Eclair Cake

 I don't know where this delicousness has been for my entire life or why I'd never heard of it until stumbling upon a recipe a few years ago. Shortly after that, we began hearing "choux pastry" and "creme pat" on the British Baking Show, and our new favorite dessert was born. This recipe is a mix of two that I found online, an eclair cake at allrecipes and Paul Hollywood's creme pat recipe.

ECLAIR CAKE

Pastry:

1 c. water

1/2 c. butter

1/4 t. salt

120 grams all purpose flour (this is ~ 1 cup, but precision by weight is mandatory!)

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. 

Combine water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over med high heat. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the flour. Cook and stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball (165-175 degrees F). Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, let cool for 2-3 minutes, and beat in the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. (I use a hand mixer, but this can be done by hand.) Spread the dough evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 25-30 mins.  The dough will rise, but then as it cools, will drop and form a boat shape. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Science behind choux pastry.

Creme Patissiere:

750 ml (27 oz.) whole milk

150 grams  (3/4 c.) white sugar

6 eggs, yolks only

60 grams (1/2 c.) cornstarch

60 grams (4 T.) butter

2 t. vanilla

Pour milk into a pan, bring barely to a boil, and remove from heat. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Pour a little of the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously (to avoid cooking the egg in chunks!). I use a hand mixer. In batches, whisk in the rest of the milk until well combined, and then return to pan.

Cook the mixture over gentle heat (med low), stirring continuously until thick. It will just come to a boil (watch for that first bubble!). Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla until well combined. Let cool down for quite a bit. If it's hot when poured into chilled choux pastry boat, it will compromise the pastry. Fill the pastry boat with as much creme pat as it will hold. You may have a bit leftover; you don't want it spilling outside the confines of the boat and over the sides. Refrigerate for an hour or two until well chilled before topping with ganache (below).

Ganache:

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. heavy cream

Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring cream almost to boiling in saucepan over medium heat. (I accidentally boiled it in the microwave, which seemed to have no ill effect.) Pour hot cream over chocolate and let soften for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool for 10 mins. or so to thicken, and then pour over cream filling, spreading to cover entire surface. 

Chill at least two to three hours before serving.

If you have leftovers, go ahead and cover with plastic or foil. Will keep in fridge for a few days (as if!).

 

Lisa's Broccoli Cheese Soup (Panera Copycat)

Ten years ago (I remember specifically that we were at the beach), in one of those amazing Six Degrees of Separation connections, Lisa saw and recognized my name on a Colorado Springs friend's Facebook page. Lisa and I were childhood friends, neighbors, and our moms together were Brownie leaders. Lisa's brother was in my class. 

It's always interesting to reconnect with people from the past; this was a good reconnection. Lisa has some pretty strong views, and sometimes she and I have disagreed vehemently to the point where we stopped being friends for a few years. Earlier this year, we reconnected yet again. She was leery, adamantly anti C-vax, sick of people arguing for lockdowns, mandates. And I was like, yep, we'll get along just fine! 

Then she shared this soup recipe, sealing our friendship for life. 

LISA'S BROCCOLI SOUP

2 T. butter 

1/2 chopped onion 

2 T. flour 

3 c. chicken broth 

1 c. shredded carrot 

2 c. chopped broccoli * 

12 oz. evaporated milk or half and half, etc. 

1/4 t. seasoned salt 

1/4 t. cayenne (my own touch!)

4 oz. shredded cheddar 

1/2 c. shredded parmesan 

*I use a 10 oz. bag of frozen broccoli crowns/florets, thawed, and pulsed in the food processor to appropriate soup size. 

Melt butter on med high heat in large pan. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and saute until onion starts to soften. Whisk in flour and cook a minute or so to blend well and cook flour. Whisk in chicken broth and stir well. Soup should begin to thicken just a bit. Turn down heat, add carrot and broccoli, milk, seasoned salt. Cook until heated through and broccoli and carrot are cooked. Soup will still be a bit thin but should thicken up when cheeses are added. 

Freezes well; reheats well; any leftovers don't last long here!

