Bread Machine (224 page)
Makes about 1 cup
This tart, fresh fruit butter is good spread on
Tecate Ranch Whole Wheat
or
Cornmeal and Hominy Bread
.
1
/
2
cup fresh strawberries, stemmed
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1
/
2
teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Sprinkle the berries with the sugar and vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. In a food processor puree the berry mixture and butter, pulsing until just combined. Do not overprocess. Using plastic wrap to protect your hands, shape the butter mixture into a thick log. Wrap in clean plastic wrap and twist the ends. Refrigerate until firm, and slice to serve. Store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Makes about
1
/
2
cup
Serve this with
Toasted Walnut Bread
or
Bohemian Black Bread
.
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
Using a wooden spoon, an electric mixer, or a food processor, beat the butter and marmalade together, just until blended. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 month. For the best flavor, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
Makes about 2 cups
Serve thick chilled slices of this alongside
French Bread
or
Grissini
.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
One 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a blender or food processor puree all the ingredients until fluffy and smooth. Using plastic wrap to protect your hands, form the mixture into 2 logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and twist the ends. Store the logs in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 2 weeks. Slice the logs to serve.
Makes
1
/
2
cup
When you see the word “Provençal,” you should be tipped off that one of the ingredients in this recipe will be black olives. Serve this with your homemade dinner rolls.
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons chopped black olives
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, pressed
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or in a mixing bowl. Mix until evenly combined, and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the butter into a small serving bowl. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Makes 2 cups
This honey is quite addictive. It is a good way to use those old vanilla beans; if they are too shriveled to cut in half, chop them into 2-inch pieces. This honey is really nice in
Whipped Honey Butter
.
2 cups mild honey, such as clover or wildflower
1 vanilla bean, cut in half and split lengthwise
1 whole cinnamon stick 4-inches long
2 whole star anise
6 whole cloves
Heat the honey just until warm in a small saucepan on the stovetop, or in a bowl in the microwave. Place the spices in the bottom of a spring-top jar or crock with a lid, and pour the warm honey over the spices. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 1 week to meld the flavors. The honey will keep for 2 months at room temperature.
Makes 1
1
/
2
cups
This is an old British recipe, for spreading on toast or drizzling on bruschetta. Use sweet herbs, such as rosemary, lemon thyme, basil, marjoram, Spanish oregano, or lavender; but use only one type per jar.
1
1
/
2
cups mild honey
2 teaspoons chopped fresh herb of your choice
1 small whole sprig of same herb
Heat the honey just until warm in a small saucepan on the stovetop, or in a bowl in the microwave. Place the chopped herb in the bottom of a spring-top or clear jelly jar, pour the warm honey over it, and insert the herb sprig (it will look pretty, and will also help identify the type of honey). Tightly cap. Let the honey sit in the refrigerator for about 1 week to meld the flavors, turning the jar every other day (the herbs will float to the top). Scrape off the layer of herbs when the flavor of the honey is strong enough for you. Bring to room temperature before serving. The honey should be eaten within 3 weeks of being made.
Makes about 2 cups
Lemon curd is a perennial favorite and there is no comparison when it is homemade. I like my lemon curd on the tart side. I mix it in the food processor, which makes an emulsion and cuts down on the vigorous stirring normally required during cooking. The addition of fresh mint is a little surprise. This curd is a must with
English Muffins
.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 fresh mint leaves
Zest of 2 lemons, cut into strips
3
/
4
cup fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water.
Meanwhile, place the sugar and the mint leaves in the bowl of a food processor, and process until the mint leaves are very finely chopped. Add the lemon zest, and process until the ingredients are well combined and the zest is chopped. Add the lemon juice and eggs, and process until a thick emulsion is formed, about 20 seconds.
Pour the mixture into the hot butter, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Cook over simmering water, on medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, a full 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the curd into a glass jar and let cool before storing in the refrigerator. Lemon curd should be used within 1 month.
Makes about 2 cups
The small, plump raspberry is considered the most intensely flavored of all berries. Raspberries are very fragile and mix quickly into room temperature cream cheese to use as an alternative to raspberry jam.
8 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
1
/
4
cup fresh raspberries or unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon framboise or other raspberry liqueur
Using a wooden spoon, an electric mixer, or a food processor, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the berries, sugar, and liqueur. Beat until all the ingredients are just combined. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate over night. Use within 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften before serving.
Serves about 20
This is a wonderful almond and dried fruit cheese torta for special events, as beautiful as it is delicious. Pasqua or Pashka is from the Greek word pasha, which means “to pass over.” Pasqua cheese is one of the most traditional of Greek Orthodox Easter foods, served with sweet bread like kulich or babka. This recipe is adapted from one served at Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate near Scottsdale, Arizona, to entertain his staff, students, and guests at Easter. It was a family recipe of his Slavic wife, Olgivanna. I like this version because it does not contain raw egg yolks, a traditional ingredient. The mold that you use is important because the cheese needs to be able to drain properly. I like to use a cone-shaped chinois mesh strainer, since it has a planed tip like the traditional Greek mold, but you can also use a mesh or metal colander, or a new terra-cotta flowerpot lined with plastic wrap beneath the cheesecloth, a hole poked in the bottom of the plastic for drainage.
2
/
3
cup sugar
2 ounces (a heaping
1
/
3
cup) blanched almonds
1
/
2
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter