Before moving to the Dakotas I didn’t know what the words ‘snow storm’ really meant. I had seen snow. As a kid I recall pressing my nose against the cold glass window, watching big wet flakes fall from the sky and dissolve into green grass. My parents were ski instructors. Winter weekend mornings would start dark and early as we pulled on long underwear and tumbled bleary-eyed into the car for a long drive to the mountains. I experienced snow speeding down icy runs and feeling the sting of falling flakes hit my cheeks as I skied past. Yet, despite this, my understanding of snow storms remained limited.

Now, with a mere four Midwest winters under my belt, I think I am getting a clue. I have learned that blizzards come in two forms: Blizzards- where snow pours fiercely down from dark clouds while forty mph winds shriek sideways creating a battle of vertical and horizontal sky. And ground blizzards- where sunlight illuminates the air with glaring precision as strong arctic winds whip snow upwards from the ground creating a world lost in the glowing blur of white. I have learned that snow really can drift up to your roofline, bury your mailbox, and make the bbq disappear on the deck. I have learned to hold my breath, grip the steering wheel tightly, and press the gas pedal in wide-eyed terror as I plow through snow drifts to get out of the driveway. Mr. B says that I’m building character and that winters in the Midwest will ‘toughen me up’. I usually tell him to shove it. There is one last thing that I have learned about snow storms, and if you were around last year you may recall this too. Whenever the winds blow and the snow flies, Mr. B dreams of ice cream.

This time when the craving struck I handed Mr. B the book, and suggested he find something interesting. I glanced over a few minutes later he had his finger on the page and a big grin on his face. “Let’s make tea ice cream!” he said. Intrigued, I agreed and we read through the recipe together, deciding to make a simple riff which required only four ingredients. Blackberry Sage tea, cream, milk, sugar- the ingredients were innocent enough. Yet when steeped together and churned into a cold creamy mix, the result was pure alchemy. Subtle dark notes of dried berry and tea mingled with the sweet cream base while hints of sage added complexity. Like a fine wine, the flavors unfolded in waves across my tongue. It was intoxicating. I declare with utmost sincerity that it was the best ice cream ever to cross my lips. From now on, in blizzards, ground blizzards, or mere snow storms, Mr. B won’t be the only one dreaming of ice cream.

Blackberry Sage Tea Ice Cream (Printable Recipe)

Makes 1 Quart

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

Note: Blackberry Sage Tea is rather expensive ($11), however the unused tea leaves are (of course) excellent on their own, and will last a long time in your cupboard.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Blackberry Sage Tea

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Place a small pot with lid over medium heat. Warm up the milk, 1 cup of cream, sugar, and tea leaves, until the liquid is steaming but not bubbling. Stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a lid. Let the mixture steep at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the remaining 1 cup of cream in a medium bowl, with a fine mesh strainer on top. Pour the steeped liquid through the strainer into the bowl with the cream. Discard the tea leaves in the strainer. Stir the liquid mixture until well combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then chill for 4 hours or overnight. After the liquid is chilled through, freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Have you tried the turnip? A humble round root vegetable that can sit in the corner for weeks without causing any trouble, sadly overlooked for most of my life. Yet once you bring this old fashioned vegetable home and give it a chance you will discover the hidden allure of this quiet winter staple. Soft white skin topped with a blush of pink is peeled away to reveal a firm creamy flesh. When bathed in a braise of butter and broth a mysteriously complex character emerges. The liquid cooks down and the flesh caramelizes into a glossy tan. A dark concentrated flavor envelopes the turnip, turning it into an unctuous delight that seduces the senses. Softly filling your mouth with a dark silky sweetness and then dancing with a peppery finish across your tongue- you may never look at a turnip the same way again.

Turnips belong to beef just as strawberries belong to cream. Yet in this classic Julia Child braise you may forget about the beef entirely and spoon another helping of turnips when no one is looking. If you have never tried the turnip or understood its alluring charm, mysterious delights await.

Glazed Turnips (Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients:

2 lbs. turnips, peeled and cut into quarters (be sure to remove any wax that may have flaked off from the skin)

4 Tablespoons butter, divided

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 – 1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons minced parsley or fresh thyme (to garnish)

Directions:

Place a medium pot filled with salted water over high heat. Add the turnips to the pot and bring the contents to a boil. Blanch the turnips for 3-5 minutes. Drain the turnips and use a kitchen towel to dry them off. The turnips should still be firm.

Place a 4 quart heavy bottomed skillet with lid over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of butter and the olive oil to the skillet. Once the fat is melted, add the turnips to the pan and saute for 3-4 minutes, until the turnips turn a light brown color. Next pour in enough of the beef broth to barely cover the turnips with liquid. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and the sugar to the skillet. Stir gently, and then cover the skillet with a lid. Reduce the heat to maintain a hard simmer, and cook for 20-30 minutes. The turnips should be tender but still hold their shape.

