Olivewood Kitchen

Classic Chocolate Lava Cakes

 

 

         Eeek, it’s Valentine’s Day! Again?! How did that happened? Are you trying to figure out last minute what to make since you didn’t make reservations? If your sweetie loves chocolate, make this. It’s decadent, delicious and perfect for a special night. It only takes a few minutes to put together and less than 10 minutes to bake. Hoorah!

         A few notes: This recipe (courtesy of the NY Times), is for a cake that is plated. You essentially gingerly un-mold the cake by inverting the ramekin on plate. I, personally, can’t handle the pressure of the cake getting stuck and then ripping apart, so I kept the cake in the ramekin. (The cute ramekins made that decision even easier.) So don’t sweat it if you don’t want to shake out those little cakes. Enjoy!

                                                                Chocolate Lava Cakes

                                                                        Serves four

 

½ cup unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering

4oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

4 eggs

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons flour, plus extra for dusting

pinch of salt

4 4oz ramekins

 

Pre-heat oven to 450°.

Melt chocolate, butter, and salt together. If you aren’t using chocolate chips, chop up the chocolate in small pieces.

Add two eggs into a bowl or mixer. Divide the other two eggs and retain the yolks. Add the  yolks to the other eggs.

Add sugar and beat until mixture is light and thick.

Add egg mixture and 2 teaspoons of flour to the melted chocolate and mix until combined.

Butter the ramekins well and then flour. Tap out any excess flour.

Divide the batter between the ramekins. (You could fill them during the day and then bring them to room temperature before baking.)

Place ramekins on a rimmed baking tray and bake for 7-9 minutes.

The cake will puff a little and the middles shouldn’t be set. (Hence the lava)

Once the cake cools for a minute, you could try to invert the ramekin on a plate to un-mold the cake. Or don’t and leave in the ramekin.

Serve immediately with fresh berries and whipped cream if desired.

Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail

         Is 2016 almost over? Thank god, we only have a few more hours and then we can put this year in our rearview and drive on. So let’s drink up!

         Need an easy cocktail recipe for your party tonight? Did you make too much cranberry sauce over the holidays and don’t know what to do with it? This recipe is for you.

         Every year I always make too much cranberry sauce. I try to use all of it, but given that I haven’t thought too much about varying applications, I always end up with some leftover. After thanksgiving the idea came to me to make a cocktail using cranberry sauce. Now, to be specific, this sauce should be homemade and not jelly from a can. (Homemade cranberry sauce is easy! If you haven’t made it, this is what you do: Take one bag of fresh cranberries and rinse them. Pick over the cranberries and take out any bad ones or twigs. Boil one cup of water and one cup of sugar. Once the sugar dissolves add the cleaned cranberries and simmer until the cranberries burst. Cool before serving. Easy!)

         The cocktail is tart, not too sweet and pretty. Well, handsome would be a better word. It looks like a holiday in a glass. The rosemary adds a wintry and earthy element. Perfect for the start of a new year. Have a happy and healthy new year everyone! Enjoy!

                                             Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail

                                                          Makes one cocktail

2 Tbs  homemade cranberry sauce

2 oz     vodka

seltzer

ice

sprig of rosemary

 

 

Add cranberry sauce to a high ball.

Add vodka and then ice.

Top with seltzer, stir and add rosemary sprig.

Enjoy.

Irish Poet

     It is the end of May and yes, it is the start of summer. Cocktail time!

    I bought this rose syrup last year thinking it would be nice in cocktails and seltzer. I love rose anything, but I was nervous the syrup would be too flowery. Luckily it wasn’t and is delicious. It is light and delicate, perfect for drinks of any kind. The company that makes it is called Royal Rose Syrups. They are located in Brunswick, Maine. You can find more of their syrups on their website here: www.royalrosesyrups.com. I believe they used to be out of Brooklyn and that’s why they have a Brooklyn phone number.

     On the bottle of rose syrup is a recipe for a cocktail called an Irish Poet. (What a great name right?) And let me tell you, it’s a wonderful drink. It’s refreshing, delicious and not too sweet. Since the base of the drink is iced tea, it is perfect for summer. I also appreciate that there are few ingredients: Iced black tea, lemon juice, the rose syrup and whiskey. You can easily make up a pitcher before your guests come over for your barbeque.

