Teen Chef Diaries

Pssst, we moved

2010-11-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

hey all! just letting you know ---we moved! teenchefdiaries.wordpress.com so bookmark that page. and visit there for updates!

cheers!

-me

pumpkin spice scone -a recipe from a friend

2010-10-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

i am still on a baking rampage...

last night dad requested that i make these, and post them here. so i am.

this is a long time favorite of mine (ok, as of a year), i got it off a friend's blog, she is amazing and these scones testify to that.

these really welcome fall in properly.

[i use a pastry blender to make the dough]

makes 6 scones

-2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 tablespoons cold butter
-1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 3 tablespoons half-and-half
- 1 large egg

Powered Sugar Glaze

* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze

* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons whole milk
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 pinch ginger
* 1 pinch ground cloves

Directions

1.TO MAKE THE SCONES:
2.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
3.Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
4.In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
5.Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
6.Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
7.TO MAKE THE PLAIN GLAZE:.
8.Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
9.When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.
10.AS THAT WHITE GLAZE FIRMS UP, MAKE THE SPICED ICING:.
11.Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

walnut cinnamonn slices

2010-09-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have been really into baking things as of late so I tried these because they looked like they matched the coolness in the air that's creeping into our late summer.

From one of my favorite cookbooks, Tartine, is a cookie/bar that is moist in the middle and flaky, crumbly on the edges. Just enough cinnamon to make it feel like a cookie that should be eaten on a cool fall evening.

Just trust me, you'll love them.

p.s. guess what? I followed the recipe 100%!

[It says to bake for about 7 minutes, I ended up baking them for closer to 15 minutes to get the edges golden.]

1 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
11 Tablespoons butter at a cool room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Sugar Coating

2 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoons cream
1 cup sugar

Sift the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda together into a mixing bowl, and set aside. In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar, until just combine. In a small bowl beat the egg and sugar together until blended. Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, beating at medium speed until well mixed. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beat on low speed just until a dough forms. Mix in the walnuts.
Turn the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Form a rectangle about 1inch thick. Wrap tightly, and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough, using a sharp knife, slice the rectangle lengthwise into 2-inch-wide rectangular logs. To make the sugar coating, in a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and cream to make a a egg wash. Spread the sugar onto a baking sheet. Brush the rectangular logs well, but sparingly with the egg wash. One at a a time dredge the logs in the sugar, coating evenly on all sides. Cut lengthwise and into 2 inch bars (creating 2x1inch bars).arrange on baking sheet.
Bake until cookies are golden on the edges, but still pale in the middle, about 7 minutes (see note).

(Original recipe Tartine Bakery)
(Photographs copyright of madey edlin)

blueberry cupcakes

2010-08-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

From Bon Appetite comes the cupcake of a lifetime. Picture a really good blueberry muffin topped with a buttercream maple frosting. Yeah, like a blueberry pancake with maple syrup but 10x more awesome.

Want to make it better? Serve with a double espresso.

Notes: I omitted the lemon peel in the cupcakes. I used maple syrup in the frosting, omitted the milk, and added a little extra powdered sugar.

Cupcakes:

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or low-fat yogurt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours

Frosting

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons (or more) whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Sift flour and next 4 ingredients into large bowl. Whisk melted butter and oil in medium bowl. Add eggs; whisk to blend. Whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and peel. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Stir in frozen blueberries. Divide batter among liners.
Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to racks.

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Add 4 teaspoons milk. Using electric mixer, beat until well blended and fluffy, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls if dry (small granules of maple sugar will still remain), about 4 minutes. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes.
Garnish cupcakes with chilled berries, and mint sprigs, if desired. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

(Original recipe Bon Appetite)

(Original Photography by, madey edlin madeyedlinblog.com)

Pesto Pasta Salad

2010-06-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

I feel like I should be groveling to my readers. It's been over a month since I last posted. Trust me, I would have liked to be doing nothing but posting here. But life got in the way. But we are back on track and I hope to continue posting every week.

This is me throwing all my favorite things together in a bowl and mixing. Here we came up with a Mediterranean pasta salad, and if you remember, I could have a slight obsession with pasta; but we're not going to go into detail.

Like potato salad, pasta salad has a bad rep. Containing mostly mayo, and other things that will make you puke it you eat more than one bite. But here, well I think, the pasta salad could be re-invented into something good, even great.

So here we go: a pretty unoriginal pasta salad recipe (but oh, so good)::

2 cups cooked pasta
1 cup blanched peas
1/4 cup pesto
2 Tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
Feta cheese
Salt

Combine everything in a large bowl. Mix. Add salt and cheese to taste. That's what I'm talkin about!

(Original recipe by Madey Edlin)

(Photography by Madey Edlin :: madey-kay.blogspot.com)

peppery, sweet potato salad. with lemon, honey, basil, dressing

2010-05-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

I love sweet potatoes, and they are so good for you; so I am always looking for new ways of incorporating them into my diet.

The roasted potatoes, paired with the sweet and sour dressing, the bite from the pepper, and the freshness of the basil, all tossed together to a ultimate potato salad. And unlike most potato salads, this one won't stop your heart just by looking at it.

[Notes: Use lots of salt, and lots, and lots of pepper.]

4 sweet potatoes, cubed into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small onion, sliced
6 oz drained chickpeas
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup minced basil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil + extra
salt
pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425.
Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, coat well with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread into a sheet pan, so that they lay in one layer. Roast for 30 minutes.
While the potatoes are roasting, give the onion slices the same olive oil treatment as the potatoes. Place in the oven with the potatoes, and roast for a further 10 minutes.
Make the dressing by mixing the, lemon juice, basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and honey, until completely combine.
Once the vegetables are done, place in a large bowl, add the chick peas, and dressing toss to combine. Serve warm, and garnish with chopped basil.

