Better Butter with Orange & Mint (Simple Saturday)

Sometimes people get jammed up about Jam and think Butter is better. For those times, and for those people, there's Compound Butter with Orange and Mint. And, of course, you could use both. Yeah, sometimes I do, so what? :DCompound Butter is simply taking soft butter and adding flavorings.It makes an amazing addition to Chicken Kiev when you make lemon and chive butter. It gives great color and flavor to Fish when you add Tomato Butter to the baking.Take a few moments to make sure you really combine the fats with the flavorings - - then chill the butter in a log for slicing later, or in a flat disk for cutting into shapes. You can add a little zing to your biscuit, scone, eggs, or brunch presentation with that imagination of yours. Go ahead - make your butter better.RECIPE: Compound Butter with Orange and Mint

1 stick of butter (soft)
1 orange zest and juice
2 fresh mint leaves (minced)

1) In a bowl with a wooden spoon or paddle, mix the juice (a little at a time) into the butter. Then mix in the mint.

2) Wrap the compound butter in plastic wrap in a disk, or a log and chill for a few hours.

3) When ready to serve, cut shapes out or slice the log into rounds. Replace any butter not used into the refrigerator. You can also keep this in the freezer for at least a week.:D Happy Saturdays~

Fresh Peas and Mint Risotto - inspired by "The Dirty Life"

This is a recipe inspired by a book inspired by a life. The recipe is with Fresh Peas cooked in milk and mint (then turned into Fresh Pea and Mint Risotto.)

The book is "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball. The life is Kristin's experience going from a city girl to falling in love with a man of the land, then falling in love with the land.

I have personal reasons for loving the idea of this book, but the story touched on themes universal and sustaining.

I spent my earliest years living with just a field of corn, vegetables, and berries between my house and my grandparent's survival farm. As a child, I watched the hard work of farming like my own personal theme park. The giant Shire horse that pulled the plow for my grandfather was the same one I shared a salt lick with in the hay barn. It didn't occur to me, that he was also the source of indispensable strength required to work the soil.



My brother, cousins and I built many elaborately chambered forts of hay bales that had recently been tediously gathered and tied for feed. We threw grains to the chickens and gathered eggs when we felt like joining in, not knowing it was a daily chore the adults were bound to every morning at dawn. We ran through the yard from escaped pigs, not reading the concerned faces of the tired parents who had already spent this season's budget on fence repairs.

We'd grab the handle for churning butter and claim our success after a few strokes, leaving the rest of the hour to Grandma. We stole strawberries and mulberries from the vines for our own red stained version of paintball wars. We sprinkled salt into one palm of our hands and dipped fresh hot juicy tomatoes into it and ate them like apples. We'd sit in the yard with a lap full of chores and feel besieged with suffering that we couldn't go play until we had snapped our little bowl of green beans, or shucked our share of corn.Grandma gave us steaming buttermilk biscuits that we poked holes into and filled with molasses to eat while we headed out for the day on what we thought were newly forged faraway pathways through the woods. We returned late in the afternoon, grouchy with exhaustion from our difficult day of work and exploration. Later, as an adult I realized it was only about a city block in distance away from the main house.

For these and other memories of farm living, "The Dirty Life" gave me a new appreciation for how much work had been going on around my little world.If I had never experienced a farm, Kristin Kimball's book would still be on my bedside table. Her writing tone feels like a letter to a friend, and somewhere in there I start feeling like I am the friend.

Through the journey of her falling in love with her husband, community, animals and nature, I am inspired. In her words, "Why is farming like a relationship? Because you do not reap what you sow. That's a lie. You reap what you sow, hill, cultivate, fertilize, harvest, and store."Along the way, Kristin casually tosses us a few recipe and cooking ideas. One of my favs is cooking fresh summer peas in a saucepan of milk briefly, then adding a few sprigs of mint.After gathering our first season peas from my tiny little "dog run" size garden, I turned the minted peas into a Risotto for a family dinner.Obviously I really enjoyed this book, so you can imagine how exciting it was to have Kristin Kimball join in during an online virtual book club meeting this past week. She was generous and funny, spoke of her two kids being watched by her farmer husband, Mark, while our book club tweeted comments and questions regarding her writing, her inspirations and her plans.

At one point Mark brought her a plate of fresh and simply prepared asparagus and she mentioned how the right ingredients were so much more important than the recipe to her. It was a joy.

This online book club was hosted by Allison for Leite's Culinaria (David Leite). You are invited to join us for the next event/book which will be decided soon. It's a great way to challenge and encourage yourself to carve out time for reading and then discussing what we read without even leaving your own home/office. A time is set, you go on twitter and put in the subject #LCBookClub and join in the meeting.(Here's a special treat: there will be another time with Kristin Kimball this coming Tuesday night, June 13th, 2011 at 9PM EST. Even if you haven't read the book (yet), stop by and experience the energy.)

RECIPE: Fresh Peas & Mint Risotto

2 cups fresh peas
2 cups milk
pinch of salt
1 Tbls fresh mint leaves or chopped in pieces
3 Tbls. Butter
3 Tbls. Olive Oil
1 small Shallot (chopped)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (or non alcoholic Verjon)
1 qt. stock (vegetable or chicken)
1/2 cup grated cheese (parmigiano or pecorino work well)

1) In a small saucepan, bring the peas and milk to a simmer for about 2-3 minutes, then add the mint and salt. Remove the pan from heat and hold.

2) In a sided skillet over med. heat, cook the shallot in the butter and oil until tender (about 3-5 minutes).

3) Add the rice and stir (season with salt) until the rice turns opaque (about 5-10 minutes).

4) Add the wine and stir to deglaze the skillet until almost all the liquid has been incorporated (au sec.)

5) Add the stock, one cup at a time, for 3 times. Stirring between each addition until the liquid is absorbed and the rice begins to create its own sauce.

6) Stir in the milk and the peas (as you did the stock), continuing to incorporate and cook the rice. Use the rest of the stock as needed to stir in and keep the Risotto creamy. Season to taste.

7) Stir in the grated cheese, briefly and serve with more grated cheese as desired.

Jammin' Jam: Strawberry, Black Pepper and Fresh Mint

I can honestly say that I have never bitten into a lovely, warm scone topped with sweet, plump jammy fruit and thought to myself, "What this is missing is some ground black pepper." So, when I was reading through Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber ( a most beloved maker of jams and jellies, second only in my mind to June Taylor) and read about a jam made with strawberries, fresh mint and black pepper - well, I had to give it some thought.

Jammin' Jam of Strawberry, Black Pepper & Fresh Mint

Ladies and Gents, it works! Not only does it work, it has a remarkable balance that keeps the sugar (that can sometimes be too much, especially for non-jam loving folks), in the background. Suddenly, the fruit is first, then a hint of mint rises up and never do you think, "oh wow, pepper in my mouth." It just seems to make the sugar be a little more generous with the spotlight.

This month's Tigress Can Jam ingredient was any kind of herb that we fancied using. I actually still have a nice Mint plant doing well even after the wet winter here, so I definitely wanted to use that. Then, the Farmer's Market starting showing off the first of the season's strawberries for us fortunate Californians, so it was easy to see where my combo was headed. I, frankly, would never have thought to use pepper on my own - maybe balsamic vinegar or vanilla or perhaps a tea blend, but never ground pepper.
Since the strawberries are also a little tangy this early in the year, the pepper really played nicely with the acids and herbal notes. The recipe is a breeze, although in my adaptation I have cut a whole day off of the macerating (and I still do it overnight once).
Christine just loves to take a few days to do her amazing creations, and I didn't have the patience to be so French. Until I have the pleasure of tasting her jar of this bliss, I'll be satisfied with loving mine. I highly recommend giving this a whirl; It's easy and has a big wow factor. RECIPE: Strawberry, Ground Pepper & Fresh Mint Jam
(adapted from Mes Confitures)

2lbs Strawberries, (weigh after washed, hulled & sliced in half )
1 1/2 lb sugar (this is about 3 1/2 cups)
1 lemon zest and juice
8 fresh mint leaves, hand shredded
8 black peppercorns, freshly ground

In a ceramic bowl, add the strawberries, lemon zest and juice, and sugar. Fold together just to mix and cover with parchment paper and let macerate overnight in the refrigerator.

Next day, bring the preparation to a simmer in a preserving pot or large saucepan. Stir gently to dissolve all sugar for about 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve and hold the fruit separately while you return the syrup to the pan and bring to a boil, cooking on high til concentrated at 221F on a candy thermometer.

Add the fruit back into the pot with the mint and ground pepper. Return to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Check the set.

Fill sterilized jars, immediately, and close with lids. Boil in a hot waterbath, covering the jars by 1 inch of water, for 10 minutes. See "How To Preserve" for any questions about water baths. Remove carefully to a rack to cool and seal. Do not move jars for 24 hours to secure the seal.

*Optionally, you can fill jars and keep in refrigerator for 3 weeks without a water bath*
Getcha Pepper on, peeps!

Apple Bowl Curry Soup: Let's Lunch

Today's "Let's Lunch" (the international virtual lunch date) entree is a chilled soup. Since it was coinciding with Back-To-School time and a Welcome Luncheon for teachers, I decided to go for apples. And looking for every chance to make the clean-up extra easy - why not make the bowl edible too? This is my Apple Bowl Curry Soup; ABC Soup for short.
The Let's Lunch group is an open invitation idea started by several creative Food Bloggers on Twitter, who were literally across the world from each other. It has become a delicious way to connect on lunch ideas, swap recipes and inspire each other. Now there are a whole group of us, and YOU are always welcome to join in the fun. You can find out about the next "Let's Lunch" by searching #letslunch on twitter, following any of us on twitter (@cheryltan88, @cowgirlchef, @showfoodchef @geokaren, @PinchMySalt, @thenaptimechef ,@blogwelldone,@istelleinad,@barbraaustin, @cosmiccowgirlt, ), or leave a comment here.

Now...soup's on!

This is a very simple soup that has just a hint of curry and mint to give it interest and range of flavor. It does require a hardy crisp apple for the best bite and chilling the apple before cutting makes it easier to scoop out and maintain it's shape.

To prepare the apples, have fresh lemon juice handy to rub over and inside the apples so the flesh doesn't turn brown as it oxidizes.
Slice the wide top end from each apple, about 1/4 way down. Using a paring knife, carefully score around the inside of the apple, leaving about a 1/4 inch rim. Score an X across the apple to help break the core. Using a small spoon or a melon baller, scoop out the flesh of the apple, being careful to leave a good bottom inside and not cut through the apple skin. Be sure to keep all the scooped out apple for the soup, discarding the seeds and core. Rub the cut rim and the insides of the apple bowl with fresh lemon juice to help keep the fresh color. Turn the prepared apples over on a parchment covered plate and chill in the refrigerator while preparing the soup.

Apple Curry Mint Soup
(serves 6)

4-6 cups of peeled & cored apple parts
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/4 tsp. curry powder
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint + more for garnish
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
salt/pepper to taste
In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium and saute onion, apple, curry, salt and pepper until the apple is soft. Add the stock and mint leaves - simmer low for 40 minutes. Cool, then add lemon juice and puree for a thick, rich soup. Chill well. Pour to serve. Garnish with creme fraiche and mint sprigs.

**For a thinner soup, just add more stock to the simmer.

** For more of a dessert soup, leave out the curry and add a tsp. of brown sugar instead.

Enjoy, but don't leave this apple on the teacher's desk - it might spill.

Get inspired by other chilled soups, being served at these blogs for today's Let's Lunch:
A Tiger In The Kitchen
The Naptime Chef
GeoFooding
BonVivant
Pinch My Salt
Cowgirl Chef
Serve It Forth
Blog Well Done