(If you are making this dish ahead of time, stop here, uncover the pan and set aside. Then add 1 Tablespoon of water to the pan before continuing.)

Uncover the skillet, and if the liquid is not reduced to a thick syrup-like glaze, raise the heat to a boil and cook rapidly, stirring gently, until the liquid has thickened. Gently stir the turnips in the glaze, turning them to coat all sides. Transfer the contents of the skillet into a side dish or onto plates, and garnish with the parsley or thyme.

Scheduling Note – Major site changes are underway this week so I will be posting off of the usual schedule. Thank you for your patience!

As I’ve warned before – I can’t make a small batch of soup! Feel free to cut this recipe in half if desired.

1 cup toasted slivered almonds or peanuts (salt free), for garnish

The Official Line: The January 2010 DC challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day.

When I read the Daring Cooks’ challenge for January, I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief. After blow out cooking marathons over the holidays I needed a bit of a break. Satays with a peanut sauce were simple enough to pull together on a weeknight and with the ability to use any type of meat I could even keep it on the healthy side.

With an eye for simplicity I opted to use shrimp and tofu, which only needed to rest in the marinade for about 30 minutes. (Other options such as pork or chicken would also work very well in this dish, but need to marinate for 8-24 hours.) After infusing the meat with ginger, onion, and an array of spices, all that was left was a quick turn on the grill. Everything was hunky dory until I tried to turn the skewers. The shrimp happily popped right off the grill pan, but the tofu hung on for dear life. After much prodding I finally got the tofu to turn over, but it left a layer behind that refused to budge and proceeded to burn while the second side cooked. Do you see a pattern here? I’m beginning to think that I should call myself a “challenged” Daring Cook! Fortunately the peanut sauce came together without a fight- requiring only that you warm up the coconut milk and peanut butter until they are combined.

When the shrimp and tofu were dipped into the thick and creamy coconut flavored sauce they were delicious. Warm, crispy on the edges, and slathered in a mildly spicy peanut sauce, satays are a fantastic way to eat food on a stick. Plus I always think food tastes better if you get to use your hands!

Shrimp and Tofu Satay (Printable Recipe)

Recipe from Cuppylicious

Serves 4

1 lb. Shrimp

8 oounces Extra-Firm Tofu,  drained and cut into 1″ squares

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)

2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)

1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)

1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)

1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)

1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)

1 serrano pepper, seeded

2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)

3/4 cup coconut milk (light is fine) (6 oz or 180 mls)

4 Tbsp peanut butter (2 oz or 60 mls)

1 Tbsp lemon juice (0.5 oz or 15 mls)

1 Tbsp soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)

1 tsp brown sugar (5 mls)

1/2 tsp ground cumin (2.5 mls)

1/2 tsp ground coriander (2.5 mls)

1-2 dried red chilies, chopped (keep the seeds for heat)

Blender

Bamboo Skewers

Grill or Grill Pan

If you have a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the shrimp and tofu and blend until smooth. Lacking a food processor, I prefer to chop my onions, garlic and ginger really fine then mix it all together in a medium to large bowl.

Thaw shrimp if necessary. Place shrimp and tofu cubes into a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add the marinade into the bag, seal, and gently shake the bag until all ingredients are well covered. Set the bag in the fridge and let marinate for 20-60 minutes.

While the meat is marinating, place the bamboo skewers in water to soak.

Assemble the Peanut Sauce

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and lemon, mix well.

Over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. Mix well, stir often. Keep the sauce warm while you cook the meat.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.

Broil or grill at 290°C/550° F (or pan fry on medium-high) for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just start to char. Flip and cook another 8-10 minutes*. Serve hot with peanut sauce on the side.

* If you’re grilling or broiling, brush the meat once with extra marinade when you flip the skewers.

When the weather turns cold I inevitably find myself craving warm comfort food. In January this often poses a challenge, as comfort food and healthy food don’t always play together nicely. Whoever first thought that January 1st was the best time for diet resolutions must have been nuts or living in Hollywood. Or even more likely both nuts and living in Hollywood- I tease. Seriously though, sub-zero temperatures and salad greens that are thousands of miles away from their source create nothing but a sad cold stomach.

To satisfy my desire to spend entire days between warm flannel sheets and the need to balance out holiday excess, I find a happy middle ground in roast chicken. Almost every Sunday night during the winter months I find myself stuffing ingredients underneath a chicken skin, patting salt and pepper on top, and roasting the bird in a warm oven that fills the house with a comforting chicken aroma.

