#Milk refrigerator pudding powder with hazelnut cream

[dairyprodupper]

Dairy Free Christmas Desserts

Christmas is a time for indulging, so why should those with dietary restrictions miss out? Dairy-free desserts can be just as delicious as traditional Christmas desserts and are often much easier to make. From vegan mince pies to coconut ice cream cake, there is something for everyone on the dairy-free dessert menu.

Even if you’re not dairy free, these inventive and flavorful recipes will give your holiday feast a unique twist! Plus, many of these recipes are also gluten-free and refined sugar-free, making them even more accommodating and healthy options for guests with food allergies or sensitivities. So enjoy this festive season without sacrificing taste or nutrition when you try one of these amazing dairy free Christmas desserts!

Dairy free desserts at Christmas can be just as exciting and delicious as dairy-filled ones. Whether your vegan, lactose intolerant, or simply looking for some new recipes to try out this season, these dairy free desserts are sure to tantalize your taste buds.

From creamy no-bake cheesecakes to fruity crumbles and tarts, there's something here for everyone. The best part? Many of these recipes require minimal effort! A few simple ingredients and a few minutes of your time is all that stands between you and a delicious dessert. Not sure where to start? Here are some creative ideas that will make even the pickiest of eaters happy:

1. Apple Crisp: Sweet, tart apples are coated in a crunchy oat topping for an easy-to-make dessert that can be prepared quickly. All you need is some apples, oats, coconut oil and brown sugar to get started.

2. Chocolate Fondue: Delicious dairy free chocolate fondue can be made with just three ingredients - dark chocolate chips, almond milk, and agave nectar! Serve with fresh fruit or pretzels for a festive treat.

3. Coconut Cream Pie: This Heavenly vegan coconut cream pie has all the flavors of traditional custard-filled pies without any animal products whatsoever. It's also gluten free and easy to make at home!

4. Fruit Crumble: Dried fruits such as cranberries, apricots and dates are combined with a crunchy oat topping for an easy-to-make dessert that requires minimal effort. Top with ice cream or coconut cream for a truly decadent treat.

5. Peach Cobbler: A classic Southern favorite made without dairy! This cobbler is bursting with juicy peaches and topped with a golden brown biscuit topping. Serve warm with vegan ice cream for the perfect finish to your meal.

6. Coconut Custard – this rich and creamy dessert is sure to be a hit with its subtle hints of coconut flavour. Simply whisk together almond milk, arrowroot powder, coconut cream and honey in a saucepan until smooth and thickened before topping with your favourite nuts or fruits.

7. Coconut Rice Pudding – this classic dessert is given a dairy free twist with creamy coconut milk and sweetened with agave nectar. Blend cooked rice, full-fat coconut milk, agave and a pinch of salt in a blender until smooth before transferring to an oven safe dish and baking for 30 minutes.

8. Raw Chocolate Fudge – melt together dark chocolate chips, almond butter, maple syrup and sea salt in the microwave before stirring in some crushed hazelnuts. Pour it into a greased tin then freeze until set before cutting into squares for serving.

9. Vegan Cheesecake – no Christmas would be complete without cheesecake! Make your own using soaked cashews, coconut cream, lemon juice and agave nectar. Simply blend all the ingredients together in a food processor before pouring into a greased tin and refrigerating until firm.

These delicious dairy free desserts will make this season even more festive and special. Whether you're looking for something light and fruity or rich and chocolaty, these recipes have got you covered! Enjoy!

[russellpipkin]

10 Delicious Italian Desserts You Must Try

Dessert in Italian is something to be celebrated. Soon after the release of Federico Fellini’s s satirical comedy in 1960, ‘La Dolce Vita’ (the sweet life) became a popular term worldwide.

Yes. Dolce (plural Dolci) means sweet or dessert in Italy.

An Italian Festa lacks the essence unless you line up the Dolci at the dinner table. Italian desserts are the ultimate sugary treat for your tastebuds.

The Tradition of Serving Dessert in Italian Culinary Art

Desserts are an integral part of Italian cuisine and are famous worldwide. People in Italy are zestful about sweets, cakes, candies, ice creams…and lots more. During ancient times, desserts in various parts of the country were sweetened with honey and fruit extracts.

Arab invasion of Sicily in the 9th century marks the beginning of sugar production and the Dolci renaissance in the country.

Desserts make up the final course, from formal dinners to informal feasts. Sweets were served in small portions at the end of the meal considering the high price tag of sugar during the medieval era.

In this article, we have shared the famous Italian desserts you can enjoy anytime, on any occasion.

10 Authentic Italian Desserts to Entice Your Sweet Tooth

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is the iconic creamy chocolate pudding native to Treviso town in Veneto, North Italy. The cake-style sweet dish is the most popular dessert in trattorias (Italian restaurants) worldwide. It is a mood-lifting flavorsome snack stuffed with coffee-infused ladyfingers coated in a dense layer of chocolaty mascarpone and cocoa.

Panforte

Panforte, also called panpepato (peppered bread) in Sienese, is a chewy snack served with hot cream coffee or wine. This 13th-century flavorsome bread made with pepper and honey was originally part of the Christmas traditions in the Province of Siena in Tuscany. Panforte can be preserved in food-grade plastic bags for up to 2 months in the refrigerator. Feel the crunch of roasted nuts, hot pepper, and fruits in every bite as you nosh the wedges.

Semifreddo (Half Cold)

Semifreddo is a yummy semi-frozen mousse that became popular in Spain and Italy during the 20th century. The main ingredients- egg yolks, cream, gelato, and sugar are whipped uniquely to let in the air forming a light, smooth, and creamy loaf. It is flavored with coffee, chocolate flakes/syrup, or fresh fruits.

Gelatos/Sorbettos

People in Italy relish the authentic gelatos at the gelaterias. It is a dairy-based frozen dessert but certainly not ice cream.

Gelato is prepared with milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring agents. These creamy frozen desserts are flavored with chocolate, coffee powder, vanilla, and nuts (pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.).

Often used interchangeably, gelato and ice cream differ in taste, consistency, and temperature settings. Gelatos are creamy, silk, and thick, prepared at least 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit greater than ice cream to prevent the chilling hard surface.

And for vegan foodies, sorbetto (sorbet) and granita are non-dairy frozen desserts. Mashed fresh fruits churned with sugar in the ice cream machine are all you need to make a smooth, creamy, and scoopable scoff. As for granita…it is the flaky ice prototype of sorbet.

Affogato al Caffe (Drowned in Coffee)

There is confusion about whether affogato is a form of sweet or beverage. But one can spot these listed on the desserts menu at a ristorante in Italy.

This espresso-dipped ice cream is simple to make in a few minutes. When guests give you a surprise visit on a hot summer day, affogato is best served in shots glasses presented with biscotti on the platter. Many restaurants also make this dessert with Bicerin.

For the creamy cocktail, replace espresso with Kahlua, Amaretti, or any other alcoholic drink.

Panna Cotta (Cooked Cream)

Panna cotta is a wobbly classic Italian dessert from Piedmont in Northwest Italy. This region, sharing borders with Switzerland and France, is known for its incredible dairy products.

You can make this molded pudding with three basic ingredients- cream, gelatin, and sugar. Throughout the ages, cookbooks have come up with offbeat garnishing ideas for panna cotta…fresh fruit topping, chocolate sauce, strawberry compote, vanilla, coffee, and more.

Tartufo di Pizzo

Better known as Tartufo (truffle), there is a fascinating history behind the invention of this luscious dessert. Tartufo was made for the first time at a high-profile wedding ceremony in Pizzo, Calabria, attended by King Vittorio Emanuele II. Following an acute shortage of molding cups, Don Pippo, a famous confectioner, used sugar paper to wrap handmade gelato desserts with a fruit syrup filling. Today, it is made in various forms with melted chocolate ganache, cinnamon, cocoa, etc.

