Spring flavors

Easter

Lush green grass and 80-degree temperatures inspired me to shoot my food photos outside, right in the backyard grass and hosta plants. I have novelty dishes that can be used as props, but nothing makes a better backdrop than nature herself. This Easter I made eggs with a rich blend of creamy peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk and semisweet chocolate squares. Cadbury Eggs used to be a special treat, but as I’ve grown older, my chocolate preference leans toward the dark variety. It’s usually more satisfying, and it requires less to satisfy my sweet tooth.

When you think of eggs, though, you want a somewhat soft filling. Confectioners’ sugar and peanut butter provide a smooth blend that’s just right for letting the egg melt on the tongue. Nests for the eggs are constructed with chow mein noodles coated with almond bark. Granted, these are not pretty nests, but I was going for a realistic look here. A sprinkling of cocoa powder resembles a dusting of dirt left by a mother bird who has been out hunting for a snack.

The crunchy nest and smooth eggs create a nice contrast to each other when you bite into the nest and egg at once.

Fudgy Easter Eggs

1 stick salted sweet cream butter

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

8 1-ounce semisweet chocolate squares

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add confectioners’ sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until blended. Melt the chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Add to butter mixture; stir until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate at least three hours.

For the nests: Coat 2 cups chow mein noodles with 12 ounces of melted almond bark. Sprinkle with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder for “dirty nest effect.”

Shape chilled mixture into 1-inch balls, rolling into an oblong egg shape . Coat with melted chocolate or desired coating.

Servings: About 24 eggs

April Fools’ Day

When I think back on April tricks I’ve tried in the past, gross comes to mind. I have struggled to be most outlandish, daring and clever, but this year I just wanted something edible for a change. One year I mistakenly created a cafeteria horror that must have been dredged up from my subconscious memories of junior high school lunch trays. Meatloaf (mystery meat) and pears drowning in high fructose corn syrup.

I thought it would be cute to make the pears into mice with licorice tails and halved almond eyes. And they were. Especially sneaky this year, I had everyone fooled with my meatloaf cake iced with mashed potatoes, coconut shreds designed to look like Parmesan cheese, and cherry tomatoes topping it off.

Well it did look grand. But the taste? Dreadful. It was only a novelty to be laughed off, photographed, and tossed into the garbage. So I wanted to end my unlucky streak with a more simple treat that actually tastes as good as it looks. I bought some tart shells and combined standard taco ingredients to make a savory treat that tasted sweet. The results is more of a taco salad in the shell look, a mini version if you will. I added some “beef,” a crumbled up Nestle Crunch bar. I thought it had a meaty texture similar to fajita steak strips.

I’m not sure if this will fool anyone, but at least it will taste better than a nasty trick.

Mini Taco Salads

Premade tart shells

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon green food coloring

Red candy fruit slices

1/4 cup whipped topping

1 Nestle Crunch bar, broken into small pieces

Bake the shells according to package directions. Place coconut into bowl; add food coloring. Toss with fork until coconut is coated and resembles lettuce.

Dice two red candy pieces for the “tomato.” Add dollops of whipped topping as sour cream. Arrange candy bar pieces on top.

Servings: 4 tarts.

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St. Patrick’s Day

What little I know about Irish food comes from travel articles in old issues of Bon Appetit and the Kerrygold Web site, which is a remarkable treasure trove on traditional Irish recipes, farmers and cooking schools. I wanted to make something traditional this year and colcannon came to mind. The dish refers to white-headed cabbage and includes a mix of mashed potatoes, salt, butter, cabbage or kale. Other additions might include bacon pieces, chives or onions.

I wanted to include a lot of green in my dish, so I chopped green onions and tore pieces of boiled cabbage. The recipe garnered wonderful reviews from friends and family who are potato lovers. At first I was a little put off by the texture of cabbage and bacon — I’m not used to such lumpy bumps in mashed potatoes — but the flavor only increased as leftovers were consumed. There really wasn’t a need to have loads of other recipes for this holiday. This one had it all: meat, potatoes and veggies.

Here’s a song titled “Colcannon” or “The Skillet Pot” I found on Wikipedia.com to brighten your mood while making the Irish dish:

Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?

Chorus:

Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it sure the nearer I’m to cry.
Oh, wasn’t it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot.

Colcannon

3 cups cooked mashed potatoes

2 cups chopped, boiled cabbage

4 slices bacon

1 cup chopped green onion

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine potatoes and cabbage together in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon to drain on clean paper towels; sauté onion, garlic and leek in same skillet. Add butter to the skillet and stir in potatoes, onions and cabbage. Crumble chopped bacon and add to mixture.

Transfer to a buttered casserole dish and bake until browned, about 15 minutes.

Servings: 4.

— Adapted from Cooks.com

Posted by admin on Feb 5 2011. Filed under Seasonal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry