Christmas!

Well this year Christmas was certainly a gastronomic delight!  I'm dreading walking on the scales in 2011.  That, however, is something for another day as today I'll be posting about yummy Christmas hors d'oeurves.  Mmmm.

In This Post


Bell Burgers
Pear Bellinis
Beetroot and Dill Blini
Smoked Salmon Blini

Bell Burgers

We've been having Bell Burgers for as long as I can remember at Christmas.  For me, it's not Christmas without them!  My family and I were discussing this year the origins of the Bell Burger, and for the life of us we couldn't say.  Some people say that my mother introduced them, others say my aunt Gwynne.  I think this recipe has been kicking about in various forms (according to my research) since the 1970s but they never fail to delight those who eat them.  I'm always surprised that such, well, humble ingredients can make something so tasty!

Because the recipe uses ingredients that really can only be found in the US, I'll include a UK version that's almost as good (and that took me five years to get right...)

US Version

It's so simple...

  1lb ground beef
  1lb loose sausage (like Bob Evans)
  1lb Velveeta
  1 packet of party Jewish Rye bread (available in the bread aisle of most supermarkets)
  1 dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Using these proportions you can make as little or as many Bell Burgers as you like.  Now, I usually make two batches at a time so I get the maple Bob Evans sausage and the hot Italian Bob Evans sausage and mix the two so you get a sweet-spicy thing going on.  With the saltiness of the Velveeta it tastes brilliant.

First brown the sausage and beef in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, making sure you break up the meat with a spoon or spatula.  Once browned, drain off the excess fat and try a little while longer.  Add the Worcestershire sauce to taste.  Then cut the Velveeta up into smaller pieces, turn the heat down to low and melt the cheese into the sausage and beef mixture. 

You're good to go, just spoon about a dessertspoon's worth onto the party rye breads and either broil them until they're brown or put them in some tupperware and freeze them until you're ready to use them.  You can put them directly from the freezer into the oven and in about 10-15 minutes you've got Bell Burgers!

UK Version

  500g mince beef
  500g sweet chilli sausages, meat taken out of its casing (available at Tesco, Sainsbury's or Asda)
  500g primula cheese (it usually works out to about three tubes)
  1 dash Worcester sauce
  Rye bread


Now, the method is the same as the US version, however a little more work is involved in the UK version.  This is because the party rye breads described above can't be found in the UK.  Believe me, I've looked.  What I do is actually make my own rye baguettes (with caraway seeds - very important!) using a recipe in one of our bread books.  You could also try using stale caraway rye bread and cutting it to size but that doesn't really work out that well as the bread usually becomes soggy without a crust to support it.  


Everyone does enjoy the UK version of my Bell Burgers, but it really can't beat the original!  If anyone has any suggestions for improvement, do get in touch...

 
Pear Bellinis


  1 can pear halves
  1 sprig rosemary (plus more for garnish)
  1/2 lemon
  dried cranberries (for garnish)
  sparkling wine or champagne (preferably off-dry)

We saw this recipe in Bon Appetit I think it was and adapted it for our own use.  

Puree the pear halves in the blender along with some rosemary leaves, a little lemon zest and the juice of half a lemon.  Test for sweetness.  The puree should be sweet but tangy.  If you are not satisfied, add lemon or sugar to taste.  

Then spear four or five cranberries onto rosemary sprigs (with the leaves removed, except for the very top) and put in a champagne flute.  Then spoon a good amount of the pear puree into the glass.  Now the trick with these is to make sure you put enough of the pear puree in the glass to make the cocktail sweet and pear-y enough, but not too much so that you can still taste the wine.  It's a balance thing.  Try experimenting to match your own preferences.  I don't like the fact that I can't see the cranberries in the glass though.  Next time I might strain the pureed pears through a cheese cloth or use the pear nectar in the tinned pears for a clearer colour.



Beetroot and Dill Blini


This idea came to me from a friend who made this for a charity event we were organising.  It was so delicious I decided to try this myself.  I hunted high and low for buckwheat flour and finally prevailed, but if you can't find any feel free to use plain flour.  

The blini recipe I used can be found on Epicurious here.  The only difference was that I served the blini cold and used beetroot, sour cream and dill (plus smoked salmon and dill for some of them).  

What a yummy Christmas!  

Lxx

Tex-Mex Feast

So I thought my first post would be from my kitchen in Washington, DC but given the snow disruptions and cancelled flights across the the UK I'm writing from my kitchen in Edinburgh.  

But no matter.  Cancelled flights are the perfect excuse for a cheer-me-up Tex-Mexican feast! 

The Menu

Chipotle®-style Steak Burritos

Corn Salsa

Tomato Salsa

Salsa con Queso

Cheese Quesadillas

Yes, it's a big menu.  But people who know me know that I don't do anything by half.  Especially not food!

So normally in this menu I serve fajitas instead of burritos, but today I just had a hankering for a Chipotle® burrito so I tried to create one for my meal.  

Chipotle®-Style Burrito

First, the marinade.  

