A Recipe: Pumpkin Pie with a Special Touch

Pumpkin Pie with a Special Touch

by Victoria Challancin

 When I prepared this recipe in a cooking class I gave for Mexican cooks in preparation for an American Thanksgiving, I knew it was a keeper.  A new tradition--and when it comes to holidays, I'm generally a traditionalist.  At least for my main dishes, I don't stray far from the recipes of my Mother and Grandmother.  But Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Pie with a Whole Wheat/Pumpkin Seed Crust and a topping of Candied Pumpkin Seeds, with its lightly chile-infused Hispanic touches, was guaranteed to be a hit with my Mexican students.  And it was.  So of course I prepared it again as a part of my Thanksgiving offerings to a joint dinner with friends.  A new family tradition was born.

What did I change?  I made the crust as given in Martha Stewart's original recipe. The filling I used, on the other hand, was the one printed on the label of a can of Libby's canned pumpkin (it's hard to improve on this very basic recipe).  As for the topping, I think it is safe to say I doubled the amount of cayenne pepper, making it two generous pinches.  Also, I thought Martha was a bit stingy with the amount of candied pumpkin seeds she served, so I simply loaded them atop my pie--the ones I could wrest away from my students, that is.  They agreed that the pumpkin seeds alone made a great snack and could be served alone or perhaps in a salad.

Recipe: English Berry Trifle with Cointreau

English Berry Trifle with Cointreau

by Victoria Challancin 

This Christmas I decided to make a dessert I haven't made in years:  a proper English-style berry trifle.  Armed with a bag of frozen organic berries from Costco, a punnet of fresh raspberries, and a large container of fresh strawberries, I searched for a recipe in which they could shine.  The recipe that came closest to memories of trifles made by my British friends in the Middle East came from a source that called it a New England Style Berry Trifle, but I knew in my heart that it was British, seriously British--one of those lovely British puddings that made it across the Atlantic and found its way into American culinary legend.  

While the link will take you to the original recipe, I should note the changes that I made while trying to recreate my friends' recipe.  First of all, I baked my Mom's recipe for a traditional Southern pound cake.  Nothing complicated, just a dense and hearty cake that would easily stand up to a good soak in a liquor-laced solution.  I followed most of the recipe as it was given, but once I had made the orange-lemon curd and allowed it to cool, I folded it gently into two cups of whipped heavy cream.  The rest is history.  And the result so lovely that it just may become a part of my own Christmas tradition--a part of my own history.

Recipe: Hasselback Potatoes and a Trick!

Hasselback Potatoes--and a Trick! 

by Victoria Challancin

Swedish Hasselback-style potatoes always dazzle.  The bespeak of far more effort than is really required to make them.  Large or small, these potatoes make an impressive presentation and a tasty side dish as well.  

Essentially, Hasselback potatoes are baked potatoes which have been partially pre-sliced, but not cut all the way into slices.  Often this is accomplished by setting the potato in a large wooden spoon, using the spoon to stop the knife from cutting all the way through.  You want your potatoes to remain in one piece, just with narrow cuts so that they fan out and allow the flavorings to penetrate.  I have also tried using the handles of wooden spoons placed on either side of the potato to use as a guide for the knife.  Tricky.  This year I came up with an idea that worked perfectly.  Care to see what worked for me?  Read on...

Because potatoes take so long to cook at the 6400-foot altitude of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where I live, I often parboil them before baking.  This year I chose baby white potatoes for my Hasselbacks and parboiled them before slicing them for baking.  How did I achieve such perfectly spaced slices?  With an egg slicer!  How had I not thought of this before?  It worked perfectly.  You just have to be careful not to cut the potatoes all the way through at the last minute of slicing.  Would I do anything differently?  Yes.  I would have peeled, or at least partially peeled the potatoes before cutting them. Also, I usually add chopped rosemary, but it didn't seem to go with the rest of my menu this time.

Hasselback Potatoes

by Victoria Challalncin

1 lb small white potatoes

2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Coarse sea salt to taste

Peel the potatoes--or at least peel the top half.  Place in a pot with cold water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook until approximately three-quarters cooked.  You should be able to pierce them easily with the point of a sharp knife.  Drain and when cool enough to handle, slice a small piece off of the bottom of any potatoes that are too round to lie flat.  Cut the potatoes approximately three-quarters of the way through using a wire egg slicer.  Place potatoes in a baking dish.  

In a small bowl mix the olive oil with the garlic and black pepper.  Drizzle the potatoes with the mixture, turning gently to coat.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt to taste.  Bake in a 375 degree oven until cooked completely and golden brown, approximately 25 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.  Serve hot.

Variation:  Add finely chopped fresh rosemary to the oil mixture.  

Enjoy!   

