The Barefoot Kitchen Witch

Savory Baked Eggs

Or solitary egg, in this case.

When I was a kid, my mother used to make this dish sometimes on Sunday mornings.  It’s a slow-morning kind of breakfast, and Dad’s photography business was closed on Sundays.

I haven’t had savory baked eggs since that time, and lately it’s been on my mind.  So I asked my Mom for details recently and here we are.  The ingredients are simple – onions, butter, salt and pepper, eggs, cheese.  The end result is so simple and incredibly yummy, I’m kind of annoyed with myself for not giving this a try years ago.

A Picture of Sliced Red (Purple) Onion

That’s it.

That’s all I’ve got at the moment. 

But aren’t the slices pretty?

Here’s a post from three years ago with more red onion pictures.

Four Days Late and a Banner Short

You know, I really wish these months would give you a warning before they start.  March has been here for four days now – when did that happen?? 

Blueberry and Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Sauteed Almonds

I think it took me less time to make the pizza than it did to type that title for this post.

Moving along with my self-imposed blueberry theme, today's offering is more an idea or suggestion and not so much a recipe.

Scallion and Red Onion Pancakes with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Or you can use chives...just scallions, just red onions, shallots, or whatever combination you want.

The recipe isn't mine - I found it on the Food Network website - from an episode of East Meets West with Ming Tsai.  If you want a copy of the recipe, here it is.  I pretty much followed it exactly except that I used a combination of the baby scallions and the young red onions. 

The first time I made these I used wild chives that were growing in among the horseradish and the asparagus.  I didn't take pictures, though.  And they were so good, I knew I'd need to make them again and this time TAKE PICTURES.

So here we go.

Peggy Fallon's "Rockin' Moroccan Salsa"

 

So colorful, isn't it?!  That's one of the lovely things about salsas - fresh ingredients and bright colors.

Pork Loin Medallions With Apples, Onions and Herbs

 

I've been so mired in cookies for the past several weeks, I've been neglecting the rest of the menu, at least as far as posting is concerned.

We bought a package of pork tenderloins (2) at some point in December, and after much contemplation of possibilities, I went the medallion route.

Brie III

Back at the beginning of December I did a post about brie, in which I spoke nostalgically of a restaurant in Camden, ME and then showed you how I made a rather odd-looking version of brie en croute.

It looked like this:

 

Kind of like I'd encased a dead bird in puff pastry.

It tasted great and all, but the appearance left something to be desired.

The very next day, I received an email from a Casey Ibbetson about this very post.  It read, in part:

I saw your creative use of brie in your 12/3 post and wanted to pass along some details about a new type of brie with a new innovative shape that might be easier to wrap dough around!? There are a few things that evoke feelings of celebration and luxury such as champagne, truffles and brie – and now there is a new element of convenience for busy hosts looking to add a touch of elegance to their event. Thanks to the long shape of the new Président Brie Log, serving this treat is much easier. Slices of the Brie Log fit perfectly on a cracker — and its thin edible rind only adds to its rich, creamy deliciousness.

Below I've included a few enticing recipes that are sure to spark creativity for any holiday menu. If you’re interested, I’d like to send you a sample of this new Brie Log – all I’d need is your mailing address and I can ship the brie to you priority overnight!

Attached to the email were roughly a thousand pictures of slices of this President Brie Log on a cracker with a variety of toppings, and the corresponding recipes, so I could make them in my very own home.

Casey Ibbetson, it turns out, works for SHIFT Communications, a PR agency that, I can only assume, counts Président Cheese as one of its clients.

At first I thought - my brie thing was so pathetic that someone associated with a brie distributor actually felt sorry for me and wrote to offer help.  "Your creative use of brie" was just a kind way of saying "that scary thing you actually showed to your readers."  I laughed and sobbed at the same time.  (Okay, not really about the sobbing part.)

After that moment had passed, and I had looked at some of the photos of brie slices on crackers, I thought - well hey, FREE CHEESE!  Why not?

And so I sent off my mailing address and looked forward to a log of brie in the near future.

Before that arrived, however, I felt, perhaps, the need to prove that I could make a brie look pretty all on my own.  So I bought a small wheel of brie and wrapped it up and from that came this post.

And this:

 

Much nicer than the dead bird en croute from the week before, right?

