Happy New Year to Everyone and Welcome 2015!

Holidays are all about the family, and this year was no exception for us. This year we gathered at our house. Our daughters Jenny and Beth were here, as well as our son-in law, Anh, and our grandchildren, Chloe and Liam. They all came from Hiawatha, Iowa!

The girls and I spent the whole day on Christmas Eve pampering ourselves with manicures at Ann Le’s Nail Bar, hair styling at Salon Paragon, lunch at DiMillo’s, and make-up applications at The Regency Spa. Then we all went home to change before meeting back at The Regency for a lovely dinner at 20 Milk Street. Then, back home to open all of our gifts. What a night!

On Christmas morning, we had our traditional breakfast of my French toast with warmed pure Maine maple syrup, filet mignon, asparagus with hollandaise sauce and chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne.

For Christmas dinner this year, we had ham, scalloped potatoes and northwest blend vegetables with lovely rustic rolls. For dessert, we had buche de noel and carrot cake.

But the highlight of the week was watching Chuck and Chloe (now 13 years old) work in the kitchen together. The teacher in Chuck sure came out! He taught Chloe how to make caesar salad, chicken parmesan, and angel hair pasta. He wanted to teach her how to make pasta from scratch, but there was not enough time. Chloe served all of us, down to the pouring of the wine. Look how she holds the punt of the bottle! That’s my girl! Maybe we do have someone interested in taking over the business when we decide to retire… just not ready for that yet!

Try my french toast recipe and Chuck’s caesar salad dressing recipe. You will not be disappointed! YUMMMMMMM!

Nancy’s French Toast

NOTE: Must be prepared 24 hours in advance.

1 loaf of 2-day-old baguette

1 quart of heavy cream

4 eggs

Dash of nutmeg and cinnamon

¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar

Mix all together well, sprinkle ½ cup of confectioners sugar over the mixture, and refrigerate covered at least overnight. Deep fry until browned and crispy and serve immediately.

Chuck’s Caesar Salad Dressing

Mix together with a whisk or place into a mason jar and shake vigorously:

6 TB EVOO

1 beaten egg

4 minced garlic cloves

2 TB mayonnaise

3 TB red wine vinegar

2 TB balsamic vinegar

1 smashed anchovy

1 TB Dijon mustard

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

Delight Your Guests with Homemade Condiments!

I have to believe that when Duncan Hines first introduced their cake mixes to the world back in the day, they left out the egg and oil for a reason. I think they wanted us to be able to say that we still made it from scratch because we had to add those items! Homemade anything always tastes better than store-bought products. Try some of my recipes for Memorial Day and see for yourself!

Ketchup… we use it on everything. My brother even puts it on his eggs! Why not make it from scratch? Just in time for your Memorial Day—give them the WOW factor. Make the regular old ketchup or add mangoes to it! Just think outside the box and try it! Make regular old mustard or add raspberries to it! Have fun and experiment.

Mustard is one of the least expensive spices and it’s available in a variety of colors and forms. It can add zip to much more than just a hot dog or hamburger and is not difficult to make. You can add almost anything to mustard to make it a gourmet mustard and it makes a great gift. Just put the mustard in a great jar, box it up with some home-baked crackers, and your friends will be impressed and happy. Mustard has no fat and not many calories. The hardest part of making mustard from seeds is waiting those first few days for the flavors to mellow so you can see if it turned out as planned. If you use mustard flour you need only wait ten minutes or so.

I guarantee you that if you try these recipes you will be so proud to use your own condiments and not buy store bought again! The store bought is loaded with salt, sugar and other preservatives. The difference in taste is unbelievable and you can say you made it! And as an added bonus, you will save money, which we all need to do these days.

Easy Basic Homemade Ketchup

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

• 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp. of hot smoked paprika

Purée tomatoes in a blender until smooth.

Cook onion in oil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick—1 hour or more. Stir more frequently toward the end of cooking to prevent scorching.

Cool ketchup so that you can purée ketchup in two batches in blender until smooth. Chill, covered, overnight for flavors to develop.

Ketchup can be kept up to three weeks.

Easy Basic Homemade Hot Dog Mustard

2 TBS white sugar
2 TBS flour
3 TBS dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric

2 cups apple cider vinegar

Mix all dry ingredients together then add vinegar. Boil together until thickened.

Chill, covered, overnight for flavors to develop.

Homemade Pickle Relish

2 cups finely diced cucumber

1 cup finely diced onion

1 tsp. kosher salt

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 ½ tsp. water

Combine and set in strainer for at least 4 hours. Squeeze as much liquid out as you can and then bring vinegar and sugar to a boil and reduce about 5 minutes. Add in cornstarch mixture and simmer several minutes. Then cool several hours.

1 cup diced dill pickle

¼ cup homemade mustard

2 tablespoons pickle brine

2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

Combine all ingredients, stir and serve with hot dogs or hamburgers.

For a Great Burger

Pick up some ground chuck with a fat content of at least 20%. 25% would be even better. Lean and extra-lean meats make tough, dry burgers (this is true for turkey burgers or lamb burgers, too-look for grinds with around 25% fat). Don’t overwork the meat.

In a large bowl, pull the meat apart into small chunks, add salt or other seasonings, and toss gently with your fingers. Use wet hands to form burger patties. It also allows the meat to come together faster and prevents over-working. Make burger patties with a dimple in the center. The burger will shrink and pull as it cooks so it will even out. I keep my burgers in the fridge until I am ready to put them on the grill. I think they stay together better that way and they stay juicy.

Keep grill at a steady high heat. With a gas grill, keep the lid down while cooking; with a charcoal grill, leave the lid off. Turn only once! Constant turning will toughen and dry out meat. Cook 2 minutes per side for rare, 3 minutes for medium-rare, 4 for medium, and 5 for well done.

The Sweet Sign of Spring… Maine Maple Sunday 2014!

Spring is coming. How do I know? Certainly not because of the weather outside—it continues to be frightful this year! I know because Maple Sunday is coming right up on the 23^rd! The sugar in maple sap only appears when warm, sunny days and below-freezing nights follow each other for days on end, as they do during Maine’s long, slow spring.

It is quite a treat to go to farms all over Maine on the fourth Sunday in March. You can experience the process and see a real sugarhouse and real kettles boiling sap over the fire.

Just a few facts to ponder from the Maine Maple Producers Association:

• The average maple tree is not tapped until it is about 40 years old. If the tree was tapped any younger, it could hurt the tree.
• An average 40-year-old tree yields about 40 quarts of sap in a season. This is just enough to make 1 quart of pure maple syrup.
• The flavor varies from year to year; sometimes the syrup is dark and rich, sometimes pale gold and delicate. It all depends on the soil and terrain, the wind and the weather—just like wine.
• Once it flows from the tree, the sap must be processed within a few hours or it will spoil, so syrup makers work round the clock once the spring run has started.

Much of the sap is still gathered the old-fashioned way: in buckets hung from trees. It is then boiled down into syrup over wood fires. Some of the larger producers have adopted modern, labor-saving technology—they gather the sap with plastic tubing strung all the way from the trees to the sugarhouse.

From holding tanks, which may hold as much as a thousand gallons, the freshly collected sap, usually about three percent sugar, is fed continuously into the evaporator. There it is kept constantly boiling, throwing off dense clouds of steam as it becomes more and more concentrated. When the syrup reaches a temperature of seven degrees above the boiling point of water, the sugar-density is just right. The finished syrup is immediately filtered to remove particles of “sugar sand.” These, though harmless, would make the syrup cloudy. Once properly clear, the finished syrup is packed in sterilized containers and sealed, ready to be distributed and enjoyed around the world.

When you get back from your trip to the farm, why not try some of my recipes to celebrate this sweet natural syrup? YUMMM!!

Nancy’s Basic Sauce—great to use with any kind of meat or fish!

Ingredients:

2 TBS Dijon mustard
2 to 3 TBS grainy mustard
1/3 cup (or to taste) pure maple syrup
2 TBS mayonnaise
1 TBS lemon juice

Method:
Heat mustards and maple syrup in a small pot. Remove from heat and cool for about 10 minutes. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice. Pour over meat or fish and bake until done.

Another recipe to try: remember that Sriracha Sauce recipe from last month?  Just take ½ cup of maple syrup and add 2 tsp. of Sriracha (or to taste) and pour over salmon, pork, chicken, or beef and bake until done.

Maple Bacon Jam

Great over a block of cream cheese and spread onto crackers. Also, good with toast and biscuits! The possibilities are endless… Try it with sweet scallops or on a sandwich.

Fresh Cherry BBQ Sauce from Taste of the Nation 2013

We have the honor of being the exclusive caterer at the 2013 Taste of the Nation VIP Reception at Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport.  The event benefits a number of different charities including The Good Shepherd Food Bank, Opportunity Alliance, Cultivating Community, as well as Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign.

