At long last, I'm back!

After a difficult summer, filled with challenges and heartbreak, I'm finally ready to resume my posts. As you know, it all began with my carpal tunnel surgery, which put me out of operation for a while. Shortly thereafter, my younger brother was admitted to the hospital with severe back pain. It was a grueling couple of months filled with hope and prayers for a miracle, but by the end of summer, he lost his battle and cancer won. Our family has been devestated by the loss and still struggle today.  During the weeks of uncertainty, we turned to things of comfort--mutual support, the familiar. Not that we felt much like eating, but when we did, it was the "old favorites" that got us through.  While spending as much time as I could with my brother, we would talk about one of our favorite pasttimes--cooking. My brother was a great cook and we could talk for hours about the nuances of a particular recipe or ingredient. One afternoon was spent discussing the many uses of avocado. Growing up in Southern California, avocados were always around, but their use was limited.  I had recently discovered avocado fries and was describing them to him and he wanted so much to try them. Unfortunately, it was something he couldn't eat without great difficulty, so imagination had to suffice.  So, in honor of my brother, I'm going to share this wonderful, easy, decadent treat with you. I hope you take the time to make it and share it with someone you love...

Avocado Fries

1 or 2 large avocados, just ripe
1 beaten egg
Panko
Salt
Vegetable oil, for frying

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy duty pan to 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, slice avocado in half, remove pit, and slice into long strips. Dip each strip into the beaten egg and then roll into the panko.

Fry a few at a time, being careful not to over-crowd the pan, until just golden. Do not over-cook. You do not want them to turn a dark brown.  Once they have reached the desired color, remove to a plate to drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt. Serve hot.

For extra goodness, serve with a sprinkling of fresh lemon juice and Salsa Ranch dressing for dipping. The outside should be crisp and the inside a little like butter!

SPICED CANDIED WALNUTS

I hate walnuts. I find them to taste bitter and the texture weird. However, I found this recipe from Michael Chiarello and will eat these by the handful. I love the crunch and the combination of sweet and spicy with a hint of salty. They are great to snack on alone or toss on a salad with some fresh pomegranite and bleu cheese. Try them. Bring them to a holiday get-together--they are easy and quick to make and they just might replace the chips for holiday snacking!



Spiced Candied Walnuts

Peanut or canola oil
4 cups walnut halves
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat about 1-inch of oil to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add walnuts and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer nuts to a medium bowl. While nuts are still hot and slightly wet, add confectioners' sugar and toss to coat nuts. Stir and toss until all the sugar has melted into the nuts; if bits of un-melted sugar remain on the nuts, they will not fry properly.

Stir the nuts again before frying. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer a few nuts to the hot oil, allowing the foam to subside before adding another spoonful. (Otherwise, the oil could foam over and burn you.) Fry in small batches until the nuts are medium brown, about 45 seconds; be careful not to overcook. Scatter on an unlined baking sheet to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, stir together cayenne, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and pepper.

While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a bowl and sprinkle evenly with about half of the spice mix. Toss well to distribute the spices and then taste a nut. Add more spice mix, to taste, and toss well after each addition. When cool, pack in an airtight jar. They will keep at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.

Onion Tarts

I remembered I had a box of frozen puff pastry in my freezer when my friend asked me to make puff pastry with her over the weekend. I wasn't able to participate in that challenge because purging my crap room, I mean craft room, and my daughter's clothing was much more pressing.  So, I decided to use that box of puff pastry and make something. On Saturday, my girls had seen an episode of 5 Fix on the food channel and one of the featured items was an onion tart. They didn't forget it. So, guess what I made? Yep, Onion Tart. Carmelized onions get sweet and melt-in-your-mouth tender; mixed with the buttery flakiness of puff pastry and you can't help but have a bite of sweet ectasy.

Onion Tart

Makes 4-6 tarts

6 small to medium white onions
2 tbsp olive oil
Course Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
1 roll of Puff Pastry, thawed

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Cut onions into small rings. Heat oil in medium sized saute pan and add onions. Stir occassionally until onions are carmelized, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut pastry with firm and even downward pressure into 6" squares. Slice 1/2" off of each edge and stack on the sides of each square, securing each piece with a little water. Place each tart on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or Silpat. Poke holes in the middle of each tart. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tarts are puffed and golden.
Remove from baking sheet and place on a serving plate. Fill each tart with hot carmelized onion mixture.
Serve.

Pasties (Meat Pies)

Pasties are one of my favorite grab-n-go meals. It's like a tiny steak dinner in your hand. As I mentioned before, every time I make them I am reminded of my childhood.
This "recipe" has been handed down from my grandmother. Although she used suet in her pie dough and I never learned to apply that ingredient, the outcome is still fabulous.  These are not the same as the gravy-laden pasties you can find at an English Pub. These are drier, but lend themselves to be eaten hot or cold.  I really don't have a preference!

