Jet Chef

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Today is National Chocolate Fondue Day!

Today is National Chocolate Fondue Day! Being that February is also the "Celebration of Chocolate" Month, this is a very fun day to celebrate!

(image from www.Epicurious.com, photo by: Pornchai Mittongtare)

This recipe from Epicurious for Chocolate and Coconut Cream Fondue sounds fantastic, and one that would be very romantic to do with your Valentine as well!

Chocolate and Coconut Cream Fondue
Bon Appétit December 2002

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Biscotti would be great for dipping, too.

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Assorted fresh fruit (such as whole strawberries, 1-inch-thick slices banana, 1-inch cubes peeled cored pineapple, and tangerine segments)

Preparation:

Combine sweetened cream of coconut and 12 ounces chocolate in heavy large saucepan. Stir mixture over very low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in whipping cream and extract. (Fondue can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover; store at room temperature. Stir over low heat to rewarm before serving.)

Transfer mixture to fondue pot. Place over candle or canned heat burner. Serve with fruit for dipping.

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Today is National Corn Chip Day!

Today is National Corn Chip Day! I love corn chips, really one of my few snack food weakness, and they are fantastic on top of nearly any kind of casserole (especially to make that said casserole more "kid friendly"!). I also love them on top of salads for some crunch, chili, soups, etc. A very versatile topping! But...not terribly low in fat, or calories, or sodium.

(image from www.foodmayhem.com)

Here is a recipe from Epicurious to make your own Corn Chips from home that are low-fat and you can control sodium levels by using other spices to give them some flavor and "kick"!

Low-Fat Chili Corn Chips
Bon Appétit July 2003

Ingredients:

6 5- to 6-inch corn tortillas
Canola oil
Salt, cumin, and chili powder, to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tortillas with canola oil. Stack tortillas and cut into 6 wedges. Spread wedges in single layer on baking sheet. Sprinkle chips with salt, cumin, and chili powder. Bake until crisp, about 12 minutes.

Then, you can use these, or store bought corn chips to make one of my favorite recipes (and entirely kid-friendly): Tamale Pie!

Tamale Pie
Epicurious January 1999
by Gail Glickman Horwood

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground chuck
2 cans of Mexicorn (sold at most supermarkets)
1 small can of cream-style corn
1/2 package of Cinch (or Jiffy) brand cornbread mix
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 medium package of Frito corn chips
8 oz red wine
salt, pepper, garlic
sliced black olives for garnish

Preparation:

Brown the onions, green pepper, and garlic. Add the meat and brown. Add the Mexicorn, tomato sauce, wine, chili powder, salt, pepper and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes. Place mixture in a casserole dish.

Make the topping with the cornbread mix, 1 cup of cream-style corn, 1/2 cup cheese, and milk to make runny. (Sometimes I add an egg.) Pour over the casserole and bake at 400°F for 35-45 minutes.

10 minutes before serving, sprinkle top with crushed Fritos and add the remaining cup of cheddar cheese. Garnish with sliced black olives.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Today is National Blueberry Pancake Day!

Today is National Blueberry Pancake Day! This is a perfect day for me, I am definitely a breakfast kind of gal. This is one great excuse to have breakfast all day long, in fact!

(image from www.prevention.com)

Here are two versions of Blueberry Pancakes, including a vegan recipe, both from Epicurious. Enjoy!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Bon Appétit July 2007
Elizabeth Horton de Meza

Yield: Makes about 12 pancakes
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Elizabeth likes to serve these with bacon. For the ultimate breakfast, she cooks the bacon first, pours off a bit of the grease, and cooks the pancakes in the same skillet.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
2 cups fresh blueberries
Pure maple syrup

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries.

Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup.

Moby's Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
Epicurious March 2008
Moby

Moby has been a practicing vegan for 20 years. He makes these vegan pancakes with organic ingredients, including lots of fresh berries, and serves vegan sausage alongside.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole-grain spelt flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups plain full-fat soy milk or rice and soy milk blend*
Vegetable oil for cooking
1 cup (1/2 pint) fresh blueberries or frozen, unthawed, plus 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries for serving
Maple syrup for serving

*Moby prefers EdenBlend, an organic rice and soy milk blend, because it has a neutral, not too sweet flavor. It's available in natural food stores and from edenfoods.com.

Preparation:

In medium bowl, stir together spelt flour, oat bran, wheat bran, baking soda, and salt. Add soy milk and stir until thoroughly combined.

Brush large nonstick or cast-iron griddle or skillet with oil and heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Working in 3 to 4 batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and press 12 to 15 blueberries into each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear and pop on surface and undersides are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip pancakes, then turn off heat and let pancakes continue to cook in pan until undersides are firm and light golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to plate, berry side up, and keep warm.

Repeat to cook remaining pancakes, oiling and reheating griddle between each batch. Serve pancakes warm with additional berries and maple syrup.