The next day, I received a large box with large splashes of tape on it that read "FRAGILE" (must be Italian!) and "PERISHABLE!"  Woo hoo!  My cheese had arrived!  And in such a large box!  How much cheese did they send???!!!

Salivating, I grabbed a utility knife and slashed through the packing tape. 

First, amid the bubble wrap, I encountered a handwritten note:

"Hi Jayne, 

Enclosed please find a President Brie Log and a little something extra for you to enjoy with it. 

Happy Holidays!

Kind regards,

Vicky"

I dug further, and found a small blue lunch bag sort of thing, which, when I unzipped it, contained a couple of ice packs and the much anticipated Brie Log.

 

Yay!!!

And then there was another container.  Red, kind of suede-ish, and zippered.

 

The "something extra!"  Christmas had come a couple of weeks early!

And so I unzipped it.

 

And lo - more goodies!

 

Carr's crackers!

 

Stonewall Kitchen Black Cherry Jam!

 

Little napkins!  A corkscrew/bottle opener thingy!  And a pair of plastic go-anywhere wine glasses!

Wow!

All I could think was "You forgot to send the bottle of wine, Vicky!"  I JEST!!!! 

I was thoroughly delighted.  So was my husband, but in a manly way, of course, not in the giggly, squealing girly way I was.  Okay, I'm not really giggly or squealy either.

I was, all kidding aside, very pleased and impressed.  I figured I'd just get a sample of the President Brie Log and that would be it - which was fine - like I've said - FREE CHEESE!  But no - they went that extra step and sent me the not only additional edibles to go with the cheese, but something lasting as well.  Now, okay, I know it's all part of marketing and all that.  But still - it's nice. 

So before I go any further, I want to thank Casey Ibbetson at SHIFT Communications and Vicky at Pollock Communications, and the folk at Président Cheese, and anyone else involved behind the scenes for this lovely package of goodies.  Thank you!

And now, onto what I wound up creating. 

First of all, I was a bit tired of the sweet + brie combo.  I wanted something purely savory.  So did Bill.  So I went with one of my favorite savory flavory things - caramelized onions.

I cut up a couple of onions, softened them in some butter, and let them cook a while.  I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar on them near the end of the cooking, once they were soft and brown and intoxicating.

 

I let them cool while I got the sheet of puff pastry dough ready...

 

And when the onions were room temperature, I spread them out on the dough in a layer...

 

placed the Président Brie Log at one end...

 

and carefully rolled it up, like you would with cinnamon buns or the like.

 

Ta-da!

 

Now, if I had been making this for a party or something, I'd have made it prettier.  I had actually imagined making little leaves and vines and flowers out of puff pastry dough, to twine over and around the log.  But since it was just for Bill and me, and I didn't actually have another sheet of puff pastry dough, I didn't go that route.  Next time.

But anyway.  I put the wrapped log in the fridge for about half an hour to chill the dough.  I preheated the oven to 425 degrees F, and then popped the log (on a parchment lined sheet pan) into the oven and baked it for about 25 minutes.

 

Also next time, when I'm in a mood to be fancy, I'll paint it with egg wash, which will give it more color and shine.

But anyway.  It smelled FABULOUS.  I held Bill off with one hand and sliced the lovely package open with one swift slash of my knife:

 

The brie didn't ooze out, it poured out.  Very hot and melty and surrounded by soft, sweet onions.

Bill grabbed the board with the brie away from me and raced down the stairs.  Laughing.

Okay, no, that didn't happen.  But I took just a few shots and then put my camera away, grabbed the box of Carr's crackers and that was the end of gazing longingly at melty cheese and crispy pastry.

It tasted very, very good.

I recommend the grilled onions/brie flavor combination, if you're looking for something without a fruit element.

And the Président Brie Log itself?  I think it's a lovely idea.  My only complaint would be the diameter.  It's maybe an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in diameter, I think (I didn't measure it - sorry), and, greedy cheese-glutton that I am, I'd have liked a wider circle.  But that's greed and gluttony talking, so feel free to disregard.

One more time, thank you Casey, Vicky, and the folks at Président Cheese! 

By the way, it's not all that difficult to make your own puff pastry dough.  Here's a recipe for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Focaccia

Going away party/dinner for Joe, our nephew, who was being sent to Afghanistan the following Monday

PLUS

Surplus of summer squashes

EQUALS

This post.  A bit after the fact. 

A Closer Look at a Red Onion

 

Potato Rye Bread with Onion and Caraway

  

I've added a new category - I might also include links to it under the recipe categories. 

