Okay it is HOT OUTSIDE, but so cool to enjoy a dish of Homemade Ice Cream! Here we took the current garden’s bounty of fresh Strawberries and added a big handful of runaway mint! The combination is so subtle yet complex. So in a nod to my best trick of kicking up our strawberries this recipe calls for a fine chop on the strawberries, adding a handful of fresh mint leaves, ½ C of the called for sugar and then dressing this combo with 1 or 2 Tbsp. Of Champagne Vinegar. Mull just these ingredients together and set aside for 1 – 3 hours. This produces a natural brightening of the strawberries (no red food color here!) as well as a slight taste of the cool mint! Now imagine, we use strawberries here…but this exact formula/recipe and techniques serves our summer fruits of Blueberries, Blackberries and Peaches….don’t even get me started! I am suggesting that you use an ice cream machine, but this could also be done with a square loaf pan in the freezer.
SERVES: 8 LEVEL: Moderate – you got this!
INGREDIENTS 2 C whole milk 2 C heavy cream 1 C white sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp mint extract (optional) 2 C fresh strawberries, finely chopped 1 handful fresh mint leaves 1 Tbsp Champagne vinegar (or white balsamic)
DIRECTIONS FIRST; In a medium bowl place finely diced fresh strawberries, 1 (to 2) Tbsp of Champagne vinegar, ½ C of white sugar and a handful of fresh mint leaves. Combine these ingredients and mull the mint leaves to release more of there flavor. Set aside for 1 hour minimum or overnight in cooler.
NEXT: In a large bowl, combine milk, cream, remaining ½ c sugar, vanilla, mint extract, strawberries mixture BUT remove the mulled mint leaves.
ICE CREAM MAKER: Now the creamy mixture is ready for your ice cream maker, (according to the manufacturers directions) but generally this machine mix takes approximately 25-30 minutes to produce a soft frozen custard like texture. This is where you remove from machine churn bowl and pack into a bowl or plastic container. I really like to pack in 1 pint containers with a nice lid! If having company and plan to use at once – a great big freezer safe bowl is great, just make sure to cover it!
Summer, Nature, Cool Mint…I don’t know if it gets better!
So I was looking for a great fun delicious dish for kicking off the Father’s Day Weekend. What guy doesn’t love meatloaf? Okay can we be honest? If you are not a vegetarian, the chances are great that you love meatloaf. So here is the recipe I love, a basic old world meatloaf, packaged in a mini individual loaf and wrapped in bacon that crisps (with the help of The Amazing Rub) and just sets this dish off!
We are gluten-free on this recipe, because way back when, the Frenchies in my neck of the woods always made meatloaf or meatballs with oatmeal that had been ground…a little like an oat flour.
So tender, so delicious….hope you enjoy! My plating suggestion is the perfect baked potato, maple glazed carrots and KB’s Spicy Ketchup (recipe also below)!
SERVES: 6 LEVEL: Intermediate – you got this!
INGREDIENTS 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 cup of your favorite medium chunky salsa 2 ½ pounds of ground beef/pork (I like 1 ½# beef, 1 # pork) 1 cup instant oatmeal, I like to buzz in blender to make finer grounds 2 large eggs, beaten with fork ½ C parmesan, or your favorite finely ground cheese 6 thin strips of bacon 2 Tbsp of The Amazing Herbes (this is all flavor) 2 Tbsp of The Amazing Rub (this will enhance and crisp the bacon) *Options: Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce and 1 tsp beef bouillon or concentrate (These last 2 ingredients are optional, but I always include!)
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil and sauté chopped onion over med-low heat for about 8 minutes, at the finish add the 2 Tbsp of the Amazing Herbes to allow spices to blossom and warm. Set aside.
In large bowl add ground beef/pork mixture, add onion mixture, salsa, oatmeal, beaten eggs, cheese, and the optional ingredients if desired. Use a fork to toss and mix, careful not to over mix and do not compress – better to toss to create the tenderness desired. This mixture can be divided in 6 with 1 generous cup of meat mixture each, and should create 6 mini meatloafs. Use mini loaf pans, or just form mini loaves. When formed loaves, wrap each loaf in the bacon strip and sprinkle the loaf and especially bacon with the Amazing Rub. (This again helps that great taste and crispness of the bacon wrap). Bake for 45 minutes until cooked through. Serve hot or cold, and kick up your Ketchup as described below!
SAUCE KB’S Spicy Ketchup 1 cup ketchup 1 Tbsp The Amazing Rub 1 tsp Blazing Belle…it’s our heat, folks 1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a small glass bowl, and heat in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds until hot.
