caramel sauce

For the cheesecake I will share with you tomorrow, I needed caramel sauce.  My Dad sent Valentine's Day candies and we have a few caramels left so I used those.  I think the best statement about this caramel sauce was the noises of pleasure I was hearing from the kitchen as the pot was licked!

Caramel Sauce

7 ounces caramels

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream.

In a heavy sauce pan, over low heat, pour in the cream and caramels.  Stir constantly until melted.

This sauce would be lovely on ice cream.  It was lovely on strawberries.  

molasses crinkle shortbread

I had promised my family cheesecake recently.  Caramel cheesecake with a gingersnap crust.  I actually prefer molasses crinkles to gingersnaps and thought it would make a better crust.  The extra dough made really good cookies and I made it gluten free.  A bit crispy but good for dunking in tea or coffee.

Molasses Crinkle Shortbread (gluten free)

Note:  I used 2 cups of this dough for the cheescake that is coming.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup millet flour

2/3 cup sorghum flour

2/3 cup arrowroot flour

2/3 cup almond flour

granulated sugar to roll the cookies in

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cream the butter and sugar together.  Mix in the molasses.  Mix in the flours, spices, and salt.  Roll a small teaspoon of the dough into a ball.  Roll in sugar.  Bake for 15 minutes on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a silpat.

These are lovely out of the oven warm.  

Though I did seem to keep touching pans that were 350 degrees Fahrenheit without a hot mitt.  No blisters and little pain so all is good.  My Beloved says he understands because he forges knives.

raised doughnuts for the faerie

My Tall Short Person LOVES doughnuts.  Especially glazed raised.  She has always been able to go through many at one sitting.  I am not a big doughnut person but like them occassionally.  My Beloved does not really like doughnuts.  Until these.  These were a hit for everyone.  I used Lara Ferroni's recipe from her blog, not her book.  I adapted the recipe a bit because it is just a sweet dough.  I used my normal Easter Bread frosting instead of a glaze.  Yummy.  I have been told I can make these again.

Raised Doughnuts

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup hempmilk
3 to 4 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons (30 grams) superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
Vegetable oil for frying

frosting or glaze

Mix the yeast with the hempmilk.  Mix in the sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and butter (butter does not have to be completely mixed in at this time).  Mix in the flour a cup at a time.  You want a really soft dough but it has not so soft that you can knead.  You want to knead the dough until smooth.  This will take a few minutes, especially with lumpy butter.  Let rise until double, or put in a cool place and let rise overnight.  The longer the rise, the better the flavor.

Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.  I actually just patted it out.  I used a three inch and a one inch circle cutter to make the doughnuts.  I actually made a lot of doughnut holes.  Let rise until about double.  If you poke the doughnut with your finger, there should be a little bit of give back.

Heat the oil to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.  Some honesty here, I never temp the oil.  I get it hot enough to cook what I need to and then start turning it down as it continues to heat.

Let the doughnuts cook in the oil for 1 or 2 minutes per side.  Drain.  Glaze or frost.

Enjoy.  Watch them disappear.

the snack that bites back

I was reading the Sweet Amadine blog and she had a recipe for parsnip chips that sounded interesting.  Now, I have never had parsnips but I was willing to give it a try.

I did not have one of the spices she called for and I changed one out for another.  I actually sliced the chips a bit thin but these turned out yummy.  My Beloved is looking for snack foods occasionally and thisis a good one.  He keeps snacking on the bits that I did not take pictures of because they are not pretty.  And then breathes fire.  You may wish to calm the spices down.

Parsnip Chips

1 pound parsnip, peeled and sliced in 1/8 to 1/4 inch rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon paparika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon chipolte

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mix all the spices together.  Set aside.  Put the oil in a large bowl.  Add the parsnips and coat.  Add the spices and make sure everything is covered.  Lay out in a single layer on two cookie sheets.  Bake 10 to 20 minutes or until golden.  Watch these!!!!!  They brown fast.

Just slightly addictive.  You could change up the spices if you did not wish something that bit you.  Basil and garlic would be good expecially with a bit of parmesan.

wild mushroom and rice soup

My Beloved was not feeling hungry on Saturday evening.  I decided to make a simple meal.  He really likes mushrooms therefore I decided to tempt him with a mushroom soup.  I made this out of the freezer and pantyr and it turned out very well.  The rice I used was arborio which is used for risotto.  It made the broth thick so the soup had a heartier quality to it.  Not stew but a very thick soup.  I am not a very bit mushroom soup fan and I liked this.

Wild Mushroom and Rice Soup

1 quart homemade broth - I used beef that had a few bits of meat in it

1 quarter onion minced

4 cloves garlic minced

6 dried wild mushrooms, dice or mince

1/4 cup arborio rice

2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

In a medium pan, pour the oil and heat over medium high heat.  Add the onion and let brown.  Add in the mushrooms and let get coated with oil.  Add the rice and garlic.  Let the garlic brown a little bit and make sure all the rice is covered in oil and starting to turn translucent.  Add the broth.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is done.  Season with salt and pepper.  The amount you will need will depend on how the broth you use is seasoned.

I served this with toast and gluten free crackers.  It was quite lovely.