Cassata

Cassata Siciliana has roots of origin in the Arab invasion of Sicily. This ancient recipe was developed in Palermo, Sicily, during the 10th-century Islamic reign in the region. The delicious cake got its name from the Arabic word qa’sat (a type of baking pan).

It is a spongy cheesecake soaked in liquor with layers of ricotta and candied fruit toppings. Nowadays, cassata has many variations based on region and taste preferences, such as single-serving cassata, cassata a forno (baked in the oven), etc.

Pastiera Napoletana

Pastiera, a type of creamy tart, is believed to be made for the first time in a Neapolitan convent for Easter to represent the Resurrection. It is an aromatic tart made of cooked wheat, flour, eggs, ricotta, lard, and candied fruits, and treated with orange blossom water. The crispy and fragile consistency makes it a savory snack that pairs with a cup of espresso. Many confectionary shops in the country sell Pastiera throughout the year.

Torta Mimosa

Unlike most traditional Italian desserts, torta mimosa is a modern recipe presented by a chef and restaurateur, San Filippo di Contigliano from the city of Rieti in Lazio. San Filippo came up with his quintessential cake-making idea at a pastry competition held in San Remo city in 1962.

This sponge cake resembles the pale yellowish mimosa, the symbolic flower presented to women on 8th March on Festa Della Donna (International Women’s Day). These delicate flowers represent feminism and strength in women. Yellow sponge dragees décor all over looks exquisite picture-perfect confectionary. Inside the semi-hard crust lies the soft sponge layered with sleek custard.

Wrap Up,

The deep-rooted love for Dolci is eternal for people in Italy. Those who are familiar with Italian culture know the eminence of Vin Santo served with nutty Cantucci.

While the above ones are just the most famous Italian desserts, there is no end to options that you can try. Visit SESAMO and try out some our traditional Italian desserts today!

  source https://sesamorestaurant.com/news/10-delicious-italian-desserts-you-must-try/ from Sesamo https://sesamorestaurant.blogspot.com/2022/11/10-delicious-italian-desserts-you-must.html

[nonstopstrategy]

The Mother’s Day. How do you treat your moms? Perhaps something healthy, light and easy going. Despite of my mom’s taste, I’ve decided to try this chocolate loaf filled with bananas. Let me tell you, my mom was really happy. It’s not the easiest cake I’ve tried to make, but it is absolutely worth it – Smooth Walnut Cake with Fruits.

I’ve discovered a very nice and healthy blog “The Kitchenette” and I’ve just had to try this cake. A good friend of mine recommended it to me as this is the only cake she has mastered and she has been doing for everyone for years. That’s a clear go for me! She has upgraded it with fresh fruits. The cake would taste good even without, but this is just a higher and luxurious level. Come on, bananas, chocolate and walnuts, nothing can go wrong here.

This cake reminds me of the so-called “Biscuit cake”, which is very popular e.g. in Bulgaria. The dough has a very firm cookie texture. However, in combination with coffee and rum syrup this walnut cake becomes aromatic and juicy. You can make the cake in a springform of 26cm and cut it in 2 layers or a smaller one and bake it in 4 layers. I’ve decided to bake the cake in a large baking tray of 40×30 cm, which made 2 loaves of 4 layers of 8×30 cm. No limits to imagination.

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Smooth Walnut Cake with Fruits is suitable for kids from the age of 3 because of the egg chocolate cream. It isn’t overwhelming sweet, and the dough has a cookie like texture that kids just love. However, in combination with the cream the walnut cake becomes really smooth.

Total Time: 2 hours + few hours to refrigerate The Cream Filling and an overnight sit of the cake

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Shopping List

The Cream Filling: 100g of good quality dark chocolate, at least 60% 6 tablespoons of caster superfine sugar 2 egg yolks 350ml of milk 80g of plain flour, sifted 250g of butter, soft in cubes 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar 4 medium ripe bananas, sliced 2 tablespoons of instant coffee (I used decaf) 1 teaspoon of rum extract/50ml of rum

The Cookie Dough: 4 whole eggs, seperated 10 tablespoons of cold water 300g of cane sugar 150g of ground walnuts 150g of semi-coarse flour, sifted 1 teaspoon of baking powder without phosphate, sifted A pinch of sea salt

Fresh blueberries and raspberries, chocolate shavings and golden powder to decorate

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Instructions

The Cream Filling

First, melt the chocolate in a steam bath. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of caster sugar and 2 egg yolks. Stir for about 2 minutes and take off the heat.

Meanwhile, warm up the milk to a boiling point. Take ½ of the amount on side into a small mixing bowl and add the flour. Whisk until you get a smooth texture.

Then, sieve the flour mixture into the 2nd half of the milk and mix constantly to avoid any lumps. Bring it to boil and reduce the heat to low.

Next, stir in the chocolate mix and incorporate until it becomes a very smooth and creamy texture. Done.

Mold it in a medium mixing bowl and cover with cling foil. Let it cool down entirely and afterwards, refrigerate at least for a couple of hours.

The Cookie Dough

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl place 4 egg yolks with cane sugar and 4 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk for about 2-3 minutes on high speed until it brightens and becomes fluffy.

Afterwards, stir in the walnuts and flour with baking powder. Pour in 6 tablespoons of water and mix. At this stage, it becomes a very thick texture.

Therefore, in a separate metal bowl whisk the egg whites with a pinch of sea salt until you get firm peaks.

Next, slowly incorporate the snow into The Dough with a spatula. You may need some strength, but it is important to mix it well and fast, so you don’t loose the volume. Incorporate in 3 parts.

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Mold The Cookie Dough into a greased large baking tray (I used rectangular of 40×30 cm) and smoothen with a spatula.

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Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until baked through and golden on the edges. Take it out and let it cool down for a bit.

Presentation

Take out the chilled Cream Filling.

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In another large mixing bowl ease the butter with vanilla sugar. When it becomes nice and smooth, start adding the chocolate pudding, one spoon at a time. Incorporate and taste. So yummy. Set aside.

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Take out The Cookie and cut off the edges of the cake. Then, cut accordingly to your preference. I halved the rectangle and halved each half of it. Thereafter, I cut each stripe in half, and cut off the surface to get 8 really thin and equal slices. No limits to imagination.

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Optionally, you can bake it in a springform and cut as many layers as you need or just cover with the scrumptious cream and decorate with fruits and chocolate.

Cook the coffee and let it cool down for a couple of minutes. Then, stir in the rum and place all the layers on your working board. Gently brush all the liquid on the surface of The Cookie Dough. You can do it in 2-3 layers: pour the liquid, brush for a bit, wait until it has been absorbed and repeat the procedure. It should be juicy enough, but not falling apart, of course.

Final Decoration

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Afterwards, put a little bit of cream on your serving plate and stick the 1st layer on top. Place a generous amount of The Cream Filling (I used for 1 slice approximately 1.5 large spoon) and smoothen with a palette knife. Cut thin slices of banana and cover with the 2nd layer. Repeat the procedure until you cover all the layers and finish with The Cream Filling on top and on the sides of the cake. Smoothen with cake smoothers.

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You can scrub some chocolate shavings on the top of the walnut cake and grate the chocolate as you wish. I sprinkled the cake with some roasted hazelnut croquant. I also sprinkled the blueberries and raspberries with golden powder and placed them gently on top. You can go so many ways, but let me tell you. The result will be the same – the happiness. Make this cake at least 1 day in advance, so the flavour really comes within and the juiciness connects with the cream. Simply gorgeous!

Makes 2 loaves of 4 layers of 8×30 cm.

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Smooth Walnut Cake with Fruits The Mother’s Day. How do you treat your moms? Perhaps something healthy, light and easy going. Despite of my mom’s taste, I’ve decided to try this chocolate loaf filled with bananas.

[tenortower6-blog]

Easy Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Description

Thick and creamy avocado chocolate pudding – an easy and indulgent, naturally sweetened twist on the classic, that comes together in minutes in a blender. You’d never guess the main ingredient was avocado!

