Mulligatawny Soup

"Literally meaning pepper water. Mulligatawny Soup is an Anglo-Indian invention. Created by servants for the English Raj who demanded a soup course from a cuisine that had never produced one."
By: Michelle Chen , http://allrecipes.com/ If you click on the title above you will reach all recipes version of this soup

there are hundreds of recipes for this “soup”
I first had it in San Francisco at a restaurant
on 9th near Market Street
a curried chicken soup with apples and raisins
I used to make it with
whipping cream
but I have learned to use coconut milk instead
made some this morning
took about 30 minutes
it was a perfect lunch for
people working outside

sauté a diced sweet onion
and a diced green apple
(you don’t have to peel it)
in a couple of tablespoons of butter
add curry powder to taste
this depends on the curry powder
you have on hand
about a tablespoon or three
add a heaping tablespoon of flour
and mix into the apples and onion
to incorporate
slowly add a quart of chicken broth
either purchased or home brew
stirring to keep flour from becoming lumpy
add two sliced carrots
a diced chicken breast
or the meat from your home made broth
bring to a boil
when chicken is no longer pink
add a can of coconut milk
serve with raisins and shredded coconut

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Hacking Julia part II

(see previous post, referencing Le Suceès from Julia Child)

even when you have a recipe
that gives you exact measurements
there will be inconsistencies
as the ingredients will never be
exactly the same

the meringue layers

when grinding nuts in a blender
to make the nut flour
one has to be aware of the oil content
the praline pecans I used
this time
13 0z Trader Joe's
were quite oily
I compensated by adding more
confectioner’s sugar
to prevent clumping

to get the most volume
from your egg whites
they should be room temperature
beat 6 egg whites with
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
when whites form stiff peaks
beat in ½ cup fine granulated sugar
the carefully fold in the nut mixture
spoon out on to pans covered in
baking parchment
draw circles or other shapes
on one side of the paper
turn paper over
use this as a guide
to shape the meringue layers
three to five layers
bake in a 250 degree oven
for about 40 minutes
leave in the oven until the next day

pumpkin butter cream

there are two ways to make a butter cream
one is to cream butter and confectioner’s sugar
together and add flavoring
in this case pumpkin
with pumpkin pie spices
but
if you have the 6 egg yolks
left over from the meringue
you can make a pumpkin custard
and add butter
and confectioner’s sugar
until you have a mixture that is stiff enough
to hold its shape
also add vanilla and a bit of brandy
this version needs to be slightly chilled
to hold its shape

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Hacking Julia

I grew up BJ
before Julia Child
thought all lettuce was iceberg
and vegetables grew in cans
my Mother was an
adventuresome cook
with a limited pallet
I caught the adventure part
with expanded horizons
AC (after college)
I started buying interesting cook books
on sale
I paid fill price for Julia’s books
and read them like romance novels
one of my favorite recipes of hers
is Le Suceès
hazel nut flour meringue layers
separated by coffee butter cream
the whole thing takes
six eggs and three sticks of butter
welcome to cholesterol heaven

I’ve messed with this recipe
many times
but my favorite version
is to use ground praline pecans
for my nut flour
and a pumpkin butter cream for the filling
make a cage of burnt sugar for the top

I should have a photo of this AT
(after Thanksgiving)

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Thanksgiving Turkey Cake

OMG! this is amazingly wonderful
Chow.com is cooking site full of recipes
and ideas
they even have a "hack" button
so you can create your version of their creations

what you see is two layers of turkey meatloaf
separated by a layer of dressing
held in place
by mashed potatoes
that's mashed sweet potatoes
and mini marshmallows on top
as they say
slice and serve with gravy

I'm probably not going to have an occasion
where I can make my own version and take a photo
Do let me know what happens if you try this

(C) 2010 Sandy Vrooman


posted with permission from:

If you click on the title of this post, it will take you to this page. http://www.chow.com/recipes/29029-thanksgiving-turkey-cake

Butternut Squash Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter

another recipe inspired by La Pastaia in San Jose, CA

there are a lot of cook-it-yourself packages
of squash ravioli now available
in my local markets
I bet La Pastaia did their own raviolis
but you can take a shortcut
and use what is available
the flavor of the squash is delicate
and needs a light hand with saucing

while the ravioli of your choice
is cooking according to the package directions
start slowly and carefully browning the butter
at the same time
dry out and crisp fresh sage leaves in the butter
when ravioli is done
drain and add to butter mix
add a few splashes of white wine.

Serve and enjoy

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

La Pastaia
2323 West Santa Clara St.
San Jose, CA 95113
408-286.8686
Chef Forrest Gingold

Corn Chowder

back in the dark ages
attended an elementary school
that was somewhat enlightened
starting in sixth grade
we began having segregated
gym class
boys and girls not allowed
to see each other
begin to jiggle
BUT the alternate group
not in gym
had home economics
and wood shop
boys and girls both
learned to cook
and saw
I learned to make corn chowder
with bacon and canned corn
the recipe stuck with me
and here it is with
a few embellishments

1 - 8 oz can of corn
about 3 oz bacon cut in ¼ inch strips
half a sweet onion or to taste
2 very large tbsp of flour
a bit of milk
cooked potatoes, if you desire

without the potatoes
it serves two generous portions

sauté bacon until almost crisp
add diced onion
and cook until onion is transparent
add the flour
add the juices from the can of corn
and stir until thickened
add enough milk to thin slightly
add corn, cook until bubbly
add more milk of desired
add cooked diced potatoes, if desired
salt depends on the saltiness of the bacon used
I add 3-4 grinds of
Trader Joe’s Every Day Seasoning
and /or Morton’s Nature’s Seasons

(C) 2010 Sandy Vroomman