Batter-Splattered

Query

Is there anything more delicious than spending a quiet evening packing for a vacation you've been looking forward to for many long months? (glass of red wine in hand, of course)

I don't think so.

But to my surprise, it just got a little sweeter. After months of scouring the internet for things to do and see and eat during my trip to Portland with a friend, I just checked the events calendar at Powell's Books and discovered to my delight that Clothilde of Chocolate and Zucchini will be signing her new book on Friday, May 2 at Powell's on Burnside.

As if I weren't excited before! I will most certainly be in line to buy a book and have it signed.

Here's our list of things to do in Portland. Email me or leave a comment with more suggestions if you have them.

Download portland_list.doc

the Great Alaska clean-out-your-freezer potluck / red currant champagne cocktails

As soon as I saw this post about an all-bacon potluck at Gluten Free Girl, I marched right out to my co-worker Angie's desk to point her in its direction. My god, the photos make my mouth water. All bacon... a potluck featuring bacon recipes. How brilliant an idea is that? Did I mention there was bacon?

Soon thereafter, Angie dreamed up the idea for an All Alaska Clean Out Your Freezer potluck, a chance for people to mix it up and meet new people and cook up some of last year's venison and fish and berries cluttering up their deep freeze (guilty) so they'll have plenty of room for this year's hunting and gathering. I mean, what's the point of living here if you aren't going to tromp out into the woods and pluck some berries or tromp on down to the river and catch yourself a king salmon?

It was to be held at my house. Angie created a charming invitation prominently featuring a photo of old Colonel Muktuk Marston:

 

He was quite the character but you knew that just from looking at his photo.

Lots of people we invited had other plans or were sticken with the flu and couldn't come, as will happen with any gathering. Usually when you invite a person to a party and they can't come, they just politely decline without much emotion, but these people... when they heard the idea behind the party, they were crushed. Whole-heartedly disappointed. One young woman rendered her garments in twain. Another thought about calling her parents in Seattle and telling them they'd have to fly in to visit her some other weekend.

For good reason too, because let me tell you what we had:

Pheasant stew served over caramelized shallot mashed potatoes (Alaska grown potatoes, of course)

Creamy halibut dip with the perfect bite of jalopeno served on blue cheese walnut sourdough bread from a local bakery. I just enjoyed some of the leftovers as a brunch-for-one:

A halibut roll that was sort of like a calzone with biscuit dough and a creamy halibut filling

A cream cheese salmon ball

Blueberry muffins made with berries I picked

Blueberry buttermilk tart made with berries Angie picked...

... the list went on and on. I made my own corned venison roast, soaking it in brine for four or five days before cooking it for the party -- more on it later in the week, but it even had people who didn't like corned beef exclaiming how good it was.

I set aside all day Saturday to prepare the house, cleaning, cooking, arranging flowers. I even had enough time leftover to take a little nap in the sun on the couch.

A hostess needs her rest before the onslaught. And if there's anything better than a nap in the sun, it's a nap in the sun with a puppy:

She would need her rest because three other dogs came over to romp in the yard for a few hours during the potluck, playing ring-around-the-greenhouse until they were all exhausted and a muddy mess.

We needed a fancy drink to serve at the party and Angie found this recipe for Red Currant Champagne Cocktails. I still have tons of red currants in my freezer, waiting for me to work up the energy to make another batch of jelly.

I made the puree on Saturday morning...

The results:

You glug a little of this in a fluted glass then pour champagne over it. Sweet and tart. Delicious. Several people brought bottles of champagne and we found that we liked the red currants best when mixed with sweeter champagne to counterbalance the tartness of the berries.

More on those other dishes later but for now here's our version of those cocktails.

Red Currant Champagne Cocktails

Makes enough puree to go with three or four bottles of champagne

1 1/2 pounds (about 3 pints) red currants, fresh or frozen

1/2 c sugar

Extra dry champagne

Cocktail straws for stirring (the puree tends to settle in the flute)

Place currants, sugar and two tablespoons of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes or so, stirring often, until berries are soft.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, pressing on solids with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to extract liquid. Discard solids and chill liquid before using. Red currant puree can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Pour about two tablespoons of puree into a champagne flute. Pour in a bit of champagne and stir gently with a straw. Top off with more champagne.

