Potato soup is something I love to eat but never really make.   The last recipe I tried made a large pot of what can best be described as wall paper paste.  So, when I was looking at some extra potatoes that I needed to use, I decided to make some potato soup that would actually be creamy, velvety, and a delight to eat.

Now, if we are going to make potato soup why not go all the way with it?  I added some sharp cheddar cheese for tang, some diced jalapeno for spice, some Ro*Tel tomatoes for flavor, and some bacon.  Bacon doesn’t need a reason.

I did some reading about how to make a good pot of potato soup and I learned that cooking the potatoes before adding them to the thickened milk would make the soup creamy with out getting mushy.  I par cooked my potatoes in the chicken stock I used in the soup.  The starch in the cooking liquid was saved and it made the soup exactly the texture I wanted.

Tex-Mex Potato Cheese Soup    Serves 8-12

32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds  russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup Ro*Tel tomatoes, drained (or 1 cup diced tomatoes with 2 tablespoons green chilies)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, 2% or higher
Salt and pepper
6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Sour cream and green onion to garnish

In a medium pot add the chicken stock and diced potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook for eight to ten minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Turn off the heat but leave the potatoes in the broth to cool slightly.

In a large pot over medium heat cook the chopped bacon until crisp.  Add the onion and Ro*Tel tomatoes and cook until the onions begin to soften and become translucent.  Add the jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and coriander.  Cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the butter and allow it to melt then add the flour.  Cook for three minutes then whisk in the milk slowly.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the milk comes to a simmer and begins to thicken.  Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil, stirring often.

Once thick turn off the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese.

Serve with sour cream and green onions.

Be warned, this is a photo heavy post.  So where should I start?

The Food!!!

This was my first meal in Munich – It is a crisp fried chicken breast with french fries!

This was my last meal there … The Augustiner Bräu Special – Roasted Chicken, Pigs Knuckle, and Roast Suckling Pig served with Cabbage Salad and a HUGE Potato Dumpling!  The Pigs Knuckle changed my life.  Really.  Expect to see that one here as soon as I can source them!  And, before you ask, that is a full liter of beer!  Awesome!

This is a meat market in Viktualienmarkt, a large open air food market, just off the center square.  There are a few shops in the surrounding buildings, like this one.  The women inside who were making sausage were hearty and very Bavarian looking!

Then there are the desserts … and the breads … oh my!!

The Englischer Garten is one of the largest urban parks in the world, and is a peaceful place to spend a quiet morning.   It is also a good place to walk off some of the pastry and bread … and pigs knuckles!

Everywhere you turn there is something going on.  Here were two Chinese musicians playing just off Marienplatz, the center square in Munich.  They were pretty brilliant, but the CD’s they were selling were very expensive.

Speaking of Marienplatz … it is beautiful!  I got off the train and walked out of the station and saw this …

Amazing, right?  But there was so much more everywhere I looked.

It may be even more beautiful at night!  This was my last look at Munich.  It was a lovely way to say good bye!

So far the harvest has not been prolific.  In fact, in the two months I have been a member I have gotten one delivery.  Not awesome.  Buried in the delivery was a terrific surprise!  Lovely, shiny eggplants!

I decided to grill it and then blitz it into dip.  I sort of threw this together, taking spice that I thought would work and adding them in a little at time until I had the right mix.  This is lovely on crackers, chips, and crostini.  It is also good directly off a spoon!

Grilled Eggplant Dip      Serves 8 to 12

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 large, or 2 small eggplants
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup red onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, or sour cream

Slice the eggplant into 1/2″ thick slices.  salt each side and lay out on a wire rack over paper towels to drain for 30 minutes.  After thirty minutes rinse the eggplant and lay back on the rack and allow to dry for another thirty minutes.

While the eggplant drains begin caramelizing the onions.  Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat.  Add the chopped onion and cook slowly until the onion begins to soften and turn caramel in color, about twenty to twenty-five minutes.   Add the sliced garlic and cook until the garlic has darkened slightly and is very soft, another ten to fifteen minutes.  Once finished remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Heat a grill pan, or your outdoor grill, and spray with non-stick spray.  Grill the eggplant for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until slightly charred and very soft.

Once the eggplant is grilled add it to the bowl of a food processor with the caramelized onion mixture and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and pulse until it is a rough paste.  Add the remaining ingredients and blitz until smooth.