The category is "Learning from Mistakes" and I'm including it because in baking and cooking - just like in every other facet of life, we make mistakes, and the best thing to do with a mistake is to learn something from it.

Cornish Pasties

Comfort food at its finest.  Cornish Pasties (pronounced "PASS-tees") are simply meat pies you can hold in your hand to eat.  As I understand it, they probably originated in Cornwall, in the south of England, as something miners could bring with them for lunch, as they could not come out of the mine shaft mid-day.  The pasties were portable, and the filling would stay warm for hours.  And they can be made with other fillings, but traditionally it's cubed beef, potatoes and onions. 

Quick Onion Flat Bread

I tried out this recipe to accompany the Leek and Potato Soup I made the other night.  It's pretty simple to make, it cooks quickly, and is pretty tasty.  It's more like a biscuit than a bread in texture, and I think an improvement to the overall flavor would be to mix some of the the minced, sauteed onion into the dough in addition to scattering it on top.  That's just my opinion.

Okay, here's what you'll need to do.

Onion Rings

These are the sort of onion rings I mentioned in yesterday's post - the ones I made to go with my Buffalo Ball sandwiches.   I had one onion left over, so yesterday afternoon I cooked up another batch and took pictures so I could show you how little what I did to make them.

Printable Recipe

For a small batch you will need:

One large sweet onion - Vidalia if they're in season, otherwise, just pick the best looking sweet onion in the store.

Buttermilk.  Easiest is to buy the quart size, but if you can't do that for some reason, you can also find powdered buttermilk in the baking section of most grocery stores.

Each package gets mixed with a cup of water, so if you're going to go this route, you'll need at least two cups, and three would be better.

This powder is easy to use, and you can just buy some to have on hand.  When you need it for the onion rings, just whisk the powder with the water...

and ta-da!

Buttermilk.

Now, peel the onion and trim the ends a little bit...

And then slice the onion into rings approximately half an inch wide. 

Separate the rings and place them in the buttermilk.  Soak them for an hour or so in the fridge.

When you're ready to make the onion rings, fill a large pot about half full with vegetable oil and heat to about 350-360 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, pour some flour in a shallow bowl or pan, add salt and pepper, and whisk together to combine.

You'll also need a slotted spoon or tongs and a plate with several layers of paper towels. 

Set up your bowl of onions and buttermilk, the bowl of flour, and an empty bowl (the on-deck circle, so to speak) near your hot oil.  Take the onion rings, a few at a time, out of the buttermilk, dredge them in the flour and pile them on the empty plate.

Fry in small batches, turning the rings over about halfway through, until they are crisp and dark golden brown.  Remove from the oil, place on the paper towels to drain, and sprinkle with salt immediately.  Transfer to another plate in a warm oven, if desired, until all are cooked and ready to serve.

These come out crisp and light.  My husband said last night that he likes these better than the heavily coated ones you get that are basically thick, fried batter with a little string of onion running through the middle. 

To accompany the rings, I made a sauce of mayo and sriracha and lemon juice - you could also use a hot chipotle sauce mixed with the mayo as well.  Just a thought.

Whatever you do, serve the onion rings as soon after cooking them as you can.  Fried foods don't stay crisp forever, and these are definitely meant to be eaten the day they are cooked.  They don't reheat to the same degree of crispness. 

Enjoy! 

Valentine's Day Ideas: Roast Chicken with Onion Mushroom Gravy

Again - comfort food.  You walk into the house while the chicken is roasting, and you want to stay for a while.  At least, that's how it should be.

I don't do anything ultra-fancy - no herbs, no lemon cut up and inserted in the chicken...mine is very basic.  And I think that's why it's so good, if I may toot my own horn on my own site.

Here's all I do.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 

Cut up a couple of large onions - just in chunks - and put them in an oven-proof pan of some kind. 

Then wipe off 20 oz (2 10-0z pkgs) of white button mushrooms or baby bellas.  You want whole ones, not the sliced ones.  Put them in with the onions.

Next, clean out a good-sized roasting chicken - rinse it with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels.  SAVE THE PACKAGE OF INNARDS!!  Tuck the wings under the back - as if the chicken is leaning back in an office chair, fingers interlaced behind his head - well, if he still had one.  Basically you want the tips of the wings tucked under the chicken's back.  Place the chicken on top of the mushrooms and onions.

Oh - and that package of innards?  Actually, it's not just innards - it contains the liver, heart, gizzard and neck.  Place them all around the chicken on top of the mushrooms and onions.  Flavor, folks.  Flavor.

Now, in a little bowl, combine kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - either half and half or about 2/3 salt to 1/3 pepper.  Sprinkle this mixture liberally all over the chicken and the liver, neck, etc.  You want most of it on the chicken's skin.

All set?  Now, place the chicken in the middle of your oven, and set the timer for an hour.  No - it might take longer, but this is when I want you to start checking on it.

At the hour mark, turn the pan so that the side of the chicken facing the back of your oven is now facing front.  Ovens have hot spots inside, and you want the chicken to cook evenly.

When the skin is a gorgeous dark golden brown, and when the legs are very wiggly when you shake one, and when the juices run clear when you slice into the thigh, remove the pan from the oven.

Take the chicken - carefully - off the mushrooms and onions and put it on a platter - and don't touch it.  Don't cover it with foil either - the skin is crackly and crisp right now - if you put foil over it, you'll basically be steaming the skin and it will lose its cracklyness. 

Now, take a look at the onions and mushrooms.  Are they nice and dark, or are they still kind of light in color?  If they aren't dark, put the pan back in the oven and check on it in fifteen minutes or so.  Now they should be nice and dark - if they aren't, then put them back in again for another ten minutes or so until they are well cooked.

While the onions and mushrooms are finishing up in the oven, take about half a stick of room temp butter and an equal amount of flour, and mash them together with a fork until the flour is completely incorporated in the butter.  Also you want to have available some chicken stock (home made or not - whatever works for you - and some dry white wine.

Okay, once the mushrooms and onions are nicely cooked, place their pan on a burner of your stove and remove the onions and mushrooms for now - just put them in a bowl nearby and keep them handy.  Same thing with the various chicken parts.  In with the mushrooms they go - we're not done with them yet.

Now add the butter/flour mixture into the liquids left in the pan.  Your flame should be about medium.  Whisk the butter/flour mixture (or beurre maniere, I believe) until it basically melts into the other liquids in the pan.  Now pour in a couple of cups of chicken stock and a cup or so of the wine.  Whisk together and now add the mushrooms and onions and giblets back into the pan.  Cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the liquids thicken and reduce a bit and the alcohol in the wine is not longer noticeable when you taste it.

I add about a teaspoon or so of dried thyme to this while it's cooking, and salt and pepper to taste.  Remember, some of the salt and pepper you sprinkled on the chicken and giblets at the beginning will have ended up in this mixture - you don't want it to be over-salted.

While this is bubbling away, you can cut up your chicken if you want.  I find it's easiest to remove the wings and legs, then cut each side of the breast along the breast bone and cartilage so you have two big chunks of breast meat. 

And just so you know, when I was cutting this chicken apart, the wings and legs practically fell apart.  And the breast meat - not a hint of dryness.

What to serve with this?  I made mashed red-skinned potatoes - with milk and cream and horseradish and some roasted garlic I had in the fridge.  And salt and pepper.  I was going to make another vegetable, but I...well, I forgot.  Still - mushrooms and onions are vegetables...

Oh, yes, back to the gravy simmering away on your stove top.  I actually mashed up the liver and stirred that into the gravy too.  I like chicken livers, and my husband has come to like them since we've been married.  But if you think that idea is revolting, then go ahead and remove all the chicken parts - liver, heart, gizzard and neck - and discard them.  You can also, at this point, remove the mushrooms and onions and put them in a separate bowl from the gravy.  Or, you can just serve them in the gravy, which is what I usually do.  OR, you could even puree them with the gravy to thicken it and intensify the flavor.  Your choice.

Here's what a plate of it looked like.

Flavor, upon flavor, upon flavor.  Serve with the rest of the wine you used for the gravy, if you like. 

Oktoberfest 2007 - Part 2 - the Onion Cake

As I mentioned yesterday, we had a dinner of German food this past Saturday night.  In my previous post I talked about the sauerkraut my husband made.  Next up is his mother's mother's onion cake recipe.

We found this recipe in one of the notebooks I "inherited" when my mother-in-law passed away almost five years ago.  The other recipes before it were various cookies - such as all the holiday cookies that she made every year and sent out to family.  There were also a few bread and cake recipes - all hand-written.

Let's begin.