Potluck Recipes! [Recipes]

2010 Nov 7
As is customary of our potlucks (all two of them), I have created this thread to post the recipes we used to create our potluck dishes.

BACON-WRAPPED CARROT BURGERS
Serves 24

Ingredients
3 cups diced carrots
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 cups breadcrumbs
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
24 strips of bacon

Directions

1. Steam carrots and sweet potatoes; brown bacon
2. In a bowl, combine carrots, sweet potatoes, breadcrumbs, eggs, celery, onion, salt, sugar and pepper; mix well.
3. Form into 24 small patties.
4. Wrap each patty with 1 strip of bacon, use a toothpick to hold bacon if necessary
5. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat;
6. Cook patties for 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
7. Finish patties in oven (20 minutes per side at 375F) if necessary

Adapted from: allrecipes.com

CILANTRO SALSA
Serves 24

1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon cumin
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

1. In a food processor, finely chop the cilantro, garlic, and jalapenos.
2. Place the tomatoes and cumin in the food processor. Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
4. Mix in the green onions, lime juice, and olive oil.

Adapted from: allrecipes.com

2010 Nov 7
Those bacon-wrapped carrot burgers had really great flavour! Thanks very much, Food Film Director, for setting up tonight's event. We all had a great time! :-)

I've posted my Wild Mushroom Riesling Potato Gratin recipe on our wiki: wiki.ottawafoodies.com

For the potluck, I used veg. bouillon in place of chicken bouillon to make the dish truly vegetarian. I also increased the quantities by 50% (i.e. 1.5 times the recipe).

As for my modified home-brew wine, here's the recipe if you have the equipment for home winemaking. ;-)

* 1 "Argentia Ridge" Shiraz kit from Costco (they sell them in twin packs, on sale for $58 every few months)
* 1 ripe banana, mashed
* 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
* 1 cup Dried elderberries

Scrape the vanilla seeds out of the beans and stir them into 2 cups of hot water. Stir in the elderberries, banana, and the vanilla bean halves. Add this concoction to the kit's juice prior to pitching the yeast and starting fermentation. Follow kit instructions thereafter.

2010 Nov 8
Mexican Tres Leches Cake means "3 milks"

It is a light, airy sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three milks: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. Pure comfort food!
I wish I could say it's my own recipe, but it's not, it's from Pionneer Woman, here is the link with beautiful step by step pictures and instructions:
thepioneerwoman.com

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream
_____
FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.


2010 Nov 8
FYI, Poutine's Tres Leches cake was truly fantastic. I said to her that it's exactly the sort of thing I'd imagine having as a child and then, as an adult, raving about it nostalgically to anyone who'll listen. Pure comfort food -- especially if you're a lover of white cakes. I've added this recipe to my collection and can't wait to make it! :-)

2010 Nov 9
Salade Niçoise

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 canned anchovy fillets
1 to 2 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs such as basil, chives or oregano (I use chives)
Ground black pepper

Salad:
1 lb. small new potatoes
3/4 lb. young green beans, ends trimmed
1 can (7 oz.) solid white tuna, drained, flaked
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup small black olives
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
Salt and ground black pepper

1. In a food processor or blender combine the oil, vinegar, mustard and anchovy fillets. Process until smooth and creamy. Add the herbs and season with black pepper.

2. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender then drain and quarter. Toss with half of the vinaigrette and refrigerate until cold, about one hour. Add the black olives.

3. Cook the green beans in a small amount of boiling water until crisp-tender, about five minutes. Drain and plunge in ice water to stop their cooking. Arramge in a bowl.

4. In another bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes and celery.

5. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining dressing over the green beans and the cherry tomato mixture.

6. On a platter attractively arrange tomato salad, clusters of beans, potatoes, tuna and quartered eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with additional chopped herbs if desired. (I use parsley.)

2010 Nov 9
Thank you Fresh Foodie for such a beautiful compliment!

Here is the recipe for the second dish I brought:

Shrimp & Bean salad

1 can Precidents choice organic bean medley, rinsed and drained
1 can Blue Menu kernel corn, drained
2 diced avocados
1 (or more) clove garlic, chopped
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 or 2 cup shrimp, chopped in large pieces
½ cup of green or regular salsa ( I use both)
Squeeze of fresh lime
1 chopped tomato
Salt and pepper

Mix in bowl and enjoy. I usually make it the day before, to give the flavours a chance to mingle :-)




2010 Nov 9
Tres leche cake reminded me of mexico-Poutine it was very good!I could only fit in one spoon of your salad because I had already overeaten..Same with the salad nicoise Pasta Lover, great dressing(love the anchovies) but I was so full. I started out with 3 crostini and rilletes, rich but delicious O..O-no heart attack!I loved the carrot burgers and will add them to things I serve at yoga retreats--always vegetarian so I will leave off the bacon (which was organic and nitrate free--nice touch FFD).Loved Niall's risotto--very rich and thankfully a last small spoonful for me-maybe next time you won't be marooned in the kitchen! Took Mousseline's chocolate/caramel/walnut dessert home and hubby and I shared it yesterday--sinfully rich and delish. We also enjoyed Isabelle's tiramisu(my daughter's favourite of the night) and FreshFoodies scalloped potatoes-this may have been my favourite-lots of flavour without dairy. Chocolate chip cookies were melt in your mouth scrumptious-my favourite style. And almonds in green tea coating(?I didn't write this down-my new favourite!)Also really enjoyed the crispy quail. I'm sure I've forgotten some things but everything was really great! Really neat were the libations-maple whiskey (perhaps Jagash could comment--I know nothing except you can get it at the Richmond Rd. LCBO-not the Richmond village one!)and ice wine. Unfortunately didn't get to talk to everyone but maybe next time! A truly delicious experience. I will try hard to make the next one...
And I know I've missed some..tx again FFd for the venue and setting up.

2010 Nov 9
Cider-Glazed Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
(I doubled the stuffing and used a 2.9 kg pork loin roast--NOT SEASONED)
1/2 cup each dried cranberries and apricots, chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tart cooking apple, peeled and finely diced
2 tbsp dry bread crumbs
2 tsp herbes de provence (sage or poultry seasoning could be used)
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 kg boneless pork loin roast
1/4 cup apple cider
For stuffing:
Mix fruit, onions, crumbs, seasonings and salt. Mix.
For Pork:
Cut the roast like a book--from one end to the other cut lengthwise, do not cut all the way through. The pork should open like a book. Brush inside with apple cider.
Place 4 to 6 pieces of butcher string at even intervals along a cutting board. lay roast across. Spoon stuffing evenly across pork. Close (like a book) the opening and tie so the pork resumes is original space.
Place the pork, fat side up. on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered in 350 oven for about 1-1/2 hours (I used a convection oven). Brush occasionally with apple cider. Cook to sligtly pink (use a meat thermoter if you wish).
When cooked to completion, remove from oven , tent with foil, then carve after 15 minutes.
Sauce: Mix 1 1/4 apple cider with 2 tsp cornstarch in a saucepan. Using medium heat, heat to boiling, stirring constantly. boil gently about 1 Minute. Serve over cider-glazed stuffed pork roast.

2010 Nov 9
Oops, regarding scalloped potatoes--gruyere is dairy--I'll let you know if it turns out using "soy" or "rice" "cheese"!

2010 Nov 9
W.C., I think the original recipe had no cheese. The only dairy would have been the butter, and you can just use olive oil. In fact, we made that dish for a lactose-free potluck and it turned out just fine! (We used chicken bouillon because it didn't need to be vegetarian.)

For Sunday's potluck, I made it vegetarian but not (as you noticed) lactose-free.

2010 Nov 9
Tx FF, I think no cheese and lots of flavourful mushrooms and oive oil will work well! I will use starchy potatoes

2010 Nov 10
For those of you looking for the libations:

Choya 23 Plum Wine
www.lcbo.com

Sortilege Maple Whisky
www.saq.com

2010 Nov 10
I love these potlucks but there was so much food to try and only so much room in my tummy. W.C.'s pork roast was awesome. I don't think I've had any since my mom died (she used to make roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings to pay homage to the Czech side of my family). Thanks for sharing the recipe - now I have no excuse to make it. The dried cranberry stuffing was a nice touch. And, of course, I "had" to squeeze in two servings of Omnivore's Ottawa pork rillettes (no heart attack here-;) and W.C.'s chocolate cake was to die for. Likewise was Mousseline's chocolate caramel tart - I took a slice home for dessert on Monday night and reminisced about our potluck the night before-;) It was nice running into some familiar faces and meeting some new people. I am already looking forward to the next potluck-;)

2010 Nov 10
Not sure anyone needs another chocolate chip cookie recipe, but here it is anyway.

Chocolate chip cookies
from Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller

2⅓ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 ounces 55% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces (about 1¼ cups) I replaced this with milk chocolate
5 ounces 70 to 72% chocolate, cut as above I used 72%
8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces *
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferable molasses sugar. I added a dollop of molasses to mine
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Vanilla--not in recipe, but I couldn't help adding it

*I just noticed the 'cold'. Maybe that's why mine were flatter. Oops.

For chewier cookies, instead of underbaking them, Keller recommends misting them with water before baking. I tried it, but couldn't tell the difference between those and the unmisted ones, so didn't bother after the first tray.