(Original recipe my madey edlin)
(Original photography madey edlin)

(I couldn't decide which one I like better, so you got both)

bread pudding

2010-04-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

I left my heart in London, that's about how my trip went, I loved it so much it hurts. I was thinking I would do a blog post on Irish cuisine after returning from Ireland, and England. But unless I get hundreds of emails begging me to get into Shepherd's pie, soda bread, or Irish stew, we are going to focus more on the British food. After all I ended up spending more time there since the explosion of the volcano in Iceland grounded us in England for a extra week. Not that I was complaining.

The day after I got back, I had to see how my croissants compared with those that you could get on every street corner in Europe. I started in on the 24+ hours of messing around with butter and flour mess AKA croissant, and in the end was very pleased with the result. It's like Christmas, all the anticipation, then you pull out beautiful, flaky, golden bread that is to die for. But not everyone is worthy of them, so I end up eating most of them. Occasionally sharing the gold with a few of my favorite family members. But as a result there are usually a few extra hanging around the house a few days after their prime. So I decided to do something about that:

Confession #186: I have never had, made or tried bread pudding. Yes, it's true. I was talking to a friend about that and she said that needed to be remedied asap. So I did I used a few older, plain croissant to make some bread pudding, and was very happy with the results. The custard surrounding the buttery croissant, for the perfect indulging treat.

I used a recipe from [yet another] favorite cookbook of mine; Tartine. A bakery located in San Francisco, and owner’s wrote a cookbook about their baked goods. I used their recipe for croissants (as I always do), and their recipe for Brioche Bread Pudding.

[Makes 1 5x9 inch loaf]

Notes: I used croissant slices, the original recipe uses brioche. Really, any good-quality bread of the buttery family would work well here.

Fill the dish with the bread, but do not let it go over the edge. You might need more or less slices of bread.

I served mine with peach slices, and stewed rhubarb

6, 1 inch croissant slices

8 eggs

3/4 + 2 tablespoons sugar

4 cups whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Arrange the croissant slices on a baking a sheet, place in the oven until lightly toasted, 4 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven allow to cool.

To make the custard, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Pour the custard into a fine mesh sieve held over a measuring cup with a spout.

Place the toasted croissant in the prepared loaf dish, cutting to fit as needed. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, filling the dish to the top, if you can’t fit it all in, wait 10 minutes and pour the remaining custard into the dish.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil, place in the oven, and bake the pudding for about 1 hour. To test for doneness, uncover the dish, slip a knife into the centre, and push the bread aside. If the custard is still very liquid, re-cover the dish and return to the over to bake for about a further 10 minutes. If only a little liquid remains then the pudding is ready to come out of the oven. It will continue to cook after it comes out of the oven.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

(Original recipe by Tartine Bakery)

(Original photography by madey edlin)

Update

2010-03-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

So I am a lame blogger. That's all there is too it. So tomorrow I am leaving for England and Ireland! (FREAKING OUT!!!! :) And I tried to get enough posts to post while I am gone, but alas it didn't happen, so for the next few weeks there will be no posts.

So sorry. Look forward to new inspiration, from the Irish :)

-Madey
A.K.A. the Teen Chef

egg and pea pasta

2010-03-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

One could almost call this breakfast pasta, it contains 2 of the main components of a classic breakfast: eggs and ham. But this is far better then breakfast.
I made something along these lines from one of Bill Granger's cookbooks awhile back, and decided to try it with my own twists.

The great thing about this is that you could add just about anything you want to replace the ham and peas. Use your imagination here. Also a pulse: this is a one-pot-dish.

Did I ever tell you that I have a deep love for pasta? If I didn't care about health, or my waist line, I would live off pasta, all day long that's what I would eat.

[Serves 4]

Notes: If the egg doesn't cook enough just off the leftover heat of the pasta, cook the mixture over low heat until the egg cooks. Use whatever meat you desire, prosciutto would work well here.

1 package fettuccini pasta
4oz chopped ham
1 cup peas
2 eggs, beaten
Pepper

Cook the pasta according to manufacture’s instructions. Drain, and return to the cooking pot. Stir in the ham and peas, then the eggs, letting the heat from the pasta cook the eggs (see note). Season with pepper (and salt as needed), and serve

(Inspiration Bill Granger, original recipe by Madey Edlin)
(Photography by Madey Edlin Photography)

salad rolls

2010-03-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is late.
For a early birthday present my grandma took my brother and I to a Asian cooking class at University of Portland, where we learned how to make, sushi, lumpia, and salad rolls. In honor of the class I thought I would share what I learned about salad rolls. (Oh and they are good for you too!)

Notes: you can use anything in these things, this is just a basic one that I came up with. Use warm water; if the wraps aren't tender when you wrap them, that's ok they'll become soft after a minute or two.

[Makes 8 rolls]

1 cucumber, seeded and julienned
1 large carrot, julienned
1.6oz Thai noodles, cooked (any kind you like)
Lettuce
8 spring roll wraps
Warm water (see note)
Peanut sauce

Pour 1/2 inch warm water into a dish that is large enough to submerge a wrap into. Submerge the wrap into the water for a few seconds and place on the counter (do not shake off excess water). Add a little of each ingredient in a little pile toward the bottom of the wrap (see picture). Wrapping: Fold up the bottom of the wrapper. The bottom of the wrapper is the part that is closest to the filling. Fold this up over the filling and press down slightly.Fold over the sides. Fold both the right and left sides of the spring roll wrapper over until the ends of the two sides meet in the middle.Roll it up. Continue to hold onto the sides as you make the first roll because they are still a little slippery at this point. Once you have the first roll completed, you can let go of the sides and continue rolling the spring roll until you reach the end of the wrapper. Serve with peanut sauce.

