Turkey (and Oyster) Pie

TURKEY AND OYSTER PIE

While looking for ways to deal with Thanksgiving left-overs, I stumbled upon this recipe in TheNew England Cookbook. Unfortunately, the original version of the recipe seems like a terrible idea. As far as I can tell, the Chicago Culinary Arts people back in the ‘50s thought that adding oysters to something would make it “from New England.”

Original Recipe                                                                                                Essen Girl Version

1 C flour                                                                                                                              1 C flour

½ tsp salt                                                                                                                            ½ tsp salt

1/3 C shortening                                                                                                      1/3 C shortening

2 ½ tbsp cold water                                                                                            2 ½ tbsp cold water

3 C cubed cooked turkey                                                                           4 C cubed cooked turkey

1 pt. oysters                                                                             2 C cubed cooked yam/sweet potato

                                                                                                                    2 C chopped cranberries

4 tbsp butter                                                                                                                   4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour                                                                                                                      4 tbsp flour

½ tsp salt                                                                                                                            ½ tsp salt

½ tsp MSG                                                                                                                      ½ tsp MSG

Few grains pepper                                                                                             ½ tsp ground cloves

1 C milk + oyster liquid                                                                                            ½ tsp cinnamon

                                                                                                                      ½ tsp ground coriander

                                                                                                                           ½ tsp garlic powder

                                                                                                                             Few grains pepper

                                                                                                                                             2 C milk

                                                                                       I decided that the oysters were completely

                                                                                       unnecessary – I don’t like them, and I

                                                                                       figured that the oysters and their liquid

                                                                                       would only add a distinctly unpleasant

                                                                                       fishiness to the dish.

Mix flour, salt, and shortening together with a fork or pastry blender until crumbled. Add in cold water slowly, combining until pastry dough is of desired smoothness. Roll out flat on floured surface. Cut a simple design in the crust to allow steam to escape.

Drain and reserve liquid from oysters. Mix                  Mix turkey, yams, and cranberries together

oysters and turkey together in a greased                      in a greased casserole dish and set aside.

casserole dish and set aside. Mix remaining                Mix remaining ingredients into a medium

ingredients into a medium thickness white                   thickness white sauce. Pour sauce over

sauce. For liquid, use liquid from oysters                    turkey mixture in casserole. Drape pastry

plus milk to make 2 cups. Pour sauce over                  crust over casserole and seal around edges

turkey and oysters in casserole. Drape pastry             of dish. Bake at 425^oF for 20 to 25 minutes

crust over casserole and seal around edges                 or until pastry is lightly browned.

of dish. Bake at 425^oF for 20 to 25 minutes or

until pastry is lightly browned.

Like I said, I figured that the oysters were unnecessary, so I completely dispensed with them. The resulting dish was nice, but not awesome. But, leftovers are leftovers, and everybody loves a casserole on a cold autumn day!

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Carciofi Imbottiti alla Siciliana

CARCIOFI IMBOTTITI ALLA SICILIANA

Stuffed Artichokes Sicilian

I’ve been interested in the idea of making artichokes on my own for a while, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to pair this recipe from The Italian Cookbook with the Fish in White Wine.

Carciofi Imbottiti alla Siciliana/Stuffed Artichokes Sicilian

4 medium artichokes

1 tsp salt

2/3 C bread crumbs

1 clove garlic sliced thin

1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp salt

¾ tsp pepper

Several sliced cloves of garlic

1 tbsp chopped parsley

2 C water

2 tbsp olive oil

Remove outer leaves and stems from artichokes. Cover with cold water and salt. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes to clean.

Mix together bread crumbs, garlic, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Rinse artichokes spread open leaves. Place a few thin slices of garlic between each leaf. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture between leaves and over tops of artichokes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Place artichokes upright in a skillet with water. Sprinkle with olive oil. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until tender.

I had never eaten artichokes leaf by leaf like this, but it was an interesting experience. These are definitely finger food, and I can’t help but think that artichokes are a wasteful vegetable, but this was a pretty tasty recipe.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Filetti di Sogliole al Vino

FILETTI DI SOGLIOLE AL VINO

Fillet of Sole in White Wine

I like to eat fish once in a while because of the taste, and I’d like to make fish more of a habit for our health and our “diet.” With that in mind, The Italian Cookbook held this refreshing recipe.

