A Country Kitchen Brunch

It's TableScape Thursday with a Thifty Thursday as a saddleback and I thought you might like to see my table I set for our Sunday Brunch. It was just my husband and I, but I had fun arranging my table and I've decided that each table I set should have the colors pink and yellow somewhere. I used my Spode Blue Room Collection, my iron fruit bowl, a new crystal pitcher, 2 of my flamingos in pond, a favorite cookie jar and some of my bedding Geraniums. Aren't those Geraniums the most gorgeous color! They are almost a neon pink and I could not resist them!

I've had my eye on the crystal pitcher for a while now and I was in Homegoods last week and it was marked down to $7 so I snapped it up! I needed a small pitcher and this one was the perfect size with a simple design and so pretty.







I love Spode China and pick it up whenever I can find a good price. The animal themed plates are each unique and I could not decide which ones to buy so I just bought 1 of each. I bought 4 plates for myself and a plate for each of my nieces. I have The Tiger Cages, Aesop's Fables (introduced c. 1831), Milkmaid (introduced c. 1814) and The Zebra Pen.











I have many cookie jars but this is one of my favorites. It's made by Los Angeles Potteries which produced artware and pottery 1940s - 1960s and was located in Lynwood, CA. I bought it a few years ago at a local garage sale for $10. I've seen this same cookie jar on Ebay and it always auctioned for much more then I wanted to spend. I became interested in Los Angeles Potteries while designing our home and researching Craftsman and Mid-Century Modern Architecture. I love the LA Pottery glazes, such gorgeous colors and so pleasing with any themed kitchen.





Here's one of my favorite things in my kitchen, my Iron Fruit Bowl. I'm not sure if the original intent was a fruit bowl but that's what I use it for. I saw it at a flea market but it was priced $45. I knew I would see it again and sure enough, a few years later I found it at a church sale for $3. It has been in my kitchen ever since.




I hope you enjoyed my tablescape this week. I had a good time putting it together and try to include items with some interesting history and of course some good deals as well.



Tablescape Thursday is a weekly event graciously hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch.

And Thrifty Thursday, another weekly event, is hosted Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville.





All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesday -- Huîtres Chaudes au Muscadet Incognito

This week for Whisk Wednesday we made Huîtres Chaudes au Mascadet or Poached Oysters with Mascadet Sabayon Sauce. I was looking forward to making this recipe but when it came time for me to buy the Oysters my market only had teeny tiny oysters which were hardly worth shucking! So I opted to substitute Octopus! I know it's a reach to substitute Octopus for Oysters but it turned out fabulously delicious and we just happen to love Octopus!

This was a fun recipe but most definitely "incognito" being I substituted Octopus for Oysters and it's served in a Clam Shell. But at least I kept my dish to under the sea! I first marinated the Octopus over night in EVOO, Basil, Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar. About 10 minutes before serving dinner I drained the Octopus and put it under the boiler for about 5-8 minutes. The Octopus was so tender and just delicious. I served it in a Clam Shell on a bed of saute spinach with onions and topped with Sabayon Sauce. In total I made 19 shells. I ate 6 and Mr. Tastebuds ate the remaining 13 and he loved it! The Sabayon Sauce was FANTASTIC and I will most definitely be making this again. I did follow the recipe for the Sabayon Sauce except I only used 4 TBL of clarified butter which was plenty.







My initial tasting of Octopus was while on a day trip to Tarpon Springs a large Greek Community on the Gulf Coast of FL. It was on a Sunday and we were attending the annual Tarpon Spring Arts Festival. I kept seeing people with plates of heaping orange, curley-cue stuff. Well, the curly-cue stuff was grilled Octopus. I just had to try it and from my first bite to the last it was delicious.

Tarpon Springs was established around 1905 by immigrants from the Greek Islands of Aegina, Halki, Kalymnos and Symi. By 1936, Tarpon Springs was recognized as the natural sponge capital of the world and there were approximately 2000 Greek immigrants living in the area. The 1953 movie "Beneath the 12-mile Reef" starring a very young, VERY macho Robert Wagner, was filmed in Tarpon Springs and highlights the Greek culture revolving around sponge diving. I remember first seeing the movie on TV when I was a child and oddly enough I just watched it again a few weeks ago!