Ingredients

3 medium ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pitted 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup pure maple syrup 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste¹ 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 cup canned coconut milk²

Instructions

Add the ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. The pudding will be very thick – you may need to pause and stir a few times to fully combine. Add additional coconut milk as needed.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.³ Serve with a dollop of whipped cream (I used coconut whipped cream here), chocolate shavings, and fresh berries. Enjoy!!

Notes

¹ I use vanilla bean paste instead of extract because it’s alcohol free, and milder in an uncooked dessert like this one. It’s also easier to keep on hand than fresh vanilla pods, but feel free to substitute with the beans of one fresh vanilla pod, or 2 tsp vanilla extract, as desired. ² I prefer canned full fat coconut milk for this pudding because it yields the creamiest texture. However, you can use any other non-dairy milk. I’d recommend cashew, hazelnut, or macadamia nut milk. ³ The pudding will thicken as it chills, and is best after at least a couple of hours in the fridge. ⁴ Will keep for about three days tightly covered in the refrigerator – if it lasts that long!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @forkknifeswoon on Instagram and hashtag it #forkknifeswoon

Source: http://www.forkknifeswoon.com/easy-avocado-chocolate-pudding/

[studyshrine7-blog]

Easy Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Description

Thick and creamy avocado chocolate pudding – an easy and indulgent, naturally sweetened twist on the classic, that comes together in minutes in a blender. You’d never guess the main ingredient was avocado!

Ingredients

3 medium ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pitted 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup pure maple syrup 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste¹ 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 cup canned coconut milk²

Instructions

Add the ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. The pudding will be very thick – you may need to pause and stir a few times to fully combine. Add additional coconut milk as needed.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.³ Serve with a dollop of whipped cream (I used coconut whipped cream here), chocolate shavings, and fresh berries. Enjoy!!

Notes

¹ I use vanilla bean paste instead of extract because it’s alcohol free, and milder in an uncooked dessert like this one. It’s also easier to keep on hand than fresh vanilla pods, but feel free to substitute with the beans of one fresh vanilla pod, or 2 tsp vanilla extract, as desired. ² I prefer canned full fat coconut milk for this pudding because it yields the creamiest texture. However, you can use any other non-dairy milk. I’d recommend cashew, hazelnut, or macadamia nut milk. ³ The pudding will thicken as it chills, and is best after at least a couple of hours in the fridge. ⁴ Will keep for about three days tightly covered in the refrigerator – if it lasts that long!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @forkknifeswoon on Instagram and hashtag it #forkknifeswoon

Source: http://www.forkknifeswoon.com/easy-avocado-chocolate-pudding/

[lenakrruger]

Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges

I was rearranging my pantry shelf, and it’s a rare thing to find things in tins, but I came across a large container of preserved prunes. And I decided it was time to use them again. This is a quick and easy sauce to make and it keeps well in a glass-covered container in the fridge for several days.

Remove the prunes using a strainer or a slotted spoon and put the liquid into a saucepan. Measure the liquid and add half as much granulated sugar and a cup of Offley Ruby Port.

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Bring it to a gentle simmer and reduce by a third. Stir well with a wooden spoon to incorporate the sugar. Mash the moisture-filled prunes or pulse coarsely. Add a pinch of salt.

Stir the mashed prunes into the reduced sauce pot, on simmer. Squeeze the juice of a fresh sweet orange into the pot and add orange segments from another whole orange, cut from between the membranes.

You could add the zest of a fresh orange or mince a few rinds from your candied citrus sugar jar to finish the sauce, just when ready to serve.

Alternate: You might consider adding a large dollop of sour cream to the port sauce; if you do, do not reheat. The sauce will separate. Just gently fold in the sour cream at the last minute and serve.

Remove the cooked oxtails from their cooking pot (see below), using a spider spoon, and cover with the port prune sauce on a serving platter. Gourmet at its best.

This sauce can also be used over top of pan-fried pork loin medallions (you can substitute veal medallions) or over centre-cut grilled thick pork chops. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to roasted whole unstuffed rock Cornish hens that have been roasted with my kumquat marmalade spread over the birds in the last few minutes of roasting. Or, use this prune port sauce with pan-fried duck breast, served medium rare, or over my turkey roll recipe at this link.

Paired with a citrus panna cotta or citrus zabaglione, made with minced rind from your pantry citrus sugar jar, you could even serve dessert in a matching puddle of your main course port prune sauce (save a bit before you add the oxtails). You might top a martini glass of the pudding with a dollop of Port Chantilly Crème (the kind used as filling for my Bird’s Nest Pavlova recipe). Or, top an espresso with a tiny spoon of the ruby port cream.

Suggested pairing: Offley Ruby Port. Let it breathe. Serve at a cool room temperature from a narrow neck decanter or directly from its bottle, chilled just a bit.

Another idea: Drizzle the prune port sauce on my grilled goat cheese spinach sandwich recipe you can find here. Scroll down to comments for Grilled Goat Cheese Spinach Sandwich Special (and so much more …)

Or, enjoy the sauce on an open face grilled brown bread slice, topped with thinly sliced roasted turkey and crispy bacon. Very yummy, either way. Note: if you have found a place to buy English bloomer bread that is very popular in U.K., it grills wonderfully. It’s also perfect to serve with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at breakfast.

Asbach oxtails

In a heavy, coated, cast-iron pot, sauté oxtails in hot butter until brown. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and a sprig of dry, fresh thyme. When cooked, add a little chopped parsley.

Add the following to the pot, then cover: Sweat a large Spanish onion, chopped medium fine; three celery sticks, chopped small but coarse; three carrots, large, cut in pennies on the diagonal.

Add one quart (four cups) of homemade chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down. Simmer two hours. During the last half hour of cooking, add a quarter cup of Asbach brandy. Reduce. Sauce will thicken slightly.

You can serve the oxtails dish at this stage. Or, you can remove the oxtails so they don’t continue cooking (don’t overcook the meat) and add half and half cream. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat (don’t cover the pot) and reduce just slightly.

Serve over whipped, mashed potatoes, wide egg noodles or Basmati rice. Also good with crepes. Fill the crepes with the oxtails and serve the crepes in a reduced puddle of the natural sauce or the cream sauce, with the veggies on the plate pushed to the side.

If you have never eaten oxtails, you are missing out on a wonderful dish; but bear in mind, this is exceptionally rich and will be a great surprise for guests, too.

A different approach: Using either method, right at the end, add a tin of whole tomatoes and liquid; break up the tomatoes just a little.

Then, if you would rather have oxtail tomato soup, add another quart of homemade chicken stock. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and serve. When ready to serve, top each individual serving with a few shavings of frozen Asbach butter from your always at-the-ready freezer supply. Do not stir. Just let the compound butter melt.

More amazing oxtails: Hungarian oxtail goulash

Prepare as above: Let the meat fall off the bones; pull apart the meat using two forks. Reduce the sauce a little on low heat.

Check seasoning. Adjust salt, pepper and add a heaping tablespoon of Hungarian sweet paprika (not the smoky version, unless that is your personal preference). Gently fold in, just before serving, a large scoop of firm full fat sour cream. Do not reheat after adding the sour cream. Keep the cooking pan hot, covered until serving.

Serve the Hungarian oxtail goulash in a large family-style presentation in a large deep platter, along with a bed of my homemade sauerkraut. This works well as a side dish with plain breaded Wiener schnitzel or breaded chicken cutlets or pork cutlets and a generous serving of homemade egg noodles or spaetzle.

A word about food storage spaces

If you live near a grocery store or market, go in off-hours when checkout lines are less likely to be busy. And go more often. Most people never have enough refrigerator space no matter how big the fridge is, and kitchen cabinet space is often at a premium.

The luxury of having a separate pantry is just that. Unless you have one set, dedicated cabinet for food storage items, it’s better to shop frequently. It’s never a long walk to the basement and a worthwhile investment to put dedicated shelving in place for things best kept in a cool dark place.

