My latest recipe posting, Chicken and Morel Turnovers & Pot Pies, is officially entered in the Marx Foods 5th Annual Morel Recipe Challenge. I am honored to participate with other bloggers in this contest, and now it’s time to vote!! 

You, my readers, can help select the Best Morel Recipe this year. Go and cast your vote. Naturally I hope you’ll like my recipe, but to tell you the truth, there’s some mighty fine looking ideas out there. Have fun, and VOTE HERE!

Morels are the dazzlers of the mushroom world. Like all wild mushrooms, their taste is more intense than the cultivated white button mushrooms you’d find in your local grocery store. Morels are earthy, nutty, and ethereally delicious.

The most difficult part of the challenge was in choosing just how to use these beauties. I decided to emphasize their flavor with thyme and wrap them in pastry. I’ll give two variations here: turnovers and pot pies, both using a simple cream cheese pastry.

A note for folks who, like me, like things easy: This is actually very simple, and can be broken into separate parts. I used leftover chicken though you could cook some fresh for the purpose. Both the filling and the pastry can be made ahead of time. The turnovers and the pot pies may be reheated in the oven. This looks much more complicated than it actually is. 

Chicken, Leek, and Morel filling

• 3 c cooked chicken, cut in pieces
• 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced (about 3 c)
• 18 g (about 5/8 oz) dried morels
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 c heavy (whipping) cream
• 1/2 – 1 tsp lemon juice (to taste)
• salt (to taste)

First, soak the morels. Place them in a small deep bowl, and pour over them 1 cup boiling water. Cover, and let stand 45 min – 1 hour. While the mushrooms soak, cut the cooked chicken and slice the leeks. When the mushrooms are soaked, remove them from the liquid, squeezing them gently. Save the mushroom liquid, and strain it through a coffee filter or a very fine mesh strainer. Set the strained liquid aside, and dice the mushrooms finely.

Heat a skillet, and melt the butter. When the butter foams, saute the leeks. Add thyme leaves and toss to distribute well. Reduce the heat to medium, and stir in the reserved mushroom liquid. It should come just to the top of the leeks; if it does not, splash in some white wine or chicken stock. Cover the pan and braise the leeks about 15 minutes, until tender.

Add the cream, the chopped chicken, and diced mushrooms. Bring to a lively bubble, and reduce a bit, making a nice sauce. Taste: add salt to taste. Taste again: if it needs a bit of oomph, add just a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Remove from the heat and reserve filling.

Cream Cheese Pastry

• 1 8-oz package cream cheese
• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 c flour

Blend all ingredients in a mixer, then form into a flat disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.

Assembling the Pastries

• 1 egg, whisked well 

I made a combination of turnovers and pot-pies. If you want to make turnovers from all of the filling, you will probably need double the amount of pastry.

For turnovers: (shown above) Roll out the pastry and cut 6″ squares. Place about 2 Tbsp filling in the center.  Brush the edges with beaten egg, then bring corners together and press firmly to seal. Leave a bit of a gap for steam to escape in the center. Place the filled turnovers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten eggs.

For pot pies: Grease the ramekins or small baking dishes with butter. Roll out the pastry, and cut circles to fit the tops of the dishes.  Add filling, then top with the pastry, crimping the edges neatly. Cut slits in the pastry to permit steam to vent. Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg.

To bake: Bake in a preheated 400˚ oven 15-20 minutes, until pastry is nicely browned.

Disclosure: Marx Foods sent me the dried morels that I used in this dish. What I did with them was entirely my own idea. 

Yogurt Cake 

• 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 2/3 c (7 oz) all-purpose flour
• 1 c plain yogurt, though NOT no-fat (TIP: the cake is best with whole yogurt. If your yogurt comes in 6 oz containers, you can use that plus 2 oz milk mixed together)
  

Preheat your oven to 375˚F. Liberally grease a 9″ round cake pan that is at least 2″ deep.

Beat the butter and sugar together until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each one. When both eggs are in, beat at high speed for 2-3 minutes. The batter will lighten in color and become fluffy.

Add to the batter the vanilla and almond extracts, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir well to combine.

Alternately add the flour and yogurt, starting and ending with flour: 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the yogurt, half the remaining flour, the rest of the yogurt, then the rest of the flour. Combine gently after each addition. At the end, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat briefly.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake 35-45 minutes, until it’s golden brown on top, the edges begin to pull away from the pan sides, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.