Huîtres Chaudes au Mascadet
Recipe adapted from "Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

24 oysters (I subbed abt 1 lb of octopus)
2 lbs of spinach, cleaned, stemmed and rinsed
Salt

Muscabet Sabayon Sauce:

2 TBL butter
2 shallots, chopped fine
2/3 c. dry white wine, preferably Muscadet
2/3 c. creme fraiche
Freshly ground pepper
4 egg yolks
1/4 c. water
1/2 lb butter, clarified (I used 4 TBL)

4 TBL butter
Freshly ground pepper

Option: I used fresh spinach leaves to line the platter to stabilize the clam shells








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

I think I nailed it **The perfect Chocolate Cookie

I've been looking for a good chocolate cookie for years now. Finally took matters into my own hands, started experimenting and I think I've nailed it!

My Chocolate Peanut Roll Cookies are soft, chewy, deliciously rich in chocolate with a slight tinge of mint and a grand finale of crushed peanuts. GAWD, they are so good! I was not sure about the mint flavor with peanuts but it is excellent and this is definitely an adult cookie. It's a small recipe because I was experimenting, so I'm not sure if it would work well doubled or not. As written below it will make 10-12 cookies and I ate every single 1 of them.







Chocolate Peanut Roll Cookies
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. flour
1 egg
4 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp powdered instant espresso powder (see **NOTE)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp peppermint extract (or any kind of mint extract would work)
3/4 c. crushed salted peanuts


With a hand mixer or by hand mix butter and powder sugar until blended. Blend in egg. Add vanilla, mint, salt, espresso powder and chocolate powder. When I add chocolate powder I mix by hand. Add flour and blend only until flour is completely incorporated.

Dough will be very soft. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for a minute.

On a clean board or pastry cloth roll dough into a log about 10" long and 2 1/2" wide. Cookies do not raise during the baking process so the width of your log is the size the cookie will be after baking. Smaller cookies, 2", are better if you're making them for a party or buffet so just make the diameter of the log the size you want for the finished cookie.

Place the dough log on plastic and wrap it up tightly. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until firm for not hard.

Crush peanuts. I have a nut grinder but you can use a food processor or put the nuts in a zip lock bag and crush with a meat mallet or rolling pin. If you use your food processor, just pulse until the peanuts are crushed.

Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and unwrap but leave the dough log on the plastic wrap. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on the plastic wrap along one side the dough log. With gentle pressure roll the Dough Log over the peanuts embedding the crushed nuts into the dough, careful to completely cover the log the peanuts. You might have to roll the log over the peanuts several times to completely cover the log.

Rewrap the Dough Log in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until very firm. Remove log, unwrap and with a sharp knife cut 1/2" slices. Even if you make your log a smaller diameter, I would still cut 1/2" slices.

Place sliced cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until cookies are barely firm on the bottom. Remove cookies and cool on a rack. Enjoy!

**NOTE: Espresso Powder enhances the chocolate flavor but so does Balsamic Vinegar. Next time I make these I'm going to add a little Balsamic and see what happens. I love to experiment with recipes!












Courtney of Coco Cooks is hosting the April's 10th Helping of "My Legume Love Affair" and my Chocolate Peanut Roll Cookies are my entry.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

It's another Pink Saturday!

It's been a very busy week for me but I could not miss a Pink Saturday. As always Pink Saturday is hosted by Miss Beverly of How Sweet the Sound. We've had some gorgeous weather this week, 88 degrees on Friday, and it really put me in the mood for summer. I do hope we have a spring and don't go right into summer which means a horrible dry drought that will be unbearable for my plants and ME!



But since I was in a summer mood I was thinking about light, fun meals and what could be better then Hot Dogs. I'm sure most of you have heard about Pinks, the famous Hot Dog Stand in Hollywood, CA. Pinks, now a CA landmark, was founded by Paul and Betty Pink in 1939 and was originally located on the corner of La Brea and Melrose exactly where it still exists today! Any business that has been in continuous operation for 70 years and in the exact same location deserves every bit of congratulations and praise.










Pinks Chili Dog (left) and Hot Dog (right)



But here in Chicago we have our own Hot Dogs. The essentials are steamed or boiled 100% Beef Hot Dog, Poppy Seed Bun, Yellow Mustard, White Onion, Relish, Sports Pepper, Celery Salt and Tomato and NEVER, not ever Ketchup and it's always served with a Dill Pickle Spear. But there are many other condiments offered, Cucumber, Sweet Red Onion, Green Pepper and the list goes on and on. We have Hot Dog Stands on ever corner in Chicago and of course Mr. Tastebuds loads up his Dog with "everything" and you can't even see the bun! I honestly don't know how he eats it but he seems to manage quite well.


