People are buying 20-30% more cheese than they did last year, according to data from IRI. NYT. 6/22/2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/business/cheese-cheddar-prices.html
Butter Pecan Ice Cream 3
One difference from version #2 – just the egg yolks, no egg whites. Taste / texture was not as icy.
Cuisinart 2 quart maker – 7/20/2020
Adapted from a Recipe By : Mable & Gar Hoffman
Slurry mixture:
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cups glucose (5 oz this time)*
4 cups half-and-half
4 egg yolks
* Use 1 cup sugar, but the texture will be different.
You can use corn syrup in place of the glucose
After heating:
1 heaping TB of molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional for texture: 2 tsp tapioca powder dissolved in 2 TBS milk
Pecan mix:
3 TBS butter
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1.5 teaspoons salt
Combine sugar and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolved and comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs for about 5 minutes, until they are lightish yellow and thick. Add the hot milk a cup at a time until tempered.
Return the mixture to the pan, and on medium low bring to 180 degrees. Off the heat, add the molasses.
Cool in a sinkful of water to 50 degrees. Add the vanilla and optional tapioca powder.
Put in the fridge overnight.
In the meantime: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over a low heat. Add the pecans and salt. Saute, stirring constantly, until the pecans start to brown. Transfer the pecans to a large, flat pan to cool. Try to keep crisp.
Add the cold mixture to the ice cream machine. Process until the right texture, about 25 minutes in the Cuisinart. Add the pecans at the end.
*You can also use brown sugar but the milk will curdle. Bon Appetit says it will look curdled, but it doesn’t matter. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/brown-sugar-bourbon-ice-cream
Leftover rice pudding
The wooden carrot spoon Ken made me is one-of-a-kind. Almost too pretty to use, but it’s just the right size.
Recipe 1.5 cups of cooked rice to equal amount of milk with a pinch of salt. I added about a teaspoon of fresh orange zest because I had it. Cooked over medium heat, stirring ad needed, until thick, about 15 minutes. Mixed 1/2 cup more milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 egg. Whisked into hot milk until the egg was cooked, about 5 minutes. Took off the heat and added 1 teaspoon vanilla. 1 teaspoon of butter optional.
Enjoy hot or cold.
Carrot Hummus is Happy Hummus
Lantana’s Siracha Carrot Hummus is a white bean hummus with spicy, Sriracha zing. I love the carrot color, but I am not as interested in the sweet apricots / pineapple nor the soggy sunflower seeds. Tastes especially good when you dip carrots in it — double carrot love.
Grilled hotdog chips
Don’t judge me. I couldn’t resist. They do smell like the ballpark. Something about the spices made them a little soft – not as crisp as I like my crisps. But they were a fun impulse but to share.
Arriba! Bacon Salsa
I bought my first Arriba! salsa because it had carrots in it, and I was hooked. When I could no longer buy it at my local grocery store, I resorted to online. Now my neighborhood grocery store, Brookville Market, has started carrying Arriba! Bacon Salsa. No carrots were harmed to make this salsa – but it’s a good carrot dipping sauce. Made in Texas.
Seared Cod and Creme Fraiche Sauce
Blue Apron: Seared Cod and Creme Fraiche Sauce with Potato, Cabbage, Olive and Carrot Hash. Served 2. Seemed to take much longer than the 45 minutes it was supposed to, but W did a great job of getting it all ready — everything was neatly chopped and organized. New ingredients to us: rice flour, which you coated the fish with before frying. We don’t usually cook with creme fraiche, but it was a nice treat. They included a pink lemon, but we used our own lemon because it wasn’t ripe. Of course, I added carrots.
Happy Valentine’s Day 2015
The wind was howling in the country this year, and there was a layer of snow on the ground. But it was warm an cozy inside.
Carrots in Paradise Cocktail. We found straight carrot juice to be a bit boring, so W made it easier with Dole’s Paradise Blend: Carrot, apple, pineapple, grape and passion fruit all together. The ginger gives it a punch. Carrot stick garnish is a must.
Carrots in Paradise Cocktail
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 ounce vodka
4 ounces Dole Paradise Blend
1 whole lime wheel — garnish
1 whole baby carrot stick — garnish
1 teaspoon ginger — grated, fresh
Add juice and vodka. Shake well for approximately 10 seconds then pour over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and carrot stick.
Carrot Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce. Inspired by Spicy Peanut, Carrot and Snap Pea Wraps on My Recipes. Cute carrot dip dish is from the Kensington Thrift Shop.
Carrot Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
SAUCE
1/3 cup peanut butter — crunchy
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili paste — red curry paste
1 whole lime juice
Rolls
1/2 cup carrots — julienned
1/2 cup sugar snap peas — trimmed
8 whole rice papers — small, round
Make the sauce; you can do ahead.
Wet the rice papers in a pie plate for 20-30 seconds before rolling.
Add carrots and peas to paper; roll.
Place in a dish; cover with a wet paper towel and saran wrap if you want to eat later.
Crunchy Asian Carrot ColeSlaw. Of course, W thought this would have been better with Bacon. Many recipes use two packages of noodles, but one worked fine with this amount. He had it at the family Thanksgiving dinner 2014, and he just knew it would be better with more carrots. Great leftover.
Crunchy Asian Carrot ColeSlaw Salad
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 package ramen — 2.8 size
1/2 cup almonds — slivered
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 head cabbage — shredded; 4 cups
2 medium carrots — shredded; 1.5 cups
DRESSING
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 package ramen seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Prepare the salad dressing. Combine cabbage, carrots, seeds and nuts in a large bowl. Mix well and serve cold. Good if you can let it marinate for awhile.
Macaroni and Cheese with Carrots. New dish adopted from Food & Wine. It was vegetarian, but W added Italian sausage / ground pork to make it a meatier main dish. I think he also added some extra cheese — in honor of his cheesy roots.
Carrot Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe By : Jeremy Fox, Food & Wine
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:30
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
3/4 pound carrots — peeled and thinly sliced
1 whole orange — juice and zest
salt — for water
9 ounces penne pasta — 3 cups
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese — shredded; 1.5 cups
1 cup sausage — ground; browned
In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots with the zest and juice and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Discard the zest. Transfer the carrots and any liquid to a blender and puree until very smooth. (You can do this ahead.)
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved water and the carrot puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in three-fourths of the cheese and cook, stirring, until very creamy, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Transfer the pasta to a medium baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Carrot Pudding. This has been the traditional dessert since 2008, but this year there was a twist: A dollop of ricotta cheese to garnish. Good as ever. Great leftover — even for breakfast.
Valentine’s Day dinner 2014
First, the raclette:
- Emmentaler cheese
- carrots
- cornichons
- radishes
Melt the cheese and layer over the other items.
Then, there was the cocktail:
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 2 oz carrot juice
- 1 oz apple cider
- grated ginger
- lime juice
Next, the white bean chili with carrots:
- 2 cups white beans, picked over and soaked overnight
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 tbsp veg. oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 4 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, and chopped
- shredded carrots
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cut freshly chopped cilantro
Drain the beans, put them in a large pan and barely cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, boil hard for 5 minutes, the reduce heat to a simmer.
Mix the spices, herbs, seasonings, and flour in a strong plastic bag. Add the chicken cubes and toss them until they are evenly coated with the spice mix. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute the onion and celery for 6 minutes. Add the vegetables to the beans.
Heat the remaining oil in the cleaned skillet and cook the chicken, turning often, until all sides are lightly browned. Add the chicken to the beans with the chicken stock and chilies. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are tender, adding water or chicken stock if the chili looks too dry. Add the carrots. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle in the cilantro just before serving.
And the Thai salad:
- 1 pound carrots — peeled /cut into thin strands / or grated
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- juice of 1 lime — about 2 to 3 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon lime zest — grated
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups spanish peanuts — coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup crystallized ginger — julienned or regular ginger
- 1/2 cup pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Place the carrots in a large mixing bowl. Blend together the vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, and red pepper flakes. Add the dressing to the carrot mixture and let stand for about 14 minutes. Toss in the remaining ingredients at the last minute.
And, of course, the pudding:
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups finely shredded carrots
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Beat eggs. Add sugar and milk and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until firm. Makes 6 servings.
Which made for one happy girl:
New Carrot Tray Imported from Illinois
Take a good look at the left handle of these new tray Marilyn got me — a carrot, of course. The carrot bowls were a gift from W some time ago — great for holding carrots — and many other things.
The cheeses: Mitica Lou Bergier Pichin, Lamb Chopper Cypress Grove, Cordobes Mitica. From Whole Foods Tenley Town. All were good, but the Mitica Lou Bergier Pichin, a cow from the Italian Piedment region, was especially creamy and good.
The bread was from Palena’s market — one of the top restaurants in DC. Definitely worth the extra stop.
We were at Whole Foods for Brews And Bites! Fill The Grill last Thursday night.
The blue in the bowl is a favorite from Wagshall’s last week: Point Reyes Original Blue, an all-purpose cheese from California. Aged 5 months.