Many Italian-built homes have a cantina. It’s not a real cantina unless it has an open air-exchange hole (as a listing rep be careful how you identify that space; you could find yourself paying to modify it). But nonetheless it is a cold room. But be careful about condensation accumulating. Keep an eye open for mould. That is never acceptable.

Back in the pre-war days, and even sometimes after, one could find dedicated giant storage bins in house basements, under a removable basement window, allowing those who grew their own potatoes and root vegetables a means of putting a slide in place and loading wagon-loads of veggies onto slides that delivered the homegrown wonders right to the storage bins, where they provided family food all through the off-seasons. Bins were made from bug-free woods, never from shipping skids that might carry uninvited guests in transit.

Some people who didn’t have open-slat wooden basement bins used open hemp sacks for storage. The coal or wood-fired furnace was often in the basement, so that kept any dampness at bay. In Canada, many basement areas had earthen floors.

Although the European immigrants brought their wonderful recipes from overseas with them, some foodstuffs really are international. Made with a local twist. Here is a good example.

Stale bread Austrian-style dumplings 

This is another wartime and post-wartime dish. Today we are still in a war – against food pricing and waste.

Bread is bread wherever you go or wherever you live. For these wonderful bread dumplings, you can use almost any bread. It just so happens the dumplings are still a staple in Northern Italy and Austria. And a particular favourite, too, among travellers to the region.

Don’t waste those easily dried out baguettes or rolls that become rock hard, almost impossible to bring back to life: French, Italian or Portuguese. Put the dried-out bread in a large plastic bag, lay a clean lightweight tea towel over it, and using your meat pounder hammer, smash the dried bread into large pieces.

Place the bread chunks into a large glass bowl. Just barely cover with half and half cream. The bread will expand as it absorbs the liquid. Let the bread sit for a few hours. You don’t want the bread soggy. Just moist.

Regular readers might notice I rarely use milk in my recipes. I don’t drink milk and haven’t since I was preschool when I was forced to drink milk that was “off”. I could never bring myself to drink it again, although very occasionally I would succumb to a hot chocolate or a milkshake. To me, ever after, milk tastes like whatever the cow had eaten, so I simply avoided it completely. Milk is full of natural sugars. Cream is not. Fat, yes. Sugar, no.

Now for these dumplings some people use flour as a binder. For an exception, perhaps use almonds or hazelnuts that have been ground to a powder flour-like texture. For six cups of soaked moistened bread, use about three-quarters cup of ground nuts (or flour). Whisk a large fresh egg and mix into the moistened bread. Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley and fresh lemon thyme. Grate a little fresh nutmeg into the mix and a little salt and pepper.

Now for the special touch: add a half cup of my special minced spinach mix from your fridge or thawed overnight freezer storage. But use spinach to which you have added chopped crispy bacon (not store-bought bacon bits).

To see my spinach special recipe scroll down to the sandwich comments here.

The dumplings need to be a generous size, about the size of a cup. Roll scoops of the bread mixture in your dry floured hands to form a ball shape. Dredge in seasoned flour. Cover on a tray with a clean tea towel.

Gently poach the bread dumplings in a large uncovered pot of simmering homemade chicken broth, perhaps for six minutes. Using a spider spoon, gently move the dumplings around in the broth. Do not overcook them.

Pull the dumplings apart into two pieces using two forks and sprinkle with Parmesan and serve alongside my Tiroler mushroom and cheese-filled Wiener schnitzel and spaetzle with a side of my special red cabbage or homemade sauerkraut. The dumplings are also a wonderful side with my sacrilegious Shiraz veal or with my delicious oxtail goulash.

This is a hungry-man meal for sure.

Any leftover dumplings can be sliced about a half-inch thick the next day and reheated quickly in sizzling butter and served with sugared carrots and blanched sweet peas or minty mushy peas.

Alternate: Mince white button mushrooms and minced onion, equal parts. Just sauté once over lightly in sizzling butter, cool slightly and add a little to the moist bread mix. With or without the spinach mix.

Another alternate: Coarsely chop cooked lobster claw meat and mix into the bread dumpling mix. You can keep on hand a flash frozen tin of lobster for this purpose (thaw and squeeze out the liquid; freeze the liquid and save for another recipe) or buy ready-cooked lobster claw packages. Add a little minced fresh tarragon. Poach the dumplings in chicken stock or homemade fish stock.

When ready to serve, spritz with homemade lobster oil or melt a lobster compound butter puck from your stored log and pour over each melt-in-your-mouth seafood dumpling.

Serve the large dumplings as a side, with a tiny drizzle of Petite Maison white truffle Dijon, with a generous bowl of thick Canadian seafood chowder or lobster bisque.

Plums up! Or figgy dumplings. 

Prepare the bread dumplings using cognac marinated plums or black mission figs, finely chopped (squeeze out excess liquid) and drizzle each dumpling with a little Chantilly Cream and offer a starter as a unique large amuse bouche.

There’s nothing difficult about preparing your meals in a gourmet fashion as a home cook. As my readers know, nothing goes to waste in my kitchen. And busy Realtors have to eat, so cooking at home actually saves time because you have an opportunity to multi-task. It’s simply a matter of being organized – mis en place. Just like at the office.

© “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks” Turning everyday meal making into a Gourmet Experience

The post Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges appeared first on REM | Real Estate Magazine.

Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges published first on https://grandeurparkcondo.tumblr.com/

[felishasheats]

Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges

I was rearranging my pantry shelf, and it’s a rare thing to find things in tins, but I came across a large container of preserved prunes. And I decided it was time to use them again. This is a quick and easy sauce to make and it keeps well in a glass-covered container in the fridge for several days.

Remove the prunes using a strainer or a slotted spoon and put the liquid into a saucepan. Measure the liquid and add half as much granulated sugar and a cup of Offley Ruby Port.

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Bring it to a gentle simmer and reduce by a third. Stir well with a wooden spoon to incorporate the sugar. Mash the moisture-filled prunes or pulse coarsely. Add a pinch of salt.

Stir the mashed prunes into the reduced sauce pot, on simmer. Squeeze the juice of a fresh sweet orange into the pot and add orange segments from another whole orange, cut from between the membranes.

You could add the zest of a fresh orange or mince a few rinds from your candied citrus sugar jar to finish the sauce, just when ready to serve.

Alternate: You might consider adding a large dollop of sour cream to the port sauce; if you do, do not reheat. The sauce will separate. Just gently fold in the sour cream at the last minute and serve.

Remove the cooked oxtails from their cooking pot (see below), using a spider spoon, and cover with the port prune sauce on a serving platter. Gourmet at its best.

This sauce can also be used over top of pan-fried pork loin medallions (you can substitute veal medallions) or over centre-cut grilled thick pork chops. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to roasted whole unstuffed rock Cornish hens that have been roasted with my kumquat marmalade spread over the birds in the last few minutes of roasting. Or, use this prune port sauce with pan-fried duck breast, served medium rare, or over my turkey roll recipe at this link.

Paired with a citrus panna cotta or citrus zabaglione, made with minced rind from your pantry citrus sugar jar, you could even serve dessert in a matching puddle of your main course port prune sauce (save a bit before you add the oxtails). You might top a martini glass of the pudding with a dollop of Port Chantilly Crème (the kind used as filling for my Bird’s Nest Pavlova recipe). Or, top an espresso with a tiny spoon of the ruby port cream.

Suggested pairing: Offley Ruby Port. Let it breathe. Serve at a cool room temperature from a narrow neck decanter or directly from its bottle, chilled just a bit.

Another idea: Drizzle the prune port sauce on my grilled goat cheese spinach sandwich recipe you can find here. Scroll down to comments for Grilled Goat Cheese Spinach Sandwich Special (and so much more …)

Or, enjoy the sauce on an open face grilled brown bread slice, topped with thinly sliced roasted turkey and crispy bacon. Very yummy, either way. Note: if you have found a place to buy English bloomer bread that is very popular in U.K., it grills wonderfully. It’s also perfect to serve with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at breakfast.

