Sometimes a girl just needs a few croutons in her salad

I eat a lot of salads. I love salads of just about any kind. In the winter I particularly enjoy a salad with roasted vegetables. My favorite is a grilled chicken Caesar salad and I do miss a Caesar studded with croutons. But croutons aren't just for salads. Oh no, besides eating them by the handful as is, they are a great garnish for soup! Often times I have so much going on in the kitchen that I don't take the time to make my own. Recently I discovered a new gluten-free bread product that I really like called Against the Grain. I had my first taste of this delightful bread at the Ritz in Naples, a wonderful tuna salad sandwich. I couldn't wait to get home and track down a supplier. Whole Foods carries the rolls I like and I found the traditional baguettes at Tailor Make Nutrition, an out of the way speciality store loaded with GF products in Woodbury. I stocked up. I have missed a good baguette which lends itself to any number tasty treats. I make a darn good winter bruschetta. When ripe tomatoes disappear in the late fall I turn to "Winter White Bruschetta" a savory little nugget made with truffle oil, good Parmesan cheese and slices of garlic toasted baguette. I can't wait to try that with Against The Grains baguette. But today I tackled homemade croutons because we are having soup and salad for dinner. Double the reason for having some good croutons on hand.

We are having company for dinner, someone who loves Split Pea Soup as much as I do. I know, it isn't popular and Tina will be having something else but I love Split Pea Soup. I had a few ham hocks in the freezer and homemade chicken stock that was begging to be used. I have not made this soup in over a year as we are on a soup night sabbatical. It makes a huge pot but it has potatoes in it which means it does not freeze very well so I need an audience. Hard to come by I admit.

Anyway, I made the soup yesterday, it gets better with a day of sitting and this morning I roasted my vegetables for the salad. The croutons just came out of the oven and all I can say is I hope there are some left for dinner. I should have made more but I am rationing the baguette for other purposes.

These are simple to make, so simple that I really should make them more often and I am sure they will store well in an air tight container. I simply minced some garlic and drizzled the garlic with some good olive oil. I cut the bread into one inch chunks, tossed them them with  the garlic infused olive oil and then sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper. I cooked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, tossing to brown evening, nibbling with every toss. Even Tashi Losar got in on the action and is stalking the croutons that are cooling on the oven. If they make it through the day they are going to be great tossed in the roasted vegetable salad and garnishing my Split Pea Soup. Now, onto a flourless chocolate something!

Homemade Marshmallow's

We are headed to Beaver Creek for a week of skiing! Well, actually I am going along as the condo chef. Until a week ago it had been over 30 years since I took to the slopes. So Tina took me to a local ski hill to see if I could get down a bunny hill. I grew up skiing, every single Saturday and Sunday from the time I was five until I headed to college. For years, all though grade school and junior high I took Otto Hollaus ski lessons, a rigorous training that focused on fundamentals. I never imagined how well that training would serve me and took to the hills like I'd been at it all these years. I am not nearly as good anymore. Back in the day I had a nice slalom and picture perfect parallel legs and ski. Today I can't keep the skis together as well but I can still get down any hill. I have my father to thank for my skiing abilities and for the record, at 80 he is still hitting the hills out west. This will be my first trip to real mountains as I also grew up in a sort of twisted sexist home and ski trips out west were "only for the boys".

Anyway, I will ski while I am there, probably just one day. Otherwise I plan to spend my time in the kitchen and at the spa. I am totally intimidated by cooking in the altitude and was completely unwilling to tackle baking so I did all the baking ahead of time. Cinnamon Scones, Blueberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread are just a few of the treats I am taking along. I have worked really hard to create menus and snacks that scream winter ski lodge including these homemade Marshmallows.

I am so not a marshmallow fan but was a total convert after I had my first homemade marshmallow at the Ritz! I wondered why I had never tried to make them myself. Shortly after that my favorite blogger, Katrina who writes the blog Gluten Free Gidget (http://glutenfreegidget.blogspot.com/) posted a recipe for homemade marshmallows. That was it, I wanted to give a try. Of course I had to do a dry run before committing them to the Beaver Creek menu and it was successful.

