Cream of Broccoli Soup

This time of year, when it starts getting chilly, I look forward to warm soups served with bread. This morning at the farmers market I bought three beautiful heads of broccoli from Shade River Farms and thought instantly of my mom's cream of broccoli soup.

I made the recipe below using Snowville 2% milk, and added a little Laurel Valley Creamery's Cora shredded on top.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 8 cups broccoli florets
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery until tender. Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour the soup into a blender or food processor, being careful not to fill more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
3. In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 tablespoons butter, stir in flour and add milk. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. Season with pepper and serve.

Q is for Quince

Quince is fruit that, before today, I was quite unfamiliar with. I was so excited this morning to come across them at the Farmers Market from Cherry Orchards. It’s appearance resembles something like a cross between a pear and an apple, with a flavor quite similar, though more fragrant and beautiful. Though inedible raw due to high tannin levels and a hard texture, these lovely fruits turn a soft ruby color and develop a divine texture when cooked over time. Often made into jellies or pastes, quince is a popular fruit in Britain but is found quite often in traditional cookbooks.

The recipe below is adapted from the book The British Larder and serves 4. I made it this afternoon and I can attest that it is simply delicious. Best served with vanilla ice cream and good friends.

Quince and Almond Crumble

Topping (you will probably have some leftover, which you can keep in the freezer until next time)
• ¾ cup plain flour
• ½ cup almonds with skin
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• 4tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 quinces

1. For the topping, place flour, almonds and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and pulse until just blended. Coarsely crumble in a shallow baking tray and chill for 1 hour.
2. For the filling, place the sugar, water, vanilla seeds and bean, bay leaf and lemon juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil over very low heat. Let the syrup boil for 2 minutes and then start to prepare the quinces.
3. Peel and core the quince, cut into snall cubes and place into the hot syrup. Half cover the saucepan with the lid, allowing the steam to escape. Slowly poach the quinces over low heat so that they retain their shape but cook at the same time. Once the quinces are tender, turn off the heat and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place 4 ramekins on a baking tray. Spoon the quince mixture evenly into the cups. Sprinkle with crumble topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotate tray and bake for another 10 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool to warm or room temperature and serve with ice cream or custard.Garnish with a sugared vanilla bean if you'd like.
   

Apple Cider Doughnuts: Adventures in Doughnut Making

I've always heard friends reminiscing about delicious apple cider doughnuts they ate as a kid. I ate lots of good doughnuts when I was a kid. But never an apple cider doughnut. I had to know what all the hype was about. So today I set out to make my own.

I found what I thought looked to be a good recipe, but alas, I have never made doughnuts. Below is the recipe I used. The result was a denser cake doughnut, with little to no noticeable cider flavor. I share the recipe in hopes that someone, hopefully a master doughnut chef, will comment and give me some pointers. After barely being able to stomach a whole one, I jumped back online to research the subject and found that yeast risen doughnuts are the lighter fluffier variety I was striving for.

What this means, is now I am bound and determined to make a good apple cider doughnuts. In conclusion, stay tuned to a followup post. Adventures in Doughnut Making Round 2!!

Apple Cider Doughnuts: Proceed with Caution: Intense Doughnuts (Best if cut into doughnut holes)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used more cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used about a dash)
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Vegetable oil for frying ( I used Canola)
  

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium or medium-low heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about 1/4 cup, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed (with the paddle attachment, if using a standing mixer) beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat until the eggs are completely incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the reduced apple cider and the buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper and sprinkle them generously with flour. Turn the dough onto 1 of the sheets and sprinkle the top with flour. Flatten the dough with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use more flour if the dough is still wet. Transfer the dough to the freezer until it is slightly hardened, about 20 minutes. Pull the dough out of the freezer. Using a 3-inch doughnut cutter, cut out doughnut shapes. Place the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes onto the second sheet pan. Refrigerate the doughnuts for 20 to 30 minutes. (You may re-roll the scraps of dough, refrigerate them briefly and cut additional doughnuts from the dough.)
5. Add enough oil to a deep-sided pan to measure a depth of about 3 inches. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Have ready a plate lined with several thicknesses of paper towels.
6. To fry and assemble: Carefully add a few doughnuts to the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 60 seconds. Turn the doughnuts over and fry until the other side is golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain on paper towels after the doughnuts are fried. Roll the warm doughnuts into a cinnamon/sugar mixture and serve immediately.