(Original recipe by Madey Edlin)
(Photography by Madey Edlin Photography)

chocolate torte

2010-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Long, long week. So I decided to end on a sweet note (sorry), and headed into the kitchen with that childish-like ambition of making a chocolate cake, but decided to go for a more sophisticated twist on the child dream so I went for a chocolate torte. The recipe I ended up using consisted of a dense, nearly flourless torte base (I know most real tortes are made with out flour, but hey, I liked it with a little flour) that was topped with a thick layer of chocolate mousse, a thinner layer of whipped cream and finished with raspberries. What could be better? Not much in my opinion.
The whole thing ended up being rather a simple project, to my surprise. If you can read, and use the stove without burning yourself you should have no problem.

The original recipe had bad reviews for the mousse so I made the mousse from the two toned chocolate mousse recipe, a great standard mousse recipe, and used the cake recipe from Epicurious. I didn't have raspberries so you are gong to have to imagine that there is a nice circle of fresh raspberries along the edge of the torte.

[Makes 1, 10" cake]

Notes: I used unsweetened chocolate for the cake. And only 2 teaspoons vanilla.
In the mousse and I used honey instead of corn syrup. Adjustments have been made from the two toned chocolate mousse, use recipe as follows. I used semi sweet chocolate for the mousse, though dark, or milk chocolate would also work here. It works well to make the mousse while the cake is baking. I used about 1 cup cream, 1/4 powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla for the top layer.

Cake

8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Mousse

1 2/3 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cup light corn syrup (I used honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Salt
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Cake
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan; dust with sugar. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt, then flour. Pour batter into pan. Bake until cake just rises in center (tester inserted into center will not come out clean), about 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cover; chill while making mousse.

Mousse
Put cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate 1 hour. Put egg yolks into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale and frothy, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring sugar, corn syrup, and water to a rolling boil in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until clear, large bubbles form, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high. Mix until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, and a pinch of salt with a rubber spatula. Add one-third of bittersweet-chocolate mixture to whipped cream; whisk to combine. Add remaining bittersweet-chocolate mixture, whisking until completely combined. Press through a large-mesh sieve into a large bowl. (I fold in the other 2/3 of the whipped cream for a lighter texture.)
Assemble cake: Spread the mousse into a thick layer, then whipped cream (see note), and finish with raspberries.

(Original recipes by Epicurious, and Martha Stewart. Adapted by M.E.)
(Photography by M.E. photography madeyedlin.tumblr.com)

simple greek salad

2010-03-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

My mom got a very large block of fresh feta, so I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity and make a Greek salad. I have never had mastered a great Greek salad (after all not Greek salad is created equal), but I think I got it right here. Super simple and very yummy.

Notes: I used mini cucumbers, but you could regular ones, and seed and slice it into small pieces.

Serves 4

8 mini cucumbers
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
1/8 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup kalmata olives, halved if you want
Salt
Olive oil

Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and olives in a small bowl. Genitally toss in feta. Finish with with a nice drizzle of olive oil and a shake of salt.

(Original recipe my M.E.)
(Photography be M.E. photography madeyedlin.tumblr.com)

coconut curried lentils, over tomatoes and brown rice

2010-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

This all started with nothing more then a can of lentils, and lunch hunger. Mom and I ate enough for 4 people by ourselves. Slightly sweet but altogether earthy, the tomatoes add a fun and fresh twist, it all comes together for a perfect marriage.
Oh did I mention no refined sugars, or white carbs?
[Serves 4]

Notes: Adjust spices to taste. And of course it would be better to hydrate dried lentils, but the canned ones worked well in a pinch. Blue agave is a natural unrefined sweetener, and I prefer to use it when I can, it does resemble honey so you can use that if you don't have any agave on hand.

-2 15oz cans (any variety) lentils, drained
-1 13oz can coconut milk
-4 tablespoons blue agave, or honey
-4 teaspoons curry powder
-2 teaspoon cinnamon
-pinch cayene
-1 teaspoon cumin
-salt
-fresh ground pepper
-2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
-Cooked brown rice

Place lentils, coconut milk, and spices in a medium sauce pan, over medium-low heat bring to a simmer. Place rice in 4 bowls, spoon tomatoes over rice, and then the lentil mixture. Serve immediately.

(Original recipe by M.E.)
(Photography by M.E. photography madey-kay.blogspot.com)

whole-wheat honey apple muffins

2010-02-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Garvey Artistic Works for the amazing new header! It looks so great!

I learned a lesson about not posting a Mark Bittman recipe as soon as I try them. Other more famous bloggers jump on his recipes and show them off before I can. So ha! I got it done before anybody else (I think).
Healthy and tasty, made with 100% whole wheat flour, no refined sugars, all natural, even organic if you want. The trick? Using whole wheat pastry flour, and mixing as little as possible, as not to over activate the gluten in the flour and toughen the dough. The result? An amazingly light tender muffin that nobody thinks of as whole-wheat.
Inspired by Mark Bittman's, Whole Wheat Muffins

[Makes 12 muffins]

-2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-Dash nutmeg (optional)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-3/4 cup honey
-1 cup grated, and peeled apple
-1/2 cup (plain) yogurt
-1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375, grease (or line with muffin liners) a 12 muffin, muffin tin.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the honey, apple, yogurt, and butter together in a small bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix as little as possible. Fill the greased muffin tin, bake for 20-25 minutes.