We are mostly having fresh fruit for desert but a ski trip isn't complete without homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows and of course I have to have S'mores. I had a few extra so I made some marshmallow pops with chocolate and toasted coconut as an airplane treat.

Fireside S'mores

It isn't much of a secret. I love fire. Bonfires and a roaring fireplace fire, either work for me. I love nothing more than sitting out under a moon lit sky with a slight chill in the air surrounded by friends and family at a bonfire. I also love sitting next to a fireplace with a wood burning fire. Gas fireplace, forget it. I need the smoke and the crackle. Admittedly my favorite part is the smoke. I like getting up the next morning after a good long bonfire and putting on my dirty smoky clothes from the night before!

I also love s'mores! The combination of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers is sublime in my opinion. I recently made home made marshmallows and I have to say, they are much much better than the jet puffed store bought kind, hands down worth the effort! Some of my fondest memories are of gatherings around a bonfire and making s'mores.

During a recent trip to the Ritz in Naples Florida Tina planned a special surprise for our 12th anniversary that involved my favorite desert. As always, the Ritz took the task of finding gluten-free graham crackers to heart. They were the very best I'd ever had and this post comes with a strong endorsement for The Grainless Baker! They make a number of gluten-free products including these delicious and fancy looking graham crackers that are the perfect size for a single marshmallow and three bites of a hershey chocolate bar, just the right size.

I was delighted to find them locally but you can order them as well as their other GF products off the website. Tonight I am making my very first stuffed roasted chicken with The Grainless Baker's idea of stovetop stuffing. You can imagine what my next post will be.

Utterly Sinful

This is a special occasion desert. Nothing short of sinful. Completely decadent. Rich beyond measure. Need I say more. I love the combination of chocolate and orange! This Chocolate Orange Mousse is perfect. It was a great deal of work, tedious and time consuming. All said and done, a half day, nothing short of that. I did take over an hour peeling and trimming the Mandarin oranges so that they were pristine. Was it worth it, yes! the Mandarin pieces were stunning! Tina was so impressed she now wants "these in her lunches".

Chocolate Orange Mousse

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

12 tablespoons butter, room temp

8 extra large eggs, separated and at room temp

1/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup cold cream, plus more for whipping to garnish

Mandarin oranges, peeled and trimmed for garnish

Combine the chocolate, Grand Marnier, 1/4 cup water and vanilla in a double boiler over simmering water, stir until the chocolate melts. Whisk in the orange zest and butter until combined. Cool completely.

Place egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high for 4 minutes, or until thick and pale yellow. With the mixer on low, add the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place 1 cup of egg whites, the salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until firm. Whisk half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, the fold the rest in carefully with a rubber spatula.

Without cleaning the bowl or the whisk, whip the cream and remaining tablespoon of sugar until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Pout eh mouse into individual dishes or an 8 cup serving bowl. Chill and garnish with additional whipped cream, orange zest and Mandarin Orange slices. Drizzle with blood orange syrup if you are lucky enough to have some.

Tips: I might skip the adding the orange zest directly into the mousse, it didn't add much and it interfered with the smooth texture of the mousse. I served 3/4 cup servings and it was way too much for people. While everyone ate most of their serving it was simply too much! You could get away with a scant half cup or even less. Next time I am going to try an cut the recipe in half. Eggs are easier to separate if they are cold. I have blood orange syrup from Olive Pond Vineyard in California but it would be easy to make with juice from a blood orange and sugar, a thick simple syrup.

Finally! A Gluten-Free Challah

We are fortunate to run with a lively group of observant lesbian Jews. They are among my most favorite people in the world. They are the most inclusive, the most loving and the most interesting in my circle of friends. To say they are my favorite would not be understating how I feel about them. We get invited to celebrate all of the Jewish holidays, Pesach, Purim, Hanukkah, and Sukkot to name a few. I look forward to these events like a three year old in a candy story. My enthusiasm is palpable. My favorite however is the weekly festive day of Shabbat, the seventh day of the Jewish week and the Jewish day of rest during which Jews recall the Biblical Creation account in Genesis in which God creates the Heaves and the Earth in six days and rests on the seventh. I love the deliberateness of being freed from the regular labors of everyday life.