Asbach oxtails

In a heavy, coated, cast-iron pot, sauté oxtails in hot butter until brown. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and a sprig of dry, fresh thyme. When cooked, add a little chopped parsley.

Add the following to the pot, then cover: Sweat a large Spanish onion, chopped medium fine; three celery sticks, chopped small but coarse; three carrots, large, cut in pennies on the diagonal.

Add one quart (four cups) of homemade chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down. Simmer two hours. During the last half hour of cooking, add a quarter cup of Asbach brandy. Reduce. Sauce will thicken slightly.

You can serve the oxtails dish at this stage. Or, you can remove the oxtails so they don’t continue cooking (don’t overcook the meat) and add half and half cream. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat (don’t cover the pot) and reduce just slightly.

Serve over whipped, mashed potatoes, wide egg noodles or Basmati rice. Also good with crepes. Fill the crepes with the oxtails and serve the crepes in a reduced puddle of the natural sauce or the cream sauce, with the veggies on the plate pushed to the side.

If you have never eaten oxtails, you are missing out on a wonderful dish; but bear in mind, this is exceptionally rich and will be a great surprise for guests, too.

A different approach: Using either method, right at the end, add a tin of whole tomatoes and liquid; break up the tomatoes just a little.

Then, if you would rather have oxtail tomato soup, add another quart of homemade chicken stock. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and serve. When ready to serve, top each individual serving with a few shavings of frozen Asbach butter from your always at-the-ready freezer supply. Do not stir. Just let the compound butter melt.

More amazing oxtails: Hungarian oxtail goulash

Prepare as above: Let the meat fall off the bones; pull apart the meat using two forks. Reduce the sauce a little on low heat.

Check seasoning. Adjust salt, pepper and add a heaping tablespoon of Hungarian sweet paprika (not the smoky version, unless that is your personal preference). Gently fold in, just before serving, a large scoop of firm full fat sour cream. Do not reheat after adding the sour cream. Keep the cooking pan hot, covered until serving.

Serve the Hungarian oxtail goulash in a large family-style presentation in a large deep platter, along with a bed of my homemade sauerkraut. This works well as a side dish with plain breaded Wiener schnitzel or breaded chicken cutlets or pork cutlets and a generous serving of homemade egg noodles or spaetzle.

A word about food storage spaces

If you live near a grocery store or market, go in off-hours when checkout lines are less likely to be busy. And go more often. Most people never have enough refrigerator space no matter how big the fridge is, and kitchen cabinet space is often at a premium.

The luxury of having a separate pantry is just that. Unless you have one set, dedicated cabinet for food storage items, it’s better to shop frequently. It’s never a long walk to the basement and a worthwhile investment to put dedicated shelving in place for things best kept in a cool dark place.

Many Italian-built homes have a cantina. It’s not a real cantina unless it has an open air-exchange hole (as a listing rep be careful how you identify that space; you could find yourself paying to modify it). But nonetheless it is a cold room. But be careful about condensation accumulating. Keep an eye open for mould. That is never acceptable.

Back in the pre-war days, and even sometimes after, one could find dedicated giant storage bins in house basements, under a removable basement window, allowing those who grew their own potatoes and root vegetables a means of putting a slide in place and loading wagon-loads of veggies onto slides that delivered the homegrown wonders right to the storage bins, where they provided family food all through the off-seasons. Bins were made from bug-free woods, never from shipping skids that might carry uninvited guests in transit.

Some people who didn’t have open-slat wooden basement bins used open hemp sacks for storage. The coal or wood-fired furnace was often in the basement, so that kept any dampness at bay. In Canada, many basement areas had earthen floors.

Although the European immigrants brought their wonderful recipes from overseas with them, some foodstuffs really are international. Made with a local twist. Here is a good example.

Stale bread Austrian-style dumplings 

This is another wartime and post-wartime dish. Today we are still in a war – against food pricing and waste.

Bread is bread wherever you go or wherever you live. For these wonderful bread dumplings, you can use almost any bread. It just so happens the dumplings are still a staple in Northern Italy and Austria. And a particular favourite, too, among travellers to the region.

Don’t waste those easily dried out baguettes or rolls that become rock hard, almost impossible to bring back to life: French, Italian or Portuguese. Put the dried-out bread in a large plastic bag, lay a clean lightweight tea towel over it, and using your meat pounder hammer, smash the dried bread into large pieces.

Place the bread chunks into a large glass bowl. Just barely cover with half and half cream. The bread will expand as it absorbs the liquid. Let the bread sit for a few hours. You don’t want the bread soggy. Just moist.

Regular readers might notice I rarely use milk in my recipes. I don’t drink milk and haven’t since I was preschool when I was forced to drink milk that was “off”. I could never bring myself to drink it again, although very occasionally I would succumb to a hot chocolate or a milkshake. To me, ever after, milk tastes like whatever the cow had eaten, so I simply avoided it completely. Milk is full of natural sugars. Cream is not. Fat, yes. Sugar, no.

Now for these dumplings some people use flour as a binder. For an exception, perhaps use almonds or hazelnuts that have been ground to a powder flour-like texture. For six cups of soaked moistened bread, use about three-quarters cup of ground nuts (or flour). Whisk a large fresh egg and mix into the moistened bread. Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley and fresh lemon thyme. Grate a little fresh nutmeg into the mix and a little salt and pepper.

Now for the special touch: add a half cup of my special minced spinach mix from your fridge or thawed overnight freezer storage. But use spinach to which you have added chopped crispy bacon (not store-bought bacon bits).

To see my spinach special recipe scroll down to the sandwich comments here.

The dumplings need to be a generous size, about the size of a cup. Roll scoops of the bread mixture in your dry floured hands to form a ball shape. Dredge in seasoned flour. Cover on a tray with a clean tea towel.

Gently poach the bread dumplings in a large uncovered pot of simmering homemade chicken broth, perhaps for six minutes. Using a spider spoon, gently move the dumplings around in the broth. Do not overcook them.

Pull the dumplings apart into two pieces using two forks and sprinkle with Parmesan and serve alongside my Tiroler mushroom and cheese-filled Wiener schnitzel and spaetzle with a side of my special red cabbage or homemade sauerkraut. The dumplings are also a wonderful side with my sacrilegious Shiraz veal or with my delicious oxtail goulash.

This is a hungry-man meal for sure.

Any leftover dumplings can be sliced about a half-inch thick the next day and reheated quickly in sizzling butter and served with sugared carrots and blanched sweet peas or minty mushy peas.

Alternate: Mince white button mushrooms and minced onion, equal parts. Just sauté once over lightly in sizzling butter, cool slightly and add a little to the moist bread mix. With or without the spinach mix.

Another alternate: Coarsely chop cooked lobster claw meat and mix into the bread dumpling mix. You can keep on hand a flash frozen tin of lobster for this purpose (thaw and squeeze out the liquid; freeze the liquid and save for another recipe) or buy ready-cooked lobster claw packages. Add a little minced fresh tarragon. Poach the dumplings in chicken stock or homemade fish stock.

When ready to serve, spritz with homemade lobster oil or melt a lobster compound butter puck from your stored log and pour over each melt-in-your-mouth seafood dumpling.

Serve the large dumplings as a side, with a tiny drizzle of Petite Maison white truffle Dijon, with a generous bowl of thick Canadian seafood chowder or lobster bisque.

Plums up! Or figgy dumplings. 

Prepare the bread dumplings using cognac marinated plums or black mission figs, finely chopped (squeeze out excess liquid) and drizzle each dumpling with a little Chantilly Cream and offer a starter as a unique large amuse bouche.

There’s nothing difficult about preparing your meals in a gourmet fashion as a home cook. As my readers know, nothing goes to waste in my kitchen. And busy Realtors have to eat, so cooking at home actually saves time because you have an opportunity to multi-task. It’s simply a matter of being organized – mis en place. Just like at the office.

© “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks” Turning everyday meal making into a Gourmet Experience

The post Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges appeared first on REM | Real Estate Magazine.

Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges published first on https://oicrealestate.tumblr.com/

[almajonesnjna]

3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts

Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack at work or a traditional post-dinner treat, these handy Mason jar desserts are tasty and can be made in advance. Plan for your inevitable sweet snack craving by keeping a healthy option nearby. By pre-packing a more virtuous treat, you’ll be prepared with a little dessert in a Mason jar when those cravings strike.

Pro tip: Each recipe can also be prepared in a ramekin or small mug.

1. TROPICAL QUINOA PUDDING

This quick recipe is one to have in your back pocket for when you have cooked, leftover quinoa or want a healthful and satisfying sweet breakfast!

To prepare on the stove: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks and bring to boil. Lower the heat, and allow to simmer. Next, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens just slightly, then add a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (or to taste). Then, remove the pudding from the heat, ladle into 8-ounce glass jars and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya. (Makes 4 servings.)

To prepare in the microwave: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 cups cooked quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cover and heat on high for 90 seconds. Stir thoroughly, and season to taste with a pinch each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Ladle into 8-ounce glass jars, and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 354; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 20g; Protein: 8g

2. BLUEBERRY & BLOOD ORANGE CRUMBLE WITH HAZELNUT GRANOLA

Other berries and any other fruit work here if you don’t have blueberries and blood oranges. Mix the crumble well, and watch it bake so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 4 8-ounce oven-safe glass jars.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if froze,), 1/2 cup blood, cara cara or navel orange slices (with the white pith removed), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons almond flour and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit well to coat, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly into the glass jars, then top with the hazelnut crumble mixture. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the crumble is fragrant, about 25–30 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the crumble isn’t burning, and cover with aluminum foil if it’s browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. Store crumbles covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 229; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 13g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 73mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 4g

3. CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO PUDDING

You’ll never guess that this creamy, dreamy chocolate pudding has a secret healthy ingredient — avocado.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S blade attachment, combine 2 large avocados (pits removed) with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide the pudding evenly among six 8-ounce Mason jars and chill (uncovered) at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with 1 tablespoon each nuts (chopped and toasted) or cacao nibs. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 278; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 101mg; Carbohydrate: 42g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 30g; Protein: 5g

The post 3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2mGbYlq

[albertcaldwellne]

3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts

Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack at work or a traditional post-dinner treat, these handy Mason jar desserts are tasty and can be made in advance. Plan for your inevitable sweet snack craving by keeping a healthy option nearby. By pre-packing a more virtuous treat, you’ll be prepared with a little dessert in a Mason jar when those cravings strike.

Pro tip: Each recipe can also be prepared in a ramekin or small mug.

1. TROPICAL QUINOA PUDDING

This quick recipe is one to have in your back pocket for when you have cooked, leftover quinoa or want a healthful and satisfying sweet breakfast!

To prepare on the stove: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks and bring to boil. Lower the heat, and allow to simmer. Next, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens just slightly, then add a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (or to taste). Then, remove the pudding from the heat, ladle into 8-ounce glass jars and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya. (Makes 4 servings.)

To prepare in the microwave: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 cups cooked quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cover and heat on high for 90 seconds. Stir thoroughly, and season to taste with a pinch each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Ladle into 8-ounce glass jars, and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 354; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 20g; Protein: 8g

2. BLUEBERRY & BLOOD ORANGE CRUMBLE WITH HAZELNUT GRANOLA

Other berries and any other fruit work here if you don’t have blueberries and blood oranges. Mix the crumble well, and watch it bake so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 4 8-ounce oven-safe glass jars.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if froze,), 1/2 cup blood, cara cara or navel orange slices (with the white pith removed), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons almond flour and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit well to coat, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly into the glass jars, then top with the hazelnut crumble mixture. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the crumble is fragrant, about 25–30 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the crumble isn’t burning, and cover with aluminum foil if it’s browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. Store crumbles covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 229; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 13g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 73mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 4g

3. CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO PUDDING

You’ll never guess that this creamy, dreamy chocolate pudding has a secret healthy ingredient — avocado.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S blade attachment, combine 2 large avocados (pits removed) with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide the pudding evenly among six 8-ounce Mason jars and chill (uncovered) at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with 1 tablespoon each nuts (chopped and toasted) or cacao nibs. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 278; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 101mg; Carbohydrate: 42g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 30g; Protein: 5g

The post 3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2mGbYlq

[neilmillerne]

3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts

Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack at work or a traditional post-dinner treat, these handy Mason jar desserts are tasty and can be made in advance. Plan for your inevitable sweet snack craving by keeping a healthy option nearby. By pre-packing a more virtuous treat, you’ll be prepared with a little dessert in a Mason jar when those cravings strike.

Pro tip: Each recipe can also be prepared in a ramekin or small mug.

1. TROPICAL QUINOA PUDDING

This quick recipe is one to have in your back pocket for when you have cooked, leftover quinoa or want a healthful and satisfying sweet breakfast!

To prepare on the stove: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks and bring to boil. Lower the heat, and allow to simmer. Next, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens just slightly, then add a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (or to taste). Then, remove the pudding from the heat, ladle into 8-ounce glass jars and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya. (Makes 4 servings.)

To prepare in the microwave: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 cups cooked quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cover and heat on high for 90 seconds. Stir thoroughly, and season to taste with a pinch each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Ladle into 8-ounce glass jars, and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 354; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 20g; Protein: 8g

2. BLUEBERRY & BLOOD ORANGE CRUMBLE WITH HAZELNUT GRANOLA

Other berries and any other fruit work here if you don’t have blueberries and blood oranges. Mix the crumble well, and watch it bake so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 4 8-ounce oven-safe glass jars.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if froze,), 1/2 cup blood, cara cara or navel orange slices (with the white pith removed), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons almond flour and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit well to coat, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly into the glass jars, then top with the hazelnut crumble mixture. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the crumble is fragrant, about 25–30 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the crumble isn’t burning, and cover with aluminum foil if it’s browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. Store crumbles covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 229; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 13g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 73mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 4g

3. CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO PUDDING

You’ll never guess that this creamy, dreamy chocolate pudding has a secret healthy ingredient — avocado.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S blade attachment, combine 2 large avocados (pits removed) with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide the pudding evenly among six 8-ounce Mason jars and chill (uncovered) at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with 1 tablespoon each nuts (chopped and toasted) or cacao nibs. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 278; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 101mg; Carbohydrate: 42g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 30g; Protein: 5g

The post 3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2mGbYlq

[johnclapperne]

3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts

Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack at work or a traditional post-dinner treat, these handy Mason jar desserts are tasty and can be made in advance. Plan for your inevitable sweet snack craving by keeping a healthy option nearby. By pre-packing a more virtuous treat, you’ll be prepared with a little dessert in a Mason jar when those cravings strike.

Pro tip: Each recipe can also be prepared in a ramekin or small mug.

1. TROPICAL QUINOA PUDDING

This quick recipe is one to have in your back pocket for when you have cooked, leftover quinoa or want a healthful and satisfying sweet breakfast!

To prepare on the stove: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks and bring to boil. Lower the heat, and allow to simmer. Next, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens just slightly, then add a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (or to taste). Then, remove the pudding from the heat, ladle into 8-ounce glass jars and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya. (Makes 4 servings.)