I've got to throw my own Hot Dog into this competition. It's simple and much like the Chicago Hot Dog. A boiled or steamed 100% Beef Kosher Hot Dog, Yellow Mustard, Sweet Red Onion, Sweet Relish on a Homemade Bun sprinkled with Smoked Sesame Seeds. It is also served with Homemade Potato Chips and a Dill Pickle Spear.







If you would like the recipe for the Hot Dog Buns please click here and the Homemade Potato Chip recipe is here.


Next is my Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream which is a favorite summer time treat and out of this world delicious and look at this gorgeous pink color! I noticed CA Strawberries in the markets this week. Large, gorgeous berries and quite a reasonable price too. If you happened to buy some strawberries and you're not sure what to make, try this ice cream. I promise you will not be disappointed. Please click here for the recipe and copy and paste.








Thank you so much for visiting my blog for Pink Saturday and don't forget to visit Miss Beverly of How Sweet the Sound and see what the other Pinksters are up to!

And don't forget our Pink Saturday motto:

Get Pink !!!
It's not just a color, it's an attitude.




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TFF -- Red Onions Roasted With Balsamic and Honey

The week for Tyler Florence Fridays I made Red Onions Roasted With Balsamic and Honey. I was not sure about this recipe. Although I love Red Onion and I like roasted onions I just was not sure about a large red onion with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey.

But in this case the Roasted Red Onion was fantastic...FAN-TASTIC. And even Mr. Tastebud's loved it! And the roasted onion is a perfect side dish. First of all the color is gorgeous and would add drama to any plate. Super easy, all you have to do is peel the onion and cut a slice off the bottom so it will sit evenly in a shallow baking dish. Then drizzle with honey, balsamic vinegar, salt/pepper, place a pat of butter on the top, sprinkle with Thyme and pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes. Deciding on individual portions is no problem, 1 medium large onion per person is plenty. That's it, super simple, gorgeous and delicious!!! And if you're cooking for one, you can still make an excellent side dish and not have leftovers to bother with.

I did follow the recipe except I did not cut the onion in 2 as Tyler suggests. I roasted it whole in a small roasting pan. And the Onion did the cutest thing, the center popped up just like one of those pop-up turkey timers when it was done. So the onion has it's own internal timer! How cool is that? It really is the perfect side dish! We really enjoyed the Roasted Red Onion and I will definitely be making this recipe again.






Red Onions Roasted With Balsamic and Honey
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

3 red onions, peeled, halved lengthwise
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 bunch fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put the onions on a sheet pan, cut side up, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Season with salt and pepper then top each with a pat of butter and fresh thyme. Bake for 40 minutes, until the onions are soft and caramelised around the edges.












All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

A Tablescape, Baking Day and a Clothesline

Today was such a gorgeous day I decided to wash some of my vintage linens. I have a regular routine of washing all my vintage quilts, lace and linens in early Spring and always air dry. They smell so wonderful and the sunlight makes the colors so bright and gorgeous. Most of my tablecloths I pick up at Garage Sales or Church Rummage Sales for $2-$10 each.







Below is my typical dinner tablescape with my every day china. We always eat in my kitchen unless it's a special occasion or we have guests. I just love my every day china. It's Bennington Stoneware but when I bought I did not know anything about Bennington Pottery. I bought it at TJMaxx and a dinner plate was $2.29!! I bought 8 place settings for myself and 8 place settings, including bowls and butter plates, for my housekeeper as a Christmas present. I also picked up a few serving pieces and the total for everything was around $150. Dawn was thrilled beyond thrilled with the dishes and her children were so excited! I love my stoneware as much today as when I bought it. And now knowing the cost of Bennington Pottery, I wish I'd of bought more!







I'm a baker. I bake almost every day and some days I just bake all day long. When I designed my new kitchen it was with baking in mind. Below are a few pictures of my kitchen on particularly heavy baking days. Note you can always see a latte sitting somewhere within my reach!

Now this is how my island is supposed to look, very neat and clean. The large cutting board is from my MIL and it was 1 thing she brought to America when they immigrated in 1947.





The below pictures are of my working island. As you can see from the photos, I multi-task and usually have several baking projects going at once. The large blue/white mixing bowl is Spode, a $49 Ebay purchase on a particularly bad day during our construction project. It definitely lifted my spirits! I always have at least 1 cake stand containing cupcakes, brownies, cookies or whatever on my island. I've noticed that when people enter my kitchen they immediately look around for something handy to eat, so I just make it easy.
