One of the dishes that we are serving is a Seared Duck Breast with a Fresh Cherry Barbeque Sauce.  This sauce would go great with any poultry – serve it at your next summer barbeque or let us come prepare it for you!

Fresh Cherry BBQ Sauce

1 Yellow Onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 can Cherry Juice Concentrate
1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3 Chipotle Peppers, stems removed
4 packages of Dried Sour Cherries
8 cloves of Garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon Paprika
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 cup Sour Cherry Preserves
1 jar Roasted Red Peppers, with liquid
2 tablespoons Rye or Bourbon Whiskey
2 tablespoons Sugar
Salt

Directions
In a heavy saucepan, sauté onion in oil until caramelized.  Add cherry juice, vinegar, chipotle peppers, half of the dried sour cherries, garlic, paprika, and roasted red peppers.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until chipotle peppers are completely softened, at least 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

In a food processor, puree the mixture together with the remaining half of the dried sour cherries, the tomato paste, roasted red peppers, and cherry preserves until smooth.  Push puree through a mesh strainer into a saucepan.  Add sugar and salt to taste.  Add whiskey and return to stove to bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for another 20 minutes or so.  If needed, add additional sugar/salt.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

I love pesto sauces. My latest favorite is sun dried tomato pesto.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of sundried tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• ¼ cup of chopped toasted pine nuts
• ½ small chopped onion
• 1 ½ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons of tomato paste
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 2 ½ tablespoons of red wine
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of parmesan cheese grated
• Salt to taste

Method:

Reconstitute sun dried tomatoes with warm water for 10 minutes. Process all ingredients except the oil and parmesan cheese until well blended. Stir in olive oil and parmesan cheese.

This is awesome with pasta and shrimp tossed together.

 BONUS:

I also make mixtures of dried herbs and keep on hand to use in cooking. One of my favorites is this Cajun mix:

Nancy’s Cajun Mix

Mix and keep in an airtight canning jar to use in Cajun sauces or coating meats and fish. Mix equal parts of dried thyme, fennel, cumin, marjoram, cayenne paprika, dehydrated onion and garlic.

Chocolate Pasta with Hazelnut Sauce!

I recently had the honor of being asked to provide my recipe for Chocolate Pasta with Hazelnut Sauce to a listener from the Morning Living Show on Martha Stewart Radio!

Naturally, I wanted to share this news and this recipe with everyone! So, Enjoy!

Chocolate Pasta

Serves 4 people

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/3 cups semolina flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
3 large eggs beaten
Ice water if needed

DIRECTIONS:

Sift the flour and cocoa. Beat the eggs and mix in extract. Add flour mixture slowly to the eggs. Knead into a smooth ball adding small amounts of ice water if needed. Roll and cut dough as desired.

 

Hazelnut Pancetta Cream Sauce

Sauce for 4 Servings of Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup hazelnuts toasted
2 tablespoon butter
3/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 medium shallot, fine diced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup heavy cream
¼ cup chicken broth
3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings, for garnish
4 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley and thyme, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Heat butter and render pancetta until browned
Add hazelnuts
Add shallot and garlic and cook until soft
Add salt and pepper and nutmeg
Add cream and chicken broth and let simmer to reduce to a sauce consistency
Serve with chocolate pasta
Garnish with parmesan and parsley and thyme

Please feel free to share a recipe of your own, or share your experience with this recipe!

And if you need a caterer, please view our website and contact me!

Maple Treats from Chef Nance!

As promised in my last blog, and in the spirit of Maine Maple Sunday, here are more Maple treats to enjoy!

 

Nancy’s Maple Syrup Dressing

*Please note that this recipe does use 3 raw and uncooked eggs.

2 eggs
3/8 Cups Pure Maple Syrup
3 Cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Water

Process all ingredients in the food processor until creamy and yummy. Store in refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

 

Nancy’s Chicken with Maple Syrup and Tarragon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken thighs
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup or to taste pure maple syrup
¼ tsp. freshly grated lime rind
¼ tsp dried tarragon
salt and pepper
1 ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice

Place chicken in a buttered baking dish. Combine all ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and done. I like to serve this with a multi grain rice pilaf with peppers and onions and pineapple.

 

Nancy’s Good Old Fashioned Baked Beans

Preheat oven 250 degrees

Ingredients;

6 cups of navy beans soaked overnight in cold water and drained.
1 pound of thick cut chopped bacon
1 teaspoon of pepper
¾ teaspoon of dried mustard
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 large onion diced and sautéed

Cover beans with fresh cold water and bring to a slow boil and cook until tender. Drain and save the liquid. Fry the bacon until crispy. Place half of the bacon and drippings in a casserole. Place ½ of the onions on top of the bacon. Combine 1 ¼ cup of bean liquid with the rest of the ingredients and mix with beans. Place beans over onions. Top with the rest of the onions and pour in enough bean liquid to just cover the beans. Top with the rest of the bacon. Cover and bake 8 hours.