Raspberry Chiffon Pie with Easy Pat-in-the-Pan Pie Crust

Alanna at Kitchen Parade invited me to join in her Pi Day Celebration by making a pie and I thought it sounded like an excellent weekend project and the perfect thing to serve to company coming over for Sunday lunch. This pie was a delicious way to round off a feast that included new potatoes dipped into cheesy fondue and lentil-beef chili (more on those later in the week) and oh, the margaritas, they were a-flowin'.

My mom, who was one of my lunch guests, is really into margaritas right now. She's become quite the master mixologist and last week I even got scolded for calling her on the phone during 'margarita hour.'

She was never that fun when I lived with her.

The official Pi Day website tells me that March 14 is celebrated the world-round by math enthusiasts, singing the praises of that little Greek symbol that stands for the ratio of the circumference of a circle.

Whatever that means.

I never need much prodding to make a pie. Especially a raspberry pie.

I found the recipe in the pages of a recent purchase, The Best of America's Test Kitchen -- the best recipes and reviews for the year. The raspberry chiffon pie with a cream cheese pie crust on pages 48 and 49  was calling to me like crazy. Both were wonderful.

The pie has three layers -- a fruity, jelly layer with frozen berries stirred together with pectin and boiled until they thicken and at the last minute, you stir in some fresh berries. The fresh berries cost me an arm and a leg -- I was hesitant to spend money on berries I can get for free by the bucketful in the summertime but in the end I bit the berry bullet and I wasn't sorry. It wouldn't have been the same without them.

On top of the berry layer is where the chiffon comes in. Raspberry jello gets stirred in with cream cheese and heavy cream. On top of the chiffon layer is a whole lot of fresh whipping cream.

The photo in the magazine, of course, is a work of art. Three distinct layers, cut into the perfect wedge. It's like an architect constructed it. Just as I've always turned my nose up at higher math (sorry Pi Day), I turn my nose up at that picture-of-perfection and look hungrily towards my own sloppy-gloppy-gorgeous concoction:

You should get the magazine for all sorts of tips and tricks on how to get each component perfectly perfect, in that wonderfully-anal way that Cooks Illustrated does things. I'll just give you the basic instructions here. The pie has this intense raspberry flavor, tart and a little sweet. The crust is wonderful -- just as the name suggests, rather than rolling it out, you shape the dough into a disk and pat it into the pie pan using the heel of your hand.

I almost didn't want to share.

Raspberry Chiffon Pie

Fruit layer

12-ounce bag frozen raspberries (2 cups)

3 T Sure-Jell pectin

1 1/2 c sugar

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled (see recipe below)

Chiffon layer

3 T raspberry-flavored jello

3 T boiling water

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c heavy cream, chilled

Whipped cream topping

1 1/4 c heavy cream, chilled

2 T sugar

Prepare, assemble and bake piecrust (see recipe below). Let it cool while you prepare the pie filling.

Fruit layer: Cook frozen berries in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to release their juice, about 3 minutes. Stir in pectin and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and salt and return to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much puree as possible. Scrape puree off underside of sieve too.

Transfer 1/3 cup of raspberry puree to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Gently fold fresh berries into remaining puree. Spread fruit mixture evenly over bottom of pie shell and set aside.

Chiffon layer: Dissolve jello in boiling water in mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Add cream cheese and reserved 1/3 cup of raspberry puree and beat on high until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add cream and beat on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread evenly over the fruit in the pie shell. Cover pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least three hours.

Whipped cream topping: when you're ready to serve the pie, beat the cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe over the chilled filling. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Easy Pat-in-the-Pan Pie Dough

Makes one 9-inch pie shell

1 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T sugar

1/4 t salt

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool

2 oz. cream cheese, softened but still cool

Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture and beat on medium-low until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 20 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and increase speed to medium-high until dough begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds. Reserve 3 T of the dough and set aside.

Turn remaining dough out onto a lightly floured counter, gather into a ball, and flatten into a 6-inch disk. Transfer to pie plate and press the dough evenly over the bottom of the plate towards the sides, using the heel of your hand. With fingertips, work dough up the sides until evenly distributed.

Roll reserved 3 tablespoons into ropes, press onto edges of crust and form a fluted edge. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle posiiton. Lightly prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 35 - 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Hey look!

Me and my mocha cupcakes are this month's Cupcake Hero! Yay me! Me and my cupcakes are so very pleased. Thanks, Laurie and Jaos!

Oh and play this fun word game to help end world hunger, why dontcha.