Tablescape Thursday is a weekly event graciously hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch.

And Thrifty Thursday, another weekly event, is being guest hosted this week by Chandy of What Now? and Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville.






All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Whisk Wednesday -- Bouchées aux Crevettes and some Poker Chips

This week for Whisk Wednesdays I made Bouchées aux Crevettes or Puff Pastry Shells Filled with Shrimp and Mushrooms. Really Puff Pastry is so easy to make and it is fun..fun..fun!!! But you can buy a package of Puff Pastry and find almost the same results and your food automatically takes on an air of "Gourmet" with a capital "G"!!

Although this recipe was easy and fun to make, I really did not care for this dish. Mr. Tastebud's had some late client meetings tonight but it was no problem reheating the shrimp and filling the pastry shells for him but he too did not really care for it.







I followed the recipe except I did add some green onion. It's difficult for me to make seafood without green onion and it added a much needed flavor and color to the over all dish. I cut out some small disks from the left over puff pastry. I called them poker chips and they worked out well to dip into the extra shrimp and mushroom sauce. If you're confused so was my husband! ;)








Bouchées aux Crevettes
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home


For the Puff Pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups cold water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
28 ounces unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten, for glazing

For the Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups cold milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream (I would use sour cream instead.)
5 ounces mushrooms, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and chopped fine
1¾ pounds small cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons Cognac
Pinch of paprika

Chervil or parsley for garnish

Unsalted butter, softened, for baking sheet




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TWD -- Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

I was happy to see Chocolate Bread Pudding on the menu for Tuesdays with Dorie this week. We love Bread Pudding and I've posted other bread pudding recipes on my blog. One bread pudding recipe is a vintage recipe from the "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" by Fanny Merritt Farmer, published in 1896. It is so interesting reading the old cookbooks.

Bread Pudding is a very easy, no frills recipe to make. I used Wawel Dark Czekolada gorzka 90% cocoa which made the recipe extra rich and dark and luscious.

Dorie's recipe called for brioche, challah or white bread and I decided to make Challah. I love making Challah and braiding the dough. But my Jewish husband, Mr. Tastebuds, does not like Challah!!! Sometimes Mr. Tastebuds is no fun at all! I also topped the bread pudding with a Vanilla Custard a recipe from my Mom.


Here's my Challah and it turned out beautifully!






And look at my gorgeous crumb!!! I'm so proud of my crumb!







No-Knead Challah
Recipe adapted from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day"

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (or neutral-tasting vegetable oil such as canola), plus more for greasing the cookie sheet
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)
Poppy or sesame seeds for the top

1. Mix the yeast and water, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter or oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (no airtight) plastic food container.

2. Stir in the flour without kneading, using a spoon or spatula.

3. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2-3 hours. I let it rise most the day and then put in the frig over night so it's completely cold. It's easier to work with if it's cold.

4. Use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze in 1-pound portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. Then allow the usual rest and rise time.

5. On baking day line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour or corn meal and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. (I use surgical gloves if the dough is very wet and it usually is.) Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

6. Divide the ball into thirds, using a dough scraper or knife. Roll the balls between your hands (or on a board), stretching, to form each into a long, thin rope. If the dough resists shaping, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Braid the ropes, starting from the center and working to one end. Turn the loaf over, rotate it, and braid from the center out to the remaining end. This produces a loaf with a more uniform thickness than when braided from end to end.

7. Allow the bread to rest and rise on the prepared cookie sheet for 1-2 hours.

8. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.

9. Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with the seeds.

10. Bake near the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. The challah is done when golden brown, and the braids near the center of the loaf offer resistance to pressure. Due to the fat in the dough, challah will not form a hard, crackling crust.

11. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.







Custard Sauce
Recipe adapted from my Mom

2 c. milk or cream
3 TBL flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, sugar and beaten egg until well blended. Heat milk to a simmer. When the milk is hot, slowly pour the milk into the egg/flour/sugar mixture stirring constantly until smooth.

Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard should be pouring consistency, it not just add a little bit more milk or cream.







Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle is our host this week and please visit her blog if you like a copy of the recipe.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

It's Pink Saturday!

