April 2017 - Pacific Northwest

In April we met at Christiane's house. The theme was Pacific Northwest-inspired dishes. Delicious food was prepared and enjoyed by everyone.

Appetizer

Home-made Cheese and Crackers by Rebecca

The cheese was a homemade Cotswold.  The crackers are a knock-off of Raincoat Crisps that I made from the Daring Kitchen.  

Raincoat Crisps

• 2 cups (280gm/10oz) all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. (10gm/ ⅓ oz) baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups (480ml) buttermilk
• ¼ cup (50gm/1.75oz) brown sugar, firmly packed
• ¼ cup (60ml) honey
• 1 cup (180gm/6.5oz) dried cranberries
• ½ cup (60gm/2 oz) chopped, skinned hazelnuts
• ½ cup (125gm/4.5oz) roasted sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup (30gm/1oz) sesame seeds
• ¼ cup (30gm/1oz) ground flax seed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350F/180C/gas mark 4.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the cranberries, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seed and stir just until blended.
3. Pour the batter into two 8"x4" loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
5. The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer (recommended) for a short time. Slice as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Slice so thin that they are almost lacy.
6. Reduce the oven to slow 300F/150C/gas mark 2 and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes until crisp and deep golden. You can also cut them in half before the second baking for a better size. Be careful not to burn them.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Prolong the freshness by freezing for up to 3 months. The loaf is much easier to slice thinly if it has been frozen for a short time before slicing.

Main Course & Side Dishes

Cedar Planked Salmon and Barley Risotto by Christiane

Barley Risotto with Tomatoes and Lemon from "The Wine and Food Lover's Diet" by Philip Tirman, M.D.

1 tbs olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 tbs finely chopped fresh thyme
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
11/2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
2 tbs finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbs creme fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the barley and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly coated with oil and lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat, if needed, to prevent scorching.

Add the wine and thyme and stir until the pan is nearly dry. Add the broth, the salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a very low simmer, cover, and cook until the broth is absorbed and the barley is tender but still slightly chewy, 45 minutes to an hour.

Add the tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, add parsley and stir until heated through and well combined. Stir in the creme fraiche. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.


Slaw by Katharina

Roasted Carrots  by Lauren (Recipe is #9 in the list)


Roasted Carrots with Cardamom
This dish is inspired by a breakfast treat my mom would make when I was a kid, a sweetened carrot confection spiked with almonds, golden raisins and cardamom seeds. The floral spiciness of the cardamom seeds match wonderfully with the sugary grassy flavor of carrots. Now, in terms of buying cardamom, it’s best to purchase them at Indian or Middle Eastern food stores – which are good places to buy spices because of their low cost and high quality. Buy the green whole cardamom pods as they have the most flavor and store in a jar. Cardamom can last for years in a cool, dark place and the spice has a broad range of applications, from breads and meats to sauces and sweets.

This is a very forgiving recipe as you can roast them for a while and determine what depth of flavor you prefer by smell and taste.
 
2 lb. whole unpeeled carrots
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
A dozen green cardamom pods
Baking tray

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. I like organic carrots because they are relatively inexpensive, and you don’t have to peel them, saving time and getting all those nutrients in the skin. Just clean with a vegetable scrubber in water and pat dry.
3. Cut them however you like, such as in coins or sticks, but make the carrots the same size as that ensures even roasting. Crack the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Spread the cut carrots on the baking tray in a single layer. If you stack the carrots they will take much longer to roast as they’re steaming, instead of developing a nice roasted-brown flavor and hue.
4. Sprinkle with the seeds, the salt and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Mix to coat thoroughly, but don’t use too much oil as that will mask the flavor.
5. Place in oven and roast for about 20 minutes before tossing. Check again in 20 minutes and toss again. 

Mixed Salad by Kim

Desserts

Stout Cake by Lauren

See http://tastingspoons.com/archives/7527 for a recipe link

Classic Gingerbread

Recipe By: Cook’s Illustrated
Serving Size: 10
NOTES: This cake packs potent, yet well-balanced, fragrant, spicy heat. If you are particularly sensitive to spice, you can decrease the amount of dried ginger to 1 tablespoon. Guinness is the test kitchen’s favorite brand of stout. Avoid opening the oven door until the minimum baking time has elapsed. If your cake pan has thin walls, you might want to wrap it with pre-made cake strips or make your own from cheesecloth and foil. This extra insulation will help ensure that the edges of the cake don’t overbake. Serve the gingerbread plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 2 days.
3/4 cup Guinness stout
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup mild molasses
3/4 cup light brown sugar — (5 1/4 ounces) packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar — (1 3/4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour — (7 1/2 ounces) plus extra for dusting pan
2 tablespoons ground ginger — (or less if you’re sensitive to the heat)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper — finely ground
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger — finely grated
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Bring stout to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda (mixture will foam vigorously). When foaming subsides, stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until dissolved; set mixture aside. Whisk flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pepper together in large bowl; set aside.
3. Transfer stout mixture to large bowl. Whisk in eggs, oil, and grated ginger until combined. Whisk wet mixture into flour mixture in thirds, stirring vigorously until completely smooth after each addition.
4. Transfer batter to prepared pan and gently tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to dislodge any large air bubbles. Bake until top of cake is just firm to touch and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack, about 11/2 hours. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Per Serving: 270 Calories; 9g Fat (28.0% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 42mg Cholesterol; 231mg Sodium.

Apple Crumble by Katharina
I (Katharina) found this recipe on epicurious.com.

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
Non-stick vegetable oil spray
4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, each half cut into 6 slices
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Mix oats, 1 cup sugar, and flour in bow. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping comes together in moist clumps.
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in bowl. Transfer to dish. Sprinkle topping over.
Bake crumble until apples are tender and topping brown and crisp, about 55 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.