Spiced baked Tofu

A healthful recipe, compliments of Colleen Swabby (Columbus, OH).

INGREDIENTS:
Trader Joes fermented tofu marinated in X virgin Coconut oil, cubed
Local honey
Bragg's apple cider vinegar & liquid aminos
Fresh garlic, fresh ginger, dried chili peppers 

Mix with black beans and chopped fresh jalapenos 
Bake at 400 for 30 min
Let it cool and serve over romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and Greek yogurt.

Crispy Garlic Kale-topped Egg Sandwich

A pile of fresh kale and French bistro sandwiches inspired this open- faced egg sandwich using Pete & Gerry's Heirloom Eggs on Mt. Athos Monk's Bread.

INGREDIENTS - 2 servings
2 - Pete & Gerry's Heirloom eggs
3 - kale stalks - chopped
3 - cloves garlic - chopped
1/4 small yellow onion- chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Thick sliced, hearty bread

DIRECTIONS

Wash, de-stalk, and chop 3 stalks of organic kale; Finely chop garlic and onion

Heat up oil in pan; sautee onion for 3 minutes, add garlic for 1 minute, then add kale. 

Mix well; allowing to cook down for 5 or 6 minutes or until vibrant green and tender. 

** I add a splash of white wine to sweeten the kale, but this takes away from the crispness.

In a separate frying pan, heat up a drizzle of olive oil and cook the eggs to your preference. I cook mine over medium so the yolk runs a bit. Kevin prefers his well done. I adore Pete and Gerry's eggs because the whites stay firm and the yolks are always bright and flavorful. The orange yolk also lends an artful pop of color to the plate. A sprinkle of truffle salt brings an earthy decadence.

My all-time favorite hearty, dark bread (Mt. Athos Fire Bread -- or Monk's Bread) hails from Mediterra Bakery, a Pittsburgh-based bakehouse (not really a monastery). It's a dense, organic, germ wheat flour bread that holds up well on the bottom of a sandwich. Luckily, I can find it in Columbus at both The Hill's Market in Worthington and Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington.

Top a lightly toasted & buttered slice of bread with the egg and the kale mixture.

 This sandwich is a filling, healthy, and delicious way to start the day.

I also envision smaller bite sized versions as a brunch finger food. 

Either way, a Spicy Bloody Mary makes the perfect compliment.

Eggnog Bread Pudding by Mandy Jones

When I opened my fridge this morning I realized that quite a few things were going to expire soon. Pete & Gerry's Heirloom eggs. Chocolate chip Panettone bread. Eggnog. It only took me a split second to decide what to use all of these items for...eggnog bread pudding!

This is the perfect time of year for a warm and cozy dish like bread pudding, so I perused the interweb and came across a base recipe using eggnog that I could adapt. It was a cinch to whip up, and the boys in my house now have very happy bellies. Just in time for a midday nap!

Eggnog Bread Pudding
Serves 6-8

8 Tbsp butter (1 stick), melted
8 cups cubed day old bread, (I used chocolate chip panettone bread)
4 cups eggnog (with or w/out alcohol)
3 eggs
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar (slightly less if your eggnog is very sweet)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins, optional
Cinnamon/sugar blend for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pour melted butter over bread in large mixing bowl. Combine until bread soaks up butter.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, eggnog, sugar and nutmeg. Pour mixture over bread and combine. Stir in pecans (and raisins). Allow to sit for 30 minutes or more.

3. Butter baking dish, pour mixture in and sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar blend. Bake for 45 minutes. Test with toothpick or knife. It should come out clean. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a dash of freshly ground nutmeg.

*I didn't add raisins to this dish because I'm not a raisin fan, but my husband thinks they would help balance the texture and flavor profile. He's usually right about these things! ;)

Curd is the Word

I won a year's supply of beautiful Heirloom eggs from Pete and Gerry's Organic Egg Farm in New Hampshire and decided to divert them into a variety of eggy heirloom recipes. It's that time of year my sister, Mandy Jones and I get together to make holiday food baskets for family and friends. This year we decided to develop a variety of flavored curds, starting with our favorite, lemon. We worked out this recipe together, as we quite often do. We have such different palates; collaborating is a good way to ensure balance. Plus, it's a great way to spend quality family time together.

After juicing ten medium sized organic lemons, we quadruple strained it. Twice through a fine, mesh sieve and twice through cheesecloth to make sure no pulp messes with the consistency-- we both love super smooth, creamy curd. I also zested the dickens out of the lemons  which yielded about 4 heaping tablespoons of zest.

Ameraucana eggs (L) Marans Eggs (R)

We decided to make two different curd batches. One using Pete and Gerry's Marans eggs, which are dark brown with bright yellow yolks and one using the larger, pale-green shelled Ameraucana eggs. The strikingly different colors of the yolk and amount of protein in the larger eggs would inevitably make the two curds visibly different. Each batch required 8 eggs: 4 yolks and 4 full eggs. 