Please enjoy and feel free to share your tasty Maple treats!

Don’t miss this year’s Maine Maple Sunday: March 28, 2010

Paula Cole Concert

I am star struck! We had so much fun listening to Paula and her band practice prior to her concert at The Landing at Pine Point. She has so much energy. The lighting system is incredible too.

I prepared a spinach and feta pie that was a big hit for their dinner prior to the concert.  Try the recipe:

Your favorite pie crust recipe

2 eggs

3 packages of fresh baby spinach, sauteed and drained thoroughly

15 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz crumbled feta cheese

1 tsp finely grated lemon peel

1/4 tsp of freshly cracked pepper

1/8 tsp of nutmeg

Beat eggs and stir in other ingredients until mixed well.

Place in pie plate over pie dough. Cover with pie dough to make a pie.

Bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Yum!

Paula took the leftovers home!

Check out her website!

http://www.paulacole.com/

Lighten Up!

Now that spring is in full gear, I like to make lighter foods to eat. I came across this recipe on the internet:

http://www.mattleeandtedlee.com/recipes/newambrosia.php

I added finely chopped ginger and lime juice along with the juices of the citrus fruits I used. I used Tangelo, Ruby Red Grapefriot and Oranges. I did not use the dressing in the recipe.

Wow what flavor! Simple and clean tasting. Sweet and spicy!

Try it and see what you think!

Bon Apetite!

Chef Nance

Try a Little Taste of Hawaii- Right Here in Maine!

I think it is time to start thinking warm and hazy days! Okay it is still a little ways away-but-we did havd a taste of summer a few weeks ago!

Think tropical and try these drinks from Chuck’s recipe folders:

Cape Elizabeth Sunrise;

 Combine 3 oz. of cranberry juice

1 oz. of fresh lime juice

1. Combine ingredients with crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and pour             into a chilled wine glass. Garnish with a lime slice & fresh sprig of mint.

You can add vodka to add an edge to the drink.

Pine Point Clam Digger:

This is a great drink for a Clam Bake.

8 oz. of Clamato juice

1 oz. fresh lime juice

3-5 dashes of tabasco sauce

3-5 dashes of worcestershire sauce

Dash of fresh ground pepper

Celery salt to taste

¼ tsp of horseradish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well.

As with James Bond, this drink is better shaken rather than stirred.

Garnish with a slice of lime and a Celery stalk.

Yes, 2 oz. of gin or vodka will add a zip to this drink.

Coco Cola:

 2 oz. of coconut milk

1 oz. of fresh lime juice

Cola

Combine coconut milk and lime juice in a cocktail shaker and shake well

Pour over ice into a chilled highball glass

Fill glass with your choice of cola and garnish with lime wedge.

1 oz. of dark rum will add a knick to this drink

 

Alcoholic Tropical Drinks:

 

Zombie:

2 oz. of dark rum

2 oz. of light rum

1 oz. of 151-proof rum

1 oz. triple sec

1 tsp. of Pernod

1 oz. fresh lime juice

1 oz. fresh orange juice

1 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. guava juice

1 tbsp. of Grenadine

1 tbsp. of Orgeat (almond) syrup

Combine all ingredients with cracked ice in a blender.

Blend until smooth

Pour into a chilled Collins glass and garnish with pineapple spear and a sprig of fresh mint

You can also add a plastic eye ball to the top of the drink

Singapore Sling:

3 oz. of gin

1 oz. of cherry brandy

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. of bar sugar

Sparkling water

maraschinco cherry

Orange slice

1. Combine all ingredients, except sparkling water, brandy, and fruit, with cracked             ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and pour into a Collins glass over ice cubes.             Fill with sparkling water and float brandy on top. Garnish with the orange slice.

Scorpion:

This is one of my favorites.

2 oz. dark rum

1 oz. brandy

½ oz of orgeat (almond) syrup

11/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

11/2 oz. of fresh orange juice

Combine all ingredients with cracked ice in a blender

Blend until smooth and pour into a margarita glass

Garnish with slices of orange and lemon slices

1. If it is a special or romantic occasion, float a fresh gardenia on the drink. It works          every time.

Enjoy your summer and let us know what new special drinks you have developed!

Leiko! (Let go!)