To prepare in the microwave: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 cups cooked quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cover and heat on high for 90 seconds. Stir thoroughly, and season to taste with a pinch each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Ladle into 8-ounce glass jars, and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 354; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 20g; Protein: 8g

2. BLUEBERRY & BLOOD ORANGE CRUMBLE WITH HAZELNUT GRANOLA

Other berries and any other fruit work here if you don’t have blueberries and blood oranges. Mix the crumble well, and watch it bake so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 4 8-ounce oven-safe glass jars.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if froze,), 1/2 cup blood, cara cara or navel orange slices (with the white pith removed), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons almond flour and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit well to coat, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly into the glass jars, then top with the hazelnut crumble mixture. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the crumble is fragrant, about 25–30 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the crumble isn’t burning, and cover with aluminum foil if it’s browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. Store crumbles covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 229; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 13g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 73mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 4g

3. CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO PUDDING

You’ll never guess that this creamy, dreamy chocolate pudding has a secret healthy ingredient — avocado.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S blade attachment, combine 2 large avocados (pits removed) with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide the pudding evenly among six 8-ounce Mason jars and chill (uncovered) at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with 1 tablespoon each nuts (chopped and toasted) or cacao nibs. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 278; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 101mg; Carbohydrate: 42g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 30g; Protein: 5g

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[joshuabradleyn]

3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts

Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack at work or a traditional post-dinner treat, these handy Mason jar desserts are tasty and can be made in advance. Plan for your inevitable sweet snack craving by keeping a healthy option nearby. By pre-packing a more virtuous treat, you’ll be prepared with a little dessert in a Mason jar when those cravings strike.

Pro tip: Each recipe can also be prepared in a ramekin or small mug.

1. TROPICAL QUINOA PUDDING

This quick recipe is one to have in your back pocket for when you have cooked, leftover quinoa or want a healthful and satisfying sweet breakfast!

To prepare on the stove: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks and bring to boil. Lower the heat, and allow to simmer. Next, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens just slightly, then add a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (or to taste). Then, remove the pudding from the heat, ladle into 8-ounce glass jars and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya. (Makes 4 servings.)

To prepare in the microwave: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 cups cooked quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cover and heat on high for 90 seconds. Stir thoroughly, and season to taste with a pinch each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Ladle into 8-ounce glass jars, and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 354; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 20g; Protein: 8g

2. BLUEBERRY & BLOOD ORANGE CRUMBLE WITH HAZELNUT GRANOLA

Other berries and any other fruit work here if you don’t have blueberries and blood oranges. Mix the crumble well, and watch it bake so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 4 8-ounce oven-safe glass jars.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if froze,), 1/2 cup blood, cara cara or navel orange slices (with the white pith removed), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons almond flour and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit well to coat, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly into the glass jars, then top with the hazelnut crumble mixture. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the crumble is fragrant, about 25–30 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the crumble isn’t burning, and cover with aluminum foil if it’s browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. Store crumbles covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 229; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 13g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 73mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 4g

3. CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO PUDDING

You’ll never guess that this creamy, dreamy chocolate pudding has a secret healthy ingredient — avocado.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S blade attachment, combine 2 large avocados (pits removed) with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide the pudding evenly among six 8-ounce Mason jars and chill (uncovered) at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with 1 tablespoon each nuts (chopped and toasted) or cacao nibs. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 278; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 101mg; Carbohydrate: 42g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 30g; Protein: 5g

The post 3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts appeared first on Under Armour.

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[ruthellisneda]

3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts

Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack at work or a traditional post-dinner treat, these handy Mason jar desserts are tasty and can be made in advance. Plan for your inevitable sweet snack craving by keeping a healthy option nearby. By pre-packing a more virtuous treat, you’ll be prepared with a little dessert in a Mason jar when those cravings strike.

Pro tip: Each recipe can also be prepared in a ramekin or small mug.

1. TROPICAL QUINOA PUDDING

This quick recipe is one to have in your back pocket for when you have cooked, leftover quinoa or want a healthful and satisfying sweet breakfast!

To prepare on the stove: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks and bring to boil. Lower the heat, and allow to simmer. Next, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens just slightly, then add a pinch each of cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (or to taste). Then, remove the pudding from the heat, ladle into 8-ounce glass jars and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya. (Makes 4 servings.)

To prepare in the microwave: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 2 cups coconut or almond milk with 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 cups cooked quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Cover and heat on high for 90 seconds. Stir thoroughly, and season to taste with a pinch each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Ladle into 8-ounce glass jars, and top with 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons dried papaya.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 354; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 20g; Protein: 8g

2. BLUEBERRY & BLOOD ORANGE CRUMBLE WITH HAZELNUT GRANOLA

Other berries and any other fruit work here if you don’t have blueberries and blood oranges. Mix the crumble well, and watch it bake so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 4 8-ounce oven-safe glass jars.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained if froze,), 1/2 cup blood, cara cara or navel orange slices (with the white pith removed), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons almond flour and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit well to coat, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons toasted and chopped hazelnuts, 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly into the glass jars, then top with the hazelnut crumble mixture. Bake until the juices are bubbling and the crumble is fragrant, about 25–30 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the crumble isn’t burning, and cover with aluminum foil if it’s browning too quickly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. Store crumbles covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 229; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 13g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 73mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 4g

3. CHOCOLATE-AVOCADO PUDDING

You’ll never guess that this creamy, dreamy chocolate pudding has a secret healthy ingredient — avocado.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S blade attachment, combine 2 large avocados (pits removed) with the seeds from 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide the pudding evenly among six 8-ounce Mason jars and chill (uncovered) at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with 1 tablespoon each nuts (chopped and toasted) or cacao nibs. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead, covered and chilled. Recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 278; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 101mg; Carbohydrate: 42g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 30g; Protein: 5g

The post 3 Quick and Easy Mason Jar Desserts appeared first on Under Armour.

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[lenakrruger]

Recipes for Realtors: Stewed prunes, oxtails and oranges

I was rearranging my pantry shelf, and it’s a rare thing to find things in tins, but I came across a large container of preserved prunes. And I decided it was time to use them again. This is a quick and easy sauce to make and it keeps well in a glass-covered container in the fridge for several days.

Remove the prunes using a strainer or a slotted spoon and put the liquid into a saucepan. Measure the liquid and add half as much granulated sugar and a cup of Offley Ruby Port.

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Bring it to a gentle simmer and reduce by a third. Stir well with a wooden spoon to incorporate the sugar. Mash the moisture-filled prunes or pulse coarsely. Add a pinch of salt.

Stir the mashed prunes into the reduced sauce pot, on simmer. Squeeze the juice of a fresh sweet orange into the pot and add orange segments from another whole orange, cut from between the membranes.

You could add the zest of a fresh orange or mince a few rinds from your candied citrus sugar jar to finish the sauce, just when ready to serve.

Alternate: You might consider adding a large dollop of sour cream to the port sauce; if you do, do not reheat. The sauce will separate. Just gently fold in the sour cream at the last minute and serve.

Remove the cooked oxtails from their cooking pot (see below), using a spider spoon, and cover with the port prune sauce on a serving platter. Gourmet at its best.

This sauce can also be used over top of pan-fried pork loin medallions (you can substitute veal medallions) or over centre-cut grilled thick pork chops. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to roasted whole unstuffed rock Cornish hens that have been roasted with my kumquat marmalade spread over the birds in the last few minutes of roasting. Or, use this prune port sauce with pan-fried duck breast, served medium rare, or over my turkey roll recipe at this link.

Paired with a citrus panna cotta or citrus zabaglione, made with minced rind from your pantry citrus sugar jar, you could even serve dessert in a matching puddle of your main course port prune sauce (save a bit before you add the oxtails). You might top a martini glass of the pudding with a dollop of Port Chantilly Crème (the kind used as filling for my Bird’s Nest Pavlova recipe). Or, top an espresso with a tiny spoon of the ruby port cream.

Suggested pairing: Offley Ruby Port. Let it breathe. Serve at a cool room temperature from a narrow neck decanter or directly from its bottle, chilled just a bit.

Another idea: Drizzle the prune port sauce on my grilled goat cheese spinach sandwich recipe you can find here. Scroll down to comments for Grilled Goat Cheese Spinach Sandwich Special (and so much more …)

Or, enjoy the sauce on an open face grilled brown bread slice, topped with thinly sliced roasted turkey and crispy bacon. Very yummy, either way. Note: if you have found a place to buy English bloomer bread that is very popular in U.K., it grills wonderfully. It’s also perfect to serve with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at breakfast.