(Original Recipe Mark Bittman)
(Photography by M.E. Photography madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Italian Sandwich

2010-02-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

The other day my mom and I were doing errands and we decided to stop and get a cold sandwich at Starbucks but this must have been a magical Starbucks, because they had hot sandwiches and I got one that resembles this lovely sandwich, that is absolutely bursting with Italian flavor (amazing for a chain coffee shop)! So I just had to re-invent it, and see if I could make it better then the baristas at Starbucks can. And, well, this just encourages my love of Italian food.
Oh so yummy with a glass of San.Pellegrino!

Enjoy!
[Serves 4]

1 loaf Ciabatta bread
10 slices sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1 8oz ball mozzarella, shredded
1 quantity pesto (see below)
Handful spinach, stems removed and torn if necessary

Slice the bread in half horizontally, trim so that the the bread is no more then 1/4 inch thick. Spared the pesto on the bottom half of the bread, sprinkle on the cheese, layer on the sun-dried tomatoes, drizzle top and bottom slices of bread with olive oil, and broil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven, and add the spinach and layer on fresh tomato, ans sprinkle a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Replace the top and cut into 4 slices.

Pesto

0.66oz basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor; add oil as needed to get a thick paste.

(Original recipe by M.E.)
(Photography by M.E. photography madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Orange Julius

2010-01-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

For some reason around this time of year when we get those false spring days, with the sun shining and the puffy clouds floating, I always crave spring food. Like fresh snow peas, cold drinks, asparagus, and other early spring foods. So I made a Orange Julius, and sat out side in the freezing sunny weather, and nearly froze to death.
To early spring treats!

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
24 ice cubes
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients together in a blender, blend until it's a thick milkshake- like consistency.

(Original recipe by Madey Edlin)
(Photography by M.E. Photography, madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Lemon Curd (For Those Amazing Scones)

2010-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well... What do you think about the new blog makeover? I'm a fan. And The Teen Chef has a Twitter!! Check it out: http://twitter.com/TheTeenChef

For those of you that saw my Facebook status about the lemon strawberry crepes, well, they were OK but nothing to tell you about.

I am not going to masquerade as a chef/foodie person that knows everything, after all I only found out a year ago that mozzarella came in more forms then shredded in a bag. So I had no idea that lemon curd was so dang easy, I tried it a while ago a loved it. So I made it again for other baked goods, though I could scoop it right into my mouth, I try to use it sparingly.

juice from 3 lemons
zest from 1 lemon
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks

Simmer a inch of water in a sauce pan. In a bowl that will fit snugly on top of the sauce pan of simmering water, mix all the ingredients; and place on top of the sauce pan. Making sure the water does not touch the bowl, stir until the mixture simmers, but do not let it boil. Cool and serve.

(Original recipe my Bob's Red Mill, adapted by M.E.)
(Photography by M.E. photography madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Fool-Proof Scones

2010-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

I only do few thing well, but this scone recipe is fool proof, and I mean it. I have had it tested by fools and it always came out. I was reluctant to even share this recipe with you, but I did get it out of a magazine, so it's not mine to keep to me self. Trust me, these thing are the bomb. My little brother calls them "stones", but they do not, in any way, resemble stones. You might want to only make these about twice a year, because you easy could become obese on them, so try not to make these a idle in your life.

The dough will be very crumbly when you go to kneed/shape it, and the scones may be rather dry and crumbly when you shape them but they will come together when they bake.

I'm telling you little boys in aprons are the cutest thing EVER!

Original recipe by Cuisine at Home "Sensational Scones".

2 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into 1/2 cubes
1 cup, of ether mini chocolate chips, currents, or other small dried fruit
1 cup cream

Pre-heat oven to 375.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingers, (do not use a pastry blender, food processor, ect. only your hands! That's the reick to these guys.). Add chocolate chips or dried fruit of choice, toss to combine. Add the cream and mix with your hands, until just blended. Kneed and pat dough into a circle, cut into wedges transfer to a baking sheet spacing 2" apart. Make the egg wash: beat1 egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush scones with the egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 8 scones.

(Original recipe by Cuisine at Home "Sensational Scones".)
(photography by M.E. Photography, madey-kay.blogspot.com)

2010-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Just letting you all know that the post "...It Never Turns Out.." came across all wrong. It was rude and I'm sorry for portraying my relationship with my dad like that, it's not.

-M.E.

P.S. I do mess up all the time! ;)

Pasta Risotto

2010-01-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

Mark Bittman, he made this first I am just a copy-cat.

Idea: Make Risotto with PASTA! Instead of rice!!! Follow the risotto recipe posted last week, but use pasta instead! Had it for lunch. A.m.a.z.i.n.g.

In honor of my new obsession with risotto.

-M.E.

..."It Never Turns Out"...

2010-01-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

I am a complete failure. I made Martha Stewart's Lemon Pound Cake yesterday, I have made this about 50 times mind you, and this time it just didn't work, I tried to double the recipe I think that was my problem the chemicals didn't work right. It was more like sponge, dense brick, with a little lemon tossed somewhere in there, not a lemon pound cake.
So this morning I was eating my breakfast and drinking a large cup of coffee, and looking at the mass amount of lemon mess sitting on the counter, staring at me whispering in my ear, "you are a failure!" as if the cake didn't rub it in enough, my dad came into the kitchen and asked, "why doesn't any of your food ever turn out?" Now mind you I am used to this kind of flack from my dad, he prefers Burger King over a risotto, with a side of salad. But it kept going..."It seems like you come up with the greatest recipes, but it never turns out." The words came off his tongue like fire out of a dragon's mouth. NEVER?!?! They turn out all the time! I thought. He kept talking, "Do you just not fallow the recipe? What's the deal?" Lucky I kept my cool until my mom reminded him that he came into the kitchen looking for a paint brush, not to lay into me about messing up 4 cups of perfectly good flour.
I sure every chef has that one person in their lives that likes to point out everything that goes wrong in their food. In my case it's my dad.
Any way, making stir fry for dinner, one of my dad's favorite dinners. Hopefully he'll like it, but probably not.