Cool in the pan 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

Fudge Icing

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
• 1/4 c plain yogurt, whole or low-fat
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 c confectioners (powdered) sugar

Sift the sugar: yes, really, sift it. At least pass it through a sieve – it’s important that you not have any lumps.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa powder and yogurt, bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.

Work quickly now, and add the cocoa mixture to the sugar, beating until it is very smooth and glossy. Quickly pour the still-warm icing over the cooled cake, and let it drip over the sides.

Variations: if you split the cake into two layers, and put vanilla pastry cream between the layers, this will make a dandy Boston Cream Pie. It would also be terrific to split the cake and put apricot or raspberry jam between the layers. 

I dream of fresh lettuce, crispy radishes, tender pea shoots all curly and adorable. Alas, I must settle for what I can get. Inspired by this gem at 101 Cookbooks, I put together a salad kit that would travel well. I used grocery store mixed greens, wild rice, nuts and dried fruit.

It pleased us all! Crunchy, chewy, and – yes, fresh tasting, we were all happy with the salad. I expect to make variations of this theme again, changing the grain, or fruits, with the season.

Fresh Ginger Vinaigrette

• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger juice, made from a 3-inch knob of fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
• a pinch fine-grained salt
• a pinch Aleppo pepper
• 1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

Make the ginger juice: peel the ginger (drag a spoon over the outer skin) and grate it finely. Press the ginger pulp against a sieve to get about a tablespoon of fresh ginger juice, and put it in a mason jar or a bowl.

Add the vinegar, salt, and Aleppo pepper – use a bit more of the pepper, if you like more of a kick – and then slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking all the while. Stop when it looks smooth and creamy.

Wild Rice, Fruit, and Nuts

• about 1 1/2 c cooked wild rice (I used 1/2 c uncooked plus 2 c chicken broth and used my rice cooker)
• 1 c dried fruits, chopped (I used dried black figs, quartered, and dried apricots, sliced)
• 1/2 c toasted nuts, coarsely chopped (I used pecans this time)
• 2 stalks celery, sliced

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl. Add about 2 Tbsp of the dressing, and mix well. Either pack into a container for travel, or proceed to the next step.

Assembling the Salad

• leafy salad greens, washed and dried
• the dressing
• the grains/nuts/fruit mix

Put the lettuce in a large bowl, and splash it with just a bit of the vinaigrette dressing. Toss to mix well, add the mixed grains/nuts/fruit, a bit more vinaigrette, and toss again, until thoroughly combined.

Serve, passing extra vinaigrette.

Serves 6-8 as a side salad

Then there are the times I just want pizza, pronto. This is for those times: a crust so easy it’s cheating. Everyday toppings from the pantry or even leftovers. Ready in about 30 minutes tops, most of that baking in the oven.

Easiest Pizza Ever

• 1 c self-rising flour **
• 1 c Greek yogurt
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are really nice here)
• 1 clove garlic
• herbs, fresh or dried, to your taste
• various toppings, to your taste (shown above: mozzarella and asiago cheese, chopped olives, roasted red peppers, pepperoni)

Preheat your oven to 450˚F.

Make the pizza sauce: Open a can of tomatoes – I used fire-roasted diced, but you could use whole or crushed. Put them in a small food chopper with a clove of garlic and herbs of your choice, and blitz briefly. I left my sauce on the chunky side. NOTE this makes more than one pizza’s worth of sauce. Leftovers keep in fridge or freezer. 

Then make the crust: Mix the self-rising flour (if you don’t have this, make your own, see note at bottom) and the Greek yogurt. It will make a stiff dough. Take out of the bowl, knead briefly on a floured board. Ta-da, done.

Oil a pan: The one shown above was baked in a metal 9″ pie pan, but I’ve used a larger flat pizza pan, a quarter-sheet pan, even a Pyrex 8×8 square. You get a browner crust on a metal pan. Pat the crust out on your oiled pan.

Assemble the pizza: Top your pizza as you prefer. In this case, I sprinkled the top all the way to the edge with a light layer of Mozzarella cheese, and circled the very outer bits with grated Asiago. I dabbed sauce here and there, added roasted red peppers (from a jar, sliced), and some olives and pepperoni (cleaning out the fridge.) Then finished it off with a second light dusting of mozzarella, and put the pan in the oven to bake.