Gingerbread spiced desserts are a result of my PUMMULL SPICE addiction! So here’s the thing, years ago when we came upon the perfect blending of what I would call my pumpkin spice or mulling blend, we were thrilled with the perfection of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, mace and finally cardamon blend. It just did it for me! At the time I was steeped in fall and thinking of holiday baking. Truth be told, for gingerbread lovers this is a one spice deal, instead of all that is normally called for!
But HOLD ON, we took that same PUMMULL SPICE and drove that delight year round, in chili, pork roast, duckling, grilled and poached fruits…and it doesn’t stop there! I love our PUMMULL, but today kicking off this magical and delightful month of December, let’s just get back to our Pummull roots and do the “gingerbread thing.” Have fun, enjoy, savor and share these wonderful holiday recipes featuring Pummull Spice and the other KB spice blends and rubs to wow your family and friends!
So this French Stuffing evokes the most wonderful memories for me! I remember (like it was yesterday) making this at the stove with my *Dad when I was 16 years old (Flashback to the Groovy 70’s!) I was number 9 in a family of 11 kids, and I loved to cook. We were expecting the entire family for Thanksgiving Dinner and my Dad was preparing the Tourtiere stuffing, I was his Sous Chef! We had just put the cooked meat and vegetables pan aside and completed the mashed potatoes to add. I jumped the gun, and “dumped” the mashed into the meat mixture…what I didn’t realize is that my Dad always drained a large portion of the fat out from the mixture first! (Yes, I wasn’t the best cook then!) I will always remember my Dad’s exclamation, “OHHH”, (I was literally holding my breathe..Oh-Oh!) Dad then took a deep breath and told me he wished I hadn’t done that (understatement!) because we needed to remove the most of the juices(fats!) We now had a pretty soupy mixture! Here is where it gets magical, he never yelled, he never scolded, he just said that we now had to cook a couple whole potatoes quick and mash more into mixture. It was all going to be okay, and then he rubbed my back a little….
This dish is the Holidays for me, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. It is delicious, warm and says friends and family. But the secret “spice” for me, was that one on one moment, with a sweet Dad, that held it together and dispensed love. Well after all, isn’t that always the best ingredient in any dish! Blessing to you my friends and may you enjoy!
*Dads back in the day were not like the dads of today. Most worked so hard, were so tired that they tended to be reserved. Moms did most of the interaction with the kids…but as my Dad put down the mantel of raising 11 kids, he put the tough guy stuff aside, he had made it thru the hard years. My Dad became a sweetheart! Oh yes, you still called your Mom and hoped Dad didn’t answer the phone first! But like a fine wine, that Dad of mine, became the best vintage, the tannins reduced, the sweetest in the front! Here’s to you, Pepere!
I just wanted to take a moment and share with you the beautiful cooking lesson session I recently did for four people, supporting the Foundation for Firelands, right here at The Studio at Hilltop’s Haven.
It was a beautiful evening capped off with a delicious “lesson” meal that included Lobster Soufflé in Thermador Sauce, Turkey Wellington, and the piece de resistance–Baklava Cheesecake!
Kitchen’s Bounty Couture Candles…it’s always been about the scent!
So in any kitchen, be it a show stopper, be it a warm work space, be it a cozy nook, if it isn’t smelling delicious, then it doesn’t have soul! So just as I seek and work to perfect Spices, Recipes and Menus with complex and delicious flavors, well the same thing applies for the candles that scent our studio and homes! A candle making artist, Devin, came into my life and shared some of her most delicious creations with me! At first, I was just so grateful to own these wonderful candles she had created, but then, like a good coffee, my thoughts percolated on “what if the scents and flavor profiles that drive my dishes, were contained in a candle?”. The result of these meanderings with said candle maker, is a little bit of “Culinary Aroma Therapy”. It just shouts love! Love the scents, Love the candle names (for my dear loves), Love the packaging (in our original spice jars) and Love that we, at the Kitchens Bounty, get to offer these to you! So happy and proud to share these treasures with you!
I honestly wonder, is there any better gift to bring to your next engagement, party or under the tree? Bring the Candles for their beauty, but when that glass lid is lifted and the scent wafts out, well that’s when the magic begins! ENJOY!
A big welcome to the newest member of the AMAZING Kitchen’s Bounty family: Coffee Rub!
This fantastic addition to our suite of spice rubs and seasonings is the latest star for your grilled, smoked or seared meats.
We start with our Thunder & Lightning Espresso beans and the coffee’s taste and acidity work to provide a perfect blending medium for our 20+ other spices included in this rub!