Asbach oxtails

In a heavy, coated, cast-iron pot, sauté oxtails in hot butter until brown. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and a sprig of dry, fresh thyme. When cooked, add a little chopped parsley.

Add the following to the pot, then cover: Sweat a large Spanish onion, chopped medium fine; three celery sticks, chopped small but coarse; three carrots, large, cut in pennies on the diagonal.

Add one quart (four cups) of homemade chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down. Simmer two hours. During the last half hour of cooking, add a quarter cup of Asbach brandy. Reduce. Sauce will thicken slightly.

You can serve the oxtails dish at this stage. Or, you can remove the oxtails so they don’t continue cooking (don’t overcook the meat) and add half and half cream. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat (don’t cover the pot) and reduce just slightly.

Serve over whipped, mashed potatoes, wide egg noodles or Basmati rice. Also good with crepes. Fill the crepes with the oxtails and serve the crepes in a reduced puddle of the natural sauce or the cream sauce, with the veggies on the plate pushed to the side.

If you have never eaten oxtails, you are missing out on a wonderful dish; but bear in mind, this is exceptionally rich and will be a great surprise for guests, too.

A different approach: Using either method, right at the end, add a tin of whole tomatoes and liquid; break up the tomatoes just a little.

Then, if you would rather have oxtail tomato soup, add another quart of homemade chicken stock. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and serve. When ready to serve, top each individual serving with a few shavings of frozen Asbach butter from your always at-the-ready freezer supply. Do not stir. Just let the compound butter melt.

More amazing oxtails: Hungarian oxtail goulash

Prepare as above: Let the meat fall off the bones; pull apart the meat using two forks. Reduce the sauce a little on low heat.

Check seasoning. Adjust salt, pepper and add a heaping tablespoon of Hungarian sweet paprika (not the smoky version, unless that is your personal preference). Gently fold in, just before serving, a large scoop of firm full fat sour cream. Do not reheat after adding the sour cream. Keep the cooking pan hot, covered until serving.

Serve the Hungarian oxtail goulash in a large family-style presentation in a large deep platter, along with a bed of my homemade sauerkraut. This works well as a side dish with plain breaded Wiener schnitzel or breaded chicken cutlets or pork cutlets and a generous serving of homemade egg noodles or spaetzle.

A word about food storage spaces

If you live near a grocery store or market, go in off-hours when checkout lines are less likely to be busy. And go more often. Most people never have enough refrigerator space no matter how big the fridge is, and kitchen cabinet space is often at a premium.

The luxury of having a separate pantry is just that. Unless you have one set, dedicated cabinet for food storage items, it’s better to shop frequently. It’s never a long walk to the basement and a worthwhile investment to put dedicated shelving in place for things best kept in a cool dark place.

Many Italian-built homes have a cantina. It’s not a real cantina unless it has an open air-exchange hole (as a listing rep be careful how you identify that space; you could find yourself paying to modify it). But nonetheless it is a cold room. But be careful about condensation accumulating. Keep an eye open for mould. That is never acceptable.

Back in the pre-war days, and even sometimes after, one could find dedicated giant storage bins in house basements, under a removable basement window, allowing those who grew their own potatoes and root vegetables a means of putting a slide in place and loading wagon-loads of veggies onto slides that delivered the homegrown wonders right to the storage bins, where they provided family food all through the off-seasons. Bins were made from bug-free woods, never from shipping skids that might carry uninvited guests in transit.

Some people who didn’t have open-slat wooden basement bins used open hemp sacks for storage. The coal or wood-fired furnace was often in the basement, so that kept any dampness at bay. In Canada, many basement areas had earthen floors.

Although the European immigrants brought their wonderful recipes from overseas with them, some foodstuffs really are international. Made with a local twist. Here is a good example.

Stale bread Austrian-style dumplings 

This is another wartime and post-wartime dish. Today we are still in a war – against food pricing and waste.

Bread is bread wherever you go or wherever you live. For these wonderful bread dumplings, you can use almost any bread. It just so happens the dumplings are still a staple in Northern Italy and Austria. And a particular favourite, too, among travellers to the region.

Don’t waste those easily dried out baguettes or rolls that become rock hard, almost impossible to bring back to life: French, Italian or Portuguese. Put the dried-out bread in a large plastic bag, lay a clean lightweight tea towel over it, and using your meat pounder hammer, smash the dried bread into large pieces.

Place the bread chunks into a large glass bowl. Just barely cover with half and half cream. The bread will expand as it absorbs the liquid. Let the bread sit for a few hours. You don’t want the bread soggy. Just moist.

Regular readers might notice I rarely use milk in my recipes. I don’t drink milk and haven’t since I was preschool when I was forced to drink milk that was “off”. I could never bring myself to drink it again, although very occasionally I would succumb to a hot chocolate or a milkshake. To me, ever after, milk tastes like whatever the cow had eaten, so I simply avoided it completely. Milk is full of natural sugars. Cream is not. Fat, yes. Sugar, no.

Now for these dumplings some people use flour as a binder. For an exception, perhaps use almonds or hazelnuts that have been ground to a powder flour-like texture. For six cups of soaked moistened bread, use about three-quarters cup of ground nuts (or flour). Whisk a large fresh egg and mix into the moistened bread. Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley and fresh lemon thyme. Grate a little fresh nutmeg into the mix and a little salt and pepper.

Now for the special touch: add a half cup of my special minced spinach mix from your fridge or thawed overnight freezer storage. But use spinach to which you have added chopped crispy bacon (not store-bought bacon bits).

To see my spinach special recipe scroll down to the sandwich comments here.

The dumplings need to be a generous size, about the size of a cup. Roll scoops of the bread mixture in your dry floured hands to form a ball shape. Dredge in seasoned flour. Cover on a tray with a clean tea towel.

Gently poach the bread dumplings in a large uncovered pot of simmering homemade chicken broth, perhaps for six minutes. Using a spider spoon, gently move the dumplings around in the broth. Do not overcook them.

Pull the dumplings apart into two pieces using two forks and sprinkle with Parmesan and serve alongside my Tiroler mushroom and cheese-filled Wiener schnitzel and spaetzle with a side of my special red cabbage or homemade sauerkraut. The dumplings are also a wonderful side with my sacrilegious Shiraz veal or with my delicious oxtail goulash.

This is a hungry-man meal for sure.

Any leftover dumplings can be sliced about a half-inch thick the next day and reheated quickly in sizzling butter and served with sugared carrots and blanched sweet peas or minty mushy peas.

Alternate: Mince white button mushrooms and minced onion, equal parts. Just sauté once over lightly in sizzling butter, cool slightly and add a little to the moist bread mix. With or without the spinach mix.

Another alternate: Coarsely chop cooked lobster claw meat and mix into the bread dumpling mix. You can keep on hand a flash frozen tin of lobster for this purpose (thaw and squeeze out the liquid; freeze the liquid and save for another recipe) or buy ready-cooked lobster claw packages. Add a little minced fresh tarragon. Poach the dumplings in chicken stock or homemade fish stock.

When ready to serve, spritz with homemade lobster oil or melt a lobster compound butter puck from your stored log and pour over each melt-in-your-mouth seafood dumpling.

Serve the large dumplings as a side, with a tiny drizzle of Petite Maison white truffle Dijon, with a generous bowl of thick Canadian seafood chowder or lobster bisque.

Plums up! Or figgy dumplings. 

Prepare the bread dumplings using cognac marinated plums or black mission figs, finely chopped (squeeze out excess liquid) and drizzle each dumpling with a little Chantilly Cream and offer a starter as a unique large amuse bouche.

There’s nothing difficult about preparing your meals in a gourmet fashion as a home cook. As my readers know, nothing goes to waste in my kitchen. And busy Realtors have to eat, so cooking at home actually saves time because you have an opportunity to multi-task. It’s simply a matter of being organized – mis en place. Just like at the office.

© “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks” Turning everyday meal making into a Gourmet Experience

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