Bake: The timing will vary, depending on the size and thickness of your dough and toppings. You want the crust to be cooked through, the cheese to be melted and browning but not burnt, and the rest of the toppings to be hot. I figure 20 minutes was about what this one took, on a rack near the top of my oven, where it’s hottest.

Serve: When the pie is cooked through, a toothpick won’t reveal any unbaked dough bits. You’ll need to loosen the pizza from the pan with a spatula, though. It will try to stick, even though you oiled the pan. Turn it out onto a board, let it rest 3-4 minutes to firm up just a bit, and enjoy!

NOTE: this scales up well. I’ve made the dough with 4 c flour and 4 c Greek yogurt, and it makes 4 nice little crusts. If you have hungry people, figure 1 c per person, dainty appetites, 1/2 c per person, and you’ll have just about the perfect amount of dough. This dough does NOT keep unbaked. 

** to make self-rising flour: measure 1 c all-purpose flour, and remove 2 tsp from it. Add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, mix well.

I thought about all the kinds of dishes I’d like to encounter on a menu. It’s been cold and snowy here in Michigan, and I kept thinking about a succulent wine-braised beef. Something classic. Something hearty. Something wonderful.

Meltingly tender short ribs of beef, braised in a red wine reduction, served with champ (or garlic smashed potatoes) and green beans. 

It was quite a hit with my family! The beef was tender, without any of the stringiness that you might think of from pot roast or other braises. The sauce – oh, goodness, that sauce! – deep and luscious.

Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs  (inspired by Thomas Keller) 

I make this over two days, so that I can remove fat from both the meat and the sauce. I find that it also permits the flavors to meld well, besides being an easy dinner on the night that it is served. 

MAKE RED WINE REDUCTION

• 2 375 ml bottles Merlot
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced (2 cups in 1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 large carrots, peeled, quartered, and diced (1 cup in 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 1 ounce dried mushrooms (I used porcini, do not use morels)
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 6 sprigs flat leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves (or use 1 huge one)
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

Combine all the ingredients for the wine reduction in a large heavy dutch oven that will (eventually) hold the meat comfortably. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 45 min to an hour, until the wine has reduced by at least half. Strain this, pressing down on the solids. You should have one to one and a half cups wine reduction.

BRAISE THE BEEF 

• 4 pounds boneless chuck short ribs
• salt and pepper
• flour
• canola oil
• 2-4 cups beef stock

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Season the meat generously with salt and pepper, and dip into flour, patting off any excess. Heat canola oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the meat, fat side down, reduce the heat and brown it for 3 minutes. Turn the meat and brown all sides of all pieces. Transfer the meat to a plate or tray.

Put the browned short ribs in the dutch oven. Add the wine reduction, and then enough stock to come just barely to the top of the meat – do not go deeper.

Cut a parchment paper lid and place it over the meat (especially important if there is headroom in the dutch oven.)

Cover the pot, place it in the oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 325˚F. Braise the beef for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until very tender. When you press on the meat, the fibers should separate, but the meat should NOT be stringy and falling apart.

CHILL MEAT AND LIQUID SEPARATELY

Transfer the meat to a container, cool, and refrigerate. Strain the braising liquid and pour into a separate container, which should also be cooled and refrigerated.

HEAT AND FINISH FOR SERVICE

Preheat oven to 300˚F.

Remove fat from the braising liquid: it will have risen to the top, and there may be quite a lot of it. Put the braising liquid in a saucepan over low heat.

Trim large bits of fat from beef and place in a single layer in a shallow baking dish, and add 1/2 cup beef stock to the dish. Cover with aluminum foil, and heat, covered, about 30 minutes. THe beef is cooked, it just needs to be brought to serving temperature. (Note: this makes me long for a sous vide apparatus)

Make a beurre manie: take 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, and stir them so that you have a thick paste. Thicken the braising liquid with this – the sauce should be at a boil. Add in small bits of the beurre manie, whisking constantly, until the sauce is as thick as you wish. I like it to be able to coat a spoon but not be much stiffer than that. Taste, and adjust seasonings as required.

Serve the hot beef with the sauce and champ** with steamed and garnished green beans.