  1 dried serrano chili (seeds in)

  1 fresh red jalapeño (seeds out) 

  1 teaspoon black pepper

  2 teaspoons cumin powder

  1 tablespoon dried oregano (or 2 tbsp fresh if desired)

  6 cloves garlic

1/2 large red onion, quartered (or one whole small red onion)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

  4  Small Steaks (6 ounces each)

Blitz all the ingredients except the steaks in a food processor to make a loose paste, and add 

it to the steaks in a medium sized bowl.  I let the marinade sit on the steaks for 3 1/2 hours this

time, but it's preferable to leave them overnight.

The marinade on the steaks

When you're ready to eat, simply grill the steak on the barbeque or a grill pan over high heat until 

you've reached your preferred doneness (I like medium rare).  Remember to rest the meat for a 

few minutes.  Cut the steak into bite size pieces.

Build your burrito with cooked rice (mixed with butter, lime juice and a bit of coriander), fried 

peppers and onions, the meat, sour cream, salsa, cheese and beans if you fancy them (I don't!) 

Obviously any combination of the above can be used!

My preferred fillings

Et voila!  The finished burrito!

Tomato Salsa

This recipe is hard to write down because I make this recipe by eye, but I'll try.

  4 beef tomatoes (or whatever you like)

  1 small red onion

  1 fresh jalapeño (seeds in or out to taste, I leave some seeds in)

  1 clove garlic (or to taste)

     lime juice to taste

     salt and pepper to taste

     fresh coriander (or cilantro to North Americans) to taste 

Finely chop the tomatoes (discarding seeds) and the onion and put in a medium sized bowl. 

Then finely mince the jalapeño and garlic and add to the onion and tomato.  Squeeze in the lime 

juice.  Then season and taste the salsa to make sure that it is balanced properly.  If not, add 

anything you might think the salsa may need.  Usually, it'll be salt or lime juice.  Then add the

coriander.  Now, I HATE coriander (I think it tastes like soap).  If you're like me, flat leaf parsley 

gives the salsa a nice, herby freshness without making it taste like washing up liquid.  If I'm 

making this for a dinner party, however, I'll put a token amount of coriander in.  Because I'm nice

like that. 

The 'deconstructed' salsa

Sometimes, when I'm feeling frisky, I'll add 1/2 finely chopped cucumber to the salsa.  It makes 

the salsa really light and summery.  Cucumber shouldn't be added when the salsa is being used 

for hot dishes like nachos. 

 Corn Salsa

  4 ears of corn (or one big tin of canned corn)   

1/2 red onion (or one small onion)

  2 poblano chillis (or whatever kind you fancy)

  2 red jalapeños (or whatever kind you fancy)

     lime juice to taste

     salt and pepper to taste

     fresh coriander to taste 

The first thing to do is roast the corn and the poblanos.  If you don't have a barbeque, a grill pan 

for the corn will do nicely.  You can char the chillies over an open flame (such as a gas burner). 

Leave the corn and chilli to cool.  Meanwhile, finely chop the red onion and mince the fresh chilli. 

Once cool, cut the kernels off the corn and mince the roasted chilli.  Combine the corn, onion, 

chillis in a medium sized bowl with the lime juice, salt, pepper and coriander.

The corn salsa

 Quesadilla

  2 tortillas per quesadilla

    cheese to taste

    tomato salsa (recipe above) 

The quesadilla is, quite simply, some cheese and some salsa sandwiched between two tortillas. 

Then the quesadilla is fried in a dry pan until the cheese is melted (make sure the heat isn't too 

high or else the tortillas will burn and the cheese won't have melted!  You can add chicken or

whatever if you fancy.

Salsa Con Queso

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 onion

  1 fresh chilli

  1 tablespoon dried marjoram 

  10 pomodoro tomatoes

   2 tablespoons fresh coriander

250 grams (1/2 lb) creamy cheese, grated (such as Monterrey Jack or Double Gloucester)

  1 knob butter

  1 tbsp flour

1/2 c milk (approximately) 

  1 dash tobasco

  1 pinch of cayenne (to taste)

  1 dollop of creme fraiche 

This recipe comes courtesy of flatmate Justin.  And it was damn good so props to him. 

First, finely chop the onion, bell pepper.  Saute the onion and bell pepper in the butter until

they are soft but not brown.  Add the fresh chilli and marjoram.  Meanwhile, finely chop the 

tomatoes (disgarding seeds) and the fresh coriander.  Add, along with the tobasco and cayenne

to the onion and bell pepper mixture.  Then add a tablespoon of flour and mix into a roux.  Cook 

until the mixture is no longer floury.  Now add enough milk to make a thick sauce.  Turn the heat 

right down and add the cheese.  Finally, when ready to serve, add a bit of creme fraiche.  Serve 

with tortilla crisps.

So there you have it!  I must say, it was a tasty meal and there's tons left over for tomorrow's lunch.

Ah, the first post!

How delightful is the wonderful world of blogging?  I thought I'd try my hand at writing a blog, mainly for selfish reasons as I thought it'd be a good way to keep all my recipes, tasting notes and general epicurean experiences in once place.  With pictures.  And links.  An' ting.

What with it being the holiday season I'm sure I'll have lots to say over the coming weeks.  Keep your eyes peeled!

Lxx