THE VAMPIRE(S) BALL(S)

Remember our friends max and sophia from Monday's post?  Like any good (or bad) vampire, or lover of vampires, they love nothing more than a masked ball.  Vampires tend to dress up, and as you know max and sophia are naturally dramatic, beautiful, and fond of the grand gesture, so..........it's off to the VENICE CARNIVAL.

Vamps tend to have very clear coloring.  They either have black, platinum or bright red hair, no mousy brown/blond, and they have bright clear eyes, often blue.

The Venice carnival is the perfect place for a vampire to blend in with the crowd.

Classic vampire colors, shades of red and gold.

I wonder how heavy these headresses are.

 And now because we can't leave a vampire with just one ball.......I give you.....
       BLEEDING TRUFFLES (ALSO KNOWN AS VAMPIRE'S BALLS).*

Our assembled ingredients.

Chopping the chocolate.

Stirring in the heated cream.

This is exactly what I thought a Vampire's ball would look like.

Two Vampires balls.

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup red jam
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

• Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl.
• Place the cream in a small saucepan and scald it until bubbles begin to appear, but do not allow it to boil.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to soften and melt the chocolate while you gently stir.
• Add the vanilla and stir until well combined, but do not stir too vigorously or you will incorporate air bubbles.
• Cover the truffle mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to mold, about 2/3 hours.
• This part is messy!  Coat your hands with cocoa powder.  Using a spoon or scoop, scoop out a small ball of chocolate.  Flatten between your palms until it is a thin round.  If chocolate is too soft chill further until it is easier to work with.
• Place a tiny spoonful of jam in the center, and fold the truffle over the jam to cover it completely, shaping into a ball.  Roll in the cocoa powder.

Once all balls are formed, refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.

* This recipe is courtesy of About.com.

Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON PIE - RETRO RECIPE

 After the fiasco of our last retro recipe (crab corn casserole) I knew I needed a sure thing.  Dessert seemed like the logical answer - after all who doesn't love pie?  and chocolate? So for today's retro recipe I give you chocolate chiffon pie.
 The recipe comes from my 1966 Better and Homes and Gardens Pies and Cakes cookbook.

We will be making the pie pictured in the top right corner.  Look closely because you will not be seeing anything else that looks remotely like this picture.

Our assembled ingredients.  I can't believe I actually purchased REAL milk and COOL WHIP!  It's been years I tell ya.

At this point I was wondering if I was actually making a chiffon pie or a mud pie.

Another reason to love pie.  The crust is sooo pretty.

After I added the cool whip to the chocolate mixture.

 Tell me this is not completely gorgeous!  I know it doesn't look anything like the picture in the cookbook, but still......right?

 On to the recipe with my changes in red.

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON PIE

1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (I used 3 squares because, hey, more chocolate is more chocolate)
2 2-once packages dessert topping mix (huh?) or 2 cups whipping cream (I couldn't possible be expected to buy cows milk and cream could I?  No.  So, I substituted 2 cups of cool whip instead)
1 baked 9 -inch pastry shell
1 bag of HEATH toffee bits (because toffee bits are always a good idea - right?)

Combine gelatin, sugar, and dash salt (oops, I left this out) in sauce pan.  Add milk; cut chocolate in small pieces and add.  Cook and stir over medium heat till gelatin is dissolved and chocolate is melted.  (Mixture will be chocolate flecked.)  Chill, stirring occasionally, (I did this every 15 minutes for about an hour) till mixture mounds.  Prepare dessert topping mix according to package directions or whip cream (see above).  Fold into gelatin mixture.  Pile into cooled pastry Shell.  Chill till firm.  If desired, trim with additional whipped cream or chocolate curls (toffee bits to the rescue.)

Braxton, who is not  much of a dessert person, really liked this pie.  SCORE!

The plate I chose for this picture is our wedding china, which I use fairly often.  Did YOU choose china when you were married?  Do you use it often?  If you are single, do you anticipate choosing wedding china? 

Have a beautiful weekend everyone. 

Enjoy your chocolate chiffon pie!

YANCEY

DEVILED CORN AND CRAB CASSEROLE - THE UGLY TRUTH

Have you ever attempted to make a dish from a beautifully photographed cookbook?  Did your dish look anything like their dish?  No, and it never will because cookbook publishers employ stylists whose job it is to make the food beautiful.  This is achieved with perfect lighting, food shellac, sometimes glue, oh and they don't really cook the food they just brown it so it looks done, sort of.

The good news is that your dish tastes better.  Theirs, you can't actually eat.

Last night I made a dish from my 1969 Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cookbook - Deviled Corn and Crab.

This was my end result.  Just kidding.  This is the work of the food stylist. 

 Let's begin.

Our assembled ingredients, with my substitutions, more on that later.