It’s a complex blend, but that’s how we deliver the taste! Coffee Rub is perfect to caramelize meats, crusting and sealing in moisture with grilling and searing. BUT for a smoker…well that slow hazy cook may be the greatest match of all!
The Coffee Rub has been produced in a special, limited run, so get it while you can! You’re going to love the rich complexity it brings to your meats.
Salad Nicoise has been a favorite of mine for decades and I was first introduced to this salad by our family “Salad Master,” Joyce. However, it is really my travels in France and experiencing the variations of the Nicoise Salad in anywhere from the finest restaurant to gas service stations (yes, really!) Nicoise is a “composed” salad, the ingredients are served side by side, rather than tossed. There is something wonderful in the art of this salad. So with my Fall Flag flying and my love of these late market gardens, I bring you my version of HARVEST SALAD NICOISE with Salmon!
From the Kitchen of Terri Bergman
Harvest Salad Nicoise (with Salmon)
SERVES: 4 LEVEL: Intermediate—you got this!
INGREDIENTS Base: 4-6 cups Fresh Salad Greens 4 Hard Boiled Eggs (10 min boil) 1 ½ Cups of petite potatoes 2 Cups of String Beans, ends snapped, keep long 2 Cups of Butternut Squash, peel and cubed, 1” cubes 1 ½ Cups Red Pepper, cored, seeded and cubed 1” squares(1 large pepper) 2 Pcs. Of Salmon Olive Oil – Balsamic Vinegar Amazing Rub Seasoning (Amazing Heat/Amazing Herbes)
For the Dressing: 1/3 Cup Olive Oil (great quality) ¼ Lemon squeezed 1 tsp Dijon Mustard *optional 1 – 2 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar **optional chopped parsley/fresh basil Salt & pepper
For the Aioli Dressing: ½ C Mayonnaise 1 tsp of the Amazing Herbes (that’s it!)
For the Garnish: Chopped Parsley Chopped Basil Amazing Heat (especially over the eggs)
DIRECTIONS Preheat Oven to 400 degrees, convection.
In a large glass bowl, place potatoes, string beans, butternut squash, not mixed but layered. Sprinkle with a few Tbsp water, wrap with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Remove, drain water, set aside.
On a parchment lined baking sheet, place 2 entrée size pieces of Salmon that has been brushed with Balsamic Dressing in Center. Arrange the Potatoes, String Beans, Butternut Squash and the uncooked chopped red pepper pieces in the same baking sheet. Give a sprinkle of Balsamic Vinegar to all ingredients, a nice drizzle of Olive Oil, and a generous sprinkling of the *Amazing Rub Seasoning (this will make ingredients golden and seasoned)
Place into preheated (400) oven for 15 minutes, until all ingredients are toasty cooked. With the precooked Microwave time on first ingredients, this play like a symphony and all should crescendo together!
Peel boiled eggs, and half or quarter for salad plates.
Prepare 2 Dressings:Traditional vinaigrette is Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Dijon Mustard, with optional of Champagne Vinegar couple Tbsps, chopped parsley and basic – and salt and pepper (1/4 tsp of both). Herbed Aioli– ½ C or more mayonnaise with 1 tsp Amazing Herbes, stir together and set.
Plate 4 medium salad plates or 2 large plates, spread salad greens generously to create a base.
Center plates with Cooked Salmon (if 4 plateshalf salmon pieces), then create a frame of string beans, eggs, potatoes, red peppers, and butternut squash. Dress salad lightly by drizzling top with vinaigrette. Serve extra dressing and Herbed Aioli on the side. Is you would like, garnish plates with extra chopped parsley and basil.
My recommendation is to compose and serve this salad while roasted ingredients are still warm, absolutely delicious. However, you can make ahead and chill away. Just delicious also!
This Salad reminds me of an artists’ palette, so compose to your liking! Enjoy!
Swedish Meatballs, is it the gravy that we love, the warm spice palette (that cinnamon family), the soft and tender bite, the homage to the Scandinavian furniture giant IKEA or the fact that this dish is just better Day Two! Well for me, I love Swedish Meatballs because they remind me of the sweetest Grandmother “Anna,” the one I borrowed from my husband’s Swedish side of the Family! Anna would make her version of Swedish Meatballs, the aroma was divine and the taste, well, it tasted like old-fashioned love!
So I have done my own rendition of Swedish Meatballs, maybe a little French thrown in, probably a nod to Turkey (yes, this is where they originated) but at the end of the day, a wonderful dish that’s easy to make and always fun to serve and eat with love! And here’s to you Pete, who occasional keeps my culinary forks grounded!
