Did you miss me? ;)

So I have been thinking about this blog and pressuring myself to write something everyday. Ha! So much for that! Right?!! ;)
Well, I finally did it! I made the seafood boxty I was talking about in one of my past posts. What is a seafood boxty, you ask? And why would I make anything called a seafood boxty? Because it is out of this world delicious!!! That's why. And also because it is the dish I had when Girls Night Out went to Ireland via Paddy Ryan's Irish Restaurant and Pub last month.  Part of the reason I am writing this blog is so I can write about my adventures in cooking and recreating recipes from the various restaurants the Girls Night Out group goes to each month and maybe show pictures...if I think it looks appetizing. Awwww, don't worry, I'll still post pics even if it looks gross. I am by no means a chef nor am I an artist. So it may or may not taste good and it most likely won't look pretty.  Oh, and I need to let someone taste my creation too. A bit risky, I know, but you never know what can happen. I found this out when I had my fabulous friend, Kris Dodge try the boxty.....unintentionally. That is, I made it and did not intend for her to eat it because I thought it was a wreck of a dish. Now, I like 99.99999% of everything I eat and even if it's not that great I will still eat it. But this was just bad, or so I thought. ;)
So where do I begin? Let's start by explaining what boxty is exactly. It is a traditional Irish potato dish that has a little rhyme attached to it.  "Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get your man."  I wonder if Steve knows about this? Well, it's a good thing he wasn't home to try my boxty because he'd be headed out the door!
Boxty is basically a potato pancake and can be layered with various fillings. The filling I chose was salmon and cod in a creamy spinach and dill sauce. Paddy Ryan's make everything from scratch and with organic ingredients. It was sooooo good. Here is a picture of their Seafood Boxty:

~The filling is sandwiched between two boxty.~

I just had to try to make this at home. So I did some research on the internet and found a few traditional boxty recipe sites and I found a recipe for the sauce, but ended up creating my own based on what I thought was in it.

The boxty ended up like a flat hockey puck that could be used as a weapon for sure. Paddy's were lighter a fluffy. Mine were dense like cement. Like I said before, I found a few recipes out there and all were just a bit different. Some added egg, some had both shredded potato and mashed. Some included baking powder, some not. it was hard to say what Paddy's used. But the sauce! The sauce was deeeeeeelicious!! It had organic, unpasteurized cream; white wine, lemon juice, fresh dill, paprika, salmon and cod. I later realized that I forgot to add the spinach but it was fantastic without it.

So I had the sauce down but the boxty is the foundation for the dish and if I had that wrong then I was not doing so well. So I put it all to the side.

Meanwhile, my friend Kris, was over around lunch time for a meeting when her tummy started to grumble. I thought I could make her a tuna fish sandwich?? But this was my chance to try my recipe out on someone. But who really wants to eat a slab of cement with some fish sauce on top? Surely not Kris!

But as I walked to the kitchen, she followed me and saw my concoction sitting on the counter and on the stove. I told her what I made and she said she wanted to try it!! Seriously?? Yes, she was serious. The only thing was, she did not like salmon but she said to give her the sauce without the salmon. So I reluctantly made her a plate of my sad rendition of seafood boxty.

I have to say that I was quite leary and feared I might accidently poison her like the time I almost killed my husband when I canned dill pickles for the first time. They went way wrong! He didn't really get sick and in fact he only took a bite and realized something was not right. But the potential of me giving away jars and jars of pickles to people who might keal over due to a malfunction in something I did during the canning process made me a bit nervous. I had actually given a jar to my in-laws and had to call them before they opened them. I am sure some might let it pass and let their in-laws eat the pickles but I truly love them and did not want anything to happen to them!! Side note: I have since then perfected my pickle making ability and they are now one of Steve's favorite things to eat. Whew!

Okay, so you can understand why I was hesitant about feeding Kris. I suppose the worst that could happen  was she'd feel like she had a rock in her stomach. So I decided to let her have it. I only placed one boxty on the plate and topped it with the sauce (minus the chunks of salmon). To my complete amazement, she LOVED it!! Not liked, but LOVED it! She inhaled it!!! Maybe she was just really hungry but within minutes, it was gone! And I am quite confident Kris is not like me who likes 99.99999% of the things she tries. ;)

I did not get a picture of her eating it, but I did take a picture of another plate of my creation the next day when I decided to try it one more time. Guess what?? I LOVED it!! When I originally tasted the recipe I had eaten mostly the boxty with a little bit of sauce. I needed to smother the boxty with the sauce and let it soak in a bit. So are you ready for a picture of my seafood boxty? (Are you wondering how many times I wrote the word "boxty" in this post?) I am because it feels like more times than necessary. Anyway, here it is........................................................