Holy cats this is embarrassing.  This is what the casserole looked like after I cooked it and before I added the cracker crumbs.  This is also about the time I considered ordering Chinese take-out.

After the cracker crumbs were blackened browned in the oven.  Still looks nothing like the photograph.

OK, time for the garnish (mid century cooks just loved their garnishes).  You may have noticed that I didn't garnish with hard boiled  egg wedges because obviously that's just gross.  For some reason I thought chopped green chillies would be just the thing to make my casserole beautiful/attractive/passable less disgusting.

Here it is on the plate.  I know.

 I think we can all agree that Deviled Corn and Crab Casserole was a total failure, visually, but how did it taste?  Well, actually it was good.  Quite good.  I'm actually looking forward to leftovers tonight.
If I make this dish again, and I probably will, I'll substitute tuna or smoked salmon for the crab which didn't really stand up to the corn.  Also, next time I'll not boil the eggs but add them uncooked and hopefully the whole thing will be more like cornbread rather than this gelatinous mess.
Please don't let my photos turn you off to this recipe.  Braxton and I agreed that this dish was worth making and worth making again. Take that food stylists, ha!

DEVILED CORN AND CRAB CASSEROLE (WITH MY CHANGES IN BLUE)

1/4 CUP BUTTER
2 TABLESPOONS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR (I USED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR)
1 TEASPOON PREPARED MUSTARD
1 TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE (I USED LIME JUICE)
1/2 TEASPOON WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
1/2 TEASPOON MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (??? ARE YOU KIDDING???)
1/2 TEASPOON SALT (I LEFT THIS OUT BECAUSE BRAXTON HAS A CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SALT SHAKER)
DASH PEPPER
(I ADDED A DASH OF ONION POWDER AND CHOPPED GREEN CHILIES HERE)
1/2 CUP MILK (SOY MILK)
1 71/2 OUNCE CAN CRAB MEAT, FLAKED
2 HARD-COOKED EGGS, CHOPPED
1 1-LB CAN WHOLE KERNEL CORN, DRAINED
1 1-LB CAN CREAM-STYLE CORN
1/2 CUP GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
1/2 CUP CRACKER CRUMBS (I USED WHOLE WHEAT RITZ CRACKERS)

IN SAUCEPAN MELT THE BUTTER; STIR IN FLOUR, MUSTARD, WORCESTERSHIRE, LEMON JUICE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (!!) , SALT, AND PEPPER.  ADD MILK ALL AT ONCE; COOK AND STIR TILL MIXTURE THICKENS AND BUBBLES.  REMOVE FROM HEAT; CAREFULLY STIR IN CRAB MEAT, EGGS, WHOLE KERNEL CORN, AND CREAM-STYLE CORN.
SPOON INTO A 1 1/2-QUART (LIGHTLY GREASED) CASSEROLE; SPRINKEL CHEESE AND CRACKER CRUMBS OVER TOP.  (I BAKED THE DISH FOR 30 MINUTES, THEN TOPPED WITH CHESSE AND CRACKER CRUMBS FOR THE LAST 15 MINUTES)  BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 45 MINUTES OR TILL HEATED THROUGH.  GARNISH WITH HARD-COOKED EGG WEDGES AND OLIVE SLICES.  (I USED CHOPPED GREEN CHILIES). 
MAKES 6 SERVINGS.

Be brave, I really do think you'll like it.
Have a beautiful day.
Yancey

Mint Julep recipe

In yesterdays post I mentioned how much Braxton and I enjoyed the mint juleps at the Williamsburg Inn.  Hands down the best cocktail ever!  I've tried to find the recipe from the Inn, and no such luck, but I did find the following recipe in my dogeared/splattered/all around disgusting copy of The Joy of Cooking.  Enjoy!

Mint Julep

Combine in a bar glass:
2 teaspoons simple syrup (recipe to follow)
6 medium -sized mint leaves
1 dash angostura bitters

Bruise leaves gently with muddler and blend all ingredients by stirring together.*  Pour into bar glass:
1 large jigger bourbon whisky
stir again.  Pack pre-chilled glass with ice and strain into  the above mixture.  With a bar spoon, churn ice up and down.  Add more ice to within 3/4 inch of top.  Add:
1 pony whisky
Repeat churning process until glass begins to frost.  Wash and partially dry:
a long sprig of fresh mint and dip it in powdered sugar.
Decorate glass with the sugared mint sprig.  Insert long straws and serve.

Simple syrup
Boil for 5 minutes 1 part water to 2 parts sugar, or half as much water as sugar.  Keep the syrup in a bottle, refrigerated, and use it as needed.

*Ms. Joy of Cooking doesn't mention this, but our bartender at the W'burg Inn, took the fresh mint and rubbed it along the inside of the glass with his fingers! 