         Summer here we come! Enjoy-

 

Irish Poet

serves one

 

2 oz whiskey (Irish whiskey if you have it)

¾ oz Royal Rose Rose syrup

½ oz lemon juice, fresh

cold black tea

 

I used earl grey for this recipe, but use whatever black tea you like.

You can either add the whiskey, syrup and lemon juice to a shaker and then strain into a highball glass with ice and top with the tea

OR

Add whiskey, syrup, lemon juice to a highball and stir. Add ice and top with tea. Stir again.

Either way it’s delicious. Enjoy!

Kale Chips

 

         Kale. It’s everywhere isn’t it? Kale this, kale that, kale, kale, kale! Well, as I am sure you all know, kale is very good for you. It is low in calories and is full of good stuff like: protein, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium. It is definitely not a slouch in the health department. Kale is legitimate.

         I like kale not only for being a nutritional powerhouse, but because you can use it in a variety of ways. Since kale has a tough texture it can stand up to soups, stews and pasta. For this reason you can make chips out of them. Chips? Yes, I know it doesn’t make sense. Why make something healthy into a potentially non-healthy snack. I’ll tell you why: most people are sick of kale. I mean who does this plant think it is? Does it have to be snuck into everything we eat? Must we stuff our fridges with endless bunches of kale only for them to turn yellow and then have to throw them out? When and how does all this madness end? It doesn’t. Kale isn’t going anywhere. It has been around for 2000 years. Yes, recently it has become part of our popular culture. There are bumper stickers, sweatshirts, websites and hashtags dedicated to it, but that doesn’t mean its fifteen minutes are up. No, not for a vegetable that for some cultures the name is used to say “meal”. I mean, I even bought one of those kale sweatshirts. Why? I have no idea. I probably had too many glasses of wine and suddenly a “kale” sweatshirt seemed necessary. Ironically it is too small for me to wear. I guess I should be eating more kale.

         Ok, we have established this plant isn’t going anywhere. So, what do we do? Slather it with oil and make chips of course! And don’t worry they aren’t bad for you. Did you know that you need fat to help the body absorb nutrients? Fat is also needed for healthy brain function.

         These chips are very tasty if you take the time to make them correctly. (Which isn’t hard as you will see below) They should be like air. They will be so light, crispy and delicious that you will be shocked you have eaten that enormous bunch of kale you thought you would never get around to eating. It’s a miracle! But really, make these chips the next time people come over and serve them with your other cocktail nibbles. People will be surprised at how much they like them. Enjoy!

 

 

Kale Chips

Makes 2 baking sheets

1 bunch kale, torn into large pieces

4 teaspoons olive oil

kosher salt

 

 

Preheat oven to 325º

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Depending on the size of your bunch, you should have enough for two baking sheets worth.

Tear the kale into large pieces. Be sure to remove the leaves off of the large woody stems.

Rinse the pieces (leaves) and dry with paper towel.

Make sure you dry the pieces very well.

Add half of the bunch to a large bowl or directly on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

Massage oil into kale. This step is very important.

You want to cover each leaf with the oil, top to bottom.

Spread the kale out over the baking sheet. It should be in one layer and not too crowded.

If you have too much, take some kale off.

Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 10 minutes and then turn pan around and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

The chips should be fully baked, crispy and light as air.

Repeat with the rest of the kale.

Eat immediately.

Hot Toddy

 

         I think it is safe to say that hot toddy weather has finally come to the East. Snowmageddon has come and left a snowy winter land in her wake. (Or slush filled nightmare depending on where you are.) In either case we all deserve a hot toddy to come home to. Do you have a cold? The beginnings of a cold? This beverage is perfect for that. Are you just cold? Then you need to drink one of these.

         Hot toddies couldn’t be easier to make. The basis of this drink is hot water, liquor and some sweetness. Though I have seen recipes that don’t even add sugar. (Rough!) This toddy is an amalgam of previous ones that I have had. I took the elements that I liked the best and kept them. All you need is boiling water, lemon, whole cloves, honey and whiskey.  I think whiskey works well, but brandy or bourbon could also be used.

         So snuggle down by the fire with a good book and enjoy.

 

                                                                     Hot Toddy

                                                                     serves one

2 oz whiskey

1 lemon slice

4-6 cloves, whole

honey, spoonful

boiling water

 

Put some water on to boil.

Push the cloves through the lemon slice

Add the lemon slice to the mug and add a spoonful of honey.

Add the whiskey.

Top off with boiling water and stir.

(if you have more than one toddy, keep the previous lemon slice in the mug and add another.)

Enjoy

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

• 

        It’s been a long time since I have been able to post anything.  Time has just flown by. I was pregnant all this year and working full time until my due date.  It really isn’t an excuse not to write, but it is the only excuse I have. In late August I gave birth to a happy and healthy baby girl. Life has been full and wonderful, but certain things have been pushed aside to make room for other things, like this blog and my brain. I am still waiting for my brain to return. It seems to be on permanent vacation, but I can’t wait any longer and it is time to get back to this blog that I have missed so much.
         With that said, I can’t believe that it’s already November. I have a backlog of summer recipes that I was making and wanting to post, but those will just have to wait. It’s time for warm stews, things that are baked, and lovely autumn vegetables.
         I saw some broccoli rabe in the store recently so I thought I would make the traditional dish of orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. This dish is easy (I made it while talking on the phone to my sister-in-law!) and it is wonderful in many ways. Perfect for a post or pre-thanksgiving meal when you want to eat something not related to turkey.
        Broccoli Rabe aka Rapini, is a leafy green vegetable related to the turnip. It doesn’t taste like broccoli, but it has florets that look like broccoli. (Don’t be put off if you see the florets blooming. The flowers are perfectly fine to eat.) It has a slightly bitter taste and an interesting texture. All in all the rapini is a sophisticated vegetable that won’t shirk from its responsibilities in this dish.
         Since there are only a few ingredients, they all have to work with each other and stand up to each other at the same time. All you need is the Orecchiette, sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, pecorino romano and olive oil. Orecchiette is easy to find now. Long gone are the days of going to a specialty store when you needed a pasta other than spaghetti. Barilla makes an orecchiette that can be found anywhere.
         And final a side note:  I like to take out some of the bitterness of the broccoli rabe by blanching it, but you can skip this step if you want. Enjoy!

 



                        Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
                                                                Serves 4
 
12-16oz                Orecchiette,
1½ lbs                 Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Bunch               Broccoli Rabe, rinsed and chopped
3 Tablespoons   Olive Oil
Pecorino Romano, grated
salt and pepper
 
Fill two large pots with water and bring up to a boil.
One pot will be for your pasta and the other for your broccoli rabe.
Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add sausage and brown.
If you bought sausage with a casing, remove the casing before cooking. I just squeeze the sausage out into the pan.
Be sure to break up the sausage into bite size pieces. You can do this with your spoon while it is browning.
While the sausage is browning go ahead and blanch the broccoli rabe.
When the water boils, add a few pinches of salt and then add the chopped broccoli rabe.
Cook for a minute and then drain.
If your sausage is ready you can add the rabe directly to the sausage pan, if not just run some cool water over it to stop the cooking and set aside until the sausage is ready.
Add once the sausage is browned. 
Cook the orecciette when the other pot boils.
Once the pasta is ready, add to the pan with the browned sausage pan and broccoli rabe.
Combine all ingredients over a low heat to heat through if needed.
Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to scrape any bits of sausage off the bottom.
Season with salt and pepper.
Plate and add a heaping amount of pecorino romano to each plate.
Serve immediately.

Summertime Cocktails: Strawberry Cucumber Collins

 

          As the sun comes through the emerging leaves and I smell the lilacs blooming, winter seems like a bad, cold memory. This time of year in the northeast is truly magical. Overnight leaves push their way onto the branches, the grass thickens and greens and flowers bloom everywhere. Of course I can barely see it through my allergy fog, but that’s just part of the magic! But really, anyone that hasn’t inhaled the aroma of lily of the valley or lilacs is just missing out. After a particularly harsh winter the smell of these blossoms isn’t just intoxicating, it’s a miraculous.         
         The best part of spring and summer for me is being outside, drinking a cool drink, playing some lawn games and nibbling on something delicious.  Can there be anything better than a cocktail on sultry summer evening?
         This cocktail is refreshing, light, and only slightly sweet. Make a large batch because everyone will like it.  Who can say no to: gently sweet strawberries, cool cucumbers, and floral thyme?
         With or without alcohol it is perfect for a hot summer day or a warm spring evening. Strawberries are coming into season so it is a perfect time to make this drink. Don’t be daunted by the ingredient list. If you are making it for a large crowd, just multiply the recipe to make a big batch in a pitcher. It all comes together very fast.  Keep in mind that the simple syrup recipe makes about a cup. (8oz)  And leave the alcohol out for a refreshing spritzer. Enjoy-