The Randomness of Grocery Stores

It's become almost a hobby over the past ten years or so to check out different grocery stores. It started when we moved to Stickville. After the first month, I dragged the kids to Roanoke, and we found a nice Kroger with a decent deli. I was so thrilled to see real deli products--I swooned so hard at the Boar's Head meats that the deli guy thought I was joking. While visiting Pennsylvania, we discovered Wegman's. (My) Aunt Barbara had a dozen or so recipe magazines from Wegman's, which I devoured. On one of our trips, we even stopped at Wegman's and bought dinner food before we made it to Barb's house. When Holly went to school in Fairfax, we found a kitschy little local Walmart that was our favorite for awhile. Although Giant was right around the corner from school, that was always our last choice, I know we weren't there more than three times in four years. During her final year, we ditched Walmart and did most of her shopping at Wegman's. Some of the food was fancier, but for the most part, the prices were comparable. We also visited Trader Joe's--two of them, on the same night, but neither one of those impressed. Other unremarkable stores included a couple of Harris-Teeters ($$$) and a few random ethnic grocers right here in Roanoke. And we dicovered the marvels of H-Mart in Fairfax. With it's incredible array of produce, expansive and exotic fish and meat sections, any Korean food you could ever want, and ready to go meals, it became a favorite stop--for Trevor. Whenever he came up, we included a trip to H-Mart, and when he didn't come up, he would provide a shopping list, and Holly and I would shop for him. When he first went to VCU, one of our first stops was an Asian food market, which to his dismay, didn't even come close to meeting his expectations. True story: One of the attractions to working in Northern Virginia for Trevor was that he could shop at H-Mart. It is also true that on the day he and I went apartment hunting in Manassas, our first stop was H-Mart, where we grabbed to go food. We ate that in the car while in the parking lot of the apartment complex he chose, sitting in front of the apartment he signed the lease for. Anytime we go anywhere, it's no surprise when a grocery store visit is part of the deal. One of our recent visits with Trevor included a stop at Lidl (a first for me and Robert) and a visit to a new Oh! Market. And other visits have included stops at, of course, Wegman's. We were in Henrico last week, and I'm not sure why a plain old Kroger was our stop, but it was. There was nothing here we needed to buy, and the bizarreness of it struck me as just one of our usual odd-but-now-normal stops: - 2 bags of Hershey's Chocolate (assorted Reese's candies on clearance, one for my work, one for Holly) - 3 cans of pickled beets - Twizzler Bites (for Holly's car ride) - Panko crumbs (for Holly) - Kroger sauce (for Holly--what even was this, tomato sauce maybe?) - 4 Almond Joy 5 packs (more clearance candy, Robert chose this) - toilet paper (Robert--who never misses a chance to stock up) (Documenting this, because it will no doubt be one of those silly things we laugh and reminisce about for years to come.)

Puzzles

When you stay up way past midnight on a work night to finish a puzzle. Again.

Friday

The new roof was put on today, courtesy of a storm that caused damage back in May. You know how that goes: It looks so great that we're planning to paint the shutters a dark gray and replace the garage doors.

Meanwhile, Robert and I spent the evening on the deck with oddly good chips and the beer that takes me back 40 years. 

Mother's Day Weekend

A sweet, busy weekend:

·   Holly and I looked at a new apartment/townhouse she's hoping to rent, and then she treated me to breakfast at First Watch. It was a bit cool but fantastic to sit in the warm sunshine.

·  Not something I did, but it's worth noting that Trevor tested negative for COVID. Again. !!!

·  I finished a new puzzle.

·  It's worth noting that more people are maskless in stores. Instead of just 1-2 people unmasked, now it's 5-10. So good to see! And the makeup stores that had asked me in the past to mask didn't comment this week.

·  Robert bought me flowers, a new bathrobe, and a Starbucks gift card.

·   Robert and I visited Mrs. Howell.

·  Holly and I and Trevor and I got in tv time, watching 90 Day Fiance,  Amazing Race, and Survivor. Holly and I played UNO and Racko.

·  Mother's Day dinner, followed by raspberries with whipped cream!

A great weekend!

Artichoke Dip

This recipe has been a favorite for literally decades. My old best friend Donna and I would make this for dinner and take it to parties, and this was back in the late 1980s. I can't remember where I first found the recipe or ate it, but I know it came from me, because I'll never forget the first time she made it and used jarred, marinated artichoke hearts instead of canned hearts, and -- well, you would have had to have been there.