So when Friday rolls around and we are invited to Shabbat dinner I get giddy. What I like most is the ritual and the prayer that is the center of the Friday evening meal beginning with Kiddish and a blessing recited over two loaves of Challah. According to Jewish law, Shabbat starts on Friday, a few minutes before sunset. Candles are lit and a prayer welcomes the arrival of Shabbat. Two songs are sung one greeting the Shabbat angels into the house and the other thanking the woman of the house for all the work she has done during the past week. After a blessing over the wine another blessing is recited over the bread, the Challah is broken, dipped in salt and eaten. It is all very spiritual and each step is significant. I always bring my own bread, usually a piece of Udi's and I always feel, well a little left out which is really silly because I have been invited to this table. I just always want to be having some Challah, just like everyone else.

So when a favorite blogger of mine posted a recipe for Gluten-Free Challah last September I thought, next Shabbat, I am making this for myself. To be completely traditional my loaf should be braided, not round. The only time a loaf of round Challah appears is for Rosh Hashanah, representing the circle of the year. I don't think anyone will mind my Challah isn't braided tomorrow night and quite frankly I don't think I am up to braiding gluten free dough. Personally I am just happy to show up with the real deal in hand for myself. It took 6 hours which I can not imagine doing every single week but I know that is exactly what my friends do every single Friday before the sun goes down, they make two loaves of Challah!

You can google gluten-free Challah and you will get a plethora of results. I am a fan of The Gluten Free Canteen which is where I got my recipe: http://glutenfreecanteen.com/ I am simply delighted with the results and I can't wait until sundown tomorrow evening.

The Beaver Creek Chef

We are going to Beaver Creek in February, a week of skiing for most of those going on the trip. For me, it will be a week of cooking for the house. Can you imagine, a ski trip with a personal chef? I am already busy thinking of great menus and gathering my tasting team to try new recipes. First up, an authentic Mexican menu. I am working on pork carnitas with homemade corn tortillas. The corn tortillas really do require some practice so we are going to be enjoying a fair amount of them in the next few months. I've got the pork carnitas and refried beans down, they are ease. So last night I served a potential appetizer to my trusted group of taste testers. Parmesan crusted crab quesadillas with roasted red pepper and chipotle chili aioli and roasted pineapple salsa. Tina always laughs when I say everything is easy. So here we go, this is not easy, it is complicated, time consuming, involves multiple steps and undivided attention! While it is still a work in progress it is worth all the time and effort.

Parmesan Crusted Crab Quesadillas

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chipotle-cream cheese sauce (see below)

salt and pepper

4 12 inch flour tortillas (I used 12 6 inch corn tortillas, store bought not homemade)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (please don't use that stuff in a the green can, grate your own)

1 cup grated monetary jack

1 cup crumble queso freso

roasted red pepper and chipotle chili aioli (see below)

Roasted pineapple salsa (see below)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

8 ounces dungeness crab (see notes)

Chipotle-cream cheese sauce (makes about 2 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup minced onion

1 teaspoon minced jalapeno

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano (I used dry)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle puree (see notes)

1 cup heavy cream

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup grated Monterrey jack

Notes: I used La Costena Chipotle pepper in Adobe sauce which is GF! There is enough puree in the can to get what you need by a long shot. You can also puree one of the peppers if you want. I also used the remaining sauce to make another dish, otherwise I would have cut it in thirds to get what I needed. That being said, I think 1/2 a cup of sauce was a little scant for the recipe and next time I will use a little more. Also, I did not use dungeness crab. I used a very high quality canned crab that was sort of flaked. Next time I am going to go for a lump crab or many be a mix of lump and flake. These were really good but I would be nice to bite into a chunk of crab right?