 

 
                                              Strawberry Cucumber Collins
                                                                    makes four cocktails

 

8oz gin
4oz thyme simple syrup
4oz strawberry cucumber juice
1 lemon, juiced
mint
seltzer
ice

Make the simple syrup first so it can cool down. You can make it the day before and it will keep for a week in the fridge.
 
Thyme Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 sprigs fresh thyme
 
Bring water and sugar to a simmer and  dissolve all sugar.
Once sugar is dissolved, turn off heat and add thyme. Let cool.  Remove thyme once the mixture has cooled.
 
 

Strawberry and Cucumber Juice
6 strawberries, cut in half
1/3 English cucumber, chopped
¼ cup water
 
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve with a bowl or mixing cup underneath.
Stir mixture to help it pass through the sieve.

To make cocktails:

Bring out 4 high ball glasses.
Put a two mint leaves in each glass, muddle.
Add gin, simple syrup, lemon juice and strawberry juice to a pitcher.
Stir ingredients together.
Divide the mixture between the glasses and add ice.
Top with seltzer.
Garnish with a cucumber and strawberry slice if desired.

 

Recipe for one cocktail below:

2oz gin
1oz thyme simple syrup
1oz strawberry cucumber juice
1/4 lemon, juiced
mint
seltzer
ice

 

Cucumber and Watercress Tea Sandwiches

         It has been a long, long winter and I can’t get the thoughts of fresh vegetables out of my mind. One day, after a supermarket trip where I spent most of the time fondling and smelling the produce like a weirdo, I realized I had only bought watercress and cucumbers. Why did I buy watercress? I have no idea, but I figured I must have had some desire to make some tea sandwiches. That or I possibly lost track of time and grabbed whatever was in reach. (Not realizing that the watercress was watercress.) Whatever the case may be, tea sandwiches it was!
         Tea sandwiches are often served at afternoon or “low” tea. Here in America you can often see these little sandwiches served at “high” tea.  You see the term “high tea” is commonly misused. I will explain: Afternoon tea was traditionally served in sitting rooms on low tables like a coffee table so it was called “low tea”. This tea was served as a way to bridge the gap from lunch to dinner that was served around 8:00. This was a tradition mostly held by the upper classes. Since it wasn’t meant as a meal and was more of snack, small things were served: tea sandwiches, little cakes, scones, sweets and of course tea.  High tea was an early meal for the working class typically served around suppertime.  It was served on “high” tables like a dining table and the food was much more substantial than afternoon tea.
         Why tearooms insist on calling afternoon tea “high tea”, I have no idea. It might just sound better since “low” insinuates something lesser.  Now that I have cleared that up, on to the sandwiches!
         You might say or think that tea sandwiches could be anything in miniature. Like you make a PB&J and cut into a heart shape and now it is a tea sandwich! That might be cute looking, but traditionally speaking it isn’t a tea sandwich. These sandwiches are meant to be savory, small, and filled with a few fillings so they keep their slim width.  The word is dainty, these sandwiches are dainty, the exact opposite of submarine sandwich.  At some point, I will post a whole afternoon tea spread, but since I only had watercress and cucumber in the house I made one sandwich. Now, there are only a few ingredients in this little sandwich, but it’s delicious.  Watercress is a great green. It its small, but packs a lot of peppery, mustardy punch. It goes very well with the mild cucumber. Delicious. Perfect for a little snack, light lunch, or even a cocktail nibble. Enjoy!