Filetti di Sogliole al Vino/ Fillet of Sole in White Wine

2 lbs sole or other fish fillet

½ C white wine

½ C chopped onion

3 tbsp melted butter

2 crushed bay leaves

1 tsp chopped parsley

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Wipe fish clean and place in a casserole dish.

Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over fish. Cover casserole and bake at 375^oF for 25 minutes or until fish flakes when gently pierced with a fork.

Sometimes simple recipes are the best. This was quick and easy, plus very delicious in an almost refreshing way. We definitely enjoyed this paired with Sicilian Artichokes.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Haricots Verts a la Lyonnaise

WOOO HOOO!!!
I have some very, VERY exciting news to share with everyone! But first, a recipe, so scroll to the bottom of the page for the exciting news!!!

HARICOTS VERTS A LA LYONNAISE

Lyonnaise Style Green Beans

I have always loved green beans – they’re one of my favorite simple vegetables. But this recipe offers a nice way to fancy them up, and they paired well with the Duck Normandy.

Haricots Verts a la Lyonnaise/Lyonnaise Style Green Beans

1 lb green beans

½ C boiling water

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

1 C thinly sliced onions

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp minced parsley

Clean green beans and place in a saucepan with water and salt. Cook 15 minutes or until tender. Melt butter in a skillet and cook onions until transparent. Drain green beans and add to skillet with spices. Add remaining ingredients, toss well and serve.

My husband thought this recipe had a tad too much lemon juice in it, but I really liked it. It was a nice departure from my normal fall-back of just heating up frozen green beans. Like I said, a nice, very fancy French meal that I will not soon forget.

And now for the EXCITING NEWS!!! Yesterday, Essen Girl reached 500+ views!!! I am so excited that we have achieved this in such a short amount of time! Thank you to all of my supporters, readers, and eaters!!!

To celebrate, I have a HUGE surprise for all of you! The first person to post a picture of the food you cooked from one of these recipes will be a GUEST HOST on Essen Girl! So get cooking, and keep looking! Remember, the FIRST PICTURE posted will receive the huge honor of guest hosting on Essen Girl!!!

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Pommes de Terre Duchesse

POMMES DE TERRE DUCHESSE

Duchess Potatoes

To pair with the Duck Normandy I needed a starch, so here it is!

Pommes de Terre Duchesse/Duchess Potatoes

1 lb potatoes

1 tbsp melted butter

2 egg yolks or 1 egg

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp white pepper

Cover potatoes and cook in boiling salted water for 15 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Force potatoes through a sieve (or mash them). Add butter, egg, and seasonings.

Divide mixture into small portions and shape as desired. Brown in skillet over medium heat using butter (or duck fat). Or brush with butter and brown in over at 450^oF.

This mixture is also popular as a garnish. Force mixture through a pastry tip and form a design around the edge of a heat-resistant serving platter and brown in the oven.

Honestly, I think I would have been better off using boiled potatoes. These were bland, and the mixture did not hold together well for shaping, browning in the pan, and flipping. But, it’s difficult to destroy potatoes, so we ate potatoes with our duck.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Caneton a la Normandie

CANETON A LA NORMANDIE

Duckling in Casserole, Normandy Style

As we near another Thanksgiving, why not try a whole new bird?

Once again, in an attempt to branch out and explore recipes outside my comfort zone, I reached for The French Cookbook. I have never cooked duck before, and I’ve only butchered one bird before (see my Chicken Vesuvio). I decided on this recipe because it includes apples, and right now the grocery store is full of delicious autumn fruit!

Since poultry butchery is still a new thing for me, I found this website that gives a great step-by-step photographic instruction on how to break down a duck.

                                                    I decided his name was "Howard"

As to where to get my duck, I wasn’t sure at first. The grocery store is good for “normal” meats, chickens and turkeys and pork and beef, but for weird things like oxtails or rabbit or duck, I wasn’t sure where to go. I might be living near the big city now, but I’m a country girl at heart. Luckily for me, a quick internet search discovered Three Maples Farm. The owner, Andrea, is awesome! I visited her farm to discover that she is just the resource I needed. Andrea cares for all of her animals herself, then brings them to a local butcher. It’s so nice to know exactly where my protein comes from! Even better, Andrea sells everything and uses every part of the animal: her freezers are full of ducks, pigs’ feet and brains, oxtails and chicken feet! I will definitely be back to Three Maples Farm any time I need farm-to-table proteins!

