Category: Food

Eleri Posts About Food

Chocolate-Dipped Maple Shortbread

Posted on by Eleri

Shortbread:

  • 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff!) 
  • 2 cups flour
  • ⅛ tsp salt 

Glaze:

  • 1c unsweetened or semisweet chocolate
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1.5 tsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350
Tip: while the butter is chilled, grate it cold into the bowl! This’ll make it easier to mix with the flour!
Mix all ingredients until well blended, it’ll be crumbly, but stick together well (Sorta like that kinetic sand stuff. Don’t cook or eat kinetic sand.)
Divide dough in half. Roll each piece into a log 1½ to 2” in diameter, lightly flouring the counter and your hands if it’s sticking.
Wrap logs tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
Unwrap, and slice into 1/4 inch thick ‘coins’, put on greased or lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Cook for 12-15 minutes until just golden on the edges.
Cool. No, really, let them cool. While they’re cooling, make the glaze! Melt the chocolate, butter and syrup together, stir until smooth. Dip the shortbread halfway in, and put on a wire rack to set. It you want to get super fancy, sprinkle a tiny bit of brown or raw sugar on the chocolate half of the cookie as it sets.

*NOW* you can eat them.

Pecan Pie

Posted on by Eleri
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1 cup pecan pieces 
  • 1 Pie crust (I’m lazy, I get the pre-made 9 inch ones, and sometimes I blind bake it, sometimes I don’t!)

Oven @ 400
Beat eggs smooth
Heat honey & sugar together to form a smooth syrup, remove from heat.
Stir in butter & salt
Gradually stir in egg, then add vanilla and pecans, and let cool about 15 minutes.
Poor cooled mix into pie crust (Thawed if you didn’t blind bake, cooled if you did.)
Bake 10 minutes
Reduce heat to 325
Bake 30 min longer or until filling sets. Let cool. NOM!

OPTIONS:
Sub real maple syrup for the honey.
After mixing in vanilla and pecans, add 1/8 cup spiced rum.
Use the maple glaze from the cheesecake recipe, and pour it warm over a slice of pie.

Adapted from The American Everyday Cookbook, 1955. Pre corn syrup!

Maple Ginger Cheesecake

Posted on by Eleri
  • 2 cups crushed ginger snaps (crumbs) 
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter 
  • 24 oz (three packages) cream cheese at room temp 
  • 4 large eggs 
  • 1 cup REAL maple syrup 

Oven @ 350

Combine crumbs with butter, until well blended, then press into the bottom of a pie plate or springform pan, going about 1/2 way up the sides. Chill.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until smooth.

Beat in eggs one at a time just until blended, then mix in maple syrup.

Pour mixture into crust. BAKE for 45 to 55 minutes or until set nearly all the way to center.

Transfer to wire rack and let cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Optional: When you go to serve, pour on some Maple Ginger Cream Sauce!

1c maple syrup, 1/2 c heavy cream, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon grated ginger. Heat slowly to a boil, rolling boil for 2 minutes, reduce heat to low boil for another 3 minutes. Pour into a jar to cool.

Ginger Pear Bread

Posted on by Eleri

This came out a little chewy and dense (but tasty!) the first time I tried it. I think my baking powder is old.

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 c honey 
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 3 c flour
  • 2 tbs baking powder 
  • 1 tbs pie spice 
  • 1 tbs ginger powder or 2 tbs fresh grated ginger for more kick 
  • 2 cups diced very ripe pear (think banana bread mushy.) 

In small bowl mix diced pears and ginger, set aside

In second bowl, blend eggs, honey and butter until blended. Add pears, and beat until smooth.

In third bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry mix to wet gradually, beat until smooth (there will probably be chunks of butter. S’ok.) It should be thick batter consistency.

Fill greased and floured loaf pan 2/3 full; bake for 55 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Optional: Before pouring in pan, mix in 1/2 cup chopped nuts, or after pouring, sprinkle 1/4 crushed nuts on top.

Christmas Morning Quiche

Posted on by Eleri

 I make this every year, and sometimes Kris and I even get to have some before Vee inhales it 😉

  • 2 9 inch deep dish pie crusts
  • 6 eggs
  • 1lb thick bacon, diced
  • 1lb swiss cheese, grated. 
  • 1.5c diced onion
  • 2tbs diced garlic
  • 4tbs unsalted butter
  • 4tbs flour
  • 1c milk
  • 1tbs Penzey’s Tsar Dust spice mix

Preheat oven to 350

Fry bacon until almost crisp. Drain off some of the fat, and add diced onion. Reduce heat to low and slow cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent. Turn out onto paper towels to drain and cool. 

Separate eggs, beat whites until lightly fluffy, then mix in yolks. Set aside. 

Melt butter in saucepan until bubbly, then whisk in flour- keep mixing for about 3-4 minute so flour toasts nicely. Then gradually add milk, mixing to keep it nice and smooth. Add in spices and mix until well blended. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Once cool, slowly blend in egg mixture until blended. 
Put pie crusts on a cookie sheet. Trust me, this makes life much easier. Brush garlic over bottom of crusts. 
Divide bacon and onion mix between crusts. Top with swiss cheese. Slowly pour egg mix in, giving it time to settle into the nooks and crannies. 

Bake for 40 minutes, let cool before serving. 

I make this the night before, and warm it up on Christmas morning. It’s good cold, too. You can add veggies, or change up the cheese. It just has to fit into the pie crust 🙂

Chorizo Chilitot Casserole

Posted on by Eleri
  • 1 lb chorizo
  • 2 cans chili
  • 2 lb bag frozen tater tots
  • 2-4 cups grated cheddar (depending on your family’s cheese needs)

Oven @ 425

Layer the tots in a rectangular baking dish, about halfway full. Cook for 25 minutes or until crispy.

While tots are cooking, in saucepan cook ground ground choriso into crumbles (In my family this is called “graveling” your ground meat. o.O).

Drain the meat (because there will be so much grease, and possibly water content, too).

Add the cans of chili to the chorizo and mix over medium heat until well blended. Let simmer on low until the tots come out of the oven.

Pour chili over baked tots. Add a layer of cheese. At this time you can also add things like onions, chile peppers, fritos or other corn chips, whatever you put on chili.

Put back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Strawberry Curd Bread

Posted on by Eleri

I had leftover strawberry curd from making Eldest Offspring’s birthday cheesecake, so I made this with it. 

Preheat oven to 350, grease a loaf pan or muffin tins. 

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1c sugar
  • 2tbs honey
  • 3c strawberry curd
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 3c flour
  • 1tbs baking soda
  • 1tsp Penzey’s Pico Fruta

Mix dry ingredients in bowl and set aside. 

In mixer (or with hand mixer), blend egg , sugar and honey together until smooth. Mix in curd a cup at a time. Add in melted butter slowly and mix until well blended- will probably look lumpy/curdled, but it’s ok. 

Slowly add dry mix to wet, mixing on slow so flour doesn’t go flying everywhere. Mix until blended smooth. 

OPTIONAL: At this point you can mix in dried fruit or nuts. About 1c will do. 

Pour mix into greased pan, until 2/3 full. 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, check with skewer for doneness,  if still damp, check again in 10 min. Shouldn’t take more than an hour. 

Let sit for 30min-hour, then remove from pan. Regrease the pan, and bake any leftover batter 🙂