** CHAMP - Mashed potatoes with butter-sauteed green onions stirred in, an Irish classic, actually

This tart uses the whole lemon, peel and all – well, except for the seeds, which you must carefully remove.

WHOLE LEMON TART (adapted from Smitten Kitchen) 

• a partially baked tart shell (see below)
• 1 large Meyer lemon, about 5 oz or 140 grams  (if your lemon is small, cut another and add as needed) NOTE: rinse and dry the lemons, duh
• 1 1/2 c (300 gr) sugar
• 1 stick (4 oz, 115 gr) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
• 4 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp (14 gr) cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp table salt

Center a rack in the oven, preheat to 350˚F. Put tart shell on a baking sheet.

Slice lemon into thin wheels, remove any seeds, and toss them into the bowl of a food processor. Add sugar and butter, too. Process, scraping down the sides as needed, until lemon is thoroughly pureed. Add eggs, cornstarch, and salt; pulse until batter is smooth.

Pour into prepared tart shell. It will fill it completely. If you happen to have a bit too much, don’t pour past the top of the crust, use a separate buttered pan.

Bake 35-40 min, until the filling is set. Test: bump the pan, it should jiggle only slightly. Let cool on a rack, unmold, and serve.

TART SHELL

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c confectioners sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, VERY cold, cut in small pieces
• 1 large egg, beaten slightly

Pulse dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the cold pieces of butter over, and pulse just until butter is coarsely cut in. You want some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes, and some the size of peas. Add the beaten egg, a bit at a time, and pulse after each addition. When it is all in, process in longer pulses, about 10 seconds each, until the dough forms clumps and curds. NOTE: just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine will change – this is your warning!

Turn the dough out, knead the dough very lightly just to incorporate any stray dry ingredients, and wrap the dough in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours before rolling, or it can be kept in the fridge for 5 days or freezer for 2 months.

To roll the dough: butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out the chilled dough on a floured sheet of parchment paper to a 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free it from the paper. Using paper as an aid, turn dough into tart pan, peel off paper, patch any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with a fork.

Freeze the crust for 30 min before baking (or a bit longer)

To fully or partially bake crust: center a rack in the oven, preheat oven to 375˚ F. Butter shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, press the butter side against the crust. Since it’s frozen, you can bake it without weights. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes.

Carefully remove foil. Push any puffy bits back down with the back of a spoon. Bake 5 min longer then remove from oven.   FOR LEMON TART, STOP HERE.

TO BAKE FULLY FOR A DIFFERENT USE – bake 5 MORE minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Among the treasures we brought back from that vacation were das Franz Ruhm Kochbuch and a half kilo of paprika. Both of these were in support of a new enthusiasm for gulasch, or goulash – beef and sometimes potatoes with a marvelous blend of onions and paprika bound with a hint of tomato. As a soup, it’s a grand pick-me-up or restorative. As a stew, it can be plain or very fancy. It lends itself to variations: more gravy, less meat means ‘student style’. With little sausages and pickles. Or ‘carriage driver style’ – with the sausage plus a fried egg on top.

At our house, we tend to like it as shown above: with potatoes and sausage and pickles, in texture somewhere between a stew and a soup. I can’t think of a better dish for cold, grey, or damp weather.

Plouff’s Gulasch

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 c beef stock
• 1 1/2 lb lean beef, cubed
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp caraway seed
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled if desired and cubed – leftover cooked potatoes are okay here
• small sausages – hot dogs are fine
• dill pickles, chopped

Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven, sauté the onions until they begin to turn golden. Add the tomato paste and flour, and stir well. Remove from the heat, and add the paprika, stirring very well to combine.

Add the vinegar, then return pot to the heat. Add broth. Bring to a boil, then add the meat, garlic, caraway, and marjoram. Reduce the heat, and simmer gently, covered,  until the beef is tender. If you’re using raw potatoes, add them early on, so that they’ll cook through, but if you’re using cooked potatoes, wait until just before serving.

At serving time: score sausages/hot dogs several times, and cook or heat until just cooked through. Put one sausage on top of each bowl. Scatter with chopped dill pickles and serve.

If you aren’t familiar with Pavlova, it’s a meringue-like ‘crust’ on which is layered fruit, cream, or other good things. It originates from the Southern Hemisphere, and it’s time to bring it home. This is good stuff indeed!