I will survive!!!

Much love,

-M.E.

Creamy Risotto With Mushrooms, and Chichen

2009-12-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

Oh YES! This was a HUGE hit tonight. Everybody loved it! We had the risotto with home-made brushetta on toasted baguette, look for that recipe on Saturday. Very Italian (my favorite) and oh so, so, so yummy. (Even the 2 year old liked it!)

[No out of the ordinary kitchen utensils, serves 4]

1 1/2 cups short grain white rice
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
Parmesan
Parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 mushrooms, chopped
2 cups chicken, cubed

In a small sauce pan bring the broth to a simmer. In a large sauce pan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add the oil and onion. Cook until the onion is translusant. Add the rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until a slightly nutty aroma comes from the rice, but do not let it brown. Reduce the heat to med-lo and ladle about a 1/2 cup, of the hot broth into the rice mixture, taking care not to let it burn. After the rice lookes dry add another 1/2 cup, and repeat until the broth is gone.

In a small fry pan melt 1 tablespoon butter, add the mushrooms. Cook until lightly brown, and cooked through. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Cook the chicken until cooked though.
Add the chicken, and mushrooms to the risotto and mix to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan.

(Original recipe by Madey Edlin)
(Photography my M.E. Photography)

New Post Date

2009-12-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hey Readers,

Letting all you wonderful people know that I am going to be posting every Wednesday instead of Monday.

So come back for a new post tomorrow!

-M.E.

Simple Peppermint Ice Cream

2009-12-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

So I have a confession. I started making this ice cream, I pulled out the milk and cream and started mixing them in a 6 cup measuring bowl. I also pulled out some eggnog to sip while I made the ice cream. I poured the milk and cream into the bowl, and I saw that I needed about 1/2 more milk, well the closest milk carton I grabbed with out even thinking was the eggnog. So I ended up using a 1/2 cup eggnog in my peppermint ice cream. Luckly the peppermint flavor over powered the eggnog flavor. So all turned out well. So a word from a fool, don't pull out other milk products while making ice cream.

And if you don't have the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, you might think about getting one, my family loves it, we have home made ice cream, made with our raw, whole, milk all the time.

Merry Christmas!

1 cup cream
3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup sugar
4 crushed, (1 oz ea) candy canes, divided

Mix the milk, cream, peppermint extract, sugar, and 2 candy canes, together in a large bowl. Add to a auto ice cream maker, and turn according to manufactures directions, about 25 minutes. Then mix in the other 2 candy canes (most of the other candy canes will have dissolved in the turning proses). And place in a freezer proof container with a lid, and freeze for at least 5 hours.

Makes 2 quarts.

(Orignal recipe, Madey Edlin)
(Photography by M.E. photography, madey-kay.blogspot.com)

A Successful Dinner Party!!

2009-12-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

A few days ago my brother hosted a dinner party. I came early to help him make the dinner. We had seared scallops on a carrot fritter with yogurt sauce, cilantro, and a side of wonderful sweet potato chips (my complements to Kelsey!), and a salad. It was a huge success! The main dish was from Bills Open Kitchen (if you don’t have the Bills books you have to get them they are the best and most inspiring book I have come across!) So here are a few pictures from out dinner party and recipes that we used! (I’m so silly I forgot to take a picture of out finished meal!)

SCALLOPS
12 medium-sized scallops, intestinal tract removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE
carrot fritters (below)
yogurt dressing (below)
watercress (we used cilantro)
Kelsey's sweet potatos (below)

Place the scallops in a bowl, add the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat and cook the scallops for 1 minute each side.

Place 3 carrot fritters on a plate, top with the watercress and scallops and drizzle with the yogurt dressing. Season with pepper.

CARROT FRITTERS
60 g (1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) soda water
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (we used a green chilli, and used only half)
235 g (1 1/2 cups) grated carrot
8 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
25 g (1/2 cup) chopped coriander (cilantro)
60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil

KELSEY'S SWEET POTATOES

2 Sweet potatoes, peeled, and slices very thin
olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Cajun seasoning

Preheat oven to 375. Toss all everything together in a bowl (season to taste). Layer on a baking sheet in one layer. Back for 25min or until quite crispy and cooked through.

Serves 4

-M.E.

(recipes Bills Open Kitchen Bill Granger, and Kelsey Willard)
(Photography my M.E. Photography madey-maky.blogspot.cpm)

Fried Rice, With Prawns, and Carrot.

2009-12-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

The other day I was babysitting my little brothers; when it comes to lunch for them it's normally a P.P.J., or some other kind of "kid food". But I made this simple fried brown rice with prawns and carrots. I decided I was going to make them at least try it. They both cried, I stood firm; I wanted to have them both try it (don't you want little brothers with a god appreciation for food?). It didn't go over well, Robby (5) shivered over and over, Scotty (8) ate a bite of the rice and said it wasn't "that bad", so I took that as he can eat all that was on his plate. But I guess I was wrong, here is what he thought of the lunch.

I guess prawns, brown rice, carrot, and a little spice, does not go well with kids, you would think I would know that by now.

But if you are over the age of 8 here is the recipe for you!

2 cups cooked cooled, short grain brown rice
8oz cooked prawns
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot thinly sliced into ribbons
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce

Place the olive oil and carrot ribbons in a small fry pan over medium heat until the carrots are cooked through. Add the rice, prawns, and sauces. Heat through over high heat. Serves 2.

P.S. I am now obsessed with "Top Chef", great show!

-M.E.