A double boiler was set to medium heat. Add the sugar and whisk in the lemon juice. At this point we mix in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, which eventually helps thicken the curd.   

Once the sugar lemon juice mixture is fully incorporated, add the eggs and continually whisk, making sure to stir up from the bottom and scrape the sides. After 3 or 4 minutes, add in the butter by the tablespoon. Just keep the curd moving and it will thicken. Whisk 15-20 minutes. If it doesn't look like it's thickening, turn up the heat a bit. It should end up having a Hollandaise/pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat and mix in lemon zest.

VOILA! A luscious lemon spread.

Jar while it's still warm since it has to go back into a water bath to seal the lids. If you plan to save some for immediate consumption, be sure to cover and refrigerate it. Skin forms on the surface if left to cool in open air. 

Marans (L) /  Ameraucana (R)

We could totally tell the difference between the two eggs in color, taste, and yield. We expected the brown Marans eggs with their super bright yolks to yield a yellower curd, but on the contrary, it is noticeably darker (almost orangey) and not as vibrant as the curd using the larger, pale green Ameraucana eggs. The later also yielded one cup more than the brown because the green eggs are so much bigger. A taste difference was subtle, but still obvious. The Ameraucana curd is a little creamier tasting; probably because there is more egg white/protein than the Marans, which ended up a bit tangier tasting. No matter which eggs you use, this curd recipe consistently turns out amazing. Vibrant. Bright. Lemony. 

NEXT UP... ORANGE CURD.

RECIPE: Yields 4 - 5 8 oz. mason jars (about 4-5 cups)

2 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup lemon juice- fresh squeezed from approx 5 medium sized organic lemons;strained
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 eggs (4 large eggs /4 large egg yolks)- I prefer the Ameraucana eggs as they are larger
3/4 cup butter, soft
2 heaping tablespoons lemon zest

Set up a double-boiler over medium heat. When water is simmering water, add sugar and whisk in freshly- squeezed lemon juice. 

Mix in eggs and yolks. Continue whisking over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Be sure to stir up from the bottom and along the sides to keep it from clumping or burning. Try not to overwhisk, but keep a steady smooth blending motion.

Whisk in butter and continue to stir until curd becomes a smooth, thick mixture the consistency of pudding or Hollandaise sauce.  

Remove from heat. Mix in lemon zest

Pour into prepared canning jars, seal the lids in a water bath. 

Spread on toast, poppy seed bread, or use for making lemon tarts. 
Better yet, just eat by spoon full like we did!

In A Pickle

I have been somewhat obsessed with pickling everything I can get my hands on these days, but haven't made straight up dill pickles until this afternoon. As in all canning projects, the key is to have well-sterilized canning jars and lids; and properly sized pickles for the jars if you intend to make spears. We opted for a few jars of  spears, but made mostly pickle rounds using a handy-dandy little wavy slicer.

This pickling session was a cinch. Mandy already had the jars prepared and all we had to really do was wash and slice up the pickling cucumbers, which we did while simmering the brine. We kept it really, really simple by purchasing a pre-mixed kosher dill pickle blend of herbs and spices. Just add vinegar and water, simmer and pour over jars stuffed with pickles rounds.  Once the lids and rings were secured, we steam bathed them for a few minutes until they sealed. Done. Pickles.

Walnut Bread, by Jacqueline Brown

COMPLIMENTS Jacqueline Brown of THE FRENCH VILLAGE DIARIES

I keep teasing those of you who follow my Facebook page with photos of my walnut bread in various stages of rising and baked, so as requested here is the recipe so you can try it for yourself.  Please feel free to substitute the walnuts for your preferred nut or seed!

½ teaspoon of dried yeast

300g strong white bread flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of olive oil

170 ml of water

50g of shelled and chopped walnuts (they do taste better if you toast them first)

Combine the flour, yeast, salt and walnuts in a mixing bowl.  Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil and warmed water.  Bring together to form a dough, then turn onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes until smooth and elastic.  Form into a ball shape and place in a greased bowl or cake tin, cover with cling film and a towel and leave to rise for at least an hour.  Pre heat the oven to gas mark 6 (200c) and when risen nicely cook for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom!  Sorry to be vague, but my oven is a little temperamental!  This bread is perfect with homemade jam.

Jam Straws

Jam Straws

1 package puff pastry (2 sheets)

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

Flour for dusting

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.

Allow puff pastry to thaw as directed on the package.  Dust work surface with flour and lightly dust rolling pin with flour. Roll out puff pastry until about 2" larger on each side.  Cut crosswise into two rectangles. 

Heat 1/4 cup of jam in microwave for15-20 seconds, just enough to loosen the consistency. 

With a pastry brush, coat one piece of puff pastry with half the jam.  Cover jam-coated piece with the remaining plain piece of puff pastry and gently roll together with rolling pin - not too hard, or your jam will squish out.

Slice into long strips and twist, then place on parchment lined pan.   Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool before removing from the pan.  Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Repeat process with second sheet of puff pastry.

Very pretty served in colorful paper cones