Once you have made lime curd and pavlovas, it’s a simple matter to plop the curd into the pretty cloud and grab a spoon. This tastes sublime. It’s sweet/tart, crunchy/soft, ethereal/substantial … and best of all, can be assembled and served at a moment’s notice, as long as you have the curd in your refrigerator, and the meringues already made.

Pavlovas are much easier to make than I had thought. So for a show-stopping dessert that can be made ahead of time, seek no further.

I am indebted to Marisa McClellan for her recipe for Zesty Lime Curd  shown below, published in her splendid book Food in Jars. With her kind permission, I’ll include her basic (albeit somewhat abbreviated) recipe here, but for full instructions, including concise directions on canning it into jars, so that it’s shelf-stable, you’ll have to read the book. This is a fabulous book. Get a copy for yourself and give it as a gift. (Note: I have received no compensation; this is my own genuine opinion.) 

Marisa’s Zesty Lime Curd 

• 1/4 c finely grated lime zest (from about 4 limes)
• 1 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 6 limes)
• 6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Combine the lime zest and sugar in a small bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar until it is fragrant and fully combined. Set aside.

Set up a double boiler, add 2 inches of water to the bottom pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Keeping the top half of the double boiler off the stove, add the egg yolks and whole eggs to it and whisk them together. Add the zest and sugar combination and whisk in. Finally, add the lime juice and stir until blended.

Put the double boiler back together, and drop in the cubes of butter. Switch to a silicone spatula and stir continually as the lime curd cooks.

Monitor the temperature of the curd while you stir. As it approaches 190˚F it should start to thicken. One sign of doneness is that it will coat the back of your spatula without running or dripping.

When the curd has thickened to the consistency of sour cream, it is done. Remove the top half of the double boiler and stir off the heat. During this time, it will continue to thicken a bit.

Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a 4-cup measure.

Individual Pavlovas

• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 c granulated sugar (or, even better, superfine sugar)
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275˚F, and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed of an electric mixer. Beat continuously until the eggs form soft peaks. While beating, sprinkle in the sugar, one teaspoon at a time. It’s important that you don’t just dump the sugar in, it must go in gradually. Keep beating until all the sugar is incorporated, and the egg whites form glossy stiff peaks.

Stop the mixer, then sprinkle the whites with cornstarch and vinegar. Fold this in gently with a spatula. Add the vanilla, and fold again.

Use a spoon to spread the meringue into 4 inch rounds on the parchment – my batch made 6 rounds, but you should get at least 4. Leave 2 inches of space between each one. Use the back of the spoon to make a small well in the middle of each meringue.

Bake in the 275˚ oven 30 minutes, until they show a light tan/pink eggshell color. Now turn the oven off, and leave the door slightly ajar, to let the meringues cool completely. They might deflate if introduced to cool air too soon! As the meringues cool, they might crack slightly, this is okay.

Use immediately, or store, nested in waxed paper, in a cool place, stored in an airtight tin.

Quiche is a wonderful way to recycle leftovers. All the meat and vegetables should be cooked and chopped in smallish pieces.

Fuss Free Quiche

• 4 oz grated cheese of your choice - the classic is Gruyere, because it melts without strings or graininess
• 8 oz cooked meat and/or veggies
• crust for one 9″ pie – either homemade or store-bought ready to use
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup half and half (or, of course, half milk and half heavy cream)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pinch nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375˚F and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.

Roll out your pie crust into a pie plate. Crimp the edges, and par-bake the crust blind (empty) for 10-15 minutes, just enough to set the crust in place.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs well, then add the half and half and seasonings, and beat again, until thoroughly mixed. Chop the meat and vegetables into small pieces that will fit nicely on a fork.

Remove the crust from the oven and prick any bubbles so they’ll flatten. Place your filling ingredients in the bottom of the crust – meat, then veggies, then cheese – they will seem to take up quite a lot of the crust’s volume. Pour the egg mixture over all, filling the crust up to 1/4″ below the rim. You may want to put the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet, just in case there is any inadvertent spillage.

Return the quiche to the oven, and bake 30-35 minutes, until quiche is set around the edges (it may still be wobbly near the center.) The top should be golden brown. If the edges of the crust get too brown before the filling is cooked, shield it with strips of aluminum foil.

Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving, so that the quiche firms up.