Elle's New England Kitchen

 

Time for the monthly Royal Foodie Joust!  What’s the Joust, you ask?  It’s a monthly contest started by Jenn, The Leftover Queen.  Who also runs The Foodie BlogRoll.  And if you have a food blog and haven’t joined yet, what are you waiting for?  They have giveaways happening all the time, and all you need to do to enter is join the BlogRoll.  Plus, there are forums that are a great way to network, meet other bloggers, and find lots of great information.  So get on over there and check it all out!

Last month’s Joust was won by Peter and Christey at http://fotocuisine.com/, and they won with their entry for Almond Crusted Asparagus Rolls with Lemongrass Hollandaise.  How amazing does that look?   Well, everything they have posted does, right? 

 

The winner of each Joust gets to choose the three ingredients for the next Joust.  And this time, instead of choosing specific ingredients, Peter and Christey chose Red, White, and Green.  I loved this idea, because it leaves the Joust wide open to interpretation.  Feeling sweet, savory, traditional or daring?  Doesn’t matter—as long as you use some red, white and green.

This past Saturday, I was having a short chat with Michele, at Life, Lightly Salted.  She’s a real sweetheart and has an outstanding blog, so please go and say hello to her.  We were talking about ice cream, and she was saying she was going to try making some avocado ice cream.  I swear, I almost saw the light bulb go off over my head.   I love guacamole, and what if I could make avocado ice cream, but make it look like the dip I love so much? 

It all fell into place.  Since I’d always wanted to try avocado ice cream, I knew this would be fun—plus my ice cream maker was growing far too lazy.  I decided to use diced strawberries instead of tomatoes, shredded coconut in place of diced white onion, and mint would stand in for cilantro.

I used a basic recipe for the ice cream from Alton Brown.  You just can’t go wrong with his recipes.  I didn’t let the mixture chill for 4-6 hours, though.  More like 30-40 minutes, and I had no problems.  Damn my lack of patience!  And toward the end of the cycle, I tossed in a few small handfuls of coconut, and about 6 large diced strawberries.  I almost forgot the mint until my husband reminded me.  Whew!  I’d have hated to have forgotten that.  I just folded that in myself and them tossed it all in the freezer to set better.

I should have taken a photo before scooping some out, though, because when it was in the container, it looked just like guacamole!  My daughter came in and said, “gross, mom, that ice cream looks like guacamole!”  Good!  that’s what I was going for!  ;)

My “tortilla chips” would be played by shortbread cookies.  This recipe is from my grandmother, and we made it almost every year for Christmas.  The cookies are so pretty with red and green sugar on them.  We usually make them into individual cookies, but since I was trying to get the tortilla chip thing going, I split the dough into two portions, and patted it out into two circles on a parchment lined sheet.  Lightly score the dough into wedges, then bake.  After baking, you can separate the wedges.  (They take a little longer to bake this way—about 10 extra minutes.  they should feel set on the top.)  I know, most shortbread recipes don’t use any eggs, but I adore this recipe.  They seem lighter, and not so heavy.

Mom's Shortbread Cookies

To print this recipe, click here.

This is my mom's tried and true shortbread recipe. She got it from my grandmother. These are great any time of year, but especially nice for Christmas gifts. You can sprinkle them with green or red sugar before baking. The flavor of these cookies improves with age, so make them a few days before you plan to give them away.

2 cups    flour  
1 cup    butter, softened  
1/2 tsp    baking powder  
1/2 cup    sugar  
1    egg  
1    fresh lemon rind, of grated 

 

 
Sift flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. 
Cream butter, add sugar slowly, mixing well. 
Mix in egg and lemon rind. 
Add flour/baking powder mixture, mix in well. 
Shape into balls about the size of a golf ball, place on pan, flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. 
Bake at 300° for 15 to 20 minutes, just until a bit golden on the edges. 
These last well if kept in a tightly covered container, and actually taste even better after a day or two as the flavors develop.

Yield: 48-60 cookies
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 30 minutes

 

And that’s it—that’s my entry for this month’s Royal foodie Joust.   Wish me luck!  And avocado ice cream?  Let’s just say it’ll be in regular rotation this summer.   Because, yum!       