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats or parchment.
Sift the flour and baking soda together and stir in the salt.
Put the chopped chocolate into a fine-mesh strainer and shake to remove any chocolate 'dust'.
Beat half the butter until fairly smooth. Add both sugars the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next, and scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Mix in the chocolate, and fold with a spatula to ensure that the chocolate is evenly incorporated.
Using 2 level tablespoons per cookie, shape the dough into balls. Arrange 8 cookies on each pan, leaving about 2 inches between them, as dough will spread. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, rotating pans and switching racks if you are baking 2 trays at once.
Cool the cookies on the pan on cooling racks for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
The dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Defrost frozen cookies in the fridge before baking.
Apparently makes 30 3-inch cookies, but I got substantially more than that.

2010 Nov 10
Interesting: Usually chewier cookies come from cold butter, while crunchier ones come from softened or melted butter.

2010 Nov 10
I did reduce the flour, as the ones I saw online were very thick and caky looking.

2010 Nov 10
Whatever you did Travelicious those cookies were awesome...wish I had "snuck" a few home. I liked the buttery crispiness effect. Only accolades here!

2010 Nov 11
FF:your scalloped potatoes recipe is a keeper, I love the addition of mushrooms!

Travelicious: Were those the chocolate chip cookies that were in a beautiful wooden box? If so, they are the best I have ever had. May I ask where you purchased the box? My sister in law is having surgery tomorrow and I am thinking those cookies presented in the wood crate would cheer her up.

Were the Matcha almonds homemade or purchased? They were really good and different.

2010 Nov 11
Poutine,

Yes, those were the cookies, and thank you. The box came from a department store in Korea, so that won't be so easy to find, I'm afraid.

2010 Nov 12
Basil and mascarpone risotto

Recipe from chef Bruce Wood of the Urban Element

Ingredients for 4 as side dish (the amount I used)

1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1 glass white wine*
6 cups rich chicken stock, warm**
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves only, shredded
3 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* I used Masi Masianco pinot grigio & verduzzo from Italy: www.lcbo.com It gave a nice extra oomph.
I put 1 cup instead of 1 glass - I read too fast. It might have affected the next ingredient.

** I ended up using around 4 cups and bit, partly from using too much wine, partly from the element being too low - unused to induction stoves. I also put a bit too much, resulting in the risotto being mushy.

Directions:

I'd figure standard risotto directions, which are pretty simple:
- STIR CONSTANTLY. For everything.
- in a large saucepan, heat butter, onion and garlic for two minutes
- Add rice, cook for two minutes. "The rice will turn from white and dull to shiny and translucent" (though it never did for me, maybe the heat wasn't high enough)
- Add white wine and stir until it's fully absorbed
- Add two cupes of the stock, stir until fully absorbed
- The whole time, the rice should bubbling gently. Too low a heat/slow cooking and the rice will get mushy; too high a heat/fast cooking and the rice will not be cooked through
- Add more stock in small amounts (around 1/3 cup) until the rice is cooked
- Cooked rice should be slightly firm but not starchy - not mushy, grains still visible in the creamy concoction. Do not think you have to add all of the stock - the rice's texture is the important indication that it's fully-cooked
- "This whole process should take about 16-20 minutes" (which is why I think my heat was too low, I took over 45)
- Once cooked, turn off heat, add mascaropne and basil and stir in fully
- Add a bit of parmesan, sea salt and pepper, stir briefly

Serve in plates with extra parmesan cheese on top.

I still need to work on testing this properly - the cooking time should be much closer to the recipe one, since it's not from a book but tested in a kitchen. Still, it gets pretty tasty and rich.

The other thing I had brought was a cranberry pie, but that recipe is Family Secret, sorry. :)

And my libation was the ice cider and maple syrup, Coureur des Bois from Domaine Pinnacle, only available at the SAQ - and currently having Montreal as the closest one: www.saq.com


2010 Nov 12
Hmm, seems I can't edit a post to add a picture...

I found a photo I took of the "test risotto" I did the night before, when it came out really well. So this is about the texture you want. :)

2010 Nov 14
I made Poutine's Tres Leches cake recipe and my whole family loved it! We added the whipped cream and maraschinos on a per-serving basis to accommodate individual preferences.

There's something about this that just tastes like home -- even though I never had it before now! With it being so milky, Freud would have a field day coming up with mammalian dependency theories involving lactation and nursing. Whatever.. it's a damned good cake!! :-)

2010 Nov 15
WOW FF, yours actually looks so good! Great idea to put a dollop of cream on each piece instead. I will do that from now on. The recipe calls to pour all but 1 cup of the milk mixture, what did you do with the rest...any ideas? For the potluck I had poured the whole thing but found it slightly too moist...