 

Recipe: Muhammara

 Unfortunately, I took this photo at night with a flash, which faded the deep red color

Muhammara:  A Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

by Victoria Challancin

When 2 close friends in two separate incidents say that all they want for Christmas from me is a container of this luscious dip, you know you have a winner of a recipe.  I first enjoyed muhammara, a roasted red pepper and walnut dip laced with pomegranate molasses (see an earlier post here), when I moved to Abu Dhabi in the mid-seventies.  The name, which derives from the Arabic for "red," is magical to me, conjuring up exotic ingredients, mysterious concoctions, subtle tastes--and beautiful color as well.  The complex undertones which the pomegranate molasses imparts, plus the smokiness of the roasted peppers, overlaid with the crunch of toasted walnuts and heated up with the kick from chiles makes a memorable dish indeed.  Though I don't have access to the exact same chiles here in Mexico, the result is still great.  This dish, which hails from Turkey and Syria, is always a welcome addition to a party table.

I've made this dish so often that I really don't use a recipe.  This, however, is an approximation of how I make it.  Once you make it, adjust the seasoning after it has rested for a bit. You may prefer more lemon juice, more chile, more pomegranate molasses--let your instincts guide you to create something that works for you.  In the Middle and Near East, muhammara can be quite spicy!

 Muhammara

(Recipe by Victoria Challancin)

4 red bell peppers, fire-roasted, peeled, and seeded

1 cup walnut halves, lightly toasted

2 red serrano chiles, roasted (by all means use Aleppo and Urfa chiles if you have them)

1 tablespoon paprika

2 good pinches of cayenne chile

Sea salt to taste 

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted in a dry skillet

3 large garlic cloves, peeled (or to taste)

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed

Pomegranate arils and toasted walnuts or pine nuts for garnish (optional)

Place the roasted peppers, walnuts, chiles, paprika, cayenne, salt, cumin, and bread crumbs in a food processor.  Pulse until smooth, but do not over blend.  You want this to have some texture.  Slowly add the lemon juice (start with one tablespoon and add more if needed), pomegranate molasses, and olive oil, blending carefully.  Allow the mixture to rest for about 10 minutes, then check your seasoning.  You don't want any one element to dominate. Rather you want a subtle blending of the complexity of the peppers and nuts, the sharpness of the lemon juice, the heat of the chiles, and the sweet-tart richness of the pomegranate molasses.

Serve at room temperature with pita chips.  Garnish with nuts and pomegranate arils if desired.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Italian Mostarda

A Perfect Accompaniment for Christmas Ham:

Italian Mostarda

by Victoria Challancin

The Holiday Dinner for friends was traditional:  baked ham, sweet potato biscuits, assorted Southern sides and casseroles.   Tradition is good.  It warms my heart during the holidays with loving memories that wash over me and anchor my wanderlust.  But I knew I needed to spice up my meal with something different, something vaguely exotic, something to keep me from getting bored as I traipsed through memory lane as I prepared the favorite dishes of my family.  Then I remembered a dish I had tried in Italy many years ago:  mostarda.  That lovely Italian riff on chutney: wine- and honey-steeped fruit cooked with mustard and spices.  Too busy to pour through my cookbooks, I Googled a recipe instead and then, with various ideas in mind, I started cooking.

First, I put equal parts of sugar (I had wanted to use honey, but didn't have quite enough) and red wine in a heavy pot.  I added maybe half a cup to 3/4 cup of prepared mustard (Dijon was what I had on hand), a couple of cinnamon sticks, 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds, and a teaspoon of black peppercorns.  I cut up and added to it about a kilo of quince, apple, and pear plus a sprinkling of raisins.  Add one orange cut into quarters, juiced.  I covered the pot and let this macerate overnight.  The following day I simmered the concoction until it resembled a rich, winey chutney, which also filled my house with glorious, if undefinable, aromas.  The result? Heavenly.  I suspect that honey would have added another flavor layer that the sugar couldn't provide, but other than that, the dish was perfect.

Mostarda 

(Recipe by Victoria Challancin) 

 

For the marinade:

1 1/2 cups robust red wine

1 1/2 cups honey or sugar

3/4 cup prepared mustard (I used Dijon)

1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds

2 cinnamon sticks (I used Mexican)

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

For the fruit:

2 large quinces, diced

2 Gala apples, diced

2 Anjou pears, diced

3/4 cup raisins
One orange, juiced and cut into quarters

Place the ingredients for the marinade in a heavy pot.  Heat until sugar or honey is dissolved, stirring constantly.  Once the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth, add the fruit, including the juice of the orange.  Cover the pot and leave in a cool place overnight.

The following day heat the mixture until it comes to a boil.  Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Cook for approximately 1 1/2 hours, adding more red wine and honey or sugar in equal amounts if it gets too dry.  Stir often.  Serve with ham, poultry, or meat.

Notes:  You can preserve the mostarda in sterilized jars.  Simply add a festive ribbon for an unusual hostess gift!

I have been enjoying the mostarda with prosciutto and pungent cheese on crackers and crostini.  I also suspect it would make nice addition to a winter vinaigrette if sharpened with some lemon juice and a bit of extra-virgin olive oil.

Buon Appetito! 

Recipe: Stacked Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Candied Nuts

 Stacked Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Candied Nuts

by Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, México

There is no doubt that the exquisite blog Once Upon a Plate inspires me, makes me salivate, and causes me to wrestle with that unpleasant personal trait that none of us wants to own:  envy.  The recipes are inspired, the photos absolutely gorgeous, the writing lovely.  When I saw these stacked pear salads on Mari's blog, I knew I had to make them with my Mexican cooking students, just as she knew she had to make them when her friend sent her a recipe.  The actual recipe that I adapted originally comes from Chef Mike Fennelly of Mike's on the Avenue in New Orleans, who developed the recipe for the California Pear Advisory Board.

Stacked Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Candied Nuts

(Adapted from a recipe by Chef Mike Fennelly) 

Serves 8. 

For the salad:

1 head frisée, torn into bite-size pieces

1 bunch watercress, leaves and leaf-clusters only 

8 pears, cored and sliced horizontally into five slices

For the dressing:

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 oz (about 2/3 cup) blue cheese, crumbled

For the candied nuts:

1 cup pecans or walnuts

1 teaspoon walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

A good pinch of cayenne

2 teaspoons sugar

Garnish:

Balsamic vinegar reduction (Note:  this could be gilding the lily--I just happened to have some on hand and decided to use it)

To prepare the vinaigrette:

Whisk vinegar, honey and pepper together.  Add oil a a little at a time, whisking to emulsify. Stir in blue cheese. leaving it chunky.  Set aside.

To prepare the salad:

Wash and dry greens. 

To prepare the nuts: 

Blanch the nuts for 45 seconds in boiling water, drain well, and place on a towel to dry.  Toss the nuts with the oil, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Spread nuts on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To assemble:

On individual plates, alternate greens with pear slices (reassemble the pears with layers of greens). Secure with toothpicks to keep them from toppling.  Ladle each one with about 2 tablespoons of dressing and a bit of balsamic glaze, if using.  Sprinkle with candied nuts. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

 

 

Recipe: Roasted Vegetable-Lentil Moussaka

Roasted Vegetable-Lentil Moussaka

by Victoria Challancin

Yesterday was blustery.  Not really cold, but just cold enough.  Windy.   A day for comfort food.  Thinking of my vegetarian Macedonian husband, I decided on a vegetarian moussaka.  

I've made many variations on this recipe over the years, but this one was particularly satisfying.  It begs for re-interpretation, as most casseroles do.  Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients as this comes together fairly quickly.

A layer of roasted vegetables over a layer of roasted eggplant slices

more layers...

 

 The yogurt topping with sesame and sunflower seeds

 

...and crumbled feta cheese  

[Note to San Miguel readers:  the cheese is artisan feta made and sold by Luna de Queso, across from the Telmex office on Ancha de San Antonio]

 

The finished dish

Roasted Vegetable-Lentil Moussaka

by Victoria Challancin

For the Lentils:

2 cups lentils, cleaned

4 cups water

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, cut in half

1 onion, peeled and cut in half horizontally

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the Eggplants:

2 medium eggplants, about 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried, crumbled oregano, preferably Greek

1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed or minced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Vegetables:

4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices (about 2 cups)

1 large onion, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch half-moons

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed or minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, dill, or oregano

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Tomatoes:

One 14.5oz can chopped tomatoes or 5 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

Pinch of cinnamon

For the Topping:

1 1/2 cups Greek-style thick yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of ground allspice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

White pepper to taste

3–4  tablespoons sesame seeds and sunflower seeds mixed (optional)

3oz feta cheese, crumbled

Place lentils, water, garlic, and onion in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover, and cook until tender.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper toward the end of the cooking time.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425F/ 220C. Place the eggplant slices in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, chopped garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Toss gently to coat the eggplant slices.  Place on a cooking sheet in one layer.

Roast for 20 minutes. With a spatula, turn eggplant slices to brown the other side.  Continue roasting for 20 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.

Place the zucchini, onion, bell peppers, olive oil, garlic, herb, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Toss gently to coat vegetables with oil and spices.  Spread the vegetables on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 20 minutes, stir gently, and roast for another 15 minutes or until vegetables are roasted but still somewhat firm.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with a good pinch of cinnamon.  Mix gently.  Add about 3 cups of the cooked lentils [save remaining lentils for a salad] and the cooked vegetable mixture.  Toss gently to mix well.

Grease a large baking dish with olive oil.  Place a layer of roasted eggplant slices on the bottom of the dish.  Top with a layer of the lentils and vegetables, using half. Make another layer of eggplant slices and top with the remaining lentil-vegetable mixture.

To prepare the topping:

Reduce oven temperature to 350F/180C. With a whisk beat the yogurts, eggs, paprika, allspice, parsley, and white pepper together in a medium bowl, Spread over the vegetables and sprinkle with sesame and sunflower seeds.  Crumble the feta cheese over the top. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

 

What would I change?
Basically, nothing.  This dish is perfect as casual comfort food just as it is.  I used diced fresh tomatoes, but if I had had a can or, here in Mexico, a carton of diced tomatoes with their juice, I might have used them. As for the seeds on the top...I always add them to casseroles.  Nothing to do with authenticity.  Everything to do with fiber and texture.  Of course they are optional.  Pine nuts would be nice on top as a substitute.

Enjoy!