 

Jenn, The Leftover Queen. The Foodie Blogroll. The Royal Foodie Joust. This cupcake recipe.


These four things are all connected. Jenn is not only The Leftover Queen, she's also the Queen of the Foodie Blogroll. And every month on the blogroll forums, we have the Royal Foodie Joust. For each joust, three ingredients are chosen, and members that want to participate come up with dishes using them. This month's joust has a Caribbean theme, and the prize up for grabs is a Caribbean cookbook! If you haven't joined the Foodie Blogroll, yet, what are you waiting for?


The three ingredients for this month are rice, coconut, and bananas. I had quite a few ideas knocking around my head, but this is the one that came to be. Banana cupcakes are great, but what about Bananas Foster Cupcakes? With mashed up Bananas Foster instead of plain old bananas? And oooh, buttercream frosting topped with toasted coconut? Yeah... And the rice shows up in the form of brown rice flour.




Yep! I made Bananas Foster--first time ever. It was extremely easy, and so delicious. And yes, we took a couple of bites, then I mashed it all up for the cupcakes! Well, I did save the sauce. I wasn't sure what for, until I was making the buttercream. It was meant to be. Caramelized brown sugar, rum and spices--poured into the icing, along with a nice dose of salt. Perfect!


I'll get to the recipes, because there are three--but they're all very simple! The cupcake recipe is adapted from a recipe passed along to me by one of my best friends, Shaye. Here it is, with my changes:



Bananas Foster Cupcakes
makes about 17 cupcakes

To print this recipe, click here!


1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 recipe for Bananas Foster, bananas mashed, sauce set aside
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in bananas, then eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt and add alternately with buttermilk to mixture.
6. Beat just until blended.
7. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
8. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
9. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.




Bananas Foster
recipe adapted from Alton Brown

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tbsp water
4 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup light rum

Isn't that cool? This was done under the supervision of Fire Marshall Bill, aka my husband.


Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat.
Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir
until sugar dissolves.
Add water and bring sauce to simmer.
Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking.
Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish.
Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum.
If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own.
If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency.
Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Or smash up to make cupcakes!





Bananas Foster Buttercream
adapted from Gale Gand

The added salt in this really adds a nice touch and cuts the sweetness.

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
sauce from Bananas Foster


In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter.
Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and sauce and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more.



Make your Bananas Foster, bake your cupcakes, make the frosting, toast some coconut, and you're all set! These are really delicious. If you don't want to use the rice flour, go ahead and use whatever you prefer. The cupcakes themselves aren't sweet at all, so the big old heaping pile of icing is very nice, not to mention the toasted coconut!



And that's my entry for this month's Royal Foodie Joust. Check out my past winning recipe--it was my first joust ever, too!

The Royal Foodie Joust, that is. We get three ingredients every month, which are chosen by the previous month's winner. Last month, Kittie from Kittens in the Kitchen won, and her ingredient choices were whole grains, ginger and citrus. And if you haven't joined The Foodie Blogroll yet, have a look around! It's a great, supportive community of foodies. And word on the street is that Jenn, the Queen, is about to launch an entirely new site packed with good stuff. (ok...not on "the street." I read it in the blogroll forum. I can't lie to you guys. I don't get out enough to hear things on the street. Except maybe "Mom, I dropped my gum, but don't worry, it won't make a mess. I put it back in my mouth." eek! Or the always classic--and loud, "Mom!! I farted, hahaha!!!!")

Whole Grains (or at least they have to start out whole)
Ginger
Citrus

My mind flew in a dozen different directions. Sweet, savory, savory, sweet. I have a list of things I wanted to make. I actually made two things to enter, and had to think for about a week before I could decide which to post. I'm very happy with both, and will eventually post the other one, but this one is still knocking my socks off. They keep very well in the fridge, and make a great little chocolatey fix when you need one. They're really fudgey/fudgy (Merriam Webster, I need you--call me!) and have hints of orange and ginger. And since they're made with oat flour, I can almost fool myself into thinking they're good for me. Almost.