Caneton a la Normandie/Normandy Style Duck

4 lb duck or duckling

2 tbsp butter

¾ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 lb apples (I used honey crsip because they’re a delicious local favorite!)

3 tbsp butter

½ C brandy

Grease a casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid. Clean and disjoint duck and cut into serving-sized pieces. Rinse and pat dry. Cut away and discard excess fat (or you could save the fat for making any number of delicious things). Don’t forget to score the skin and fat on the pieces of duck so that they brown evenly and the fat has time to render out during cooking.

Heat butter in a large skillet. Sprinkle pieces of duck with salt and pepper. Add pieces of duck to skillet and brown on all sides. Pour off excess fat as it collects.

Wash, quarter, core and slice apples. Melt butter in skillet. Toss apples in butter. Put a thin layer of apples in the bottom of the casserole. Arrange duck pieces over apples, then surround with remaining apple slices.

Discard excess fat from skillet and add brandy. Stir over low heat to loosen particles. Heat until steaming. Pour over duck and apples.

Cover and bake at 350^oF for 2 hours if using a duckling, 3 hours if using duck.

Wow. Just wow. I’d never made duck before. But this was amazing! I mean, as always, there are things that can be done to improve it, but this was so delicious! I am immensely proud of myself for accomplishing this dish! I served it with Duchess Potatoes and Lyonnaise Green Beans for a very fancy French dinner. My husband, the person who doesn’t like cooked fruit, again commented that this was a great way to cook fruit – guess this project is expanding both of our experiences.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Cracker Jills

CRACKER JILLS

Even though the hubby and I are “on a diet,” having dessert available in the evening is still quite comforting. I picked these cookies out of the 17^th Annual Bake-Off cookbook.

Cracker Jills

3 oz cream cheese

2 C flour

1 ¼ C firmly packed brown sugar

½ C butter

¼ C molasses

½ tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 C salted Spanish peanuts

2 C coarsely crushed soda crackers

Combine cream cheese, flour, sugar, butter, molasses, baking soda, and egg. Mix well at low speed. Fold in peanuts and crackers and blend well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Shape dough into small balls and roll each ball in sugar to coat. Place sugared balls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375^oF for 10 to 12 minutes.

I really like the crunch of the peanuts and crackers in these cookies, and the molasses added a sweetness so that these resembled cracker jacks (which I’m assuming was the intent). I would recommend that the cookies be baked for at least 12 minutes, if not 15, because they were still very soft inside and I prefer a crisper cookie. However, on the whole, these are a new favorite cookie, and my husband has already requested that I repeat this recipe at some point in the future.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Broccoli alla Romana

BROCCOLI ALLA ROMANA

Roman Style Broccoli

I needed something to pair with the Beef Rolls, and who doesn’t like beef and broccoli?

Broccoli alla Romana/Roman Style Broccoli

1 lb broccoli

Olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 ½ C red wine

Chop broccoli into serving-sized pieces. Cook garlic and olive oil in saucepan until lightly browned, then add broccoli and cook for 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, covered, over low heat stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.

While this seemed like a good idea at the time, it was not quite as tasty as I had hoped. 1 ½ C is a lot of red wine to use to cook not a lot of broccoli, so I felt like the amount was a waste. I would recommend using about ½ C of wine to waste less – using less wine will also make for a less overwhelming flavor. However, it’s difficult to truly destroy broccoli, so this was still a good pairing for the beef rolls.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Braciola di Manzo

BRACIOLA DI MANZO

Beef Rolls

Another excursion into The Italian Cookbook found me making these delicious beef rolls, extraordinarily reminiscent of the “rouladen” that my German family makes. Our rouladen are very similar to these Italian beef rolls – the German version my family makes includes bacon, pickles, and onions inside the rolls. Rouladen is one of my favorite family dinners. Grandma makes the rolls and a delicious brown pan gravy, plus boiled potatoes and pickled red cabbage. I served these Italian beef rolls with Roman Style Broccoli.