You are right FF, this is certainly something my mom would have made...

Niall, great risotto, it is in fact one of my favourite comfort food during cold weather. I will try your recipe very shortly. Thanks!

2010 Nov 16
I think for the whipped cream, some green tea whipped cream would be a refreshing addition. Also served with some mint leaves for refreshment.
I am going to try and make this cake soon-sounds so good!

2010 Nov 17
Poutine, I also poured the whole quantity of milk mixture. It was very moist, which is part of the appeal. But I agree that the sweet spot is probably very slightly less moist than it was. The moistness turned into sogginess by the third day. It still tasted good though! :)

2010 Nov 17
For my risotto, I tried it again last night - it was definitely a case of the pot temperature being too low! For comparison sake, I have an electric oven with range elements going from 1 to 9. It came within the proper time range when I had the element at "6" (which is called "Med" on my dial). I had a wrong impression of what was a "low boil" - I was doing more of a simmer!

I also used vegetable stock instead of chicken, and used about 80% of the amount above when I felt that the rice was properly cooked.

Next, I'll figure out how to do risottos with solids in them (like mushroooooms).

The Tres Leches cake was wonderful, but I may need help since I've never been able to seperate eggs. (I have enough trouble cracking them...)

2010 Nov 17
Niall, one good method for separating eggs is to use three bowls (1,2,3). You crack the egg over the smallest bowl (1) and separate the yolk by passing it back and forth between the half egg shells. Once the white is in the small bowl (1) and the yolk is in the half egg shell, you transfer the yolk to bowl 2 and then dump bowl 1 (white) into bowl 3. Repeat this process until all your eggs are hatched. (At which point you're allowed to count your chickens.)

This way, if you happen to break a yolk while separating, you have only "ruined" one egg. Of course you can use this egg anywhere you'd use a whole egg.

2010 Nov 18
Thank you Fresh Foodie, but that supposes I am able to 1) break an egg in something approximating half shells, 2) have said shells not have nothing but jagged edges which break the yolk and 3) not break the yolk when I break the egg open.

Last time when I broke an egg last week, I even managed to crack the shell but not the membrane inside. That takes some skill, however it's not a skill usable for this purpose. :)

Also, I usually take between 3-8 tries to crack an egg. Yes, I'm pathetic. (When told "Be more firm!", I either make a mess, or crack the yolk.)

2010 Nov 18
Another option is to make a small crack and drain the egg white through that hole, in case it helps.

2010 Nov 18
I used to be afraid to crack eggs but then realized that I should approach it the same way I approach handling raw chicken parts and driving in downtown Montreal: be confident, don't think about it too much, just go for it.

2010 Nov 18
The most foolproof way to separate eggs is to crack the egg into your (clean!) hand and let the egg white slip between your fingers while keeping the yolk in your hand. Always use 3 bowls! As well, cold eggs separate better. However warm egg whites whip better so if you are going to beat the whites wait a half hour after separating.

2010 Nov 20
More info on Tres Leches! My wife noticed an article on Cuban food in her May 2010 issue of Canadian House & Home magazine. Their Tres Leches recipe is almost identical to the one Poutine posted, with the following interesting modifications:

Cake:
* Cake baked in a 9"x9" pan (instead of 13"x9")
* Egg whites are beaten with 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar (mine were nice and stiff without it)
* 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract (instead of 1 tsp)
* No 1/4 tsp Salt

Milk syrup:
* 1 cup Cream (instead of 1/4 cup)
* 1 tsp Vanilla extract
* 1 tbsp Light Rum

I like these changes -- the deeper cake will seem grander, provided it gets cooked through. Moving some of the vanilla to the syrup is a nice idea, as is the addition of rum. Four times as much cream seems a little decadent, but I can see using more than 1/4 cup to cut the sweetness of the condensed milk.

At the very least, this is a good excuse to make it again! ;-)

2010 Nov 21
This isn't the best way to break an egg by any stretch of the imagination, but I usually put a folded-up square of paper towel on top of a wooden cutting board and do my breaking on that. The flat surface helps give you a cleaner break, and the paper towel helps cushion it a bit so that stuff doesn't fly everywhere if you accidentally overdo it.

I do it on a cutting board so I don't have to wash my countertop every time I do something with eggs ;)

2010 Nov 21
Fresh Foodie, if the rum appeals to you the recipe I use from Houston's Canyon Cafe (made with 1 cup, flour, 6 eggs, 9"x9" pan) uses 3/4 cup each of sweetened condensed milk, 3/4 cup evap. milk, and 3/4 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup of rum (Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum rec'd, or sub a liqueur such as banana, ornange or coffee). I've only tried it with dark rum. Very rummy, very nummy!