Later, this became a staple for me and Robert, sharing it with friends and family. And even later, it was a favorite for my kids. I admit, it sometimes sufficed for dinner; no doubt I added a side dish of fruit in an effort to give some nutrition.

Robert and Holly have been talking about it and finally chose to have it for dinner last night. Apparently, it's a recipe that never has made it to my blog. Holly's comment just now was, "At least if the house goes up in flames, the recipe will survive." Yep, into internet eternity now. :)

ARTICHOKE DIP

1 can of artichokes, drained and chopped (rinsed, drained, use food processor)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 clove of garlic

1/8 t. yellow mustard (seems I've always used a tad more)

5 oz. shredded Parmesan (about a cup)

1 T. lemon juice (or 1 t. or so of Worcestershire)

 

Place all in baking dish; mix well. Bake at 350 for 20 mins. until bubbly.

Serve with cubed french bread or corn chips (okay, or carrots, celery, zucchini, etc. but I can say I've NEVER done that!)

SPRING!!!!

Robert and I went down to Rocky Mount to pick up our taxes. Since leaving the library in 2013, I've only been down there maybe three times. Leaving the tax place, we started to head out to Callaway to drive by the old house. But I pulled off the road, started searching on my phone, and told Robert we were going to the BEST hot dog place. 

Okay, maybe not the "best," but I remembered it from our annual employee picnic lunches. Now I don't just pull over and say where we are going for lunch--EVER. I'd never been to the actual restaurant (and I use that term oh-so loosely), as they would cater our lunch. Turns out it was just a mile down from where we'd pulled off.

 It's not a fancy place; it's not a big place. We walked in, the place was full, and we waited for a minute in the doorway until a waitress told us a table was just leaving. Meanwhile, she set us up with beers while we stood at the end of the bar and waited for the table to be cleaned.

No masks in sight. Not on anyone. No empty tables. Bar full. I literally sat at the table and started weeping because people were living a NORMAL LIFE without fear.

 

 

Hot dogs served on waxed paper. Topped with chili (not that beany-tomato stuff), mayo, mustard, ketchup, onion--and cole slaw. With a piece of cheese on the side, because that's how you do it.

 

We weren't sure if we had enough cash (like who carries that anymore?!), but we were told if we didn't have it, they wouldn't worry about it. In the end, we scrounged up way more than enough, haha. 

Food for my belly. People for my soul. My God, thank you for bringing me here when I least expected it, when I most needed it. I never want to forget the feelings of today.

Headed back home instead of Callaway, and we sat in the sun on the deck (okay, I actually fell asleep).

It is well with my soul.

The Original Perfect Potato Soup Recipe

 Pioneer Woman's Perfect Potato Soup has long been a favorite of ours. I haven't made it in quite a while, and when I looked at the recipe earlier this week, I see that she has drastically changed the proportions not only on the Food Network site but also on her blog. That makes me sad; I want the real, the authentic, the original! I was able to find track it down but wanted to record it here for posterity so we can continue to make the same one that we have enjoyed. (Although this recipe is not "the original" because I've doubled it!)

PERFECT POTATO SOUP

2 slices of bacon

1 large onion, diced (about 130g)

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 stalk of celery, diced (about 90g)

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 800g)

5 c. chicken broth

1 t. Cajun seasoning

1 T. flour (I subbed 1 T. cornstarch, I found this amount to work)

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream (could sub milk and cream with half and half)

salt and pepper

1 c. + cheddar cheese for garnish

1. Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot. 

2.  Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrot, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, add salt and pepper to taste, then add the diced potatoes.

 

3. Pour in chicken broth and add Cajun seasoning and bring it to gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour (or cornstarch) and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 10 minutes to thicken.

 

4. Remove half to ⅔ the soup and blend in a blender until completely smooth. BE CAREFUL HERE, because the hot liquid will expand in the blender and literally can blow the top off and spray hot soup everywhere. DO NOT fill the blender more than half full.  Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back and add salt and pepper to taste.

 

5. Stir in whipping cream till combined.

 

6. Serve in bowls garnished with bacon crumbles, sour cream, and shredded cheese.