 

 

Cucumber and Watercress Tea Sandwiches

 

white bread, sliced
butter, softened
cream cheese, whipped
cucumber, English
watercress
salt
 
Thinly slice cucumber.
Prepare watercress by picking off leaves from bunch.
Stack two slices of white bread on top of each other.
Cut crusts off and then cut into preferred shape. (You can do triangles, circles, squares, etc.)
Keep cut pairs of bread together and repeat until you have enough bread for the sandwiches you want to make.
Keep in mind that 2 slices of regular sliced bread will make about 2 square sandwiches.
Make an assembly line with your ingredients.
Smear one side of bread with butter and the other side with cream cheese.
Put watercress on one side and the slices of cucumber on the other.
Add a little salt if your butter is unsalted.
Put halves together.
Repeat until all sandwiches are made.
If not serving right away, cover the sandwiches with a lightly damp paper towel and wrap in plastic so the bread doesn’t go stale. Keep refrigerated.

 

Dutch Baby with Raspberry Sauce

 

 

 

         In this snowy and cold weather, who doesn’t love to bake or at least smell things baking? Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and wouldn’t it be nice to make something delicious for your sweetie(s) when they wake up?
         I have mentioned before my mom’s series of Sunset Magazines Cookbooks. I loved those cookbooks and used to read them over and over again looking at the photos of people enjoying picnics, dinner parties, and various social gatherings. It always looked so easy to pack a picnic for fourteen people and then eat in the middle of  snow-packed mountains. The photos made the book though.  I don’t know about you guys, but I need photos in a cookbook.  And it certainly helps to have that food placed in wonderful places, like the Alps for example.
          Since I was quite young when I read these cookbooks, there were only a few recipes that I used to make over and over again. The recipes tended to be simple with no fuss ingredients and one of them was a Dutch Baby.
         Dutch babies are essentially pancakes that you bake in the oven. They puff up golden brown and are light and delicate. (Almost crepe like.) Traditionally they are served with powdered sugar, but I put maple syrup on mine.  Because of Valentine’s day I wanted to make a raspberry syrup mostly for the colour, but it ended up as a nice companion to the pancake. Since the raspberry syrup wasn’t too sweet, the Dutch baby didn’t become overwhelmed.
         This breakfast is made in one pot and is very simple to make. I would start the syrup first, since it might take awhile to boil down. If you have leftovers, you can put in on ice cream.
         So put on some warm socks,  pour nice cup of coffee, and make a loved one a sweet breakfast. Enjoy!

                Dutch Baby with Raspberry Sauce
 
 
Dutch Baby
 
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole milk
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ stick unsalted butter
2 pinches salt
10” cast iron skillet
 
Get out your milk and eggs to bring up to room temperature.
Pre-heat oven to 450º.
Put skillet in oven.
 
Once eggs are at room temperature, beat them until they are light and frothy.
add milk, salt, flour and vanilla.
(If necessary, sift your flour to remove any lumps.)
Beat  mixture until smooth.
Take out skillet and add butter. Swirl to evenly coat.
Pour in batter and bake until pancake is puffy and golden-brown. (16-25 minutes)
Serve immediately. Don’t be alarmed when the pancake deflates.
Serve with raspberry sauce, powered sugar, or maple syrup.
 

Raspberry Sauce

1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
 
Add raspberries, water, and sugar.
Simmer until the sauce has boiled down until desired consistency

Lemongrass Vodka

                                         


         Need a quick hostess gift for a holiday party? This one takes about 30 seconds and will be well appreciated. You need vodka, lemongrass and a glass bottle. (But you don’t even need the glass bottle)
         I have done this several times and you can use a full size vodka bottle or one of those cute half bottles if you wanted to make a stocking stuffer. (Grey Goose makes one.)
         The instructions are: Pour vodka into a glass bottle, cut 1 stalk of lemongrass in half, (you can use 2 stalks if  you have a large bottle), put lemongrass in bottle. Drink after two weeks. 
         To jazz up the gift, you can make a cute tag saying “drink me in two weeks”, since we all know you made this right before you gave it away. Don’t worry! It’s our secret and your recipient will love it. Enjoy.
      
                                          


                                                     Lemongrass Vodka
 
1-2 stalks lemongrass, split in half
premium vodka
glass bottle (if desired)
 
 
Either put lemongrass directly into vodka bottle or decant vodka into a glass bottle with a stopper. (Insert the lemongrass.)
Let vodka sit for two weeks before drinking.
Serve cold or over ice.