Oh joy Oh bliss!

Have a beautiful day.
Yancey

Retro Recipe - Petite Peach Pies

This weeks retro recipe comes from another of my BH and G collection.  I do believe several of my childhood birthday cakes came from this book. 

Now that my chix have flown the coup ( at least temporarily) I rarely make desserts, but this was just too tempting.

Lets see if we can transport ourselves to a "fine french restaurant".

Our assembled ingredients.

OK, I know I said once before that I try to avoid prepared foods, but here I go again,  all my values right out the window for a pretty french tart!

This mess is the gelatin dissolving in water.

Boiling the preserves.

Don't these look like the most gorgeous egg yolks?  They are actually peach halves being drained.

The preserves are spooned over the peach halves.

Zee lovely cherries on top.

Just showing off my mad photography skills.

The recipe with my notes in blue:

Petite Peach Pies

• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 12-ounce jar (1 cup) apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup cream sherry
• 1 1-lb 13-oz can peach halves, well drained ( I could only find peach halves in sugar syrup, so not only did I drain them well but I rinsed them in water first)
• 8 baked 31/2 inch pastry shells
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped (am I the only one with an aversion to whipped cream?)

Soften gelatin in cold water.  Head preserves to boiling; add gelatin; stir to dissolve.  Add sherry.  Cool till slightly thickened.  Place peach half, cut side down, in tart shell.  Spoon preserve mixture over.  Chill.  Serve with whipped cream (or not) and a stemmed maraschino cherry.

So, were we transported to a fine french restaurant as promised?  Not so much.  Was it good kitchy fun? Oui.
Actually I think this would be quite good if one left out the pastry shells all together, and sliced the peaches, added the preserve mixture and spooned the whole thing over vanilla ice cream.  Better. Much better.
If you try this, please let me know how it goes.  Also if you have a retro recipe you'd like me to try, please send it along.
Have a beautiful day.
Yancey

RETRO RECIPE - Hawaiian Shrimp Platter





Lately I've been collecting a series of cookbooks published by Better Homes and Gardens in the 60's.  Actually, I believe these books continue to be published today, but, I'm only interested in the ones from that decade.  My mom must have had everyone of these books, but alas, when she died I did not get a single one of her cookbooks, which is why I collect them now.  I have been able to find them easily, they were apparently quite popular, and I've never spent more than $5.00 for one.

Last night for dinner I made this recipe. It was really quite good, and very easy.  I love the mention of "a touch of the orient". 

Gasp!  Does anyone else write in their cookbooks?  I find it's really helpful when you make changes, as I do frequently.

The assembled ingredients

The shrimp ready to go in the oven.

Chopping one whole onion.

Slicing one whole green pepper.

Saute onion and pepper in olive oil. That's the rice cooking on the back burner.

Arranging the rice on the platter.

Arranging the vegs on top of the rice.

After the shrimp has been arranged around the rice and vegs.

This recipe includes two things I almost never use; processed food - in this case the breaded shrimp - and white sugar, which I left out.  Braxton and I agreed it would have been just as good or better had I used fresh shrimp which I probably would have sauteed in a little olive oil.
As you are about to see I made quite a few changes to the recipe.  I try to make things healthier usually by adding more vegs than are called for and less fat and sugar.
We thought this dish made a nice presentation, and was so tasty that I'm pretty sure I'll make it again with the unbreaded shrimp, also, it made for a fairly inexpensive meal.  What's not to love?

The recipe with my changes in blue.

HAWAIIAN SHRIMP PLATTER

• 1 10-ounce package frozen breaded shrimp
• 1/2 cup chopped onion / I used one whole onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper / I used one whole green pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine /I used olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar / I left out the sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons vinegar / I used rice vinegar just because that's what I had
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce/ I used low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1-lb 41/2 ounce can pineapple tid-bits/ I used a 8 ounce can*
• 2 cups hot cooked rice/ I used brown rice **

Cook shrimp according to package directions.  Set aside, keeping shrimp warm.  I waited and cooked the shrimp so that it would be ready at the last minute.
Cook chopped onion and green pepper in butter (olive oil) till tender but not brown.  Combine sugar (left out) cornstarch, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Stir into onion mixture.  Drain pineapple, reserving syrup.  Add syrup to onion mixture.  Cook and stir till mixture thickens and boils; cook 1 minute longer.  Stir in pineapple; heat to boiling.  Serve over rice, with the shrimp.  Serves 4.

* The dole company sure did a great job of selling canned pineapple to mid century housewives.  So many recipes of that era called for this "exotic" ingredient.
** I always cook my rice in organic chicken broth.  It's sooo much better.

Enjoy!
Yancey