Braciola di Manzo/Beef Rolls

1 ½ lb round steak about ½ in thick

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

½ tsp chopped parsley

2 bacon slices, chopped

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

2 ½ C canned tomatoes, drained

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

Wipe beef clean with a damp cloth and set out flat on a clean working surface. Cover steak with a mixture of the remaining ingredients in the top list.

 

Roll up steak to enclose the filling mixture and tie securely.

Heat olive oil and onions in a large skillet until onions are transparent. Add beef roll and brown slowly on all sides.

Combine tomatoes with remaining ingredients. Pour tomato mixture over beef roll. Cover skillet and cook on low heat for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Make sure to turn the beef so you don’t burn the beef or the tomatoes! Remove string and bay leaf. Slice beef roll and serve.

Like I said, these reminded me of my family’s rouladen, so I was eager to taste them. The egg was a very interesting addition. Beef rolls of any kind are a great warm, filling dinner on cold evenings like the ones we’re having now. I served the beef rolls with the Roman Style Broccoli for a delicious Italian dinner.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Chocolate Cream Frosting

CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING

Chocolate frosting goes with chocolate cake, right? As the final element for my husband’s birthday cake, I picked this recipe from 250 Classic Cake Recipes.

Chocolate Cream Frosting

3 oz cream cheese

¼ C milk

3 C sifted confectioner’s sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 oz melted chocolate

Blend cream cheese with milk. Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat in chocolate.

So simple, and so tasty! This was definitely the perfect finish for the Chocolate Cake and Cream Filling that I made for my husband’s birthday. Another kitchen success!

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Cream Filling

CREAM FILLING

I’m just going to say this right now: this is NOT a cream filling, it’s a custard filling. Okay, got that out of my system. My husband wanted a sweet, no-fruit, no-nut filling for his birthday cake, so I found this recipe in 250 Classic Cake Recipes.

Cream Filling

1/3 C sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

¼ tsp salt

2 egg yolks

2 C scalded milk

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt very thoroughly. Add egg yolks and beat well. Add a little of the milk slowly to temper the egg mixture, then add entire mixture back into the pan with the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add butter, cool, and add vanilla.

In order to speed up the cooling process I put my pan of filling in the freezer until it was easier to spread without making a complete mess. This was enough filling for 3 layers, according to the recipe book. Since I was only filling 2 layers, I piped the rest of the filling into Tamara’s cupcakes. The filling was sweet and tasty, just enough to offset the ChocolateCake that I used it to fill.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!

Quick Chocolate Cake

QUICK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Hooray, cake! Birthday cake, actually. I let my husband pick his birthday cake out of the 250 Classic Cake Recipes book, and since he prefers chocolate, this is what we had. It was tasty, very moist, and we enjoyed it for the week after his birthday.

Quick Chocolate Cake

2 oz grated chocolate

1 C boiling water

½ C shortening

2 C sugar

½ tsp salt

2 C flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ C sour milk

2 eggs, beaten

First, a word on sour milk. When I first read this recipe, I had no idea what they meant! A quick internet search revealed that sour milk in a cake recipe is not, as we may have thought, actual sour milk. If you leave milk out on the counter until it sours on its own, it will be dangerous to consume. In order to make sour milk for cake recipes, mix a ratio of 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 C (ergo, if I need ½ C of sour milk, I use ½ tbsp of lemon juice with enough milk to make ½ C).

Heat chocolate, water and shortening in a saucepan until chocolate is melted and mixture is glossy when beaten slightly. Remove from heat and pour into the mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients in the order listed. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. This batter is supposed to be very thin, so don’t add more flour than is called for.

Pour batter into greased pans. Since this recipe is so moist, I would recommend instead of greasing the pans, to use the trick I learned from my mom and grandma: cut a circle of parchment paper to fit into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350^oF for 30 to 35 minutes.

Like I said, this was an incredibly moist cake with a nice chocolate flavor. I would definitely make this again! I put the Cream Filling from the same recipe book between the 2 cake layers and covered the cake in the Chocolate Cream Frosting.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!