(original recipe, by Madey Edlin)
(Photo By M.E. Photography, madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Holiday Acorn Squash Soup

2009-12-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

Serous Eats, is the origin of this recipe,I made the soup, and it seemed more like squash yogurt then soup, so I started in on it. I started adding a little of this and a little of that. And pretty soon I had created a wonderful spicy, holiday creamy soup. So here is my version of Serous Eats Acorn Squash soup:

2 medium acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
olive oil
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
a little lime juice
1 teaspoons nutmeg (all spices to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a dash curry
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
Salt
1/2 cup thick (Greek-style) yogurt or creme fraiche (I used creme fraiche)
3 Tablespoons maple syrup

Rub the squash with a bit of olive oil and bake on a cookie sheet at 400°F until fully tender and the flesh is quite browned and caramelized. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over very low heat. Allow to cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the butter has a delicious, nutty smell. Allow to cool.
In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with the brown butter, lime juice, cream, milk, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add a little water as needed to get it to puree, then let it run for several minutes to really get it smooth. Strain through a coarse sieve.
Combine the creme fraichet and maple syrup stir into the soup, add spices, and vanilla. Adjust the consistory with water. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a scoop of maple yogurt (you can make maple yogurt by mixing plain and a little maple syrup)

(Original recipe : serouseats.com)
(Photo : madey-kay.blogspot.com)

The Dinner Party the Failed

2009-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

I made a french onion tart tonight for a few family friends. My sister wanted something French, I have never really made anything french before, but hey this French Onion tart (I can't remember the French name) looked easy, so away I went...
I started at it, I had to thinly slice 4lbs of onions, that is about enough to make your eyes pop out of your head and turn into fiery balls of goo. Onions are not culinary jewels, they are culinary delves! I couldn't see half the time, I hate onions! (working with them, I don't mind eating them cooked.)
Our friends arrive, and I told them that I had made a onion tart, two of them proceded to tell me that they don't like onions (keep in mind that I am serving about 5 people, so that kills nearly half my group.) So, after we ate a little of , they all "afectonatly" called it "onion pie". Um. This is a French tart, and I have been working on it for about 2 hours. So no need to tell you I was all but a little distressed. After the guests left, my dad and I were talking and he said "You know if I was serving dinner for someone I wouldn't serve onion pie". He was lucky he was out of punching range.
I looked over at my sister and she was smerking, I asked what the problem was (bad idea) "Oh I am just laughing at your onion pie." This put me over the edge. I went to the kitchen grabbed a large piece of the tart and a leftover bottle of Martinelle's and ate it in protest. I loved it the tart was amazing, the onions sweet, the crust flaky, the olives salty, all 100% good! I guess I just chose the wrong crowd.

The story of the dinner party that failed.

I would post the recipe, but I doubt that you would want it after hearing that.

I just have to tell myself I learned from my mistake, and I will move on and something good will come out of the "onion pie".

-M.E.

So Sorry!

2009-12-01T12:09:00.001-08:00

Hello my faithful readers! SO sorry about not posting this past Monday, with Thanksgiving prep and all, and then my family and I went to the coast for the weekend, so I was post-less.

Come back Monday! Oh and happy December 1st! (I can't believe it's Christmas time!)

-M.E.

Two-Toned Chocolate Mousse

2009-11-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

I was thinking I would do a Thanksgiving post this week, but I couldn't think of anything that would interest my readers. I figure you know how to mash the potatoes, and cook the turkey, so I am doing something that could end up on your Thanksgiving desert table, or maybe a little sweet to enjoy after the guests have left.
I wanted to make something chocolaty and hard to make, big mistake. I made Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Mousse Cake (in which you make individual chocolate cakes, and pipe 2 layers of dark, and milk chocolate mousse into the cake while being shaped with wax paper cones that fall apart.) And it took all afternoon, and it looked more like a big pile of mess rather then a 4 inch triple chocolate cake. But I thought that if I just made the mousse and put in the ramekins, like most mousse, and not worry about piping and making a huge mess with molds that won’t stay together, it would be a whole lot easier. Umm yes, it was. Just a reminder that simple is usually better.

So with no further ado [simple] Chocolate mousse (with out the fuss of piping, and cakes that will fall over, and look like a pile of chocolate).

· 3 1/3 cups heavy cream
· 8 large egg yolks, room temperature
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 1/4 cup light corn syrup (I used honey)
· 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· Salt
· 7 ounces milk chocolate, melted

1. Put 1 2/3 cups cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Put 4 egg yolks into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale and frothy, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water to a rolling boil in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until clear, large bubbles form, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high. Mix until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bittersweet chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt with a rubber spatula.
3. Add one-third of bittersweet-chocolate mixture to whipped cream; whisk to combine. Add remaining bittersweet-chocolate mixture, whisking until completely combined. Press through a large-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard any solids. Repeat entire recipe, substituting milk chocolate for the bittersweet.

(Photos by MAKA pics madey-kay.blogspot.com)
(Original recipe Martha Stewart)

French Onion Soup

2009-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have never tried this before, but we all loved it! Amazing! So perfect for this cold wintry time.

The only thing I would do is cook the heck out of the bread, I didn't cook it long enough so the bread was instantly soggy when it hit the soup. You know how when you make biscotti you don't want it to instantly soak of the coffee, so you cook it to death; that's the idea here.

I know the cooking time looks daunting and not very minimum fuss, but just give the onions a quick stir every once in a while, and the simmering soup a quick swish and your good.
This is my version of Cookography's recipe.

P.S. I know my bread does not fit my bowl.