Not so pretty and a bit assymetrical but it was tasty! The salmon and cod in the creamy dill sauce had a wonderful rich flavor yet not too heavy. The dill and hint of lemon accentuated the salmon and cod nicely and the boxty gave you something to soak it all up with and added a welcoming texture.

So there you have it! It was not exactly like Paddy Ryan's version but it was tasty and satisfying.

Steve still would have run if he had tried it!

So until next time....go try something new!!

Day 3--Experimental Baking and Coffee

Warning---This may be one of those posts that cause you to put up your plexiglass window if you don't like to read about food. ;) But just read it anyway.

So I invited my friend Ann to come over for coffee and treats yesterday. I decided I would make two new recipes I had never made before, which is always risky.  But no matter how they turned out, Ann would love me no matter what....right? And I know she would also provide honest feedback. She's just that kind of friend. You know, the kind that tells you there is something stuck in your teeth when everyone else lets you walk around with a piece of spinach screaming out to all who see you flash that beeeee.....(uh)...eautiful smile. Or the kind of friend who tells you that the paint color in your bathroom is not working. That's my Annie! :)
So I decided to make a yummy looking cheese blintze brunch cake for her, which I found on the web (of course). It tastes like a cheese blintze. If you've ever had a cheeze blintze then you know exactly what I am talking about. The filling is not very sweet yet has a rich and creamy texture that is a bit reminiscent of cheese cake, depending on the recipe you've tried. The filling is rolled into a delicate crepe and topped with a fruit compote of some sort. The brunch cake recipe I made takes the basic ingredients of the filling and becomes slightly sweet, rich, yet not too heavy, cheescake-like dessert. It has lemon zest and fresh lemon juice in it to give it a little zip and is topped with either powdered sugar or a fruit filling...or both! :)
The 2nd recipe I chose (off the web again), was a "healthy" breakfast coffee cake. I think this was my first mistake...making a "healthy" recipe. Not that healthy is bad. I love to make healthy recipes but when I read the ingredients, I should have known that the outcome might be a bit blaaaaaaaaand. But hey, I had all of the ingredients already so I decided to make it anyway and add a couple of my own twists. I did title this post "Experimental Baking" after all.
So let's get to the recipes and then the critiques...

Blintze Brunch Cake (kraftrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened (I used regular but but can use light)
1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese (I used whole milk ricotta but can use any)
5 eggs, divided
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup flour 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)
1/4 cup milk ( I used 2% but can use any)
1 Tbsp. baking powder


Preheat oven to 325°F.
Beat cream cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 of the eggs, 1/4 cup of the sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended; set aside.

Place flour, butter, remaining 3 eggs, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, milk and baking powder in separate large bowl; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Spread 1/3 of the dough onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with cream cheese mixture. Gently spoon remaining dough over top.

Bake 45 minutes or until center is set. (I had to bake mine for almost an hour so times may vary depending on your oven. When I saw the top start to get brown then I took it out of the oven.) Cut into 16 pieces to serve. (I made mine the night before and served slightly chilled.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar or fruit topping, if desired.  I used cherry pie filling to top it with. (These also freeze well, without the topping of course.)
So before I share the nutritional info with you, take a look at the finished product. :)

~Blintze Brunch Cake~

(I debated sharing the nutritional info with you but hey!, the good stuff is gonna cost ya a bit) ;)
Calories 310 Total fat 26 g Saturated fat 15 g Cholesterol 140 mg Sodium 340 mg Carbohydrate 12 g Dietary fiber 0 g Sugars 11 g Protein 7 g Vitamin A 20 %DV Vitamin C 0 %DV Calcium 15 %DV Iron 0 %