I was so busy last week that I missed out on Pink Saturday but I did visit many of the Pinksters and their blogs. It is just so much fun to peek in and see what everyone is up to and how they interpret pink in their lives. As always Pink Saturday is hosted by Miss Beverly of How Sweet the Sound.




Now you really did not think that you could get away without seeing my newest cupcake, did you? I've wanted to make Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes for some time and finally whipped them up a few weeks ago. They are delicious and so far one of my favorites. If you'd like the recipe please click here and copy and paste.








Next is one of my floor vessels filled with pink silk Hydrangea. I bought the Hydrangea on a particularly cold, bitter Winter day and when I saw them I could not resist. Our winter was so awful this year and I thought it was never going to end and I needed something to brighten up my home. With so much ice and cold, howling winds outside the pink just seemed like the right touch. I had the silk Hydrangea in another pot but then remembered the vessel I bought at Haeger Potteries. Haeger Potteries is the oldest working pottery in the US and it's about 5 minutes from my house. I love going to Haeger Potteries and everyone there knows me by my first name!! As soon as I walk in the door it's "Hi Michelle" or "Hey Michelle, how are you?" So much fun! Since I'm so close I can pop in any time which means I get first dibs on their test glaze pieces, the one of a kind, never going to see again stuff!! And I love it!!!!! This turquoise vessel with yellow squiggly lines is a test piece and it cost all of $15. What a deal!! Haeger's is the perfect place for that unique wedding gift!







Next is a side of me that few people see anymore, except of course if you're in my home. I'm a needleworker. I quilt, sew, embroidery, ribbonwork, bobbin and needle lace, ribbon embroidery, tatting, basic and advanced embroidery and goldwork, but I probably forgetting a few. Basically I do anything with a needle except I do not do cross stitch or needlepoint. I also do beadwork and bead weaving both on and off loom.

I've made tassels since 1987 and I dearly love making tassels! I do not sell my tassels. I keep a tassel on the bedpost in our guest room and it is my gift to special friends when they come to visit.

This particular tassel, blue with little pink rosebuds, is a combination of embroidery, beading and beadweaving. To make this tassel from start to finish represents approximately 120 hours of my time. I use Japanese seed beads, small pearls, vintage glass beads, perle cotton and other threads to form the body of the tassel.












Thank you so much for visiting my Pink Saturday and don't forget to visit the other Pinksters at Miss Beverly's of How Sweet the Sound.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

TFF and Foodie Friday with Pudding in between!

Today is a busy day so I'm in double time and I have to double up on my posts too. This post is not only my submission for Tyler Florence Fridays but it's my first submission to Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum. Whew...that was a mouthful!

Since I made Mini Banana Cream Pies for Tuesdays with Dorie I did have some of the delicious cinnamon flavored custard left over. The custard was so good and I wanted to incorporate it in another dessert somehow. And then I remember Tyler's Chocolate Pudding! Hmmmmm....interesting combo. And who wouldn't want to mix it up with our cutie..er...HUNK..er sweet boy Tyler.

Tyler's Chocolate Pudding and Dorie's Cinnamon Custard were perfect for each other. I had just bought some new dessert dishes too so this was fun dessert to make. And it was so good!!! I will definitely be making both of these puddings again. For sure...for sure!!









Tyler's Chocolate Pudding
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
4 teaspoons cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup whipping cream

Put 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the sugar, and the cocoa in a nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer, over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of the milk, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and vanilla in a bowl. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Return to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat whisking constantly, until the pudding comes to a full boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and continue whisking until thick, about 2 or 3 minutes more.

Pour the pudding into 6 small cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight until set.

Just before serving pour the cream into a chilled bowl. Whip the cream with a whisk or a hand held mixer, and continue beating until soft peaks form. Take care not to over-beat the cream or it will be grainy. Serve each pudding with a dollop of whipped cream on top.






Banana Cream Pie
Recipe adapted from "Baking From my House to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan

Custard:
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar, pressed through a sieve
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To Make the Custard: bring milk to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well blended and thick. Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about 1/4 of the hot milk- this will temper, or warm the yolks so they won't curdle- then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking constantly (make sure to get into the edges of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes before removing from heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the custard is smooth and silky. You can either press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the custard until cold or, if you want to cool the custard quickly (as I always do) put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and stir occasionally until the custard is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes. (If it's more convenient, you can refrigerate the custard, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.)





Please visit Tyler Florence Fridays and see what the rest of Tyler's groupies have cooked up this week!!






And please visit Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog