I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
The other day, Larry came home with a H-U-G-E zucchini that one of his co-workers brought in. My first reaction was “OMG! What am I going to do with this?” Well obviously I am going to be making quite a few things with it because there is so much of it.
The first thing I made with it was some delicious corn, zucchini, chicken and sausage chowder. YUM! But, I only used about 1/3 of this huge zucchini. Larry was positive I could use the whole thing in the soup, whereas I knew unless I was making an even bigger pot of soup than I normally do, there was no way it was all going to get used in this batch of soup. As I make more zucchini dishes, you will hear all the details, fresh off the press and out of the kitchen.
Even though it wasn’t exactly the soupiest of days, soup was just what I needed. Soup is a great comfort food, and I needed a little comforting. It just hit the spot. I grew up with this picture and still have it hanging in my kitchen today. This is one of my favorite pictures, and to me, it speaks volumes. Keep it simple and stay humble.
I am one of those people who actually likes “stuff in my stuff”. Why have less when you can have more, right?! This is a simple soup really, but has a lot of good, healthy foods in it, making it more like a meal than just soup or, in this case, chowder. I LOVE my thick creamy chowders. Most chowders always have potatoes and bacon in them. That’s part of what makes them a chowder, or at least, this is what some of my old chef instructors taught me while I was back in culinary school, many, many moons ago. I have always stuck to this theory when making chowders too.
Corn, Zucchini, Chicken and Sausage Chowder
1- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, diced fine
1 lb (or more) frozen corn
2 lbs chicken, cubed small
2 medium potatoes, diced small
1/2 lb bacon, diced
1 lb cooked sausage, diced
2 TBSP garlic
2 large shallots or 1 white onion, diced fine
1-2 cups heavy whipping cream
6-8 cups chicken broth
flour to thicken (amount will vary depending on how thick you like your chowder)
salt & pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
olive oil
5-6 sprigs of thyme, stems removed
Cook the potatoes and bacon together until the potatoes are soft and the bacon is cooked. You can cook the chicken at the same time in a different pan.
Once the bacon and potatoes are cooked, or at least mostly cooked, you can add the vegetables. Continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and the shallots are translucent.
I added a “secret spice” to my chicken as it was cooking. Some friends of ours have an exchange student from Israel who is now staying with them for the school year, and she brought over some Ka’taar that her mother made. She gave me some and I decided to add some to my soup. I probably added about 2 tsp. I loved it.
When the chicken is completely cooked, add it and the sausage to the mixture and combine well. Then add the chicken broth and the seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cream and combine well. If you like a thicker chowder, add some flour. Add as much as you like to make your desired thickness. Continue to simmer the chowder for at least about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, before serving.
When the chowder is ready, serve it up and serve with some warmed bread and a glass or two of wine for a simple, yet hearty meal. Soup, or chowder, always hits the spot.
It is once again time to be back in the kitchen, where I belong; one of my safe places. In just a bit, I will be down making a big pot of soup and hopefully baking some bread as well. Even though the weather is not exactly soup weather at the moment, that’s what we are hungry for, so that’s what’s cooking. You will all just have to wait until tomorrow to see what kind I make.
In the meantime, I leave you with some more food for thought, or thoughts for food. Either way, it’s all the same.
“It’s in the kitchen that confidences are exchanged, that family life takes place; it’s among the remains of a meal or when you’re elbow-deep in peelings that you ask yourself what life is all about, rather than when you are in an armchair in the sitting room”.
~ Benoite Groult, French Writer, from La Mer de la Cuisine, Loaves & Wishes~
” … a friend … showed me the kitchen in her new home with the words, “This is my office”. I knew what she meant. This is where I do the work I want to, the work I like and enjoy”.
~ Shash Deshpande, Indian Novelist~
” From morning till night, sounds drift from the kitchen, most of them familiar and comforting … On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it; it dries the wet sock, it cools the hot little brain”.
~ E. B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little~
~ Barbara Costikyan, American Advertising Executive~
“… devote all the time and resources at your disposal to the building up of a fine kitchen. It will be, as it should be, the most comforting and comfortable room in the house”.
` Elizabeth David, British Cookbook Author~
I very deliberately chose the quotes I did for today. I wanted and needed to find my safe space again; my safe space in my kitchen, since after all, “This is where I do the work I want to, the work I like and enjoy”.
I apologize and thank you all for your attention, your support and your comments about yesterday’s post, Something On My Mind. Like I said yesterday, I DO NOT want my blog to be political. It’s about food, and my passion for everything food related. Granted, it did spark some interesting and diverse conversations, but my blog, “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” is about food, NOT politics.
LET ME BE PERFECTLY CLEAR – I DID NOT WRITE THIS ARTICLE. IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN FLOATING AROUND ON FACEBOOK!
The article below is what sparked all this controversy. Agree with it or disagree with it. That is for you to decide, not me. I personally DO NOT agree with it, but there again, that is my own personal belief. I really have a problem with this specific statement, and I think this is the phrase that really set me off. “These wannabe white separatists need to fully understand the dimensions of the narrow little world they’re condemning themselves to”.
A few days ago I had a great margarita at my favorite Mexican restaurant, where I visited with the wait staff , all members of the family that owns the restaurant. La abuela doesn’t speak English, so explaining to her that no, really, that was all of the queso fundido I was going to eat and no, there was no problem, got a little complex. But with sufficient broken Spanish on my part and her grandson’s help, we got it sorted out — and enjoyed a moment.
A couple of days after that, I met a young woman from Ukraine whose English wasn’t great, but we managed to have an interesting conversation anyway. She told me she wants to start a YouTube channel for immigrants to share their getting-started stories. I told her it was brilliant — and I think it is.
Last week, I had a couple of medical tests; two of the technicians were Latinx, one was Chinese and the other looked as though he might have had a Viking up the family tree. My doctor is Japanese. My physical therapist is from India.
Yesterday in Target, a young mother wearing a hijab was checking out in front of me and taking longer than her adorable toddler daughter thought was necessary. The little girl started fussing and Mom was getting frustrated, so I played peekaboo with her until Mom had completed her transaction. As she was leaving, she mouthed “Thank you!” over her baby’s head.
Today, I went for a mani-pedi and the young technicians were laughing and talking in Vietnamese as they tag-teamed my fingers and toes. The one who spoke the clearest English asked me how long it had been since my last pedicure. I shrugged, rolled my eyes and she wagged her finger at me, scolding, “You come sooner next time…” and we laughed.
In the past couple of months, I have eaten food from at least six nationalities (go, Seattle!) and have had personal interactions with black people, white people, Latinx people, transgender people, Asian people, gay people, Jewish people, Hindu people, Christian people, Muslim people, unaffiliated reprobates like myself, male people, female people and people who have chosen not to pick sides. And probably a number of other categories I’ve forgotten by now because I don’t care. This is just how my life rolls in a diverse city, among a diverse community, with a heart that is richer for all of them.
I recently read a Washington Post article about the shortage of labor in Maine — where the population has now grown sufficiently old that the World Bank terms it “super-aged” — and the crisis they’re dealing with because there are not enough young workers to care for all those old people.
This imbalance is a harbinger of things to come for all U.S. states, the article said, but particularly for those who have fewer immigrants.
Derp.
People from other countries have long filled the ranks of medical professionals and caregivers in this nation, but with harsher immigration policies and a public sentiment that makes the U.S. less inviting, the immigrant population will, predictably, dwindle. Not having sufficient professionals and workers to care for elderly people will be a social and economic catastrophe in a decade or less (it’s already happening in Maine and another dozen states). One of the recommendations for the future is to “reshape the workforce” and I’d bet my hat, ass and overcoat that will involve … you guessed it! … more immigrants.
I wonder how some of the horrible white people we are seeing on a daily basis these days insisting in the local Starbucks that the people a table away (who weren’t talking to them) SPEAK ENGLISH!!! or castigating the waiter in the MEXICAN restaurant where they were buying tacos (!!!) to GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM (“Unh … it’s my restaurant…”) are eventually going to deal with the fact that their lily white bum gets wiped by a foreigner or it doesn’t get wiped at all. That should be a day of reckoning, for sure.
I understand that some people are convinced — possibly by a 30-year diet of Fox and Rush — that they are the master race and every one not their particular shade of beige and of their particular pedigree should bow down and make way. If that’s the way they want to play it, OK, I guess. You can’t make people not be hateful. But there need to be some guidelines. These wannabe white separatists need to fully understand the dimensions of the narrow little world they’re condemning themselves to.
If I were named Queen for a Day, these are a few of the new rules I would hereby order for all those angry white people:
If you don’t want immigrants to live in the U.S.A. and/or you think brown people of any type are your inferiors, you will be required to wear an indelible stamp across your forehead (not a tattoo, because we want you to have a change of heart) with a big, fat purple B for Bigot. If you are sporting this stamp, you cannot purchase anything brought to this country by an immigrant ever or made by a brown person. Food, clothing, jewelry, electronics … nada (or in English, for you, “nothing”).
If you are wearing your required B-for-Bigot stamp and you become ill, you will not be able to access care by anyone brown or from another country, especially Muslim or shit-hole countries (is “shit-hole” hyphenated or one word? Whatever). You may die, but you’ll have the comfort of dying while being right about race.
You have to give up any food that any immigrant group has ever introduced here. No Mexican food, no Chinese, no Thai hot, no sushi, no Indian buffet, no soul food — no nuthin’ but potatoes and whatever some Native American might be kind enough to cook up for you. They will retain the right to refuse. You cannot eat anything harvested by any immigrant ever. You will starve, but again, you’ll retain your righteousness on the way out.
You will not be able to sell anything to anyone from an immigrant group or with skin darker than copy paper. If you’re a business owner or manufacturer or a tradesperson or … oh hell, anyone … you’ll notice the economic impact quickly because immigrants and brown people are, you know, drivers of our economy.
You must relinquish all access to any music imported from any immigrant group or via brown people. This leaves … unh … gosh … hmmm … still thinking. Even bluegrass or old-time country are out because that came to us courtesy of that pesky Irish/Scot invasion and, even though these were my people and they borrowed heavily on the African traditions already taking root in the South, they were, you know, nasty immigrants. Certainly no blues, jazz, rock & roll, hip-hop, classical (all those Eye-talians, doncha know). Maybe you can listen to some nice Native American flute music, indigenous to this country, but again, you’ll have to rely on the kindness of the original residents of this continent and, frankly, some of them are weary of your bullshit.
You will never be able to enjoy any electronic devices again — iPhones, tablets, laptops, PCs. According to the Census Bureau, despite making up only 16 percent of the resident population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, immigrants represent 33 percent of engineers, 27 percent of mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientist, and 24 percent of physical scientists. According to the Partnership for a New American Economy, in 2011, foreign-born inventors contributed to more than 75 percent of patents issued to the top 10 patent-producing universities. Immigrants and brown people have been all up in the development of all of the electronic stuff for a long time, so … sorry. It’s not easy being racist. Buck up.
Alas, no sportsball. Given the preponderance of players of color in basketball, football, tennis and such, no B-for-Bigot can enjoy the sportsball games anymore, either in person or on TV. They’ll have NASCAR … hockey … lacrosse, so that’s something. Bottom line, you don’t get to enjoy the fruits of other people’s labor if you aren’t willing to grant them as much humanity and value as you grant yourself. Very simple, actually.
I could go on and on, but you get the drift. So you go ahead and sit over there in your little whitey-tighty corner, wrapped in gauze and buffered from any encounter with anyone not on your list of approved races, ethnic groups and/or gender expressions. I haven’t seen this list, but I assume you’ve all gotten together and worked it out, right? Because you seem to have such a clear picture of who is and isn’t a human being entitled to the full rights and respect one gives to others, I figured you’ve put your heads together and gotten very clear about who’s in and who’s out. Oh… that reminds me of Rule № 8.
8. You have to spit in a vial and/or swab your cheek and get that DNA sorted out. I know I’m white because I did that and was quite disappointed that the results came back white-white-whitey-white — British Isles all the way, yo. I was raised being told that for sure we had a Native American ancestor (I feel you, Elizabeth Warren) and probably an African American one. So imagine my chagrin to discover I’m “pure.” You, on the other hand, may not know your pedigree and it’s essential that you do. If you’re going to be such a hate-weasel about racial purity, you will need to scientifically verify that you are actually pure. Otherwise we add the orange H for Hypocrisy stamp to your forehead. It’s gonna get crowded up there if you don’t lighten up.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to go about our daily lives, enjoying each other’s company, benefitting from mutual relationships, taking pleasure in varieties of flavor and music and accents and skin colors and ages and religions and hair styles and personalities different from our own.
Just being, you know, decent human beings who are grateful for each other’s presence in this delicious world we get to live in together.
K.C. Compton is a journalist living in Seattle. She has worked as a columnist, reporter and editor at newspapers throughout the Rocky Mountain region and is a former editor with Mother Earth News. Pronouns=she/her
This is one of my rare moments of commentary not related to food, but something that has been bothering me since I saw this last night. I do my best to keep my politics out of my blog. I have not set it up to be a political platform, nor do I want it to be. I have my viewpoints, and I most definitely have strong opinions about why I feel and vote the way I do. I am entitled to my opinions just as you and everyone else is entitled to yours and theirs, just as it should be. I am going to be blunt and blurt it right out to all of you. If you dislike me or un-follow me because of it then so be it. Not my problem. I am a conservative thinker. I really could care less how other people think, feel or vote, and I try my best to respect others’ opinions and viewpoints, however, I at least hope for the same from others. Last night I came across a post on Facebook that really bothered me. It tied my personal and political viewpoints to what I should and should not eat and what I should and should not cook and decide to share and what I should and should not enjoy. UMMMMMMMM!!!!!! I really don’t think what I cook or eat or enjoy to eat is anyone else’s business, and I have NEVER in my life thought of my food choices as political. But I guess in today’s world, EVERYTHING is political, apparently even our food choices. I enjoy food. I enjoy foods from all over the world and all ethncities I always have, and always will. I really don’t quite know how I am supposed to react to this. I ignored it and just moved on, however, I thought about it all last night and all morning. I am still bothered and upset about this. Now that I have “outed” myself, if you dare to still follow me and speak to me, I am interested in your thoughts.
Flan is a type of custard that is loved and appreciated all over the world. There are many different types and it can be made either savory or sweet. It can be cheesy, with or without vegetables, or it can be sweet and served on its own or with chocolate, fruits or nuts, or just about any other way you can think of to make it.
Flan was first created by the Ancient Romans, with the help of the Ancient Greeks. The Romans had domesticated chickens for the eggs, and had an abundance of eggs that they needed to use. The Ancient Greeks were known for their art of cooking. The two civilizations collaborated and flan, or flado, was created, although to the Ancient Romans, flan was known as tyropatinam. The word flado, which meant “flat cake” somehow evolved to the Old French word flaon, which then became flan, as we now know it today. Originally flans were savory dishes, which ironically is not how most people think of flans today. Flans in modern times, are almost always thought of as a sweet dessert, particularly in Spanish countries. The English speaking countries usually refer to flans as custards, and are often cooked in a pastry crust with fruits or nuts. Me personally, I will eat it any which way it comes, whether it is called flan, custard or creme brulee, I’m in and I am going to love it.
Back in the days when I was cooking professionally, I was always being asked “what types of foods were my favorite to cook”. I love all kinds of foods and love being an adventurous eater. My answer has always been that rather than focusing on a particular type of food or style of cooking, I prefer to cook in themes. I still do, and I try to do this as much as possible. So when I made my pork and pumpkin empanadas, Pork and Pumpkin Empanadas I was also looking for a good side dish to accompany them. I was going through all my Spanish and Latin cookbooks until I found just the right dish I was looking for. I came across a recipe for garlic flan. I had never heard of a garlic flan before and I thought it sounded really interesting and different. It is also very easy to make, with just a few simple ingredients.
Garlic Flan
1 TBSP garlic
2 cups heavy whipping cream or half & half
5 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C
Spray individual serving ramekins with cooking spray and place in a shallow baking dish big enough to hold them.
Whisk all the ingredients together and pour even amounts into the prepared ramekins.
Place the filled ramekins in the baking pan and add about 1 inch of water, or enough to cover the bottom 1/3 of the ramekins. This is called a “bain marie” or water bath. It is used when baking custards or other delicate egg dishes so the eggs don’t scramble and cook on the bottom while the dish is baking. Wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 45-60 minutes. You want the custards to be cooked and set, yet still soft. Let the flans cool a bit, then top with your favorite vinaigrette and serve. I used my chili lime vinaigrette on top. This is an acquired taste, more for the texture than the flavors, especially when served as a side dish rather than a dessert. I loved it, but Larry was a bit skeptical about it. To each his or her own.