Mocha Cupcakes with Walnuts

Now that I'm all settled in the new house (just don't look in the guest room -- it's scary in there -- and while you're at it, don't go in the office either), I thought it was time to go out, mingle a little, and join a few food blogging events. Laurie at Quirky Cupcake was speaking my language when she asked for cupcakes made with coffee in honor of her husband's birthday.

The fruits of my labor:

Lemme tell you the problem with most cakes and cupcakes: it's that whole 'cool on rack' part towards of the end of the recipe. Who wants to wait that long to pound back a slice of divine-looking cake or down a cute cupcake in three bites?

This recipe has thought of everything. You get to eat these warm!

They're so moist and dripping with chocolate that I actually ate mine standing over the kitchen sink so I wouldn't make a total mess of myself. True, I could have grabbed a napkin and taken a seat at the table like a civilized human being but it was just so good I didn't want to stop after the first warm and gooey bite.

The original recipe is here and was meant to be a sheet cake with pecans, but all I had in the house was walnuts so I toasted up some of those and sprinkled away. I also added some instant espresso powder to the frosting to give it an extra coffee kick. I halved the original recipe and ended up with ten cupcakes. Here goes:

Mocha Cupcakes with Toasted Walnuts

1 stick unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee or 1 teaspoon instant coffee, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Half of a 1-pound box powdered sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 10 paper cups. Stir 1/4 cup butter, coffee, 1/4 cup cocoa and vegetable oil in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl until blended. Whisk in cocoa mixture. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Add to flour mixture and blend well. Spread batter in prepared cupcake pan.

Bake until tester inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack.

Meanwhile, stir milk and remaining 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa, and the instant espresso powder in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Spread frosting over warm cupcakes and sprinkle with nuts.

Venison Black Bean Chili

Garden of Eating is hosting a comfort food cook-off and I thought I'd jump right in. They want to know what people eat during this bleakest stretch of winter when the days get short, the nights get cold, and the going gets tough.

Living here in Alaska, I know a thing or two about bleak, short, cold and tough, and when I think of comfort food, it needs to stick to your ribs and be made of simple and inexpensive ingredients thrown together in a pot and eaten by the bowlful. Don't pull the little spoons from the drawer. Oh no. You want one of those big 'uns.

As for the venison called for in this recipe: if you're not me (and I don't think you are), you might not have a freezerful of moose (pity) and so you could use beef or even chicken in this recipe, unless of course you want some moose in which case stop on by because do you have any idea how long it takes a household of two to work its way through an entire moose? Even a small one? Well, I'll tell ya. It takes a long, long time.

I decided on venison chili for tonight's comfort food dinner -- it's something I make often. Sometimes with ground moose. Sometimes with diced-up moose steaks or a roast. This recipe full of healthy junk like beans and lean meat and bell peppers and tomatoes, and so even though it's stick-to-your-ribs fare, you'll still feel like you ate well for dinner.

I make this in a pot on the stove and let it stew for an hour or two but you could also throw all the ingredients into a crockpot, turn it on low, and let it crock for 8 to 10 hours. It goes without saying that it's even better the next day.

Here's the nice version:

And here's the naughty version:

It's pretty versatile. If you don't have a bell pepper, you could add an extra can of tomatoes. You could use kidney beans instead of black beans. Really, just go crazy.

Venison Black Bean Chili

Serves four

2 pounds venison roast, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 packet chili seasonings or mix your own using a recipe such as this -- stir in a couple of tablespoons of the mix

1 t ground cumin

2 to 3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed, the number of cans depends on whether you like  your chili saucy or not. If not, then add all three cans to take up some space and thin out the sauce

1 can chili-style chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 bell pepper (yellow, red, orange, green, it's your choice), chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 16-ounce can refried beans

Salt and pepper to taste

If desired, garnish with sour cream, sliced green onions, and shredded cheese

You can throw all of the ingredients except the tomato paste, refried beans, and garnishes into a crockpot on low, cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours. Uncover and stir in tomato paste and refried beans and salt and pepper to taste.

Or you can saute the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in a little olive oil until the onion is wilty then stir in the seasonings and the chopped venison and continue sauteing until venison is browned. Then add the black beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, and broth. Let it simmer for an hour or two then stir in the tomato paste and the refried beans. Really, you can eat this whenever it tastes ready. Easy peasy.