Since the crust for these should be fairly sturdy, don't panic if you haven't worked much with pie dough. This is a great start as overworking the dough a little will make it tough, but will be just fine to hold up to the handling and weight of the filling.

Pasties (meat pies)

Makes about 15

4 medium baking potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 round steak, fat trimmed and cut into small cubes
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
salt & pepper
1 Egg, slightly beaten

Savory Pie dough, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cut potatoes, onions, and steak into their own  bowls. Season the meat with garlic, salt and pepper.

Roll pie dough until it is 1/4" thick. Cut large circles, 3 1/2"-4" in diameter, in an even amount.  On one circle, layer potatoes, meat, and onion leaving about 1/4"-1/2" edge. Flatten a second circle so it is just slightly larger than the first. Cover the filling and seal the edges with a fork. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. When baking sheet is full (approx. 6-8 per 1/2 sheet size), brush with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Make a little vent slice at the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.

Let rest for 5 minutes before removing from pans.
Try not to burn your fingers or tongue when taking the first bite!

Savory Pie Dough
From Julia Child's Baking with Julia

5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP salt
1 1/2 (6 oz) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 3/4 (11 oz) solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water

Using a mixer with paddle attachment: Put the flour and salt into the bowl and stir to mix.  Add the butter and mix on low until it is cut into the dry ingredients and the mixture looks coarse and crumbly.  Ad the shortening in small bits and continue to mix on low. When the mixture is clumpy and curdy and holds together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers, add the water and mix only until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself two or three times, just to finish the mixing and to gather it together.

To make dough by hand:  Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry blender cut it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Break up the shortening and add it in bits to the bowl. Still working with the pastry blender, cut in te shortening until the mixture has small clumps and curds. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the ice water, stirring to incorporate it. Turn the dough onto a work surface and fold it over on itself a few times. The dough will be soft but will firm up in the refrigerator.

Chilling the dough:  Divide into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or for as long as 5 days.

Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days or frozen for 1 month. It's a good idea to diide the dough into quarters for freezing since one quarter of the recipe is generally enough for one pie crust or tart shell. Defrost, wrapped, in the refrigerator.

Cooking Hodge Podge

Saturday was a rough day for me. I spent the afternoon studying for a grueling test that I'll be taking in a couple of weeks and then got sick on the way home from the session...not my idea of a good time!  So, Sunday, when I was feeling normal again, I wanted to cook...a lot.  I wound up narrowing it down to 3 dishes. Two were new and one was an old favorite.

I love "old favorites" since they bring back so many memories.  This one brought back memories as far away as elementary school. My mom use to make Pasties and I would love to take them for lunch. All the kids would look at me like I was crazy--and why wouldn't I be? How many fourth graders bring cold meat pies to school for lunch?  Regardless, I loved the attention and I loved the lunch.  I remember that whenever I make them.

The new dishes I made I found out of a bargain cookbook from Border's: Appetizers Finger Food Buffets & Parties by Bridget Jones. (Not of the Bridget Jones' Diary fame, I'm sure...anyone remember blue soup?) The first was Smoked Salmon and Rice Salad Parcels and the other was Cold Lemon Souffle with Almonds.  Let me tell you they all turned out great!  Other than a little time consuming, they are all easy to make.  Still, 4 hours in the kitchen doesn't seem all that bad when the therapy aspect is considered.  It was the ideal therapy session, indeed.  I made dinner and felt giddy by the time the plates were filled. Seeing the happy faces of my kids trying something new and hearing the comments that follow, well, that just makes my heart soar.

Smoked Salmon and Rice Salad Parcels

Serves 4

1 cup mixed wild rice and basmati rice (I used Near East without the seasoning packet)
8 slices smoked salmon, approx. 12 oz. worth

4 inch piece of cucumber, finely diced

8 oz. feta cheese, cubed
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup diced onion

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 tsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. chopped curly leaf parsley

salt & fresh ground pepper

Lime slices & parsley for garnish

1. Cook the rice according to package directions. Drain any excess liquid and transfer to a bowl to cool completely.

2. Line 4 ramekins (or small cereal bowls) with plastic wrap, then line each with smoked salmon, allowing the ends to overlap the edges of the dishes. (I had extra salmon, so I used about 3 slices each.)

3. Add the cucumber, cubes of feta, and tomato quarters to the rice and stir in the mayonnaise, lime juice and parsley. Mix together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Spoon the rice salad mixture into the salmon-lined bowls. Carefully fold over the overlapping ends of the salmon so that the rice mixture is completely encased.

5. Chill the parcels in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes, then invert each parcel onto a plate, using the plastic wrap to ease them out of the bowls. Carefully peel off the wrap, then garnish with parsley and lime. Serve.

Note: The extra rice mixture can be served as a separate salad.