Larry had his smoker going again over the weekend. He smoked some ribs and a pork shoulder. When he pulls out the smoker, he usually smokes a lot of meat at one time. We are still working on the ribs, and we froze a lot of the pork. What we didn’t freeze though, I shredded and turned into pork empanadas with pumpkin, spinach and almonds. I love empanandas and can eat them anytime, any way. They take some time to make, but they are well worth it when I do. From Leftovers to Empanadas With fall just around the corner and the weather being slightly cooler now, I thought it was the perfect time for something with a little pumpkin too. I served my empanadas with a garlic flan and some rice with corn, onions, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro, and of course, wine. I chose a red wine to accompany the meal since the the empanadas were a little on the heavier side.
Pork and Pumpkin Empanadas
The Dough
1 1/2 cups flour
6 TBSP COLD butter, cubed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sweet & spicy seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 egg
5-6 TBSP heavy whipping cream
Mix all the dry ingredients and the butter in the food processor until it is all blended together and crumbly. Then add the egg and cream and continue to process until the dough forms into a ball. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. When it is ready, roll the dough out to your desired shape on a slightly floured surface.
This is my basic dough recipe, minus the spices, for just about everything I make when I use a crust.
The Filling
1 1/2-2 lbs shredded pork
2 cups spinach, stems removed
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine
1/2 onion, diced fine
olive oil
2 cups pumpkin puree
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp sweet & spicy seasoning, optional
1 tsp chili powder, or garlic chili powder
1 tsp allspice
1/2 cup almond slivers
2-3 TBSP brandy
Saute the onions, jalapeno and garlic in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are soft and tender. Then add the almond slivers and continue to cook for about another 2-3 minutes.
Add the spinach and spices and combine everything together well.
Add the shredded pork and mix everything together well. Then add the pumpkin and mix well again.
Once everything is mixed together, add the brandy. Let the mixture simmer at a low heat for about 5-7 minutes, then let it cool so you can spoon it into the empanada dough.
As the filling is cooling, roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface and cut to your desired shape. I made these empanadas larger, since I was serving them for dinner. If you want them more as a snack or an appetizer, use a smaller cutter.
I like my empanadas nice and full. I added about 2 heaping TBSP of filling to each dough round, then carefully folded them over and pinched the edges together. Then use a fork and press the edges together even more to seal them.
Once the empanadas are made, make an egg wash with 1 egg and just a splash of either milk or water, then brush over the empanadas. Place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking. You can pan fry them or bake them. Each is a good method. I have done both, but I usually like them better pan fried.
Cook them in oil until they are golden brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Then serve them and top them however you like. YUM!
This dough is definitely tried and true. The key is to roll the dough as thin as possible, but yet still strong enough to hold your filling. They are light, crispy, and flaky and just melt in your mouth.
As a proud American and someone who lives in the water, as a swimmer, a swim coach, a water aerobics instructor and a scuba diver, this image speaks volumes to me.
Eighteen years ago, America suffered the worst tragedy of modern times. It was Pearl Harbor all over again. So many innocent people lost their lives because of the most horrible act we’ve ever seen. Say a prayer for all those who lost their lives on this horrible day in history. Say a prayer for those of us who survived. Say a prayer so this may never happen again. God Bless those who didn’t make it and God Bless those of us who did.
Apparently I am still in a Spanish frame of mine, and am still loving all the Spanish influences in my cooking. And as you are all aware, I also hate throwing food away if I don’t have to. This being said, I had yet another visit from La Reina de la Cocina, the Queen of Leftovers herself, and she and I once again huddled together to be creative. I had some of my artichokes and ham tapas leftover as well as some cooked chicken. Those were the only things I had in my refrigerator that were not frozen, plus they needed to be used. Even combined, they needed something else as well. Originally the plan was to serve them over potatoes, like a potatas bravas con pollo, which I definitely did, but it still wasn’t enough to actually turn this into a meal. So all were thrown together and served with spicy tomato sauce over pasta. Normally, I do not serve potatoes and pasta together, although it is not completely out of order. I do it every now and then. It was definitely a hit and probably something I would do again, or as I like to say, a “do-over”.
I went from this ….
to this in about 30 minutes time.
I love to cook simple rustic things, with basic ingredients. Don’t get me wrong, I love to prepare fancy dishes too, but those usually aren’t everyday dishes. But for everyday, simple is usually best for us.
Jeanne’s Spanish Tapas Inspired Pasta
2 cups cooked chicken strips (I sauteed them in garlic and olive oil with some red pepper flakes)
Parmigiano or Spanish cheese, optional for topping
Pan fry the potatoes in enough olive oil to get them slightly crispy. Just as the potatoes start to brown, add the shallots and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and tender.
Once the potatoes have browned and the shallots are soft and tender, add the wine. Make sure to really gather up all the drippings from the bottom and incorporate them well and cook for about 1-2 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.
Add the chicken and artichoke hearts, combine well, then add the pasta sauce and mix thoroughly. Mix in the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes too.
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 10 minutes at a low heat. Right before serving, add the fresh herbs and incorporate into the sauce.
When the sauce is finished, you can serve it over either rice or pasta. I served it over pasta. Top with more of the basil and cheese if you like, add a little bread and the same wine you used to cook with and the meal is complete. Desfruitas!
I get my ideas and my inspiration from numerous sources all the time. Some of those sources are from other foodies, like a lot of you. I got this idea from fellow food blogger and friend, Gail, from snapshotsincursive. Gail has many fantastic ideas and she always presents them so beautifully too. Gail had posted her recipe for her nutmeg and cinnamon popovers and the recipe just spoke to me. I knew I had to make them right away.
I love popovers of all kinds, and we both love foods with cinnamon and nutmeg too. I make popovers all the time. For this recipe, I followed Gail’s recipe to the tee (mostly), which is very unusual for me, but my popovers, though still very tasty, did not turn out as pretty as Gail’s did. The first thing Larry said when I took them out of the oven and finished them was “they don’t look like they do in the picture”. Thanks Larry. Really. They did at first, but then they sank a bit, which tends to happen with a lot of delicate rising breads and pate a chouxs here in Colorado, at higher altitudes. I should have listened to my instincts, but instead I chose to follow the recipe. So, for those of you who live in higher altitudes like me, the things to remember are to use slightly more flour, a little less sugar, turn the oven temperature up a bit more and cook a little longer. I simply did not follow my own rules of advice here. I guess I was just to excited about following Gail’s recipe to think properly. 🙂 “These things, they do happen”, to quote Carlotta from Phantom of the Opera.
Once we got past the fact that my popovers were not as pretty as Gail’s, we had to give them a test try. As expected, they were light and fluffy and delicious, despite the fact that they sank a bit after taking them out of the oven. We enjoyed them for breakfast, just out of the oven, before I had to run off to work. Then we enjoyed them in a slightly different way later, for dessert.
Cinnamon and Nutmeg Popovers
Again, this recipe only calls for a few simple, everyday items that most of us have on hand at any time.
Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C, unless you live in higher altitudes, then preheat the oven to 425* F.
Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.
The Popovers
6 eggs
2 cups cream, I used heavy cream, but you can also make it a little lighter, by mixing 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup of milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP sugar – 2 TBSP in higher altitude
2 cups flour – because I live in a higher altitude, I always use a high altitude flour. Also use about 2 1/4 -2 1/2 cups of flour if at a higher altitude too.
Gail mixed everything together in the food processor, which I did too this time, but usually, I mix the dry ingredients together first, then mix the wet ingredients together and add them separately. Both methods work just fine. Mix just until all the ingredients are well blended and there are no lumps in the mix.
Then pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup only about 2/3 full.
If you live in lower altitude areas, bake the popovers for about 30 minutes, and if you live in higher altitudes, bake them for about 40 minutes or until they are golden brown. DO NOT open the oven door while there are baking. This will also make them sink and deflate. Once they are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 2 minutes, then top them with the butter, cinnamon and nutmeg topping. The tops were still a little bland here, but the bottoms were golden to perfection.
The Topping
2 TBSP melted butter
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Mix the cinnamon and nutmeg together in a separate dish. Brush the popovers with the melted butter then roll them in the cinnamon-nutmeg mixture and completely cover the popovers with the topping.
These wonderful popovers are delicious as is or …..
You can heat them up a bit and serve them with ice cream and a little extra cinnamon nutmeg topping later. Either way, they just melt in your mouth.
Please stop by snapshotsincursive too and see Gail’s beautiful cinnamon-nutmeg popovers too. Thanks Gail for this fabulous recipe, even if mine “did not look like yours”.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 