Ginger Orange Brownies with Ganache Topping

1 (1/2 cup) stick butter
4 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup oat flour *
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp orange zest

Ganache Topping

4 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp orange zest

*Making your own oat flour is so easy! Take rolled or quick oats and whiz them in a food processor or a blender until they look ground and...floury. That's it! Who knew? (Use about 1 1/4 cups of oats to make one cup oat flour.)



Heat oven to 325°.
Line an 8x8 pan with parchment or foil--leave some overlapping on the sides, and then grease.
In a medium pan, melt the butter and chocolate.
Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients--but not the ganache stuff!
Bake 28-30 minutes, but don't over bake.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then pull them out using the foil or parchment and finish
cooling them on a cooling rack.

Make the Ganache:

Put the chocolate in a bowl.
Heat the cream just to a simmer--don't let it boil!
Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two, then stir until smooth and all the chocolate has melted.
Stir in orange zest.


Put the brownies, still in the foil or parchment, back in the baking pan.
Pour the ganache over the cooled brownies and spread it out over the top.
Cool in the fridge until ganache has firmed up.
Remove from the pan again and cut into squares.
Store in fridge. I like to take one and let it sit out for a minute or two to soften up a bit, but they're still good right out of the fridge.

Buffalo Wings--really good. Oven Baked Buffalo Wings--even better. Oven Baked MANGO Buffalo Wings with Mango Cream Dipping Sauce? I think I could eat these every single day.

This is my entry for the Royal Foodie Joust sponsored by The Leftover Queen. April's winner is Michelle at Thursday Night Smackdown. These are both great blogs that I hope you'll all check out. Michelle got to choose the three required ingredients for the current joust, and she chose mango, brown sugar, and cardamom. Great choices, right?

Update: I won the Joust! I'm very excited, and a big thank you all of you that voted, and commented here on my blog. Thank you!



I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do. There's lots of sweet choices, but also lots of savory ones. What I came up with is a little of both. The wings are spicy, with a hint of mango, and while oven baked, still nice and crispy. The dipping sauce is perfect alongside the wings. It's cool, creamy, fresh tasting and a little sweet.

Some of you may remember my post on Oven Baked Hooters Style Wings. I knew this was the cooking method I wanted to use for these wings. I thought I could add pureed mango to the Frank's Hot Sauce that the wings get coated in. It worked really well! And even better, it really cut down on the amount of butter in the sauce!

And we'll need something cool and creamy to offset the spicy wings, won't we? Well what if we mix pureed mango with sour cream, add some lime and a bit of brown sugar and cardamom? Yeah, that works! And it helps that it's lick-the-bowl delicious! I'm already thinking of other ways to use this sauce...

I used three mangoes (the last three in the store!) for these two recipes, which was about two cups when pureed.


Mango Buffalo Wings

20 chicken wings
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce (or another hot sauce, if you prefer)
1/2 cup pureed mango
1/4 cup melted butter or canola oil

Heat oven to 400°. In a large ziptop bag, combine flour and dry spices.
Add the wings to the bag, seal, and toss to coat.
Place the wings on a plate and chill in the fridge for about 30-35 minutes.
In a bowl, mix the pureed mango and hot sauce. Stir in melted butter or oil.

Carefully dip each wing in the sauce, turning to coat. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, covered with foil and lightly greased.
Bake for 40 minutes, carefully turning the wings halfway through cooking time. When the wings are done, remove them from the pan and put them on a cooling rack to prevent them from getting soggy.


Serve with Mango Lime Cream.


Mango Lime Cream Dipping Sauce

Makes approx 2 cups.

1 1/2 cups pureed mango
1/2 cup sour cream
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tsp brown sugar
3/8 tsp cardamom

Add all ingredients to food processor or blender and process until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.



I have to add that my husband and I just loved these. He's not hard to please, but I can tell when he doesn't like something...he's quiet and politely eats. When he loves something he's eating, he's very vocal and keeps telling me how much he loves it, which he did with these wings. And that sauce is perfect with these. It's cool and creamy, and wonderful for cutting the heat of the wings. I'd suggest giving each person they're own little bowl, because there's going to be lots of double dipping going on, hehe. Not only did he clean his wing bones, but he was sure to get every last drop of the mango lime sauce that he had. And he was looking to see if I had any left to give him. I was feeling nice and tossed him an extra wing, hehe.