My Baking Adventures

As much as I love cranberry sauce (whole berry, please) in a can, there is something very satisfying about making your own.

But not just plain cranberry sauce – cranberry orange chutney, to be precise.

I’ve been making this chutney every year for as long as I can remember. It goes so well with turkey or ham, but I’ve been known to spread it on a toasted biscuit as well.

Ssshhh, don’t tell anyone.

This is one of those recipes that is so simple, yet produces a vibrant, full flavored condiment that will make your house smell better than an over-priced Yankee Candle.

Cranberry Orange Chutney - adapted from Williams Sonoma

2 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 unpeeled oranges, washed, seeded and finely chopped in a food processor
4 cups cranberries
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
Pinch nutmeg

Stir together the water and sugar in a large, deep saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add the oranges, cranberries, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Continue cooking until large bubbles start appearing, about 10 minutes longer. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate – or freeze for longer storage.

Is it Friday? Again? I am stuck in a time warp – the kids missed school yesterday because of the weather. Apparently Las Vegas wasn’t prepared for snow (gee, really?) so they closed all the schools on Thursday. Which threw off my day’s plans – I kept thinking it was Friday, and now it really is Friday…………you get the point.

It all started on Wednesday, when my car wouldn’t start as I was trying to leave the doctor’s office. So I called roadside assistance and it took them over 2 hours to get to me. Then it was straight to the dealer, and there they broke the news to me that I needed a new battery. But my car is only 2 years old! So the serviceman said, “Should we go ahead and replace the battery?”

I looked at him and said “Do I have a choice? Owning a car that doesn’t run is quite pointless, don’t you think?”

Let’s move on to happier business now, shall we? It’s time for TFF!

Just thinking about this dinner makes me want to have it again. It’s that good. And this wasn’t my first time making it, either. But I’ve tried making fish and chips several different ways and I always come back to this method. The fish always comes out perfectly crispy and delicious. Try it, you’ll like it!

Oh, and we also had Tyler’s Homemade Tartar Sauce, which I neglected to take a picture of. It’s that hot food thing again – but in this instance, I’ll sacrifice a decent photo for hot fish (cold fried fish = bad)

Thanks to my dad for helping me photograph the fish -

Tyler Florence’s Fish and Chips

Vegetable oil, for deep frying
3 large russet potatoes
2 cups rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 (12-ounce) can soda water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 (8-ounce) cod or haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle
1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
Malt vinegar, for serving

Heat 3 inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F. Alternatively, use a deep heavy skillet.Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips (that is, fries) about the size of your index finger. Put the potatoes in a fryer basket and lower into the oil. Fry the chips for 2 to 3 minutes; they should not be crisp or fully cooked at this point. Remove the chips to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.

Crank the oil temperature up to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine soda water and egg and pour into the flour mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off.

Put the chips in the bottom of the fryer basket and carefully submerge in the hot oil. Carefully lower the battered fish into the bubbling oil on top of the chips. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Remove the basket and drain the fish and chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt. Serve wrapped in a newspaper cone with malt vinegar and/or tartar sauce.

Even though the temperature is slowly dropping (emphasis on the word slowly), and ice cream season is just about over, I like to have hot fudge sauce in the fridge. You never know when it will come in handy – for pound cake, eclairs, or by the spoonful (my favorite way).

So when I came across this recipe in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book, I wanted to try it because it didn’t call for heavy cream, which is something I don’t normally keep in the house.

And, as many of you know, I have a friend that is lactose intolerant, and I am constantly on the lookout for different recipes to try.

This turned out so well, not only did I use on the aforementioned eclairs, I also used it to ice Chinese Cookies that I made last week.

The fudge sauce delivered the perfect hit of chocolate to go with the sugary cookie, and believe me when I tell you that these didn’t last long.

For the Chinese Cookie recipe, click here.

Hot Fudge Sauce – Sweet Melissa Baking Book

7 ½ oz bittersweet chocolate
¼ c. sugar
½ cup + ½ tsp corn syrup
½ cup + 1 tsp water
¾ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp espresso powder
1 tbs. cognac or brandy (I substituted vanilla extract, about 1 ½ tsp.)

In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the melted chocolate. Stir in the cognac.

Note: This is a half recipe.

Last week, I was reading Pamela’s post about Turkey Burgers with a Spicy Ranch Dressing. Now, Turkey Burgers don’t thrill me, but the dressing sure caught my attention! I immediately emailed Pamela and she graciously sent me the recipe.

This was fantabulous! The only change I would make next time would be to decrease the amount of lime juice. It was a little bit too tart, but it sure wakes up your taste buds!! Even Sabrina liked it – she dipped red bell peppers into it for an afternoon snack.

I will making this again – for salad dressing, dip and as a sandwich spread.

Spicy Ranch Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Thanks, Pamela! I really enjoyed this!