In a sauce pan over medium high melt the butter. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the Jalapeno, garlic and red pepper, continue to saute until soft. Add the oregano, salt, cumin and chipotle puree. Decrease the heat to low, add the cream and cream cheese and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring until the cream cheese is melted and blended. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Monterrey jack, stirring until melted and well incorporated. The sauce will get sort of stringy, especially as it cools, keep warm over the lowest of heat possible or plan on reheating to use it.

Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Chili aioli

3-4 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1 red bell pepper, roasted and seeded

1 cup mayo

1 teaspoon chipotle puree (again, I used the canned stuff)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Notes: This stuff is really good and can be used as a spread on just about anything. That being said, it make way too much for any one household and next time I might try and cut it half.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for 30 minutes. Combine the roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, mayo, chipotle puree, lemon juice and salt in a blender of food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use for up to three days.

Grilled pineapple salsa

OK I sort of made this one up so the proportions are really a guess.

1 cup of pineapple chunks

olive oil

1/4 a red pepper, diced

1/4 cup diced red onion

tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

pinch of salt, pinch of pepper

1/2 teaspoon chipotle puree

Drizzle pineapple with olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, turning once. Once cool, toss with everything else

O.K. now you have your chipotle cream cheese sauce and roasted red pepper aioli ready. Time to make the quesadillas.

To make the filling: Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high head. Add the onion and saute until soft, add the garlic, red pepper and green onion and saute for another minute or so, until soft. Add the Chipotle-cream cheese sauce (make sure it is warmish or it will be very stringy and hard to get out of the pan and mix in). Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and fold in the crab meat. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the quesadillas: Preheat a griddle or heat a skillet over medium heat. Please do this! Preheat before you start! Lay one tortilla on a work surface and brush the top side of the tortilla with olive oil. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan over the tortilla. Carefully flip the tortilla, oil-and-cheese side down, onto the griddle or skillet. Spread this tortilla with 1/4 cup queso fresco and 1/4 cup Monterrey jack cheese and then a quarter of the crab meat leaving a half inch boarder around the edge. Cook the quesadilla for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese melts and the other side is golden brown. Place the quesadilla on the work surface and fold in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas to make the other three quesadillas. I didn't do this as I had 6 inch tortillas on hand. Instead, I prepared a tortilla as directed placing the filling on the tortilla and then I topped that filled tortilla with another tortilla. I didn't brush the top one with olive oil or sprinkle with the Parmesan, next time I will. After 4 minutes I flipped the tortilla over and cooked it for another three minutes. I also put the finished tortillas on a cookie sheet and kept them in a 300 degree oven to keep them warm while I finished all of the.

To Serve: Cut the quesadillas into wedges. Put aioli in a a squirt bottle and decorate the plates with the aioli, alternatively spoon the aioli over the quesadillas. Spoon the salsa on the quesadillas and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Whew, that was a lot of work. But oh so worth it.

Ahoh! Sugared Cranberries where have you been all my life?

I am having a hard time keeping Ziva Jane away from these little delights. Sugared Cranberries. Start popping them in your mouth and you won't stop! Not to mention they are so easy. I love cranberries and the combination of sweet and tart rock my mouth to no end. They are a sparkly snack that pack a real zing.

Sugared Cranberries

2 cups water

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup superfine sugar

1 bag fresh cranberries

Boil the water and add the granulated sugar. Stir, reduce heat to medium low and continue to heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour the sugar into a large container with a lid, add the cranberries and cover. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Strain the cranberries and if you want reserve the "cranberry syrup" for another use. You know me, no waste around here. I am going to use it for some kind of holiday beverage. Pour the cranberries into a large, shallow dish and add the superfine sugar, tossing until the cranberries are coated. Transfer to a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment and leave to dry for a few hours.

If you can keep yourself from eating them all there are lots of ways to use these little holiday treats. Put out instead of expensive nuts during a party, use as garnishes for drinks, cookies, pies, cupcakes or package to give as gifts.

They will last about a week or so at room temp, stored in an airtight container.