake pans with parchment and grease lightly (if you only have one baking pan bake the cake in two batches).

3) In a heatproof bowl pour the boiling water over the oats. Stir and set aside.

4). Beat together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one by one and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and rum and then stir in the water and oat mix and rosemary.

5) Add the grated carrot and diced apple to the mix and stir together.

6) Sift in the four, cinnamon and salt. Combine gently with a spatula.

7) Divide the mix in two and pour into the prepared tins. Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is gold and a cake skewer comes out clean.

8) Let the cakes cool for 15 minutes then remove them from the tins. Gently turn upside down (use the guaranteed flat bottom of the cakes as the top).

9) To make the icing beat the cream cheese together with the icing sugar and rum.

10) Spread half of the mixture on the top of one cake. Sprinkle the walnuts over, then sandwich the second cake on top of that, pressing down gently so the filling spreads to the edge.

11) Add the remaining icing to the top. Garnish with the rosemary, for remembrance -- and a novelty horse, if that's your kind of thing.

For illustrated step by step instructions go here

Tori Haschka: Oscars Recipe: 'The Help' Chocolate Pie

2012-02-21T16:59:24Z

The film:

The reason:

Minny Jackson thinks fried chicken just tends to make you feel better about life. So does this chocolate pie. The social structures of 1960s Jackson Mississippi may be difficult for modern audiences to swallow, but this pie isn't. It's a dessert that also plays an important role in the film. Though rest easy, this version has nothing to do with Minny's "terrible awful." It's just sweet, stickily rich and comforting as all get out. If you're a dab hand in the kitchen you can make the crust yourself, or else feel free to buy one from the store. All that's left to do is respectfully meld together the lily hues of condensed milk with cocoa, butter and eggs and hope that everything plays together nicely. Cream on top is optional.

Chocolate tart: Makes one 9 inch pie, 6-8 servings

Equipment: 9 inch pie dish (preferably with a removable bottom). 1 saucepan. 1 sifter. 1 whisk. 1 can opener. 1 spatula.

Shopping/foraging
One 8 or 9 inch sweet pastry crust (shop bought, or recipe below*)
½ cup water
5 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornflour
1 (14 ounce/ 400 gram) can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream, to serve

Here's how we roll

1. Sift into a medium size pan the cocoa and the cornflour. Add the water and whisk until it's a smooth paste.

2. Stir in the condensed milk and the egg yolks. Heat until it's simmering and stir for five minutes until thick.

3. Reduce heat and add the butter and vanilla and stir well.

4. Take it off the heat and let cool before transferring it into the pie case. If there are any lumps, strain it on its way into the pie case.

5. Let it cool in the fridge for an hour or so. Serve with whipped cream on top.

For illustrated step by step instructions, go here

*Sweet Pastry Crust
Shopping/foraging
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) plain flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) white sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Tablespoon of milk

Here's how we roll

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 395 F. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Gradually add the beaten egg until just incorporated.

3. Add the flour and salt and mix with a spatula until it just forms a ball.

4. Line the bench with clingfilm and tip the mix out on top. Bring together into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes/

5. Lightly butter and then dust with flour a 8- 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.

6. Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

7. Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 395 F. Cover with plastic wrap and place the pie crust in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

8. Line the pie case with baking paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and brush with milk. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes to brown the base.