Our favorite recipe is still a roast chicken with meyer lemon and sage. However in an attempt to avoid butter and branch out a bit I created this delicious variation on tandoori chicken. Marinating a chicken in yogurt and spices resulted in a fantastically tender bird. If you have an older or mediocre quality whole chicken this is an excellent way to achieve the moist tenderness that can be lacking in lower quality birds. The Indian spices added a bit of heat and took the dish beyond typical roast chicken flavors into an interesting and delicious alternative. Mr. B braved the cold and cooked this chicken on our grill to achieve a smoky tandoori quality. However if your grill is buried under 3′ of snow (which subsequently happened to ours!) the oven would definitely be an acceptable alternative. For a comforting yet healthy dinner, roast chicken is hard to beat.

Tandoori Roast Chicken (Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6

The chicken will need to marinate for a minimum of 6 hours and up to 24 hours, so please plan accordingly.

Ingredients:

1 3-4lb whole Chicken

2 large Onions, cut into wedges

Salt and Pepper

Kitchen Twine (If roasting the chicken in an oven)

1/2 cup minced Onion

2 Garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 cup non-fat plain Yogurt

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh Lemon juice

1/2 Tablespoon Paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

Pinch ground Cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground Tumeric

1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon chopped Cilantro

Directions:

Place all of the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix together until they are well combined.

Place the whole chicken on a large rimmed plate or dish that will fit in your fridge. Use your fingers and carefully separate the chicken skin from the breast and leg meat, creating a pocket between the two. Take care not to tear the skin- it should still be attached to the bird.

Next take small handfuls of the marinade and stuff it into the pockets created between the skin and meat. Rub the marinade around to cover the meat as best as possible. (This is a messy step.) Once all of the marinade is underneath the chicken skin, tie the legs together using kitchen twine if you plan to roast the chicken in an oven. Sprinkle a dusting of additional salt and pepper on top of the Chicken skin, and pat it in. Cover the plate and chicken with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

An hour before cooking the chicken, remove it from the fridge and set it on the counter to come to room temperature.

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat or an oven to 425 degrees. Set the chicken on a grill pan or a rack set into a roasting pan. Distribute the onion wedges around the chicken. Cook the chicken on the grill for 45-75 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. Cooking time will vary depending on the temperature of your grill and the size of the chicken, so check the bird frequently after 45 minutes.

If you are using an oven, roast the chicken for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. If the onions look too dry in the roasting pan while the chicken is still cooking, add a 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock to the pan. Continue to cook the chicken for another 30-60 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees and the juices run clear.

Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.

When the soup is finished simmering, add salt to the pot, and puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Serve hot with a swirl of wasabi cream on top.

Postscript: The lovely Mayberry Magpie sent me the nutrition information for this soup.
Per Serving – Calories: 169 Fat: 7.9g Fiber: 3.7g Protien: 11.5g

But then I fell into a trap. It was a very crafty trap if I do say so myself. When reading the recipe for this chipotle corn chowder in the Canyon Ranch cookbook I noticed that it called for vegetable stock and then gave a page number with a suggested recipe. Flipping the pages I discovered a simple vegetable stock which used ingredients that were already in my fridge and only required an hour to simmer on the stove. With an hour to spare, I quickly chopped up the vegetables, threw them into a pot, and let them simmer. 60 minutes later I strained out the veggies and tasted the clear lightly colored broth left behind (with a pinch of salt). Delicious. Really delicious. As in I had to keep myself from just ladling up a cup of it on the spot and drinking it straight. The light delicate flavors of the leek and carrots blended beautifully with seasonings of marjoram and thyme. It was a vegetable stock epiphany.

When the stock was used as a base for the chipotle corn chowder, the resulting soup had a light vegetable undertone that couldn’t be beat. Best of all, using an unsalted stock meant I could season the final soup with just enough salt to taste, avoiding the overload of salt that normally keeps my soup-loving ways to a dull roar. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I have now made this stock every week for the past month. I find myself picking up a leek and carrots at the grocery store just so I can come home and make another batch. My freezer does hold a few containers of the leftovers, but by and large we have enjoyed eating a lot of soup. Since it is only January, I have a feeling that this is going to continue for several months to come. If you also roll your eyes at the thought of making your own stock, let the siren song of this recipe seduce you into trying it just once. You never know, it may just turn you into one of those people…

Homemade Vegetable Stock (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooking
Makes 9 cups of stock

Ingredients:

1 leek, well rinsed, trimmed, and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 carrots, scrubbed and chopped
5 stalks celery, without leaves (they impart a bitter flavor), chopped
1 cup chopped parsley stems
2 bay leaves, broken into halves
1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
12 cups cold water

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large soup pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and let the stock gently simmer, uncovered, for about an hour.

After an hour, pour the stock through a large colander lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Gently press down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract any remaining flavor and liquid. Discard the solids. Use the stock immediately to make soup, or once it is cool, place it in sealed containers. The stock can be kept in the fridge for 1 week, or frozen indefinitely.