1 Tablespoon butter
3 large sweet onions (thinly sliced)
4 cups fresh organic chicken broth
3/4 cup fresh organic beef broth
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions, and a dash of salt. Stir to coat. Cook stirring fragrantly until caramelized, and the pan has a thick brown coat on the bottom, about 30-35 minutes. Pay close attention not to burn but brown.
Add the broths, and place the herbs in a tea ball and place into the soup. Scrape with a wooden spoon to get all the flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

--Cheesy Tops--

1 French baguette (sized to fit snugly in your soup bowl)
Swiss cheese, shredded

Serve the soup into the bowls and place the baguette on top, sprinkle with the cheese. Broil for 10 minutes with the oven on broil and the rack to the lowest possible height,. Enjoy!

(Recipie: cookography.com)
(Photography: MAKA pics madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Chocolate Coverd Pretzels

2009-11-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

So sweet and salty is amazing right? And chocolate covered pretzels are amazing right, well anything cover in chocolate is, but it has never dawned on me to dip my own pretzels. But I thought of it and I did it and it just works.

What's wrong with a really simple dessert? I know this isn't a new or exciting, and not gourmet but I say most of the time simple is better. And this is simple and better.

6oz dark chocolate
2oz white chocolate
1/8 cup finely chopped peanuts
Parrifan wax
About 24 pretzels

Melt the dark chocolate in a small sauce pan with 2 or 3 tablespoons of grated paraffin wax. Dip half the pretzel into the chocolate, set onto wax paper to set. While that is setting up melt the white chocolate with 2 tablespoons parrifan wax. Using a whisk fling the milted white chocolate over the dipped pretzels. Simple and amazing!

Idea my Madey edlin
Picture by MAKA pics madey-kay.blogspot.com

Roasted Pumkin Seeds

2009-11-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

I thought I hated roasted pumpkin seeds until I made these little guys. Crunchy, and flavorful! This isn't really a recipe, more of a mix some good things together and bake.

My favorite little homework snack.

Remove the seeds from the pumpkin, and get all the "guts" off the seeds by cleaning them in a bowl of cold water. Dry. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and some of Johnny's seasoning salt (click here) bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Yummy.

(Pic my MAKA pics (madey-kay.blogspot.com)
("Recipe" by Madey Kay)

Giada De Laurnitis : Chocolate Amaretti Cake

2009-11-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry about not posting this last week, things got crazy around here!

So I did change a few things according to my liking, I used butter waffle cookies from Trader Joe's (like a waffle ice cream cone) instead of the amaretti cookies, and did not add the orange zest. But this cake is amazing! I really likes the lightness of this cake. I would say this beats any cake in simpleness, and a impact of flavor!

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup (about 2 oz) baby amaretti cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9" spring form pan with non-stick spray. Microwave the chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the almonds, and the cookies, pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl. Add the butter and sugar (and zest if using) to the food processor and blend until smooth. With the machine running add the eggs one at a time. Add the nut mixture and the melted chocolate. Pulse until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs and a tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and sift unsweetened cocoa powder over, and serve.

Recipie: "Everyday Italian" by Giada De Laurnitis, pg. 242, Chocolate Amaretti Cake.
Picture: MAKA pics (madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Chef Spotlight: Giada De Laurntiis

2009-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sure all you smart people know about this Italian chef, but I am gust getting to know her work. I just got her book "Everyday Itaian" I've been flipping though it, and wow. I am serously impressed with the easy Itlaian dishes that look like you should lick the page. I thought that she was just another celebrty chef, but this girl's serous about food. I would highly recomend investing in her book.

Come back next Monday for a highlighted recipe from Giada De Laurnitis!

Myth Buster: Real Pumpkin

2009-10-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is SO worth it it taste 100% batter then any canned pumpkin, any day! I will never use canned pumpkin ever again.

How to get that hole pumpkin into a pie or bread:

Now there are two ways of doing this you can do it in the microwave of on the stove, the microwave takes about 20 mins, the stove about twice that.

First make sure you have a baking pumpkin, not one to make a jack-o-lantern, then wash it. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds (I use a ice cream scoop for this). Cut into large wedges, and place in ether the mico-friendly bowl or in a sauce pan. And place about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Steam until fork tender (just like cooking any other squash).
Now it gets a little messy, remove the "meat" from the rind by peeling it off, if it's cook enough the "meat" should just fall off the rind. Next place in a food processor and blend until it looks like baby food (that's really what you are making). If it's not blending add a little of the cooking water. Use as you would canned pumpkin, it's amazing!

Egg Wedges With Sweet Tomato Chutney

2009-09-28T04:32:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering I'm I the only one that talks to my food while I am cooking it?

Hope you enjoy this original Madey Kay recipe!

-MAKA

6 eggs, beaten
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 small summer squash
6 pieces of bacon, roughly chopped
green chili, minced, to taste
Feta cheese
salt and pepper

Stir fry all the ingredients, except the egg in a large non-stick oven proof pan. Add the egg. and cook until lightly browned on the bottom. Sprinkle with feta. Place in under the broiler until the eggs are completely set. Slide out of the pan and cut into wedges. Serve with Sweet Tomato Chutney (see below). Serves 4.

Sweet tomato Chutney.

1/2 onion
2 tomatoes, cut in half, seeds squeezes out, and roughly cut
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cook the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pasta With White Beans, and Cream Sauce

2009-09-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

This is a perfect transition dish between the seasons. The heavy cream sauce, the earthy tones of the beans, along with the fresh basil, served at room temperature, make it the perfect, "End of summer looking forward to winter comfort food" recipe.

Hope you enjoy this original Madey Kay recipe!

-MAKA

P.S. Can you think of a better name for this recipe?

1 can white bean (such as Great Northern)
18 oz small shell pasta
a large amount of chopped basil
1 quantity of cream sauce (see below)

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain, and let cool a for about 10 minutes. Toss in the beans, basil, and stir in the cream sauce, season with salt and pepper. Top with additional fresh basil. Serves 4.

Cream Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Make a roux by melting the butter in a sauce pan, add the flour and cook for 20 seconds. Add the milk, cook until the sauce becomes thick. Add the cheese. (If the sauce is too thick add a little more milk)

(Original recipe my Madey Kay, photos by MAKA pics madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Corn Salad

2009-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from another favorite chef of mine, Mark Bittman. He is the NY Times chef, and runs a column called "The Minimalist". Like his name, he also makes great, easy food. I would highly recommend subscribing to his podcast's and following his blog (bitten.blogs.nytimes.com).

This salad is amazing, the salty bacon, and sweet corn and the avocado just pulls everything together. it truly is a work of art.

Hope you enjoy!

-MAKA

4 strips of bacon cut into chunks
2 tomato cut into chunks
1 avocado cut into cubes
about 4 ears of corn cut off the cob
1/2 onion

Cook the bacon and onion in a fry pan until bacon is cooked and onion is translucent. Add the corn, cook until corn is tender. Place in bowl and gently fold in the tomato, then the avocado. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4-5.

(Mark Bittman NY Times, The Minimalist. Original photo by MAKA (madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Simple Chicken With Blackberry Reduction

2009-08-28T10:42:00.001-07:00

This is the essence of what I want my recipies to be like, simple and bursting with flavor. The slightly salty chicken with the sweet berry sauce sing together in this simple dish, that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Enjoy this original Madey Kay recipie!

-MAKA

8 chicken thighs, bone in skin on
salt and pepper
about 1 pint of fresh blackerrys
2 tablespoons sugar
water

Place the berrys, and sugar in a small sauce pan and put about a 1/2 inch of water in the pan. Let cook on low for about a hour, or until it becomes a thick syrup. (check every once in a while to make sure it's not burning, but other wise you can leave it alone).Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, place on broiler pan and boil for about 45 minutes, or until cooked though. Remove the chicken from the bone and skin. Place on servings of rice and pour blackberry reduction over it. Bon appetite! Serves 4-6.

(original recipe by MAKA, original photography MAKA pics)

Wholemeal Piklets, With Butter, Lemon, and Sugar

2009-08-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so when I said I love bill I wasn't kidding. Here is another recipe from him, but this is completely unaltered, straight up bill.

It seems to me that pancakes have a bed reputation. Most of the time slathered in butter and cheap, fake syrup. But these pancakes are so refreshing and out of the ordinary, it's great; not to mention minimum fuss.

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1 egg lightly beaten

To serve

1 oz butter
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 lemons

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add sugar, and stir together. Add the egg, and milk and whist until smooth.

Heat a large non-stick fry pan over medium heat and brush with butter, being careful not to burn the butter. Spoon tablespoons of batter onto the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook for a further 30 seconds.

Serve hot from the pan with extra butter, sprinkle of sugar, and a squeeze of lemon. Makes 12.

(bill's food, page 30, bill granger) (Image by MAKA pics:: madey-kay.blogspot.com)

Peach Tart

2009-08-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

This tart is amazing. I mean it. I was taking the images for this post and my dad came home from work and tried a "bite", well in a matter of about 2.5 seconds the tart was gone.
The original recipe is by Bill Granger, he is one of my all-time favorite chefs, also great "maximum flavor minimum fuss" kind of guy. This is my own spin of his recipe, "Mango Tart" from his book "Bill's Sidney Food".

enjoy!

-m.e.

1 recipe sweet short crust pastry (see below)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 oz butter
4 fl oz cream, lightly whipped
about 4 peaches thinly sliced

On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry to 1/4 inch thick. Lightly press the crust into individual tart pans (the kind that you can take the bottom out of). And freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350.
Remove the pastry from freezer and line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and bake for a further 10 minutes or until dry and golden. Leave to cool.
Place milk in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until just before boiling. Add vanilla. Remove from heat.
Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until fluffy-like and pale. Add the cornstarch and milk mixture (be careful to mix consistently while you add the hot milk so you don't end up with scrambles eggs).
Return to a clean saucepan over medium heat, stirring, for about 15 minutes. Until it thickens, about 15 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the butter. Strain the mixture into a bowl refrigerate until cold. Fold cream into custard. Remove the tart shells from the pans and spread a layer of custard onto each one. Arrange peach slices on top. Serves 5-6.

The Pastry

2 cups flour
1/4 cup icing (powdered) sugar
a pinch of salt
6 oz butter

Place flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add butter and blend with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add 3 tablespoons water mix with a knife and shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

(Image by M.E.)

Balsamic Marinated Beef Tenderloin With Grilled Grapes

2009-08-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

1 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1-2 tablespoons rosemary
1/2 onion coped
1/3 cup red wine, or red wine vinegar
A good amount freshly ground salt and pepper
Olive oil to taste
6-7 cuts of beef tenderloin

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add the tenderloin. Marinade for about 30 minutes. Grill for about 3 minutes a side. Serve with, grilled grapes (see below), crusty bread, and a green salad. Serves 5-6.

Grilled grapes.

Cut little bunches of red grapes, lightly brush with extra virgin olive oil, lightly salt and pepper. Grill for about 5 minutes of until warm through, and skin is slightly shriveled.

(original recipes by m.e.)

About Maximum Flavor Minimum Fuss

2009-08-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Maximum Flavor Minimum Fuss is all about creating, and trying other great chef's recipes. Posting colorful pictures, and easy to follow recipes.
Maximum Flavor Minimum Fuss will post a new recipe every Monday. Check every Monday for a great recipe to try with the new week staring you in the face.