Serve with crackers, toast, chips, or crunchy veggies.

This year I decided to make my own pumpkin puree.  I was inspired by a whole brigade of fellow bloggers who have been posting yummy looking recipes with their fresh pumpkin.  Who am I to buck the trend?  If they could, so could I!  It is really easy, and the flavor is amazing.  If you have never done it before, may I recommend it?  You will thank me.

Anyway, I had three pounds of puree from my pumpkins and I needed to do something with it.  Two pounds I froze for the Holidays coming up, and I reserved one for experimenting on.   I decided on muffins.  Really, I don’t make enough muffins and it was time to rectify that situation!

These muffins are hearty, flavorful, and make a great on-the-go breakfast or snack.  They freeze well, so you can make them in a big batch and store them for the week.  Wrap up warm muffins in a fall themed kitchen towel and give them as a seasonal kitchen gift.   Serve the muffins with whipped honey butter for a brunch.  They also make a really nice midnight snack … not that I would know or anything.

Pumpkin, Apple and Oat Muffins    Yield 25 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree (See below for instructions)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup diced apple

Heat the oven to 400F and spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.  Mix well.

In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, butter, and buttermilk.

Pour the wet into the dry and fold gently until the dry ingredients are just moist.  Add the apple and fold to combine.  Do not over-mix.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they spring back when gently pressed in the center.

Cool in the pan for five minutes then turn out on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Start with a pie pumpkin, the small ones from the grocery store.  Slice the tops off, then slice in half.  Remove the seeds and pulp (and reserve for making roasted pumpkin seeds), then cut each half in half.

Place the pumpkin face up on a sheet pan and roast in a 350F oven for 45 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender.  Allow to cool then remove the skins and place the flesh in a food processor.  Process until smooth.

The puree may seem dry.  It it is you can add a little water, a tablespoon at a time, until it is thinner.  If the opposite happens and the puree is too wet just pour it into a fine strainer lined with cheese cloth or a coffee filter.  Strain in the refrigerator overnight.

Use, or freeze, within one week.

We eat a fair amount of potatoes in my house.  They are versatile, easy to prepare and really the best starchy comfort food going, aside from macaroni and cheese which is the king of comfort food as far as I am concerned.

All that said, I do get a little tired of the same old baked potatoes and mashed potatoes.  Yes, they are easy, and they are good, but I knew I could do more with this tasty tuber within an hour!

My mom makes these scalloped potatoes that are SO good.  (And, if  you are reading this, “Hi mom!!”) That dish was what inspired me to throw this together for lunch one afternoon.  I wanted a complex cheese flavor so I used a blend of strong cheeses, but I wanted to keep it subtle at the same time so I used them sparingly.  This recipe strikes the right balance of creamy cheese sauce and tender potato.  It takes about as long to make as a baked potato, and while it is a little more labor intensive, it isn’t going to run you ragged.

This is a pretty basic recipe, but why get complicated with something that is so good?

Four Cheese Potato Gratin     Serves 4

1 pound peeled potatoes, sliced thin (about 1/4″ thick)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 ounce fontina cheese
1 ounce sharp chedar cheese
1 ounce gruyere cheese
1/2 ounce cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Heat your oven to 350F and spray a medium size casserole dish with non-stick spray.  (Alternately you can spray four individual casserole dishes, about 1 cup volume, with non-stick spray.)  Place your baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment.

In a pot filled with salted water, boil the potatoes for five minutes.  Drain and reserve.

In a sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter.  Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about three minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.   Add the flour and mix until the flour is moistened by the butter.  This mixture will be dry.

Whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, but has not come to a boil.  Turn off the heat and add the cheeses.  Mix until they are melted.  Add the red pepper and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In the prepared casserole dish first layer 1/3 of the potatoes, then 1/3 of the sauce.  Repeat two more times then top with the panko and parmesan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Allow to cool for ten minutes before serving.

One of my favorite cuts of beef is the skirt steak.  It is so flavorful, and if prepared properly it is very tender and juicy.  For the most part I use skirt steak for fajitas, and it does make some spectacular fajitas, but when I came across a pack of skirt steak at the grocery store last week I decided to do something different. 

