Cranberry Sauce

I have never quite understood the appeal of canned cranberry sauce. I know people who swear by it … whose families would call for a mutiny if there was not a jelled, can shaped blob on the table when turkey is served. Okay, you don’t want to go through the trouble of making your own, at least mush the canned stuff up a bit so it isn’t can shaped, rings and all!

My dad’s family has always been very fond of a cranberry relish, which is raw and really a bit tart for my delicate palate … hush up, all you naysayers, I am SO delicate!

My bestie Ernie gave me this recipe, and she gives it to me EVERY year, as I always misplace the scrap of paper I wrote it on, AND I ask her the same question every year after she sends it to me and I have promised to keep the recipe in a safe place!

This is so simple and so tasty and it freezes really well too! It’s best made days in advance so the flavors have a chance to meld. And besides, before you get down to the hysteria of cooking a Thanksgiving meal, this can be done and tucked into the fridge and you have a (false) sense of security that you’ve begun your cooking!

• 2 bags (24 ozs) cranberries
• 1 orange, zest and juice
• 3/4 C water
• 2 C sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Stir all ingredients together. Pour into an 8×8 Pyrex dish. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour.

NOTE: I have stirred this in the Pyrex dish itself and in a bowl. If you’re a bit of a messy cook, like me, the bowl is easier!

Let cool completely. Refrigerate.

NOTE: This will look very loose when it comes out, and you’ll want to call Ernie, as I do EVERY year, and say IT’S TOO LOOSE. But, once it cools it will thicken, I promise. You can also easily halve this recipe if necessary.

Baked Cod with Beurre Blanc Sauce

I have been wanting to make a beurre blanc sauce since watching Meryl Streep drool over the sauce while portraying Julia Child in Julie & Julia.  I am an easily intimidated cook. Just the thought of making a beurre blanc had me quaking in my Wellies.

A little encouragement from a friend and I decided to give this a whirl. After all, my set of Mastering the Art of French Cooking has been sitting on my shelf, beckoning to me. I usually avert my eyes and run quickly by them. But really, for how long can one be frightened of sauce? So into the deep we go …

For the fish:

• 6 6-oz cod fillets
• 1 T lemon juice (the juice of about ½ lemon)
• 2 oz unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Ground white pepper, to taste

For the Beurre Blanc

• 1/4 C white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 C dry white wine or dry white vermouth
• 1 T finely minced shallots or scallions
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 8 ozs [2 sticks] best-quality unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 16

For the Fish:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Arrange cod fillets, skin-down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

With a pastry brush or even a paper towel, brush the fish with lemon juice and then melted butter.

Season with Kosher salt and with a pinch of white pepper.

Bake until the fish is opaque and just beginning to flake, 10-15 minutes or so, brushing once with more melted butter about halfway through the cooking.

Serve topped with hot beurre blanc sauce.

NOTE: That’s the easy part!

For the Beurre Blanc:

In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan combine vinegar, wine, shallots, salt and white pepper and bring to a simmer.

Gently simmer liquid until reduced to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Remove from heat and immediately swirl or whisk in 2 pieces of chilled butter. As the butter is incorporated into the liquid add another piece and continue to swirl or whisk. Return pan to low heat and while constantly swirling or whisking add successive pieces of butter. When all of the butter has been added remove from heat. Sauce will be thick and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately.

NOTE: My sauce BROKE! Broke I tell you! THere it was … beautiful, luscious, creamy, thick. And then, in the few seconds it took me to reach into the oven and grab the fish, the sauce BROKE! Timing with this dish is EVERYTHING! Or, don’t cook alone and have someone in the kitchen at the critical moment to pull the fish out of the oven! I was able to salvage it by putting a bowl in the freezer for a few  minutes and then transferring a few spoonfuls of the sauce into the cold bowl and gradually whisking in the rest of the sauce by the spoonful. It still wasn’t as luscious and creamy as it appeared to be getting before the DISASTER, but it was still DAMN good!

Homemade Magic Shell

When I was a kid, I loved to take these apart and try to see how they went together. Most of the time I could take them apart, see how they worked and then put them back together – usually, with success, but not always!

I have the same curiosity when it comes to food.  I have made Sweet Chili Sauce, have ketchup scheduled to make and mustard.

And then one day, poking around the internet I saw recipes for Magic Shell popping up everywhere! Oh, I had to try this. I LOVE Magic Shell. And being able to make my own, if it works,  would be so FREAKIN’ COOL!

This definitely falls under the category of Ernie SHOUTING ‘ WHY? WHY? WHY?’.

Why? I’ll tell you why … It’s liquid, it hits something cold and hardens? WHY? HOW?

When I had to take physics in college – what a nightmare – and a term paper had to be written – double nightmare – mine was done on kitchen physics. My professor thought I was nuts, until he started reading. It was fascinating and remarkable. Who knew physics could be so much fun and so relatable!? It answered so many ‘why’ questions.

But do not despair, Ernie, this was simple and quick and not messy.

• 1 1/4 C chocolate chips
• 1/2 C coconut oil (when solid)

NOTE: I bought the coconut oil at Trader Joe’s. I know they sell it in the local health food store. I know Amazon sells it as well.  Also, when I made it, it was quite warm in New York. I put the coconut oil in the refrigerator until it became solid., then scooped it out and continued on.

Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Remove from microwave and stir.  Continue to microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is almost all melted.  Stir until the chips are all melted and the lumps are gone.

Pour into a glass jar and store on the counter.

NOTE: The mixture will stay liquid at room temperature in warmer months, if it lasts that long! If it’s cooler it may solidify a bit, simply microwave briefly before serving.

NOTE:  All I can say is WOW! Super cool! The flavor is spot on ~ AND IT WORKED! My curious side sated for the tiniest bit of time. I poured it over Ben & Jerry’s Bonnaroo’s Coffee Caramel Buzz ice cream – Coffee and Malt ice cream, whiskey caramel swirl and chocolate covered English toffee. All I can say is I have loved ones begging me to make it for them. In good time, sweetie, all in good time.