While I was eating my piece of yummy goodness, I was waiting for Ann to try her's. But she decided to try the Apple Walnut Coffee Cake first. Ann is also the type of person who likes to eat one... thing... at... a... time.  So I finished my blintze cake while she critiqued the apple cake--which will come later.
Between Ann and I, we both decided that while the blintze cake was good, it could have had a little more pizazz. So next time I will try adding orange zest in addition to the lemon zest and top with lemon curd. Yum!! So if you like less sweet desserts and a cheesecake-like texture, try this one!! Let me know what you think. :)

Okay, so on to the 2nd recipe... The name given on the website is called "Apple Bars". I think the name is as bland as the recipe tasted, unfortunately. But this was a good experiment and some good ideas came from it.
After all, healthy does not have to mean tasteless.
Here is the original recipe along with (my additions):

Apple Bars (mrbreakfast.com)

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups fresh apple or 2 large - shredded (I used Gala but would recommend 1 sweet and 1 tart, like a Granny Smith)
1-1/2 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts - chopped
2/3 cup dates - chopped (I omitted but you could also add raisins or craisins in place of the dates.)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
(I also added  1/2 C of unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 C brown sugar)
In a large mixing bowl, stir ALL ingredients together. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.
 
In addition I made a streusel topping to add a little more to it.
In a separate small bowl add:
1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)--I used just a couple of dashes but should have used more.
Using a fork, mix together until crumbly.


Prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish with a coat of cooking spray ( I used butter)
Spread mixture into pan. Bale for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is just golden brown. Let cool ( I did not do this but YOU should) and cut into squares.

The original recipe said to serve it warm, but Ann and I both agreed that it should NOT be served warm. It literally tasted like a piece of nothing.
The texture was heavy and dense with a hint of chewy crunch from the walnuts. I could not eat mine after the first bite but Ann finished her piece. She appeared to be analyzing and was talking through her bites to see what could be changed.  Always thinking, that Ann.
Ann's advice was to use tart instead of sweet apples. I compromised and said, IF I were to make this again, and I certainly had no intention of doing such a thing, I would use one sweet and one tart apple. She also suggested adding craisins since she does not like raisins (reminds her of bunny droppings). She just can't get past the look of them. Ann, I am sure they taste NOTHING like bunny poop. ;)
I would also add much more spice like cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter next time.
And it needs a topping of some sort.  Ann suggested clotted cream. I know, the word "clotted" does not sound so appetizing but if you have ever had it, you will agree that this could be the answer! Clotted cream is like a cross between butter and whipped cream and is usually served on scones. You will find this on any English tea room menu. You can buy it in higher end grocery stores or you can make it yourself.  If you do, I would recommend using an unpasteurized cream (usually found in the organic section and is distributed by a local dairy farm). Or just plain pasteurized whipping cream (not ultra pasteurized whipping cream) would work well.  If you want a recipe for it let me know and I will get it to you.
OR you can top with good ole whipping cream. I suppose you could use the kind in the can (which is not the real deal but I still like the taste) but NEVER use the ultra processed NON-dairy Cool Whip, PLEASE!  If you do, don't tell me.
Making your own whipped cream is VERY easy and there is nothing like the real deal: Chill a stainless steel bowl (I have used glass also but stainless holds the cold temp much longer), the beaters from an electric mixer, and either 1 cup of heavy whipping cream or the unpasterized cream in the freezer for about 10-20 minutes. Make sure not to freeze the cream. ;)
Whip the cream until it begins to get stiff. This may take a few minutes. Then add 1/4 C granulated sugar (or to taste--some like it sweeter and some a little less) and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Whip until it forms peaks. You want to be able to spoon some up, turn the spoon over and the cream sticks to it.
That's all there is to it!
Okay, where was I...
So after Ann and I sat, talked, ate, and drank lots of coffee, I walked over to the counter and thought I'd give that apple coffee cake another try just in case...After sitting for awhile it had cooled down to room temp and it actaully had a bit of flavor! I could actually taste something! It still needs all of the things mentioned above in my and Ann's opinion but it was at least it had little more flavorful. So serving at room temp is the way to go!
If you really wanted to try it warm, crumble into a bowl and pour a little cream (the real kind) over the top.
Here's a picture of the final product without all of the bells and whistles:

~Apple Walnut Coffee Cake~

Here's Ann after I finally remembered to take pictures of our morning.

So all in all it was a good morning spent with a great friend.  I have some more experimenting to do in the kitchen. So until then, have a fabulous day!