In the produce department they have some fantastic looking citrus.  The oranges, in particular, are so fragrant this time of year.  I’ve had pork marinated in orange, garlic, and onions before at Latin restaurants.  There was no way, I reasoned, that I could not do the same basic thing to beef.  The results are very juicy, very tender, and beefy with a refreshing citrus zip.  It was great hot off the grill with a little bowl of the citrus marinade for dipping.  It was also very nice the next day served cold with some fresh greens and a citrus dressing. 

You could use this marinade on flank steak, or London broil with very good results.  This would also be good on pork loin and chicken.  If you do use this on chicken do not marinate for more than two hours. 

Triple Citrus Marinated Skirt Steak     Serves 4

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
Oil for the grill

In a large plastic bag inside a bowl combine the orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, and cumin.  Mix well then reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate container.

Add the skirt steak to the bag, press out most of the air and seal.  Refrigerate overnight, or for at least four hours.

Thirty minutes before you are ready to cook remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it stand in the marinade.  Heat your grill, or grill pan, to medium high heat and brush lightly with oil.  Remove the steak from the marinade and season well with salt and pepper. 

Grill to your preferred level of doneness.  I like mine medium-rare, about three minutes per side.

Remove the steak from the grill and tent with foil.  Allow the steak to rest for ten minutes.  While the steak rests take the reserved marinade and heat it in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Cook until it reduces slightly.  Strain into a small serving bowl.

Slice the steak against the grain and serve with the warm citrus sauce.

This bit of inspiration hit in my local grocery store’s rather dismal bakery section.  Let’s be honest, grocery store bakeries are bleak places stuffed with pre-fab cakes smothered with greasy icing, cookie pucks, and pies with what can best be described as watery crusts.  So, right about now I bet your wondering where I got any inspiration from such a wasteland of baked goods.

My inspiration was a loaf of whole grain french bread.   The bread looked pretty good, truth be told, but when I picked it up I felt that it was past it’s prime.  I considered for a moment and decided to get it anyway.  Stale bread is perfect for one of my very favorite desserts.  Bread pudding!

Because it is Fall I am craving warm flavors which is why I chose butterscotch and cinnamon to flavor my bread pudding.  Once in the baking dish I decided to add a crisp topping.  Not only because it is pretty but because it adds a bit of texture.  I like texture!  While it was baking I decided it NEEDED a sauce, and I had some golden rum calling out to be used.  This dessert just sort of made itself!

This bread pudding is lovely warm from the oven with a drizzle of Rum Sauce, but it is even better the next day, gently warmed in the oven or microwave.  Let it cool down completely before storing in the refrigerator and the crisp topping will stay nice and crisp.

Butterscotch Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce    Serves 6-8

For the bread pudding:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups milk, 2% or higher
6 cups roughly cubed whole grain french bread

For the crisp topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter

For the rum sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoons rum

Heat the oven to 350F and spray a medium casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In a small skillet over medium heat melt the butter and brown sugar.  Let the mixture start to bubble and cook for thirty seconds.  Remove the pan from the heat to cool slightly.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and the brown sugar mixture until well mixed.  Whisk in the milk.

Add the cubed bread to the bowl and toss to coat.  Allow to soak for ten minutes before transferring to the prepared baking dish.  While the bread soaks make the crisp topping.

In a small bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar.  Using your fingers blend in the butter until the mixture resembles wet sand with peas in it.  Spread the topping over the bread pudding.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the entire bread pudding has puffed.

While the bread pudding bakes prepare the sauce.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter.  Mix in the brown sugar and bring to a boil.  Allow the mixture to cook for thirty seconds, then reduce the heat to low.  Slowly add the cream while whisking.  Bring the mixture back to a boil then turn off the heat.  Carefully add the rum and mix well.  Allow the sauce to cool.

Allow the bread pudding to cool for at least thirty minutes before serving.  To serve, slice a piece of the bread pudding and pour over the sauce to taste.

Enjoy!

A few weeks ago FoodBuzz and Bertolli Sauce had a contest.  They wanted two menu items, an appetizer and a main dish, that used Bertolli Sauce products.  The winners would have their travel and hotel accommodations paid for to the First Annual FoodBuzz Festival.   How awesome is that?

The chef’s at Bertolli Sauce selected eight winners, and I am so pleased to let you know that one of my menu items, Pancetta Risotto Cakes, was selected!

Of the eight winners, three will be selected by the FoodBuzz community to demo their Menu Items  live at the festival.   Voting is from October 23 until November 1st, and you can see the complete list of winners and vote here.  (To vote just Buzz the entry you like best!)

Now, for a little about my menu item.   I created a Pancetta Risotto Cake.  I combined creamy risotto with pancetta, shallots, garlic, parmesan cheese, and a bit of ground red pepper. The mixture is cooled and formed into cakes, dipped in crunchy panko bread crumbs, and lightly fried in Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil until golden brown. They are served with Bertolli’s Vodka Sauce and fresh torn basil.

I wanted something elegant but fun, and I wanted something that you could use in a variety of ways and that would appeal to a variety of tastes.  More than anything I wanted something that is not a chore to prepare.  With the holidays rapidly approaching I knew whatever I created would need to be something I would not hesitate to make at that time of year.  These cake take, excluding chilling time for the risotto, about an hour to make.

These risotto cakes make a satisfying main course with a green salad or some roasted vegetables, but they are also lovely served as finger food at a cocktail party. You can prepare the risotto mixture as much as to two days in advance and then all you have to do on the day of your gathering is shape, bread, and fry them.  I love food that I can make ahead … again I am thinking of the Holiday’s.

I know you are all asking, “But Kelly, where is the recipe?”  Sorry folks, but for now it is under wraps.  I hope to get to share it with you soon!

Once I discovered that I did not hate butternut squash – I liked it quite a lot in fact – I began to try new recipes so that I could add this tasty squash into my Fall recipe rotation.  This recipe was one that I was positive would fail.  I was so sure, in fact, I had dug through the junk drawer to find a pizza coupon.  Boy was I wrong!

The sweetness of the squash and the salty cheese sauce, with a hint of bacon, was perfect!  I went back for seconds.  Oh, and I threw away the pizza coupon.

Pasta with Gruyere and Butternut Squash   Serves 4

2 cups diced butternut squash
3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Salt and pepper
4 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
6 ounces of any tube shaped pasta (I used penne)
1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Heat the oven to 375F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Also prepare a medium size casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Place the diced squash on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until very tender.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions but reduce the cooking time by one minute.  Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat cook the chopped bacon until very crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside to drain.  Remove all but about two tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for thirty seconds before adding the flour.  Cook the flour for one minute then slowly add the milk, whisking constantly.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the sauce begins to bubble and starts to thicken slightly.   Turn off the heat.

Add the shredded cheese to the sauce in three installments, making sure the first installment is completely melted before adding the next.  Fold in the cooked pasta.

Layer the butternut squash on the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.  On top of that add the pasta mixture.  Top with the panko and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the past bubbles at the edges and the cheese and panko are starting to brown.

Cool for five minutes before serving.

That is a lot more caramel than you really need.  Never fear, I have an elegant solution for what to do with the extra caramel that does not require two pints of ice cream and a marathon of my favorite Marilyn Monroe movies.  (How to Marry a Millionaire is my number 1 favorite!)

Use the extra caramel in a cake!

This is a lovely little cake is perfect for snacking but is also good to bring to a party.  Since this cake has such deep flavor from the caramel and the frosting you can serve as few as 9 or as many as 12.  It is very rich.  For a bigger crowd you could very easily double the recipe and bake a two layer cake, just be sure to triple the frosting so you can frost the cake completely.

And while we are talking about frosting, I decided on a cream cheese frosting with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla beans after trying a caramel flavored frosting with the cake.  It was too sweet and the flavor, I found, competed too much with the caramel in the cake.  (I also had some ‘technical difficulty’ with the consistency of the caramel frosting.  Frosting FAIL … so frustrating.)  Ultimately I was happy with the cream cheese because it has a nice tang which really pops the deeper caramel notes. 

Caramel Cake with Caramel Icing       Serves 9-12

For the cake:
6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup caramel

For the frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or regular vanilla extract)
2 cups powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8″ square cake pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until well blended.

In another bowl sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  

In a mixing cup, or small bowl, mix the buttermilk and caramel.

Alternately add the flour and caramel into the butter and sugar in three additions starting and ending with the flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread it out evenly then bake it for 30 minutes or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center springs back when gently pressed.  The center of the cake may dip slightly.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out on a wire rack to cool.

While the cake cools prepare the frosting.

In a large bowl mix the cream cheese and butter until well combined.  Whisk in the cinnamon, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar until smooth.

Once the cake cools frost as desired and serve.