"Mufasa, Mufasa, Mufasa!"...oh, I mean "Matafan!" ~ French Fridays With Dorie

Matafan ~ a.k.a., Fluffy Mashed Potato Pancakes

Potatoes baked over salt ~ hot from the oven

This week's French Fridays with Dorie challenge is for these versatile potato pancakes.  They're time-consuming, but not at all difficult to make.  You bake the potatoes for 1 1/2 hours over salt, then mash them and fold in the other ingredients.  They have a creamy, yet dense texture, and a light flavor that makes a perfect side-dish for a variety of entrees.  We served them with Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy and steamed Broccoli.  They were really great with the Onion Gravy.

Fluffy Matafan Batter

Since there's no picture in the book, I'm not sure I did this exactly right because the recipe says it makes 4 side-dish servings, but I had enough batter for 8.  I did use 3 potatoes because mine were medium-sized and the recipe calls for 2 large potatoes.  Somehow, the texture & flavor seemed just right to me.  When I looked on the internet for photos, I came across this beautiful blog:  Lucy's Kitchen Notebook.

We enjoyed these and I can see why they're a breakfast favorite.

Delicious with Creamy Onion Gravy!

Bon Appetit!

Lovely example of a California Beach House - Carpinteria, CA

Wine Poached Apples with Vanilla Yogurt

Wine Poached Apples with Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

We love wine-poached pears, so when I saw this recipe in the November issue of Bon Appetit, I wanted to try it.  The flavors were incredible!  Although my apples didn't turn candy-apple red like the photo in the magazine, they were delicious.  John & I  both think the apples would have been more tender and absorbed more flavor if we had cut them in half so they could be fully submerged in the sauce, used more wine, and baked them covered in the oven for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.  Then removed the apples and reduced the wine sauce, as described in the recipe.

We used a Brandy-fortified French Dessert Wine - which may explain the difference in the color - but it was excellent.  The Vanilla Yogurt sauce was the perfect accompaniment to these apples - the flavor of honey really shines through.

We will definitely make these again -
with a few tweaks!

We were thrilled to discover these sterling silver based dessert cups at an antiques shop in Carpinteria on Sunday.

Enjoy!

Whimsy Antiques ~ Carpinteria, CA

Baked French Toast with Raspberry Sauce ~ Baked Sunday Mornings

Baked Sunday Mornings is a group of talented chefs working our way through Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  I'm a little early with this selection because I really wanted to make this recipe and won't have the chance next weekend. 

Fresh from the oven

Baked French Toast with Raspberry Sauce

This recipe is deceptively easy.  The results are so elegant that guests would think you went to a lot of trouble to make something special for them.  I used Sourdough Bread (yes, it's a California thing!) for the French Toast and Chambord in the Raspberry Sauce.  I used Pecans which I added 8 minutes before the French Toast was done baking.

Raspberry Sauce in the making

I love that you can make the French Toast the night before then just throw it in the oven the next morning while you make the Raspberry Sauce!  The Raspberry Sauce itself was a revelation.  It is so good and so easy to make!  It would be wonderful on all kinds of things: ice cream, pound cake, pancakes, etc.!

The only thing I would do differently next time is to add a Tablespoon, or 2, of sugar to the custard mix.  I will definitely make this the next time we have overnight guests - let's see how many offers that gets me!  We served it with Farmer John Sausage - perfection!

Have a lovely week!

Tile mural in downtown Carpinteria, CA

Blue Cheese Salad and Crab-Corn Chowder

Blue Cheese Salad

This is a different take on the traditional Wedge Salad.  
Place Romaine lettuce leaves in the center of a salad plate, top with Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Bacon Bits.

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

Whisk together:

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

A bit of Salt and Pepper
4 ounces Blue Cheese

Crab-Corn Chowder

A technique I learned from my mother to strip corn!

Strip Corn from 6 cobs - reserve cobs

In a stockpot, fry:

4 Slices Bacon

Set bacon aside, then saute 1 Red Onion, finely diced, in Bacon Fat

When onion begins to soften, stir in 1 Clove Garlic.

Then add 2 Tablespoons Flour, stirring to coat onions.

Add:

Corn

Reserved Corn Cobs

1 pound Red Potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth

2 Cups Half-and-Half

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes soften.

Remove and discard corn cobs.

Stir in:

1 pound Crab Claw Meat

2 Tomatoes, diced

Top with:

Crumbled reserved Bacon

Basil, chiffonade

Print this recipe

We served this with warm Sourdough Bread and Butter.

Enjoy!

Looking across Santa Barbara to the Pacific Ocean  from San Marcos Pass

Paso Robles Chicken with Wild Rice and Baked Acorn Squash

Paso Robles Chicken

A couple weekends ago, John and I headed off to Atascadero and Paso Robles for a relaxing, albeit chilly & rainy, weekend in Central California Wine Country.  We visited the Adelaida, Tablas Creek, Eberle, Opolo, and Chumeia wineries and the Orchid Hill tasting room and brought back enough wine to last us through the next year!  Olive groves are intermingled with vineyards in Paso Robles much like you would expect in Italy, France, and Spain.  We also visited Pasolivo where we tasted everything and bought a bag full of gourmet cooking items.  Among them were the Olive Jam and Lime Olive Oil that inspired this dish.


It has a wonderfully unique flavor.  The chicken is very tender and the glaze is lightly sweet.  The sweetness of the Olive Jam and Honey complement the tangyness of the lime with the slight pepper flavor of the chili sauce perfectly.  The layers of flavor in each bite are intense and delicious.

In a medium bowl, whisk together:

2 Tablespoons Olive Jam

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup Lime Olive Oil

Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 teaspoon Chinese Chili sauce

Set aside.

Sprinkle 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then pat flour into them on both sides.

Brown chicken breasts in 2 - 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until golden brown - about 7 minutes on each side.

Remove chicken from pan and deglaze with 1 cup White Wine (we used Viognier).

Stir in Olive mixture whisking until fully combined with the Wine sauce.

Return the chicken to the pan, turning to coat.

Continue cooking for 10 more minutes, basting with the sauce.

Place chicken on dinner plates.

Whisk about a Tablespoon of Wondra Flour into the sauce, stirring until thickened into a glaze.

Pour glaze over chicken and wild rice.

Garnish with 1 Tablespoon chopped Cilantro and lime slices.

Print this recipe

Wild Rice

Prepare 1 cup Wild Rice according to package directions.

Baked Acorn Squash

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Cut an Acorn Squash in half, vertically.

Remove seeds and pith with a grapefruit spoon - the serrated edges make this task much easier.

Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven and turn Squash over.

Place 1 Tablespoon butter into the bowl of each piece, ten sprinkle with salt, pepper, Garam Masala,  and Demerara (or Brown) sugar.

Return to the oven for another 10 minutes until butter is melted and sugar is slightly caramelized.

Enjoy!

Mouvedre Cask at Tablas Creek

Grapevines at Tablas Creek

View from Eberle

Atascadero City Center fountain

Walnut Groves at Adeleida

Grapevines for sale at Tablas Creek

Cases of wine for sale at Opolo

Long and Slow Apples ~ French Fridays with Dorie ~ Cook's Choice

Long and Slow Apples

This week, we were given the cook's choice of any recipe in the book for French Fridays with Dorie.  Since we heading out of town for Thanksgiving, I wanted to try something less complicated.  I was intrigued by this apple recipe, so decided to try  it.  Click here to see what my fellow Doristas chose to make this week.

I used Fuji Apples from the Farmers' Market for this lovely apple dish.  Ginger is not my favorite spice for sweet dishes, so I used Cinnamon instead.  Although it was time-consuming to slice the apples paper-thin, it was worth the effort.  The texture & flavor of these apples absolutely took me back to desserts I'd tasted in Paris.  

This recipe requires a little patience as you layer thin slices of apples with melted butter and spiced sugar.  I did  blend the Orange Peel right into the spiced sugar to eliminate a few steps.  Once the apples, butter, and spices are layered into the dishes, you wrap them in plastic wrap, then foil, pierce the tops and weigh them down to compress the apples as they cook.  The only problem I had was despite Dorie's assurance to the contrary, the plastic wrap melted!  And it smelled really weird.  Luckily, the melted plastic clung to the foil, not the apples.  So, the next time I make this, I'm just going to cut disks of Parchment Paper to keep the foil from touching the apples.  

I couldn't get a good picture of it, but this dessert was like a millefeuille of apples.  You could distinguish each layer and taste the spices in every bite.  I think these would be spectacular turned out onto French Toast for a special occasion breakfast or brunch.


I also omitted the ginger from the Whipped Cream and just sprinkled a little Cinnamon on top.  A truly lovely Fall recipe that is versatile enough to serve as a side dish, dessert, or breakfast.  I will absolutely make these again.


Among the things I'm grateful for is the opportunity to participate in this group.  I've made valuable friendships, expanded my palate, and grown as a chef and a blogger.  I wish each of you all the comfort and blessings of family and friendship.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Red, White & Blue floral arrangement I made for a Retirement Ceremony

Margaret's Espresso Cake ~ Sarabeth's Bakery

My sister-in-law wanted a special edition 75th Anniversary Fiestaware cake plate for her birthday, so I decided to give it to her with a cake on it!  She loved the Chocolate Coffee Cake that I made for John's birthday, so I made Sarabeth's Margaret's Espresso Cake for her (scroll down a bit to see the recipe) . 

It's infused with Coffee and Instant Espresso.  Even though I'm not a coffee drinker, I thought the cake smelled great as it baked in the oven - like caramel.  I used this Rose Bundt Pan.


After it cooled, I drizzled it with Coffee Glaze and Chocolate Ganache, then sprinkled it with Elegant Cocoa Pearls from Trader Joe's.  My family loved it.

Sugar Art by Jean Marie Cake Design I haven't tried any of these, but I think they're beautiful & fun!

Boston Cream Pie Cake ~ aka "The Cake That Mocked Me" ~ Baked Sunday Mornings

I'm not as witty as my fellow Doristas, Trevor or Cher, but this is a story that needs to be told.

Lago di Bracciano, Italy, circa 1977

It all started innocently enough when I opened my Baked Explorations cookbook to start baking this week's cake.  I started early because, as I expected, the Vanilla and Chocolate Pastry Creams had to be refrigerated at least 4 hours.  I'm normally prone to insomnia, but this week was especially bad since I was sick and having trouble breathing and coughing a lot.  So, when I was wide awake between 2 - 3:30 Thursday morning, I made the Pastry Creams.   I tucked them into bowls with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

Vanilla and Chocolate Pastry Creams

First attempt at sponge cakes

Thursday evening when I got home from work, I made the cakes.  All the while, I was reminiscing about Sunday afternoons in Rome spent at our British friends' house at Lago di Bracciano when I was in high school - long before the Cruises were there.  I even found and scanned a couple of photos.  Betty Hardwick always made Sponge Cakes for us - sometimes they were vanilla filled with marmalade and sprinkled with powdered sugar, other times, they were chocolate filled with whipped cream.  I loved Betty.  Her husband, Keith, was a commander in the Royal Navy who worked with my dad as a liaison officer at an Italian Naval Base in La Storta just north of Rome.

Flat cakes - not sponge cakes!

So, I made the Milk Sponge Cakes, warming the milk with care, and planning a wonderful blog post.  When I peeked in the oven and noticed the cakes weren't rising, I got upset.  My husband thought I was over-reacting, but I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw them.  They were meant to be sliced in half horizontally, but there was no way that was going to happen!

Yellow Cake with Pastry Creams and Chocolate Glaze

Since there is no photo in the book, I began a desperate internet search for photos from other bloggers.  I found quite a few from a parallel baking group,  Few of the cakes looked any better than mine, but I still wasn't happy.  Many of the bloggers said the pastry creams were wonderful, but the cake had a weird texture.  I became more distressed - you see, I'm a perfectionist.  I could re-make the cakes, but it appears they turned out the way they were supposed to.  I could make 2 more cakes so I had 4 decent layers.  I could pretend like the creams were puddings and eat them!  Or *gasp* I could make a yellow cake from a mix!  I chose the latter option - I know, I know!  But, I tasted the sponge cake and it wasn't spongy at all - it was dense and did have a really weird texture, so I tossed it.

Of course, I had to wait until today to make the yellow cake because I'd already used every egg in the house - 11 to be exact.  To add insult to injury, when I went to the market to get more eggs, Boston Cream Pies were on sale for $5!   So, today, I made a yellow cake from a mix.  It rose beautifully and sliced in half perfectly.  As we filled it, layered it, and glazed it.








The next time I get a hankering for Boston Cream Pie, I'm flying to Boston!  It would be far less frustrating and a lot more fun!

Enjoy!